These 9 New Winter Fragrances Are Guaranteed to Get You Compliments

InStyle
by By Erin Lukas –

Getting a new haircut or color is one way to welcome a new season, but so is switching up your everyday fragrance.

Just like ditching your highlights for a darker shade, a warm, spicy, sensual perfume can get you in the mood for the cooler winter weather ahead, and carry you through the first days of spring.

While winter is often synonymous with the holiday season, this year’s new scents aren’t all smoky fires and sugar cookies. Brands like Krigler, Aerin, and Byredo have remixed the season’s signature scents by mixing them with unexpected notes.

Whether you’re fan of spicy perfumes or swear by florals year round, the fragrance launches of winter 2021 cover all the bases.

Here, nine new perfumes that are guaranteed to get you compliments.

Judith Leiber More Is More

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Key notes: Blackcurrant absolute, mandarin, grapefruit, lemongrass, ylang ylang, and orchard.

Scent Vibe: Whatever you want it to be. The bottle contains three refillable cartridges with three juices that can be worn alone or mix and matched.

To buy: $125; judithleibermoreismore.com

The Harmonist Sun Force Parfum

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Key notes: Hawaiian Pomelo, Bulgarian Rose, saffron, Cardamom, organic honey, sandalwood.

Scent Vibe: A burst of energy on a rare sunny winter morning.

To buy: $336; neimanmarcus.com

Byredo Tobacco Mandarin

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Key notes: Mandarin, coriander, cumin, tobacco, leather, and oud.

Scent vibe: Sweet and smoky, like the old Hinge match you left on read.

To Buy: $330; saksfifthavenue.com

Aerin Ambrette De Noir

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Key notes: Rose petals, freesia, ambrette seed, tonka absolute, vanilla bourbon, and cedarwood.

Scent vibe: A floral fragrance for winter? Unexpected and groundbreaking. With the addition of sweet and woodsy notes, this floral scent won’t feel out of place in the chill.

To buy: $240; nordstrom.com

Kilian Angels’ Share Eau de Parfum

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Key notes: Cognac oil, tonka bean, cinnamon absolute, and oak wood.

Scent vibe: Sipping on your favorite winter cocktail in the cozy back booth of a dark bar. (Remember those?)

To buy: $195; bykilian.com

Krigler ABRAKAADABRA 221 Perfume

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Key notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, pepper, lily of the valley, hawthorn, sandalwood, tonka bean, and white musk.

Scent vibe: Inspired by “Abracadabra,” the change-inducing incantation, a few spritzes of this calming floral scent is a mood-booster.

To buy: $515; krigler.com

EX NIHILO Paris Gold Immortals

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Key notes: Pear, bergamot, lysylang, peony, tonka bean, amber, and musk.

Scent vibe: The next best thing to blissfully laying out on a tropical beach.

To buy: $325; us.ex-nihilo-paris.com

Tom Ford Bitter Peach Eau de Parfum

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Key Notes: Peach, davana, and patchouli.

Scent vibe: A cozy night in with your quarantine bae.

To buy: $350; sephora.com

ChloƩ Atelier des Fleurs Tuberosa 1974 Eau de Parfum

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Key Notes: Tuberose, citrus bergamia, cinnamon, and oak moss.

Scent vibe: The faint whiff of fresh flowers, grass, and leaves on one of those occasional unseasonably warm winter days.

To buy: $250; nordstrom.com

Heady, heavenly garden scents

BURYING your nose in a bunch of lavender or running your hands along a hedge in full flower is one of life’s pleasures. Whether it’s an old-fashioned rose, a small bunch of freshly picked violets or a pungent herb, the heady smell is a reminder of the joy that nature – and gardening – bring to our lives.

Lilac trees hold a special place in my heart. My mother grew them in Nottingham and she picked the flowers in spring to bring inside so we could enjoy the delicate blooms and revel in their beautiful perfume. Likewise with sweet peas, which she grew in abundance every year.

An Australian friend got quite teary in the 1960s when he came across some gum trees while in the Canary Islands, which shows how evocative a fragrance can be.

No garden is complete without something exuding an aroma, be it a tree, vine, shrub, ground cover or herb – unless, of course, you’re highly allergic. So let’s start from the ground up.

Obvious flowers that have a delicate smell are violets, but they can be a curse when they multiply, unless you go for native violets (Viola hederacea), which aren’t quite so prolific. Dianthus or pinks (smaller relatives of carnations) have a very sweet smell. Lily of the valley has a lovely perfume and flowers on Caulfield Cup Day, but I find them tricky to grow. Then there are the many heavily scented spring-flowering bulbs such as freesias and jonquils.