October and the ghosts of love — à la mémoire des amours perdues

My dearest perfume lover,

Welcome to October, with its enchanting tapestry of golden and russet hues, crisp mornings, delightful evenings, and the irresistible pleasure of surrendering to the beauty of autumn.

October is also the month when the veil separating our world from the realm beyond is said to grow thinnest. Let us, then, dedicate it to nostalgia: to everything we have lost, to romances, loves, and tender affections of years gone by, and to those bittersweet memories we carry within our hearts. Sweet in their enchanting beauty yet tinged with melancholy by the knowledge that what has passed can never truly return.

À la mémoire des amours perdues — To the Memory of Lost Loves.

Flower Ikebana Indigo by Kenzo: dusting off an old diary

Our first fragrance is Flower Ikebana Indigo by Kenzo. Nostalgically blue, it retains the distinctly feminine, endearingly innocent, and romantic aura of the original. Yet its floral powderiness feels as though it has gathered a delicate layer of dust, becoming more muted and reminiscent of the dusty notes drifting through an old library. A more melancholic interpretation of the original composition. As the hours pass, a soft, powdery base settles upon the skin, lingering for many hours.

It evokes the feeling of holding an old leather-bound diary, filled with beautiful paper upon which, many years ago, we entrusted our most romantic hopes and dreams. Did they ever come true? Do you still read those pages with pleasure today?

Let us leave these questions unanswered and wander into the childhood bedroom...

Dolls by Moth and Rabbit Perfumes: the porcelain dolls of a little princess

We enter a room where dust has settled upon exquisite porcelain dolls. Their glass eyes gaze back at us with an almost unsettling stoicism, while their elaborate, hand-sewn dresses have not been refreshed since childhood.

How lovingly you once admired them as a little girl, occasionally playing with them in secret, for these were never ordinary toys. They were miniature works of art, meant to be admired rather than touched. And yet, how could you resist imagining, even for a fleeting moment, that you were a little princess destined to meet her very own Prince Charming and live happily ever after?

Dolls by Moth and Rabbit Perfumes opens with a subtle, slightly sweet fragrance. Gradually, heavier nuances begin to emerge. The sweetness remains, yet something seems to weigh upon the composition, perhaps a whisper of animalic notes, lending it an intriguing, almost haunting quality.

This is precisely the scent of elegantly dressed porcelain dolls in their vintage gowns, their delicate beauty preserved beneath the dust of passing decades. Reach out and touch their cool porcelain skin. Remember what it felt like. Can you sense that tiny ache in your heart?

There, there, my dear. Let us warm these memories a little. Come, let us wander into the bedroom and open the wardrobe...

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum by Guerlain: the scent of romance and the boudoir

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum by Guerlain smells of nostalgia itself. A classically beautiful, powdery composition, wonderfully reminiscent of an intimate, old-fashioned boudoir. Romantic and exquisitely refined, it envelops the skin in a delicate veil, eventually settling into an intimate skin scent that caresses the senses from up close.

Its opening is graced with a delicate hint of anise, intriguing without ever becoming overwhelmingly spicy. As the fragrance unfolds, its base grows increasingly powdery, velvety, and smooth.

It is the olfactory embodiment of romance: a first love, a long-lost sweetheart, a tender affection that once made our hearts flutter. Nostalgia, lovingly preserved within a beautiful perfume bottle...

Ah, my dear perfume lover. October is a month that, in so many traditions, honours the memory of those we have loved. It marks the final harvests and the gentle transition into the quieter, darker months of the year — a season of well-deserved rest, reflection, and peaceful retreat.

Surely, it deserves a little room for contemplation.

And should nostalgia come to visit you, do not turn her away. Embrace her tenderly, surround yourself with these delightful fragrances, and allow yourself to remember.

For in just one month's time, we shall be celebrating light, warmth, and the comforting pleasures of cosiness once more.

À la mémoire des amours perdues…

Disclaimer: This post represents the personal opinion of a smell100 community member. This is an unsponsored review; smell100 is not affiliated with the featured brands.