Time to spritz smoky amber, cognac and leather

IAM an autumnal being. Come august, I can be found fantasising about velvet, cashmere and fur: willing that first crisp catch within the air, leaf fall, and the building of bonfires. and it is finally here: that exquisite moment when we winter women emit a delighted shiver.

It’s the same with perfume — bouquets vex me. Instead, I am obsessed with wood, smoke and leather. It’s some formative fixation with reading by a fire, in an ancient leather chair; despite a childhood spent in a gas-fired semi.

The first thing I do at this time of year is invest in a Diptyque feu de Bois Candle (from £33 for 70g, libertylondon.com). We all make decisions about how to spend our money.

I no longer drink alcohol, meaning I can afford to be drunk on wax.

and I relish everything about my annual shopping trip to buy the candle: the anticipation, the journey, the elaborate ‘tasting’ ritual, as I knock the wax out of each pot and breathe deep, knowing I will always settle on a smouldering log fire. No scent moves me like feu de Bois, a consummate blend of precious woods, released in 1999.

all I have to do is light a match and I am transported to home and hearth, wallowing in the sanctuary of the fireplace.

I have just unboxed my new flame and, between now and spring, it will perfume my home, my clothes and me — the packaging tucked away in my knicker drawer.

AS FAR as scenting myself directly is concerned, my current woody obsession is a less literal take. Chanel’s Bois des Iles (from £169 for 75ml, chanel.com) launched in 1926, was inspired by a bohemian cabaret in Paris, where flappers danced the Charleston to the pulse of hot jazz, tobacco smoke snaking through the air.

‘Island of forests’ is an amber wood, by perfumer Ernest Beaux, who also came up with No 5. It is said that this aroma of dark autumn woods was his favourite creation. The top notes are dryly spicy, the heart serenely floral without ever being cloying, on a base that is all forests and fireplaces.

I didn’t understand Bois des Iles when I encountered it 20 years ago — it was too subtle, too elusive.

at 50, I’m fixated. I was at a party the other evening and a chap strode up behind me and muttered ‘ Tu m’enivres’.

This is what I want in a perfume: not ‘ You smell nice’, but ‘You enslave me’.

If it is simply too much money to contemplate, try stash by sarah Jessica Parker (now £24.99 for 100ml, the beautystore. com), a foxy aroma evoking cognac and leather.

I realise that patchouli can prove problematic for those who associate it with grubby feet and afghan coats. However, if you do find yourself that way inclined, I urge you to head to Guerlain and demand Héritage ( from £ 85 for 100ml, guerlain.com).

This 1992 humdinger is one of the perfume world’s supreme head- turners: a great fist of patchouli that smells magnificently expensive.

Even if you can’t abide its headline ingredient, Zara’s fleur de Patchouli (from £5.99 for 10ml, zara.com) may still appeal. One of Jo malone’s compositions for the fashion giant, it appeared in 2019, a delicate dance of peony, patchouli and guaiac wood. subtle and lingering, it delights fans of Coco mademoiselle, and brilliantly, it’s just £25.99 for 90ml.

I crave patchouli, so I add miaroma Patchouli Pure Essential Oil (£7, hollandand barrett.com) to my bath.

Then I anoint myself with aromatherapy associates’s blissful revive Evening Bath & shower Oil (£50 for 55ml, aromatherapy associates. com), patchouli blended with sandalwood and euphoria-inducing madagascan ylang ylang.

as my final layer, I slather on aroma active Laboratories soothing Body & face Cleanser (£ 12 for 250ml, boots. com) whenever I wash my hands. and, finally, I am cocooned.