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My Fall and Winter Perfume Recommendations

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Halima Niazi Student Contributor, Rutgers University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rutgers chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I know winter is almost over, but I will suck every last ounce of chilly weather out as a chance to wear my fall and winter perfumes. And let’s be honest, for me, cold weather perfumes are year-round perfumes. Perfume sampling is one of my favorite hobbies, so I have smelled quite a collection now. Here are my favorites. 

Jany by Sora Dora

Notes: Baked apple, peach, apricot, Ceylon cinnamon essence, puff pastry, osmanthus, plum, nut, caramel, almond, vanilla, and white musk.

Type: Extrait de Parfum

If you want to smell like a buttery cinnamon apple tart with vanilla ice cream on top, this perfume is for you. Let’s get straight to the point—this is my favorite fall scent. It is a sophisticated, complex gourmand. It opens with a strong, sweet, spicy apple note and then dries to a more buttery caramel scent. It’s warm and cozy and makes you feel like you’re in the kitchen baking a delicious apple dessert. 

Velvet Tonka by BDK Parfums

Notes: Orange blossom, almond, rose, Balkan tobacco, tonka bean, Madagascan vanilla, Amyris wood essence, and amber woods

Type: Eau de Parfum

This is for my fellow almond lovers. Perfect for the colder months, this sophisticated, spicy, and slightly woody almond and vanilla scent is the perfect pairing with a soft sweater. It smells like marzipan on your skin. Not to mention, the perfume macerates to a beautiful warm amber color that is so inviting. This is the perfume to wear when you want to feel fresh, instead of warm, during the chilly weather.

Lait de Biscuit by Chabaud

Notes: Gourmand notes, caramel, and vanilla

Type: Eau de Toilette

This perfume brings back memories of childhood and eating vanilla biscuits with milk—a truly nostalgic scent. This perfume isn’t a cloying scent, though. Even if you aren’t a fan of gourmand perfumes, you can fall in love with this perfume. It mixes with your skin, creating a warm, inviting scent of the sweetness of childhood.

Vanilla Romance by Bath and Body Works

Notes: Fresh cardamom, vanilla absolute, and captivating woods

Type: Fine Fragrance Mist

Here is a perfume on the more affordable side. It’s a beautiful vanilla scent, perfect for layering or wearing as an everyday fragrance. It is also wonderful as a nighttime fragrance to wear right after you put on your comfiest pajamas, bundle up in your blanket, and open your cozy read.

Orpheon by Diptyque

Notes: Juniper berries, jasmine, powdery notes, cedar, and tonka bean

Type: Eau de Parfum

I am a gourmand scent enthusiast, but not everyone is. If you are looking for a woody, unisex perfume, look no further. This perfume feels like wearing a sophisticated wool coat and sitting in an old bar. At the same time, the juniper berry notes give it an ethereal layer, like walking through an enchanted forest. When it is raining, I have to wear this perfume. 

I cannot speak more highly about these perfumes, but perfumes are subjective, so the best thing I can tell you is to go out yourself to a perfume store or on your laptop to a perfume website and sample scents. Find that cold weather fragrance that speaks to you and that you look forward to wearing when the leaves fall and the air turns crisp.

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Halima Niazi

Rutgers '26

Halima is the Social Media Director of Her Campus at Rutgers. She is a junior, majoring in Biology and minoring in Creative Writing. She loves writing stories (and has aspirations to publish her own novel), dressing up, and eating sweets.