Fall

Love letter to the Australian Bush - I'm in the Victorian Alps or close to the Snowy Mountains, it's dry and cold. There's a fire burning in the distance... Scent Opening immediately transports me to the Australian bush in autumn or winter. There's an aromatic herbal backbone that reminds me of eucalyptus and native bushland, while cinnamon, gentle smoke and a soft vanilla warmth create the feeling of a fireplace burning somewhere in the distance. The vanilla and cinnamon are prominent at the start but settle in harmoniously 30mins in. Scent is perfectly balanced, nothing is competing for attention. Wear Experience I rarely buy full bottles, sample extensively and only purchase fragrances that I feel fit a 'wear experience' brief. This was a no brainer as a winter comforting scent, potential date-night scent. Projection is noticeable first 3-4 hours, slowly tapering off rather, remaining detectable on my skin until around the 6-7 hour mark and on clothing for roughly 10 hours. Perhaps another hour or two of longevity and, slightly louder and consistent projection would have comfortably made a full workday scent. That said, I also appreciate that it never becomes fatiguing or overwhelming. Presentation Ordering directly from Corey was a pleasure. He included a handwritten note thanking me for coming back after trying the samples, small gesture that made it feel genuinely personal. The bottles are nice, with excellent atomisers, solid wooden caps and come in this tin boxes which are further wrapped in recycled carboard. Slightly less convinced by the frosted glass aesthetic but that's subjective. Value At around AUD $150 for 50 ml, I think Criminal Elements offers outstanding value. The quality of the materials, the presentation and the composition all punch well above the asking price. The House Having now sampled most of Criminal Elements range, what impresses me most is Corey's restraint. His style is not bold/in your face/loud but complex in it's subtleties. I'm happy to have this in my collection and proud to support an Australian independent perfumer. P.S. Going through a rough time after a relationship ended, I found myself wearing this a lot for comfort. And then I heard Corey talk about it on a podcast that he created this when he was going through a breakup himself!

I don’t think I truly understood what perfume could be until I tried Fall. It’s deeply complex, alive with nuance, and feels like a memory more than a fragrance. What struck me immediately was the way it lingers: there’s this quiet trail of something that reminds me of Tiger Balm, like when you’ve just had a Thai massage and hours later, your skin still carries that cool, resinous scent. It’s comforting, almost healing. I suspect it’s the birch and oakmoss creating that smoky, incense-like impression. Not in a literal way, but in that grounding, atmospheric sense, like the faint scent of a smouldering altar or forest floor after rain. It’s both physical and reflective. The listed notes are beautifully balanced, but Fall goes beyond what’s printed on the label. It has soul. It’s sincere, interesting, and deeply evocative. Since discovering it, I’ve found it difficult to go back to traditional perfumes. Mainstream releases feel more like variations on the same floral-powdery theme (sometimes adding spice or smoke when they want to seem bold). But Fall doesn’t need to perform. It just is. It’s rare to find a perfume that feels this personal, this textural. If you’re looking for something that tells a story rather than just making a statement, Fall is worth every breath.

Snap of spicy cinnamon to open, with a polarising minty-camphor effect evident. I had a single spray from a vial on my wrist & my father smelt me about 10 feet away and immediately exclaimed "I can smell bubblegum, what's that?". It's almost medicinal but at the same time uniquely gourmand-ish. It reminds me of DS & Durga's Missisipi Medicine but much more complex. The strong burst of the camphor ends up drying right down into a gorgeous amalgam of charred wood, and incense that agrees with a chewy sweetness of vanilla and cinnamon. All of CE's perfume have been great in longevity so far and this is no different & I think with fair application this would fill out a room and leave a presence behind you. I thought Wicked Mistress was incredible, but this has somehow topped it. There's a calculated sense of smoothness in here that just keeps it from tipping over the edge of rough. So well balanced. 100% buying a full bottle ~ A campsite at dusk after a night of rain. The ground is dampened by mossy-covered leaves, the air is cool & almost sickly. The campfire begins to burn the birchwood beneath it, whisping a smoke through the air. Cinnamon sticks are draped over the fire, softening the cool air that lies beneath it.

This was indeed a finalist in the 2020 Art & Olfaction Awards - a worldwide award so no small feat - but greatly deserved. To brush this off as just another spicy scent is so wrong. It is spicy, but it's also earthy, warm, and complex. The layers reveal themselves gently after the initial whiff of smooth cinnamon. It's complex, round, full and so very comforting. Truly unisex and a fragrance I reach for when I need to feel special and comforted. It's perfectly balanced, and expertly blended. This artist is one to watch - well worth seeking out and sampling. Australia is rich with wonderful fragrance artists and I'm so happy to have discovered this one. I purchased my samples and bottle - the scent and opinions are my own.

Manages to capture autumn in the bush perfectly. Everything is dry from the long hot summer, but the mornings and evenings are chilly. The whole composition reads as Karri/Marri/Ficifolia/Emu Bush/Banksia in April/May Gently camphorous, spicy sweet, dusty. It's like a distinctly WA piece of home I can take anywhere. Paired with Hansel, or Gretel, it's drop dead outstanding.