Yesterday on PST I wrote about the cold weather we’ve been having and how in a way it’s nice because I can pull out some of the heavy hitters that I wouldn’t normally think of wearing when it’s 80 degrees out. Of course today the cold snap snapped and it was back up into the 70’s. So the heavy hitters are back in the cupboard to be enjoyed in the privacy of my home.
So I started hankering for the comfort scents. Ones like Lostmarc’h Laan-Ael, which smells to me like Froot Loops in milk. In a way that’s totally captivating and utterly sexy. At $85 for 100ML it’s also really affordable. Guerlain Spiriteuse Double Vanille is another one that I love as a comfort scent. It’s a rich, boozy, creamy vanilla that lasts forever and while a bit pricey at $225 the bottle is HUGE and you’ll likely have it forever because two spritzes is more than enough to be smelled. More and you’d drown.
But the one that I like the best as comfort is Lutens’ Rahat Loukoum. It’s a sweet cherry/almond candy delight with a dark side. As if the plate of sugary treats were being brought to you by a rather delicious looking host, who you might end up sampling later. It’s FINALLY available at the Lutens website, pricey at $290, but a trip to Paris ain’t cheap either.
Laan-Ael is available at LuckyScent, where I purchased a bottle. Double Vanille is available at Saks and Neiman Marcus (online anyway). I purchased at Saks. My bottle of Rahat was purchased of eBay years ago.
Okay, your turn. What are you’re favorite comfort scents? Let us know in the comments.
Photo: Internets
I don’t turn to balmy/ambery or foody sweetness for comfort. My number two comfort scent is Tam Dao whenever I need someone trusty to lean upon I know sandalwood will always be there for me, giving the same performance every time. My number one however -and I know you might think I’m crazy- is Eau de Gentian Blanche. It works for me and somehow manages to lift my moods with its grey sillage. When I wear this in the winter I’m a rock, I’m incense smoke and the cold can’t get to me.
Lutens Un Bois Vanille, L’Instant de Guerlain and Fragonard Fleur de Vanille – you can maybe see a bit of a trend here! Cuddly thick vanillas are so great to drown in when it gets cold 🙂
Tocade because it uses simple notes, L’Artisan’s Safran Troublant because it’s light, but foody, and Ambre Russe. I find animalic scents to be comforting, not entirely sure why.
Today I’m wallowing in the beauty of Winter Woods from Sonoma Scents Studio. It’s just about the most cozy, sleepy scent I can imagine. L’Air De Rien is another soothing winter fave, feels like putting on my boyfriends sweater. Very snuggly, and in just a little bit of a sexy kinda way. Heaven!
I find lavender to be a very comforting and uplifting note. Especially when blended with warmer notes. Hence my favourites in this category are Luten’s Gris Clair and Nicolai’s Maharadjah. Both are cozy and gorgeous!
Agree ! Egoiste is totally yummy -Try Chopard Madness you can get it very low cost now.
Chanel Égoïste. Rose…. sandalwood….. tangerine…. rosewood… heaven.
Thanks for the welcome:)! Yes, we do, and sometimes the gift of a familiar safety-scent is all that makes the difference:).
Oh really:)? Imperial Opoponax is one of those sort of under-estimated gems of perfumery, isn’t it? Not that widely known and distributed, but it’s true quality for a rather low price, which doubles the fun:).
I like honey scents for comfort! My cosiest one is L’occitane’s Eau de Miel. Some great suggestions here! I must try Honey and the Moon and Bois Farine, they sound like my kind of comfort scent.
I reach for incense scents when I want to feel comforted. I guess I associate the smell with peace and quiet and contemplation so they relax me. If I’m stressed I grab Avignon, Filles en Aiguilles, Trayee, or Incense Pure.
I was just going to post the same thing. Avignon, Incense Pure, and to a lesser extent Kyoto are three of my favorite comfort scents. I also enjoy Luctor et Emergo, Ambre Noir, Cameo, and Rose Musc. I was thinking this morning again that I really NEED to try Laan-Ael before the cool weather is gone (which will be very soon here).
I was thinking I NEED to try it too after seeing all the love here for it. I have plenty of time though because there’s no shortage of cool, no make that cold, weather here for a while.
Hey, this might be my first comment up here, so Hello Everyone! What a lovely topic. We in Hungary usually have heavy snows in Winter, so all the Big Bad Powders can come: Teint de Neige, Hypnotic Poison, Alamut, Fumerie Turque, Etro Heliotrope, Impérial Opoponax, and (most of the time) Mona di Orio Ambre. Sometimes even KM Loukhoum (preferably du Soir).
Me too, reach for Vanilla Comptoirs only this time of year. Cannelle and Cacao are often used.
My all-time, all-weather comfy scents are Kenzo Amour (I know, I know) and its elder brother Flower Oriental, but that’s when inner comfort is needed rather than physical warmth:). These two never fail to wrap me in a soft caring hug.
Welcome to the Posse, Elvie! So glad you stopped by. You name some wonderful comfort scents, several of which I have never tried. But I, too, love the Mona Ambre, FT, and the Kenzo Amour (and the body lotion and shower cream in it are very nice, too). We can all use more soft, caring hugs, right?
Hi! I’m glad to see Imperial Opoponax mentioned, it’s one of my favorites. We share quite a few, actually! 🙂
Hi, Rosarita! Hope you’re doing well. Since you and Elvie are loving the IO, guess I’m going to have to try it. It does sound nice. Thanks!
Waves at Elvie! Welcome!
Thank You all for the welcomes! 🙂 Ann, I can truly suggest the Opoponax, it ismuch like a warm, soft spicy creamy liqueur on me, and I can’t get enough of it for years now:). I hope You’ll like it as well!
Shalimar! The dry down reminds me of amazing lemon/cream cheese cinnamon rolls, can’t get more comfort than that.
Lann Ael for me also, Botrytis, Frapin 1270, L’Artisan Safran Troublant; and all vanillas and ambers are comforting to me. Love Tauer’s L’air du desert marocain, PG Ombre Fauve, some hippie store amber in a teeny bottle… Keiko Mecheri Genie des Bois, Etat Libre D’Orange Fils de Dieu, Etro Heliotrope, DSH Bois du Chocolat.
I love me some Tabac Aurea by Sonoma Scent Studio! I will often spritz right before bedtime if I am feeling anxious or worried and can smell it on my PJ’s for the rest of the week. It relaxes and soothes me like nothing else. I think it must remind me of my dad when he took up pipe smoking when I was a kid and also my grandfather in Ireland who would sit in the evenings smoking his pipe gazing out over the pastures, quietly the watching sheep, horses, and cows meandering and grazing as evening fell. Great memories!
Lovely scent-story! I didn’t take to Tabac Aurea but love SSS’s Winter Woods and find it comforting in a similar way.
Winter Woods is another of my faves along with Forest Walk!
Winter woods is indeed what I’m wearing right now. Ambre Noir is also lovely on me this time of year. Cheers!
I second Ginestet Botrytis. I also like Bulgari Omnia as a comfort scent. It’s pretty cozy to me. Another one I like is Tokyo Milk Honey & the Moon. And it’s only like $30 a bottle, so you gotta love that.
Forgot one. Kenzo Amour… I have a mini of it and had kind of forgotten about it until recently. It’s like a vanilla rice pudding, with some woody notes to cut the sweetness a bit.
Jennifer, that Amour is a great one — I love it, too!
I don’t know that I really have anything I’d call comfort scents per se, but for some reason I love to sleep in Fendi Asja, and Back to Black is quickly becoming one I like to spritz on before bed, as well. There is something warm and snuggly about them, so I guess they are my comfort scents.
I’m gonna have to revisit SDV. But I love to wear Epic woman, Shalimar and a couple other orientals.
Ooh, I want to try Lann Ael. My favorite comfort scents are L’Artisan Bois Farine and Donna Karan Black Cashmere…both soft, cozy blankets in a bottle!
Comfort scents still are weather-associated for me – and we’ve got SNOW here in Virginia, the first snow of the winter!
In summer, I want Petite Cherie or L’Aimant. In other weathers, when I feel like I need a hug from my mom, it’s No. 5 or La Myrrhe. (Seriously. Yes. I find La Myrrhe very comforting.) When I need a hug from my daughter, I yank out the small bit of Hanae Mori or Bath & Body Works Dark Kiss I own. Others? Emeraude or Shalimar Light, or CSP Eau de Gouverneur. Smell Bent One is cozy.
Chergui, and…chergui.
But I have to say it makes me a little sad that some of my most important friends don’t like the way it smells on me (or maybe they don’t like the scent itself). They can’t smell it unless I stick my wrist under their noses but still:(
Lann Ael is lovely stuff. My skin soaks it up quickly and it doesn’t last long but it is very comforting. My favorite winter comfort scent is Barbara Bui. It’s like wrapping up in my favorite wool afghan that my grandma knitted for me, forty years ago, which I still have and love. BB has that sweet softness with just enough incense to give it depth.
Love Barbara Bui. For me, BB is the lighter, airier version of SL Un Bois Vanille – which is also a comfort scent to me. I also adore Le Labo Ambrette 9 for it’s swaddled, new-baby smell. Sexy, it’s not. But it makes me breathe a deep, lovely sigh whenever I get a good whiff, recalling days snuggled up with my little one.
Hi, ladies, I’m “thirding” the love for the Barbara Bui.
Mmmm, Tom, very warm and cozy topic today (especially since our heat went out upstairs and we had a particularly cold night with temps dropping into the mid-30s.) I re-tried SDV a while back and forgot how much I liked it. Also Le Labo’s Vanille 44 (that incense and vanilla gets me every time), L’Artisan’s Tea for Two, and Costes 2. Think I’ll go cuddle up with one of them now! Have a great day, everyone!
I’ve been loving good vanilla scents in our recent cold weather. I don’t find Le Labo Vanille 44 very comforting, though, because I find myself calculating how much each waft is costing me! Crass, I realize, but that is some expensive juice. I’m using Mona di Orio Vanille, with occasional use of Black Cashmere and Safran Troublant. I also find Tom Ford’s Noir de Noir to be comforting in a deep dark earthy way, good for romantic evenings by the fire.
Heather, I hear you on the Le Labo. I just block out the cost, get a single spray from my very small decant and enjoy fragrant bliss for the rest of the day. I like the others you mentioned, especially MdV, BC and ST. Need to play a bit more with the Tom Ford though. Have a great weekend!
Ginestet Boytritis.
A bunch of Comptoirs are always at the ready when I need to feel warm and cozy and wrapped up, particularly Amour de Cacao and Vanille Café (now Vanille Moka and possibly reformulated but hopefully not). I have lots of comfort scents but those two are my standbys.
It’s definitely odd but my own comfort scents are:
1. Thierry Mugler’s Angel for Men – the initial tar note is strong but I got used to it. Besides I don’t go more than 2 sprays.
The next three is as comforting as the many compliments I received on a very cold Canada winter…
2. L’artisan’s Timbuktu – even my old shirt smells wonderful days after ..
3. Ferrari Essence Oud – many would say yeah it’s just by Ferrari, I say yeah right, but have a waft & discover how Ferrari has improved with this one. Reviews were outstanding. Notes like oud, rose,saffron, cumin, elemi resins, olibanum, labdanum & leather.
Oh and they have a new fragrance, Ferrari Silver, where one review says
It’s smells like its a niche fragrance. I wonder what it means but the notes compositions looks interesting.
Top notes are sage, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and thyme; middle notes are birch, lavender, patchouli and coconut; base notes are guaiac wood, atlas cedar, incense and musk.
Finally, my last comfort scent is the discontinued classic,
4. Boss Sport – a very sentimental, personal favorite… Just check reviews & be amazed…
Interesting: I like Timbuktu, but the artifice of it is almost disconcerting to me.
I fell for Lann Ael, too, which to me smells like french toast sprinkled with fairy dust. These days, though, I’ve noticed that frequently I’ve been reaching for Jacomo Art Collection #08, which is a warm and milky tea scent. Comforting, indeed, like the perfect chai.