Perfumes for the witchy season

and how COVID made my armpits smell like plastic

Of all the seasons, autumn really strikes a chord with people. Falling leaves, crisp breezes, warm drinks, cozy blankets… It’s easy to distill into a mood, into colors, into a scent. But it’s not one that comes easily for me.

I can channel a springtime maiden, a summer mermaid, or a winter princess, but I haven’t figured out exactly how to be my best autumnal self. The rusty warm hues of autumn don’t really suit me, and I don’t naturally gravitate towards the types of semi-warm flannels and denim that are keystones of the season.

My neighborhood is so pretty in the fall!!

But one autumnal thing I fully embrace is the scents! They don’t really go with my ~look~ but I love spicy, cozy fragrances. My very first adult perfume was a fragrance oil called “Peppercorn,” purchased at a local scent shop in my college town. I don’t have it anymore, but I can still smell its syrupy, spicy scent, honey infused with heaps of black pepper and cloves. It feels like new textbooks, local coffee shops, and a first taste of freedom away from home.

Needless to say, I was really looking forward to writing my perfume round up for the season. But in late September, after 3.5 years of negative tests, I finally succumbed to COVID-19.

I immediately got a big ol’ batch of Paxlovid and started taking it. (New Yorkers can call 212-COVID19 for a free dose delivered to your door!) The side effects of the medicine were rough on my body, but my respiratory symptoms went away within a day of my first dose. After two weeks, I was 100% back to my old self, no lingering fatigue or anything.

However, there was one side effect that developed after my illness: I kept getting whiffs of melting plastic.

Turns out, it was me! My brain decided that I smelled like burning plastic.

Luckily, that went away after a few days. But—and this is something I haven’t wanted to admit to myself—my sense of smell hasn’t been normal since then.

My altar for this autumn

It’s far less sensitive than it was before, like there’s a teeny-tiny something missing in the link between my nose and my brain. I’ve always had a great sense of smell, so I can smell things just fine, but not to the same extent as I used to.

It’s hard to explain. And it makes me feel a little sad.

It’s only been a month or so since I recovered from COVID, so I do have hope that it will even out eventually. But regardless, this is where I’m at right now. And I really want to do this perfume roundup! So here are my four favorite fall perfumes right now, carefully selected for every stage of your perfect autumn.

Imaginary Authors - Yesterday Haze:

This is my ultimate fall scent, the first one I pick when I finally admit summer is over and I’m fully ready for apple picking, spiced tea, and lacing up my favorite boots. I never would have purchased it based on the bottle, or even the notes. I fell in love with it at one of Perfumarie’s now-defunct monthly scent flights¹, where you chose faves based on scent alone. True to the site’s description, this fragrance really is magnetic.

Yesterday Haze is woodsy at its core, but notes of almost-ripe figs and walnut-infused cream make it feel gentle and feminine. The vibe is decidedly witchy, but not in the traditional, dark-and-spooky way. It’s Good Witch-y, kitchen witch-y—maybe Sally from Practical Magic would wear it, but only after she falls in love with the detective and lives Happily Ever After. Wear it to set up your autumn altar, to attend an outdoor equinox celebration, or to sell your handmade candles at a late season Renaissance faire.

Poesie Perfume - Madar:

I heard about this indie perfumery on a Reddit thread and impulsively purchased a few samples. The brand’s vibes are very cottagecore, with lots of fragrances inspired by old libraries, vintage cardigans, and your grandmother’s pies. Their concepts feel a little bit like stepping into those “Chill Lo-Fi Beats” YouTube videos with the dreamy AI-generated rooms in the background.²

From all the fragrances I tried, Madar was actually the scent I was least excited about. I love a creamy, rose-water-and-cardamom-scented rice pudding, but not sure I wanted to smell like one. But as soon as I put it on, my partner said, “You smell like fall!” He was right: The rice note is just creamy enough to feel cozy, and the gentle nutty spices and light rose notes keep it from feeling sticky.

Madar is definitely gourmand, but it’s totally wearable. Warm and soft but still airy and bright, it’s the scent you wear when you first pull on your favorite vintage sweater and head out into a sunny fall morning.

Coqui Coqui - Rosas Secas:

I love Coqui Coqui for making relatively simple scents that feel absolutely transportive³. True to its name, Rosas Secas is the scent of powdery dried roses, hanging from twine in your window, not yet turned grey and dusty. Along with the delicately wafting rose, there’s a tobacco note that provides something decidedly bright and lemon-y.

Rosas Secas always reminds me of visiting Salem, Massachusetts in the late summer, stopping by the witchy shops before the town turns into its annual October madhouse. It’s hot and sunny, but in this quaint New England town, the vibe is eternally autumnal: Dried flowers and piles of crystals, chiming bells hanging everywhere. So of course, this light and powdery floral is perfect for an unseasonably warm autumn.

Amina Vinci - Sesame Chan:

Sesame Chan was another discovery at a Perfumarie scent flight, and one where I think the name does the juice a disservice. I thought it smelled like “sexy gingerbread” on first sniff, which makes sense when you check out the top notes: Ginger, cashew, hazelnut, and of course, sesame. But my favorite thing here is the surprising heart of carrot, providing a little brightness under the all the savory nuttiness.

Its warm, cookie-like sweetness makes this a gourmand scent, but it’s fully grown up and rather classy, with the vetiver base making it more wearable. This is an end-of-season scent, when you’re grasping to the last hints of warmth in the air and getting ready for early nights inside. The leaves are brown but haven’t fallen yet, and you’re using up the last of your apples from your trip upstate. Put it on with your favorite heels to host a dinner party with friends.

What’s blooming today

I’ve been so busy that I haven’t spent too much time at the garden, but when I do, I go straight to the roses. I overheard one of the gardeners telling a visitor that the "roses are basically done,” but there are still so many blooming, alongside their companion flowers like pink mums and black-leaved dahlias.

And besides, I love the spindly, spiky vines against the rust-colored foliage, and of course, the rose hips in all shapes and sizes, from miniscule to elephantine. Autumn in NYC is really special.

1. Yes, I wrote this article, and no, I have no idea why Nooklyn replaced my byline with “Former Agent”—Can I add “real estate agent” to my LinkedIn now?

2. I do think many Poesie fragrances would be way better as home scents.

3. I wrote about another Coqui Coqui fragrance in my summer perfume roundup