i want a warm, wintery, woody, comforting scent

[Pheasantlysurprised]

I don't like masculine or unisex stuff, dont know why, it really doesn't suit me - even though 'masculine' is a silly way to describe a scent if we are honest.

But i don't want anything sharp or too sweet either.
I don't like Byredo or Dyptique, and i really cant stomach jo malone. Also not a fan of many mainstream designer fragrances such as chanel, Dior, etc.

What i do like - gingerlily by molten brown, Seychelles by white company and fresca-something in orange by guerlain.

I want something warm, like a memory blanket, soothing, but like soft spice/wood mixed with something soft, warm, seasonal. Memorable, lasting but not showy. As comforting as mother, but also individual, slightly mysterious....I cant be arsed with lavender or lime.

Im trying my best to evoke something here, but it is pointless because fragrance shifts around so much and we all react to it so differently - but worth a try!

Not bothered about price - i am happy to check out cheap scents as many are as lovely as expensive ones. It all depends. Price doesnt always predict whether i will love it.

Are there any other au de parfums by guerlain or scents by the White Co that i might like? Or should i try something different?

I love Vol de Nuit by Guerlain. I scored a spray on the wrist of the Parfum in Harrods last weekend and was ad after I showered the next day. It’s more restrained than Mitsouko and starts with quite dry and green notes, then opens up in a most sensuous and classy way. I’m saving up.

Another vote for Botega Veneta . A pink suede hug in a perfume. Has Black Cashmere been discontinued? I still have a bottle I'm rationing ...Another warm wintry Cashmere sweater of a perfume. The new Estee Lauder range might be worth investigating too I have a sample of Infinite Sky and I love it but v much a cold weather scent

I know you dismissed Dior, but to me hypnotic poison (the red bottle) is just this. Its my favourite.

PLEASE consider L'heure Bleu or Le Jardin Bagatelle by Guerlain again. Harder to find, only usually at the bigger agencies (and never duty free!). I've worn them for years and people always comment. They are both from the 1920s and still going strong. Literally - they WILL last all day.

L'eau d'hiver by Frederic Malle is my ultimate comfort scent. It's a skin scent, so not particularly strong, but it manages to somehow be both warm and cool at the same time. It reminds me both of being outside in the snow, and of being inside in the warm by the fire. I think it's the angelica that does it, but it's just so comforting, and it's interesting without being complicated or quirky. Liberty's do a 10ml bottle for 35 pound if you don't want to splash out on a full bottle (its pricey)

A more mainstream but still very lovely scent is Prada Amber by Prada - warm, cosy, elegant, slightly sweet, not overpowering or too complicated.

Inspired by this thread I took a list into John Lewis, The Perfume Shop and Boots today, and am newly in love with Mitsouko. But it's quite expensive! Has anyone found it in Black Friday deals yet, or am I too early and I need to hold out for another week :-)

Perfume parlour do a really good dupe of mitsouko. It's a lovely scent!

OP I was going to say that the JPG Femme sounds like it would tick lots of boxes?

Love By The Fireside, it’s so comforting but my go to in the autumn/winter is Hermes Elixir des Merveilles, it’s gorgeous. Go and have a sniff!

Tom Ford oud wood

Coromandel

Is mitsouko vanilla-ey at all? Can't bear vanilla

Interested in the 4160 website but their perfume explanations are ..unusual.

I think scent has changed so much, I'm confused about what works. I thought I hated oud but tried some of a friend's and it's nice, though I guess it depends what it's mixed with.

Recently bought ylang ylang essential oil which I thought I liked. Hated it.

@DaisyNGO

Interested in the 4160 website but their perfume explanations are ..unusual.

I think scent has changed so much, I'm confused about what works. I thought I hated oud but tried some of a friend's and it's nice, though I guess it depends what it's mixed with.

Recently bought ylang ylang essential oil which I thought I liked. Hated it.

You might like 4160s. @MissBattleaxe is an expert. Personally, I'm not keen on most of the ones I've tried. I do have two that I absolutely adore though London 1969 which is a nostalgic, warm, hippified rock chic perfume, and Ealing Green which is sharp, and fresh, and, as it says, very green. I've tried to like others, but they just seem "too much" to me. Maybe too many notes all bashing against each other. I am keen to try the oakmoss one though, as many of my favourite perfumes contain big lugs of it.

Geamhradh

I liked oakmoss too but maybe that taste has gone.

I like the sound of Complicated Shadows. i like iris notes.

I didn't like any of the ones I tried. Ealing Green was the only possibility

I absolutely adore Hypnotic Poison as well!

Hello, I used to wear Mitsouko years ago until I found out it was Margaret Thatchers signature scent. That put me right off !😁

@Celtictyke

Hello, I used to wear Mitsouko years ago until I found out it was Margaret Thatchers signature scent. That put me right off !😁

I would recommend Clinique Aromatics in Black, I love it and always go back to it.

Chanel Coco always feels like a warm blanket around me.

I’ve worn Mitsouko for many years (40 + and counting!) and always come back to it. I also love Estée Lauder Youth Dew - I buy the bath oil and use it as a perfume when I don’t want it to be overpowering.

I’d recommend both the above and L’Heure blue.

Penhaligon's Halfeti
Anything with Oud in it
Viktor & Rolf Spice Bomb

Interestingly, from reading website reviews along with fragrantica, it seems that many people consider a lot of these mainstay fragrances to have altered drastically in recent months/yrs, or to have substantially reduced longevity.

Has anyone else noticed this?

I tried to find a new fragrance for years. Boucheron by Boucheron is lovely but maybe too sweet spicy. Gem by VanCleef & Arpels is nice, spicy. Both really hard to find so went back to Private Collection. When I wear it I think of winter by a roaring fire drinking mulled wine.

@Kikkomam it may well contain vanilla, but it’s so complex a fragrance that any one note does not dominate. Only way to know for sure is to try it on though.