I don’t know about you, but one of the reasons I love fall weather is the scents associated with it: spicy, woodsy, earthy, heavy…
Which is why I have been eyeing (or should I say, longingly sniffing) for this Chanel perfume for years. If you have to get one fall fragrance, this is it. However, I have not bought it or asked for it since I started using exclusively cruelty-free beauty products. Instead, I found a green, clean, alternative–the CLEAN Reserve Sueded Oud. While the Chanel perfume was $100, this isn’t much cheaper at all since it’s $95 for a 3.4 oz. bottle, but I was able to use my 20% discount to purchase it.
The CLEAN perfumes are Clean at Sephora Certified, meaning that they are free of harsh chemicals and questionable ingredients common in mainstream beauty products.
This perfume has notes of oud, Bushman’s candle and skin musk. What is oud, you ask?
Oud is a wood (or oil distilled from it) from the agar tree in Southeast Asia. Oud is known as one of the most expensive scents in the world because fewer than 2% of agar trees produce it. When the wood becomes infected with a particular type of mold, the tree produces a scented resin referred to as “liquid gold” (source here).
The Bushman’s candle is a type of shrub that the Himbas tribe waits for its life cycle before harvesting the bark to sell for fragrance extraction. Using this shrub allows the tribe to support their traditional lifestyle while fostering plant growth.
The bottle is thick and boxy with eco-conscious packaging.
Woodsy and spicy first come to mind when I first apply it. It’s definitely not a girly perfume, but it’s not insanely strong like a cologne either. And I like some manly scents. I can see this being a unisex fragrance, so you can share this with your significant other. It’s kinda sexy in that sense (and because of its mature notes and the packaging is minimalistic). For me, it lasts about 5–6 hours. I feel like I’m walking along the forest on a misty, cool afternoon upon applying. The warmth and heaviness of this perfume make it a mainstay for fall and winter. Now you know my signature scent for the next few months.
It is pretty pricey, I’ll give you that. But if you can get your hands on it during Sephora’s 15% or 20% off sales, I would totally recommend it if you like these natural earthy scents!
Hannah is a travel writer, graphic designer, and the founder/editor of Hannah on Horizon. She is based in Sacramento, California, living with her husband and two adorable dogs. She shares tips on how to experience luxury travel on any budget, and how to maximize time at each trip or destination, no matter what your budget or amount of vacation time at work. She enjoys making you feel like you have visited each destination with her through her storytelling and informative writing style.