Two for Fall: Caron Le 3e Homme and Coty L’Aimant

Musette wrote just this week (brilliantly) about the change of seasons and also grief. Well, I don’t have anything really to write about the latter, but we have had a touch of the former, yes, even here in LA.

You wouldn’t think LA has fall, but we do. It’s just very subtle. The closest we get to a real New England fall (the only time of year that I really miss about my homeland- spring is fleeting and can be treacherous, winters brutal and summers kill-me-now humid) is in winter, when the temps even in Beverly Hills where you think it would be illegal flirt with freezing and the trees on Alden Drive and Carmelita Avenue blaze with color (BH unlike most cities has only one or two species of street trees planted: Canon Drive has the famous Palms, Palm Drive has Jacarandas, Maple Drive has Camphor trees while Elm has Elms. Only a few do fall colors.) I don’t have moments such as the one I did in college when I was driving, top down, scarf and heater on, looking at the glorious blaze of colors that were on that Elm street, the valley and Mount Tom ahead of me, equally showy in their fiery glory. To this day I still have that memory clearly in my head- I remember marking it, thinking that all else be damned, the place I grew up in could be almost magically pretty.

But back to fall, and reality.

I suppose that writing that a dip from the mid 100’s down to the 80’s and that the days are getting noticeably shorter has triggered some sort of migration instinct is rather laughable,, but there you are. There’s a nip in the air at night and the shift off of Daylight Savings time looms ever nearer. None of this has made me think that I should decamp to Portia’s sofa for the next few months, even if I had the money to do so. No matter how much fun it would be. It just makes me get out some of the more fall-appropriate scents that are just a teensy bit much in summer for me.

Caron 3e Homme is one that I have had for years, at least from the 90’s. It debuted in 1985 and the notes (from Fragrantica) are:

Top notes are Lavender, Amalfi Lemon, Bergamot, Anise and Rosemary; middle notes are Coriander, Carnation, Geranium, Jasmine and Rose; base notes are oak moss, vetyver, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Patchouli, Cedar and Musk.

Don’t be fooled by that list- in many ways this is a big scent, in that 80’s kind of way. Back then even more so than today you had to metaphorically grab a consumer by the lapels and shake him like a rag doll to get his attention away from other contenders at the perfume counter. By the 90’s when I bought this it was already considered somewhat passé, since everyone was into Eau de Eau (Eau no!) at that point of crazy about Calvin’s CK one gender-fluid fluid. But the BIG portion of the program is only at the beginning; once the opening brass band passes by the lavender, flowers and vanilla base start to play very nicely together. Is it 80’s? Yeah, a bit. So’s the black 450SL Richard Gere drove in American Gigolo. I happily wear one and would happily drive the other.

Coty L’Aimant is one that I got because of Musette. She had written about it more that once and it was so inexpensive on one of the online discounters it ended up as a purchase simply to get free shipping (Why yes, I am a lemming. A broke, smelly lemming.) It’s from 1927 and the notes (again from Fragrantica are:

Top notes: bergamot, neroli, peach, and aldehydes. Heart: geranium, rose, orchid, jasmine and ylang-ylang. Base: vetiver, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, tonka bean and cedar

Now this one is interesting- Musette wrote that it’s the Jane Russell to Marilyn’s Chanel No. 5 and that pretty much nails it. She also wrote that it was one that is better when it’s a little chilly, which is very true. When it’s a little cold the Aldehydles lightly skim the surface the way the first sip of a really good and really well chilled glass of champagne does. In the heat it seems on me to be more of a room temperature mimosa, made with OJ from concentrate and Andre- just sort of cloying and off. If you’re going from your air conditioned home to your air conditioned car to your air conditioned life it won’t be an issue. If not.. It settles down into a lovely scent that I think could easily be worn by a guy. Well I’m going to wear it anyway, so there.

Do you have any fall favorites that you plan on breaking out? Let us know in the comments.

3e Homme is discounted on the interwebs, but not at the prices I paid from one of the little shops on Broadway. I think it’s worth it. Like that SL. L’Aimant is available at discounters at discount prices and is certainly a “cheap and cheerful” find. Both bottles are my own. Photos are from Pexels and my iPhone.