Top Winter Perfume Picks- Selected (Mostly) By The Husband

Winter top ten perfumes are always the hardest for me to pick. Part of this is because I dislike this season so much. Another reason is that what many consider "cold weather perfumes" are among my most favorite to wear all-year-round, so it feels like all the leathers, heavy gourmands, and smoky fragrances have already been mentioned. I was lamenting this to the Blond who seemed unfazed by my plight. He's slightly more seasonally-directed than me in his perfume choices, or so it seems, and is far less likely to wear anything named "Cuir" in August or a citrus cologne in the dead of winter. "Just write about what you've been reaching for most often these last couple of months", was his suggestion. "What about you? What have you been wearing more frequently?", I challenged him. I've noticed that he has been quite focused on several bottles lately, not necessarily his old standbys,  while barely touching others.  Therefore, the first part of this list is The Husband's top picks for the season, He only had six, which made it easy for me to select the four perfumes I've been wearing a lot lately.

His top perfume picks for winter:

• Undergreen Gold. Ginger and smoky incense. Quite a bit of ginger has been consumed in our house lately, so this perfume just goes along with our food. 
• Terre d'Hermes (edt). That's a surprise, actually. I'm usually the one wearing it (and more often in summer), but something in the flinty orange composition has been calling to him lately. That, and the fact he's never visited Basenotes' male fragrance forum.
• L'Artisan- Dzongkha. I finally got him (us) a full bottle of the stuff, so he's been naturally drawn to it. And, of course, iris and vetiver are his jam.
• Parfumerie Generale- Querelle. Exactly the same reasons as above, minus the iris.
• Chanel Egoiste Cologne Concentree (vintage). It's sandalwood and spice, utterly delicious and cozy. His scarves and coat have absorbed a good amount, shielding him from the cold.
• Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777- Soleil de Jeddah. Funny: this was included in my summer favorites, because I found it to be juicy, and yellow, and all that's good and sexy about long summer days. On his skin the leather is very pronounced and there's no trace of mango. Skin chemistry, go figure.

And mine:

•  Raghba by Lattafa Perfumes. This is both a guilty pleasure and a cheap thrill. It's a sugar-coated oud, with smoke and vanilla in the background. For under $30 it could have been a lot more tacky (it probably IS quite tacky), but I wear it well. Neither cats nor husband object.
• Chantecaille- Kalimantan. There has to be a serious patchouli in this mix, and Kalimantan with its dry and formal ways is one of the more interesting takes on this theme. 
• Parfums MDCI- Les Indes Galantes. It has all the makings of  a classic Christmas/Holiday season perfume: orange, clove, cinnamon, and vanilla. Just add cheer. 
• My vintage pick for the season is Cabochard de Gres. It's all the coats, hats, and handbags I wish I owned , right out of an old French movie. In black & white, of course.

What are your winter picks? Have they changed since last year?

Please visit my friends at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, and Now Smell This for more winter perfume picks.

Image: A winter scene by Chéri Hérouard for La Vie Parisienne, 1923