I've Still Got Sand In My Shoes.....Wake Me Up When September Ends

We are in a transition of seasons right now. Just after Labor Day, it's not summer anymore but it's not quite fall either. The days are hot and the nights are chilly. School is back in session and we are making the switch from halter tops to cardigans. We still sport bare legs under skirts but have replaced the sandals with tennis shoes. Perfumes make a transition this time of year as well. The light herbal citrus concoctions we wore to the beach don't have enough oomph to stand up to the breeze, but the musky, resinous spices that warm us in the snow are still a bit too heavy for sunny days. What follows is my short list of fragrances that make the grade for September.


THE ONE by Dolce & Gabbana

I thought this smelled like suntan lotion. My son thought it smelled like graham crackers. We are both correct. It is very light and lies close to the skin. Someone would have to hug you before they even smelled it....maybe that's just how my skin reacts to it. It does conjur up visions of dessert, like a creme brulee paired with a cup of peach tea. I don't know how to explain this better, but it smells both dusty and oily at the same time. It reminds me of the apricot baby oil from Burt's Bees. It was the scent that gave me the idea for this post. I sprayed it on this week and thought "Today's weather is probably what D&G had in mind when they created this." It feels like you spent the day sunbathing and then remembered you had a job interview, so you just pop a tweed suit on right over your bikini. It's a bit disconcerting, but I do admire it.



CASHMERE MIST by Donna Karan

Perfectly named, this fragrance is soft and sheer. Powdery sandalwood, airy cedar dust, a gentle mix of patchouli and musk. The florals are there but so very light I can't make out what they are.The drydown is like vanilla soap. It is a conservative and discreet scent. Perfect for work or school, most definitely an understated daytime perfume. However it is quite versatile and could be worn with a dress just as easily as with jeans. In either case, it practically begs for a cardigan or scarf. The soft lines of these would perfectly match the softness that radiates from Cashmere Mist. If you want to turn heads, look elsewhere. People won't notice your perfume when you wear this, they will simply remember that you were lovely.


CODE by Giorgio Armani

This is the heaviest and spiciest of the list, perfect for the Autumnal Equinox. An orange-ginger-jasmine blend that dries down to a warm vanilla. One spritz lasts a long time, something I have come to love about the house of Armani. It's more spiced than sweet in my opinion, but never seems like one of those baked-goods scented candles that are synonymous with grannies' homes in the fall. If it reminds me of edibles at all it would be more like a chai tea. Someone who adores oranges or even orange blossoms will love this. The ad campaign attempts to sell Code as a seductive scent. I suppose it could be, but it seems more comforting cozy than sexy to me.


SENSUOUS by Estee Lauder

Like the hot wood in a dry sauna combined with honey colored beeswax candles. This is a very "dry" smell to me, very much like the dry leaves that begin to swirl on the sidewalk this time of year. I feel a little warmer when I wear it, as if my skin has been baking in the sun all day. Sensuous is aptly named, as there is a skin quality to it that smoothes out any rough edges the wood notes might have had. A great way to carry the day's heat over into a cooler evening. This perfume dances between spicy and sweet and spends most of it's time in this mellow mid zone. It's a soft smell guaranteed to enhance the personality of the wearer, rather than grabbing the spotlight for itself.


NO. 5 by Chanel

It would be easy to dismiss Chanel No.5 as being old-fashioned or just plain soapy. Upon initial application, it is all white soap suds, a rich lather washing into a porcelain basin. I like the idea of smelling extra 'well-scrubbed' during this back-to-school, getting serious time of the year. A light hand is key in using No.5. Just a drop or two will be sufficient, unless you are headed to the opera...then by all means, let it waft from the cleavage of your fancy dress. After an hour, the soapiness rests itself in the background and allows the rose-jasmine cream to tickle the nose. I now understand why this is a classic bestseller year after year. In a sea of girlish fruit punch perfumes and watered down floral "office scents", Chanel No.5 is a Woman. The kind of woman that is a dying breed. Feminine, glamorous, elegant, slightly aloof. While there is nothing geriatric about it, it does make me yearn for another era, one where I could don a sassy little veiled hat with matching gloves. Instead I will wear this with a cardigan, tasteful black heels and a my largest gold cocktail ring.