Fading into a new season has always been some of my favourite parts of the year. The previous season still is lingering around for those last moments, but the promise of a new season is already peeping around the corner, with the allure of cashmere knits, steaming hot drinks and warmer scents filling the air. This next fragrance may have entered my life right before summer, but to me, it is the ultimate first step into an Autumn state of mind.

No one does rich warmth and opulent luxury like Sisley, and the new Sisley Soir d’Orient fragrance only adds to their legacy. Inspired by her childhood holidays in Sevilla, South of Spain, Isabella d’Ornano created a fragrance that will take you straight to a sunset walk through the gardens of the Alcazar, the air heavy with warmth, sensuality and dreamy mystery. First thing you smell are fresh hints of iran galbanum, bergamot and saffron, before evolving into a warmer heart of geranium, heady Turkish rose and black pepper. Later on it settles into a somewhat but not too seductive base of sandalwood, incense and patchouli.

Sisley really did a balancing act with this scent, because, despite the long list of heady, powerful ingredients, the perfume itself is not too heavy, nor too sweet or even too spicy. On me it settles into a delicious wooden, powdery finish that lasts a lot longer than the average fragrance, but I’ve also noticed it turn really warm and sensual on some friends of mine. There’s still a surprise in that last kick! Don’t be fooled, this scent is sexy, but in a classy way, it knows when to stop!

The black and gold packaging are another expression of the warmth and restrained opulence (contradictive much?) of the scent, this is a bottle that you’ll want to proudly display on your vanity, not hide away in a bathroom cabinet.

What are your easing into Fall/Autumn fragrances? Let me know, I love a good discovery!

Soir d’Orient by Sisley
Available now at selected beauty halls and perfumeries.