Chasing Autumn

I recently discovered this indi perfume house from Boston and after sifting through the very long list of fragrances, and being a fan of coniferous/smoky fragrances like Encre Noire and Arso, for example, I decided to give them a shot for a full bottle. After all, the ratings were impressive on Fragantica and the price was reasonable for a niche/independant product... Imagine a childhood memory of outdoors camping in the fall.. red and golden leaves covering the ground alongside resinous pine needles.. The campfire is going, the soil is damp from the morning dew.. your clothing smells of smoke... This symphony of notes is exactly what you're getting... Imagine you pick up some of those leaves and pine needles and throw them in the fire.. that's how loud and fragrant Chasing Autumn is. Ambery, coniferous, smoky, mossy and subtlely sweet... If you are a fan of coniferous fragrances, this is a no brainer. Unisex, leans masculine... As a bonus, I was impressed to get a personal note and thank you from Neil Morris himself, and two 5ml samples with my purchase.. A definite 9.5/10 Best kept secret in the coniferous fragrances niche genre.. I highly recommend you at least visit his website and order a sample (or a few). This house definitely deserves it!

Off the bat, I got a really strong smokiness, but after the fragrance warmed on my skin, some magic happened. It's changed a little in the drydown, but those first few hours, I know that smell exactly, and it's the smell of burning leaves and wood smoke. I look forward to it every year in the fall and put down my car windows hoping to catch a whiff of it, because people usually don't burn their yard waste around here. I love that smell. I never thought I would want to -wear- that smell, but this works, imo. More of an experience, I think, and maybe not wearable for everyone, but as long as it's warmed, I think anyone would enjoy smelling this. This is a long-lasting, strong, yet not sharp fragrance. Initially I couldn't tell any of the pieces of it apart-- I just smelled those wonderful, burning leaves-- but after a few hours, something resinous comes out in it, pine forests sharing with the scent of campfire. I can't really get the coffee, but I don't need to. I get the sense that this is exactly what it needs to be. The sillage and projection are phenomenal and I really enjoyed being in my fall leaf campfire bubble, which, after like 5h, it did start to dissipate, and mind you, I was fresh showered and hadn't moisturized. I will say that the fragrance is physically dark, so be careful not to get it on fabric, but trust me, you want it warmer than that anyway. It lasts a really long time and didn't take much in the way of spraying to do so. Pretty happy about that. I understand why people might mark this as masculine-leaning, but to me, this is a very unisex smell. It could easily be manly, though not girly or femme, but I do feel it's very flexible. I haven't tried layering it, and am not sure whether that would produce something fantastic or detract from what this scent is giving me and the nostalgia I feel in wearing it. This is a seasonal fragrance for cold weather, and I would sooner wear this at night, though it wouldn't clash in the daytime, either, especially if you're doing something outdoors or otherwise trying to evoke that bonfire ambience, or curled up near a hearth. I like this a lot; it's a borderline love for me-- I absolutely love it as an experience, and definitely like it as a fragrance, if that makes sense. That's not a downside at all, though; it's a delight to smell something so incredibly immersive. It really is like I'm driving and I've rolled down the windows to get that smell I look forward to every year, and that to me is just wild. Between this and October, I really want to smell more scents from NM. These are such pleasant experiences, and I've loved a lot of smells, but man, these hit different.

Chasing Autumn brings to life the autumn I've always yearned for, living in Florida's endless summer. It's a scent that captures not just a season, but a frame of mind and a state of being I'm perpetually seeking. Millais' painting Autumn Leaves comes to mind - a twilight scene where young girls gather fallen foliage, their faces touched with a melancholic reverence for the changing season. The painting draws our eyes to a vivid pile of rustling leaves, with only a wisp of smoke hinting at a distant bonfire. This fragrance, however, boldly brings that bonfire to the forefront. The fir and birch tar notes roar to life, evoking the crackling warmth of autumn nights I've only imagined. It's as if Morris has taken that implied warmth from Millais' canvas and made it the heart of this olfactory experience. The leather and coffee accords add depth, reminiscent of cozy evenings of the sort I feel in Emily Brontë's poetry. Emily Brontë's "Fall, Leaves, Fall" echoes as I wear this scent. Her words are not just poetry, but an invocation - a chant to usher in the coming winter. The line "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree" feels like a spell being cast, and this fragrance embodies that mystical transition. Where Brontë's poem is a call to the approaching cold, Chasing Autumn captures the very essence of that summoning. ALSO this scent conjures the underlying atmosphere of Over The Garden Wall, stripped of its childish elements (I love those elements! But!) It evokes that sense of being lost in an autumnal otherworld, where mystery and melancholy reign supreme. The fragrance captures the essence of wandering through the Unknown, with its subtle menace and ominous presence lurking just beneath the surface of fallen leaves and shadowy forests. Chasing Autumn is an homage to those flickering fires of autumn, allowing me to immerse myself in a fall feeling that exists more in my mind than in my subtropical reality. It's a sensory journey to the autumn I chase year after year, never quite reaching but always dreaming of - a season both beautiful and slightly foreboding.

Chasing Autumn bursts forth with a vivid smokiness that is going to persist through the fragrance. The realism captured here is personal. It's intimately connected to the olfactory senses and summons a flood of memories from my childhood. Slightly balsamic pine needles with a bit of the dried wood lurk from underneath the smoky cypriol. The cypriol does smell real. I have some real cypriol oil and this smells almost exactly like it. Roasted coffee on a base of woody vetiver with a bit of raw leather. This fragrance reminds me of burning dried leaves in the fall. It also reminds me of a cabin in the woods with a fireplace crackling with logs of pine and cedar. There is a slight earthiness in the blend, that is most likely the cypriol as well. There could also be some birch tar in the blend. It's very smoky from top to bottom. It's unapologetic, but warm and comforting at the same time. In the deep dry down, I can pick up some golden-hued dry amber, which gives it some greater depth and cements the feeling of the season in your mind. Read full reviews on my blog: musingsofafraghead.blogspot.com/

Burned tree leaves. This is autumn season at optimum as i feel the leaves falling on a semi cold weather and burned cigarettes. Balsamic effect, fir, cypress, raw tobacco, fire, and burned cigarette. It's not my type but it is definately to someone who likes: "Incense Oud" by Nicolai, "Fume" by Hendley, "The Holy Mountain" by Apoteker Tepe, even "Interlude Man" by Amouage. It is worm and cozy as if we are grilling in the woods.

Wow, so intriguing of a fragrance. Really one of a kind. Smells like burning leave pile or even a smoky grill, also a bit musty, all in a good way. Very strong intial blast first few minutes, after that it is a true experience to smell and even gives me a nostalgic feeling. Will definitely treasure the sample I own of it just for the experience

Smells like a niche mix first on, of rank weeds, slightly off base-notes, birch and distinct coffee. Gentles as it dries down to a spicy green woody forest scent. This might be what Wildermann wears. Really autumn in its essence. Nicely done!

Thank you so much for your great review, K1! I worked very hard to get Chasing Autumn exactly the way I wanted it and it's gratifying to read a review like yours! Very much appreciated! Neil

Sounds dreamy. I love the name, very evocative.