Wintertime Spring

No one will ever believe that a Texan would wear a sweater in late May but that is exactly what is happening this year. Tornado season has brought not only much-needed rain but also temperatures in the 50s. That is welcome news for cold-lovers like me who begin to dread summer well before its arrival. Usually, May brings temperatures in the 90s and we leave Springtime perfumes behind and start applying sunblock and Bronze Goddess. This year is a welcome respite.

(photo via dallasnews.com)

So what is one to wear during this unseasonable cold? I would usually wear something spicy and soft, like Keiko Mecheri’s Loukhoum or one of Pierre Gillaume’s creations. But this May has brought a lot of stress with it so I need something completely different and unexpected with a heavy dose of comfort. Enter Winter Delice.

(photo via osmoz)

Those who know this discontinued Guerlain beauty have long been asking to bring it back as it is nothing like its Aqua Allegoria cousins. This is complex, well-blended, heavy and unusual with notes of pine, fir, resin, sugar and vanilla. It is definitely a winter perfume, but it has been my companion through unpleasantness and fear. Just like the myth of Marie Antoinette using her perfumes to give her strength in the last moments of life, Winter Delice has been a constant companion and reliever.

Especially for a forest-lover like me, Winter Delice is Christmas spice and cold forest floors. It is the resin of pine trees collected directly from trees and mushed into bitter balls of amber. It is the sugary vanilla of cakes and too-sweet tea.

(photo via pintrest)

Is this an appropriate perfume to wear in Spring? The question is not that. It is: “which perfume satisfies in any given moment?” Those of us that are lucky enough to know how a scent can transform a moment and bring comfort to frayed nerves know that we must not lock ourselves into boxes but explore and let perfume breathe in all seasons and occasions. Sometimes a cold-weather perfume is perfect in summer (Middle Eastern ouds come to mind) and all you want on a freezing dark day is an uplifting summer frag. Who is to judge but our own noses and souls?