My fragrance posts are few and far between these days, as I test and buy so much less than I used to and hence mostly wear perfumes I’ve already spoken about. For blogging purposes, this is not ideal. I do still go through distinctive moods, however, and autumn is the time I tend to be most inspired, fragrance-wise.

Dark florals have been among my favourites for a long time and especially since this summer, I’ve constantly been in the mood for them. What I mean by a dark floral is that the flowers are combined with prominent base notes like leather, different woods, incense, musk or all of these combined. Florals can sometimes lack complexity, which can be cured by adding this darker dimension. It also tends to make the scents more sensual and/or badass.

Serge Lutens’s Sarrasins and Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia are two of my favourite dar florals, I have talked about them before and surely will again. But I have been craving something sweeter and even more intense and this is where Eric Buterbaugh’s Gardenia Oud comes in. I only have a decant, thanks to the wonderful Kassandakomplex, and will likely never own a full bottle – it is very expensive and difficult to get. There is also no denying that it’s a beautiful floral bouquet resting on precious woods and resins that should not be worn in case you dislike attention.

In more-or-less the same camp we also have Tom Ford’s Lys Fume and another Lutens, Bois de Violette. The latter is a softer scent than others here, but it certainly has a beautiful woody base. On the rose front, the quintessential dark ones come from Frederic Malle – Portrait of the Lady and Une Rose. I don’t wear them often (I only have small decants of both), but can’t leave them out. I prefer the somewhat less dark Lyric (Amouage) and Mohur (Neela Vermeire) – both extremely complex and very beautiful. There is also the new Masque Milano, Love Kills: a very interesting rose that I want to properly test.

Talking about Masque Milano, I am still obsessed with Times Square, the trashiest perfume I own. It would qualify as a dark floral and has that sweetness that I seem to be craving recently. It also works as a bridge to other perfumes I like at the moment that aren’t florals. Tom Ford’s London has become a long-standing favourite and although it’s darker and drier and much less floral and jammy, I think it has a certain affinity with Times Square. Arquiste’s Nanban is very similar to London, with its wood and leather and spices, while being a bit more sophisticated and less brash.

Finally, there’s the only new bottle on this picture: Ambre Royal by Ormonde Jayne. I’m usually not an amber person and I think this one works for me precisely because it’s not your usual amber. It summarises everything I seem to be into at the moment: there are the florals (osmanthus and jasmine), the sweetness of amber and tonka, the depth of cedar, musk and patchouli.

What are you wearing this autumn? Old favourites or new discoveries?