November

I love this scent! It’s like apple pie and then over time like a pumpkin yankee candle. It’s not cloying or overbearing or even all that spicy but it smells perfectly of a fall desert. I love a gourmand and this one is so cozy and comforting. I bought it while taking a tour of the CB I Hate Perfume Olfactory and it is so pleasant and pretty. Definitely a fall scent, which is unsurprising because of the name, but this is thanksgiving at grandma’s house in the best way :)

This reminds me quite a bit of Samhain by Goth Rosary but much better. This fragrance is very much Estee Lauder's Spellbound without the foghorn florals - sweet halloween smells with a gorgeous rotting leaves chypre accord. This one sadly doesn't last very long. :(

Unusually for CB I Hate Perfume, this one skates very close to the edge of being unpleasant or a failure, but like with Beast, I think they have pulled off something tricky, and quietly wonderful. November smells good. On the downside, as it evolves and evolves again, November either has or seems to have a cloying "Christmas candle" side to it, mixed in with the more layered mulled spices and baking smells. It makes one question instantly whether this fragrance can be trusted. The blending-in of the frozen earth accord is interesting and unusual -- but a "move" we've come to expect from CB I Hate Perfume. So... why does this perfume linger in the mind so much? Why do I think about it off and on all year, occasionally wearing it on a cold spring night or cold morning? Why will I probably buy a full bottle after I finish my current (and second) travel-sized sample? Here's why. November, for me, captures in a fragrance: - The overload of being in crowded holiday kitchen. Too much happening at once... kids, carols, cookies, candles, heat, commotion - Escaping to look out the window at the landscape, and then seeing and sensing the frozen ground (no snow yet) - Standing out there in that cold, and starting to feel lonely, and then looking back into that warm, inviting kitchen. Being grateful that it's still only November, with so much to look forward to: the pumpkin pie, the mulled wine, the sugar cookies, the pressure of family, and (yes) conventionality The fragrance works by juxtaposing the frozen earth with the holiday baking smells, but that idea is insightful and its execution is excellent. It's a perfume full of indulgence and also yearning, mourning and joy. Unabashedly seasonal but relevant year-round. What an interesting journey. In my real life, I wouldn't want any dirt in my pumpkin pie, but here I'll gladly receive it and ask for seconds.

My most recent batch of samples from the Perfumed Court included this, Eau de Lierre from Dyptique, and Zombie for Her from Demeter. I was shooting for either a realistic basement scent, or something fresh and clean that reminded me of my childhood playing in the woods. This was the only sample I actually liked (aka didn't hate). I didn't strike gold with either of my goals, because this is neither a basement-esque scent nor a fresh, clean forest scent. On my skin, it was straight up fresh, sweet, pumpkin with a bit of mushroom in the background. It was slightly sweet in a natural way, most likely the dirt. I didn't pick up any essence of coldness or decay. Mostly sweet, spiced pumpkin. It reminded me all too much of one of those Home Sweet Home yankee candles, or one of those blehh-quality pumpkin candles that you see all over the place around October. It wasn't particularly likeable to my nose, since the moldy notes brought down the sweetness of the pumpkin, while the pumpkin notes interfered with the musty, moldy qualities. The balance was off. I would've preferred this to be one or the other: either sweet, spicy pumpkin, or cold, moldy, musty notes. The two accords together makes this nonharmonius and really awkward to wear. It even smelled a bit like semen, which is just NOT okay to wear out :p No thanks, CB. I'll try some others.

I was apprehensive about wearing this to work today for two reasons: 1) no fragrances are allowed in the office (but I wear them anyway) and 2) I haven't worn this fragrance yet (wasn't sure how November would interact with my skin chemistry). When I opened the bottle I immediately detected the pumpkin spice notes before I applied the fragrance. Then I smelled the decayed leaves and fallen apples after I applied the fragrance (absolute). After a couple of hours I detected a waxy note like a candle or crayons along with another faint sweet note that reminded me a little of Creed's "Love in Black". I enjoyed wearing this fragrance to work. November brought back memories of going on day hikes in the woods late in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day. No one in the office could detect the fragrance on me which is another plus. The thing is November doesn't even smell like an everyday fragrance. I like November but so far Cedarwood Tea is my favorite fragrance from CB I Hate Perfume.