To Autumn

[misfitroxy]

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breat whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Mist and mellow fruitfulness: mist-swirled, moss-covered bark and dry red leaves, apple pulp and knotty galangal, with poppy juice and nutmeat.

I'm still all a'flutter over my Hollows and this whole starting a new thread thing is rather new, but practice makes perfect, right?

{Wet}: Sweet and buttery with a hint of apple-y goodness.

{First Applied}: Very much a dessert fragrance. Apple with dustings of spice and some buttery crust (more than likely the nutmeat) to round it out.

{Drying}: Ahhhh, so there's the rest of it. Definitely picking up on the leaves now. There's an almost peppery, yet woody scent coming out as well (which seems in almost direct opposition to the toothsome turnout beforehand). I haven't tried any of the other Lab blends with galangal in them, so I'm new to this element. I've heard it can be reminiscent to pine and fir, though. And that all fits. But not in an overwhelming, TREE ATTACK! sort of way.

{Final Thoughts}: A strange amalgamation of the bakery and the bonfire. Like quickly-melting caramel apples served over a plate of smoldering, burning leaves. Pleasant but peculiar. Certainly autumnal. Intriguingly unique. Worth the journey in full. Just make sure to clean any leftover foliage stems out of your teeth afterwards! ;}

[porcelina]

mmmmmm. this is goorrrgeeooousss. misfitroxy, in her review above, used the word toothsome. it is definitely appropriate. the apple, which on me has a tendency to become very sharp and overpowering, is tempered by sweet, earthy nuttiness. there's a hint of crisp air, of wood- but it is autumnal without smelling like a craft store or pumpkin candle. to autumn a really smooth, delicious fall scent, just this side of foody- i love it!

[hkhm]

bottle: very nutty! i get lots of moss and woodsy scents and... nuts.

 

wet: this is very sweet without being cloying. it's like the sweetness of taking a deep breath after the rain has stopped. the moss is very green!

 

dry: the nuts are back! with a very fresh, very accurate smelling apple scent. and a nice wash of green on everything. beautiful!

[greenranger]

Wet, it's almost too spicy at first. For me, that's highly unusual.

 

Drying, the scent mellows a bit. I think I can detect the smoothness that might be the nutmeats, and the sweetness that is the pulped apple. It is verging on craft store/candle shop overload territory, but, not quite.

 

It's a rich spicy scent. I think I might prefer it in an oil burner rather than on me, though.

 

~edit~

Aged just slightly, I like it more. It isn't verging on the craft store note anymore...

 

I suppose what seems to have changed is that the scent has mellowed a bit and the nutmeat note is more prominent. If you like Wezwanie/hold(Hazelnuts and wood) or Wood Phoenix(walnuts, wood, and magnolias), then you might like this too. I do suspect that To Autumn is fruitier and spicier than either of those on most people, however.

Edited December 30, 2008 by Aerinha

[scotchgrrl]

In the bottle: apples and nuts. It actually smells like charoset my grandmother used to make during Passover.

 

Wet: same, charoset, lots of apples and spices.

 

Dry: More of the bark, dried leaves and poppy juice comes out. It picks up a sharp, winter-is-coming scent. The nuts and spice is still come out with the apples.

 

This is lovely. It reminds me of growing up with my grandmother, all of the scents of a Jewish household remind me of autumn. Beautiful.

[lmaunu]

This is a gorgeous fall scent! It's a warm, spicy apple scent, but the leaves and wood mellow it out and keep it from being a foody scent. On drydown, the smell of wet trees in a forest drying after a hard rainstorm comes out more. This complex and lovely!

Edited September 9, 2008 by BookGirl

[Brianne]

This goes on very strong on the galangal and has a sort of dusty quality to it. But then comes in the apple and what I assume must be the "nutmeat" (that makes me giggle. Yes, I'm juvenile). It's warm and sort of spiced so this has a wonderful Fall feeling to it. In a way, this reminds me a lot of Harvest Moon - very fall like, but with mossy and dry qualities to it as well as the spiced apple quality.

[iiinterstate]

Wet: If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was cocoa in this. After a little time I think its the combination of nutmeat and apple.

 

Drying: Mmm, warm is the word for this one. Spicy and buttery at the same time, but it's not quite foody to my nose. Is galangal earthy smelling? Because I don't get any wood or moss.

 

 

Overall: This is a very nice blend. Not sure if I need a bottle at this point, but I'll use up my decant while I decide

[surlygurl]

When I put this on I was expecting lots of dry leaves and some nuts with a touch of fruit. What I got instead was a more mature, mellowed, slightly serious (poppy?) punkie night. The apple was there, spices, but none of the candy sweetness. The galangal (I think) gave it it's spicy bite and something in it gave it a feel similar to samhain, though not as severe.

 

As it dried, I got what has been described as Almost Cocoa - probably the nutmeat. That grounded it more & made it less samhain-ish. It's not a light fun scent, but it's not dark, either. It's a very nice scent.

 

Definitely keeping the decant.

[livingdead71]

This scent is very sweet, warm, and smoky on the skin. The apple note, which I love so much, is not particularly distinct here. I'm not complaining though, since it blends well with the other notes to create a very pretty autumn scent. It smells almost like chocolate in my scent locket, so I think it's interesting that others mentioned cocoa. To Autumn isn't exactly what I was expecting, but I'm really not disappointed. I'm so glad I bought a bottle!

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Mostly apples, with some rich roasted nuts underneath.

 

Wet: God, this is delicious. I get a lot of dark nuts, and yes, they’re almost chocolate-y, as some others have said. Just a layer under the nuts is a lovely apple note and a wee bit of leafiness to keep it from being overly foody. This is like what I expected Samhain to smell like before I ever tried it.

 

Dry: Now, I can actually pick out something watery/aquatic in this—a really sweet fresh aquatic. The mists! They have a slight chill feel to them, too, like oncoming fall. Wow, I never thought I’d be able to smell them. Misty, nutty, chocolate apples, with some leaves blowing in the back. Fan-friggin-tastically awesome! Way late into the dry (like 8+ hrs), I'm still smelling it. Great staying power.

 

Overall: I love this. An aquatic foody—I never would’ve thunk it! In my bpal history, an aquatic has never appealed to me much , but this is one I can definitely sink my teeth into. Hear that? It’s the sound of horizons expanding…

Edited September 18, 2008 by jewelbug

[sarahmarie]

Like rotting leaves, earthy and full of roots and plant material. There's a sweetness to it, but the prevailing scent on my skin is that of autumnal ground. I love that, because I love the fall and this is extremely evocative of the season. That said, I won't want to wear it much and am happy with my decant.

[Dark Alice]

I love this scent. The nutmeat....(that just sounds dirty) has a chocolate note on my skin and the cider or apples are so light and delicious. This could be the fall scent I have been looking. I am so glad I bought this.

Edited September 19, 2008 by Dark Alice

[kelpsoda]

This is an interesting mix of more cool, perfume-y notes (mist and dried leaves?) and sweet foody notes (nutmeat and apple). I believe I'm getting some spices in the background, but they're faint. I like this one a lot.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this is red apple goodness, and perhaps a hint of something smoothly nutty.

 

On my skin, this is spicy apple, and I'm not sure where I'm getting any spice from. There's also something of a musky, perfumey quality here. As it dries down, the nutmeat returns and the perfumey sharpness backs off. It's apple, a mix of nuts and dry leaves, and a cool twang of night air.

 

15 minutes after first application, this is mostly a clean, ozone scent on me with a very faint suggestion of nondescript, dry, harvest foodiness in the background. Salt ozone and fruity spice. And then it disappears before it hits a full half hour on my skin.

 

I like "To Autumn," but it fades so fast on me and morphs into a salty sort of ozone rather quickly. I guess the "mist" takes over the blend for me.

[IronMollyBlack]

On wet, I get the smell of really ripe apples, like the ones that drop from the trees and sit, or maybe "cider apples". There are dry leaves, and earth, with the "aquatic" mistiness of a cool fall morning. Also the smell of freshly cracked walnuts. As it drys down, I'm left with the aquatic and the "nutmeat" scent, with just a breath of leaves.

 

I like the initial stage best, not sure I like the drydown enough to spring for a bottle, but will keep my decant for sure.

[inurbanus]

Wow, this is a very autumnal scent -- if I didn't know when this was released or its name, I think I would still be able to tell that it's a Halloweenie. Anyway, this is mainly apples with some fresh greenery and a little nutmeat. I just went apple-picking yesterday, and To Autumn really embodies that experience. I don't know how often I'll wear this one, but it's nice. I'm curious to see how aging will affect it.

 

3.5/5

[Rhowan]

To Autumn brings to me a vivid childhood memory of my grandparent's orchards and farm in Washinton. I am reminded of playing in the apple orchard toward dusk with all of my cousins. I can smell the leaves, the wood from the trees and the apple crates, the moss, the low ground mist as it swirls around my feet, and the smell of the hot spiced (homepressed) cider we know is waiting for us back at the farm house.

 

The first 1/2 hour when this was first applied, I could smell every single note, blended together to make such a beautiful scent. The memories that To Autumn invoked were bittersweet: my grandfather is dead and the farm and orchard have been sold and we are no longer kids but the the smell, put me right back there as if it was happening right then and there.

 

To Autumn was also so unique as it's scent stayed strong on me for around 4 hours! (That rarely happens with most scents.) Between the first half hour and around the 4th hour, it still smelled strongly of apples, wood, leaves and nuts but it is no longer reminding me of that chill night, no, it is a warmer scent now. A sunwarmed orchard in the fall. The next morning, It was still there -sweeter and lighter, but there - and still invoking my memories.

 

This is one of my favorites!

 

 

edited for spelling

Edited September 22, 2008 by Rhowan

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Light goldenrod-coloured oil. Woody, nutty, a tad spicy. The poppy and dry leaves lend a bitter edge, while the nut is both creamy-foody-rich and sweet, enhanced by citrusy galangal. Autumnal indeed, and rather masculine.

[dawndie]

Wet: sweet smoke (?)

 

On skin: cidery apples, yum!

 

Half-hour later: the cider apples are rolling through the woods

 

In conclusion: this is like Punkie Night and Hex '05 rolled into one. The delicious apples mixing with the dark woods is wonderful. I love this and want a bottle!

[Ilex]

I got this because of the galangal, which I love.

 

I wasn't able to detect the galangal and that was disappointing.

 

What was there- initially very strong nutmeat, almost hazel nut with some spice and undefinable sweetness around it. It was initially pretty good. But then the nutmeat left and the sweetness and "generic perfume" took over. I think the apple is the sweet part, but it doesn't really read as apple, just fresh sweetness. Initially I was struck by how spring-like the scent was, and the only thing keeping it as a fall oriented (and grounded) scent was the nutmeat.

 

Unfortunately, something in the late stages is making me very nauseous and I need to wash it off.

[eoifemacbeth]

Damn you, Yankee Candle.

 

You could have at least left me Fearful Pleasure.

[jade_starlight]

Hmm, this one is nice and light. I can definitely smell the moss, bark and leaves with just a hint in the background that might be the apples lending it a soft sweetness. It's like sitting under a tree in fall and just watching the leaves falling.

[Leopard403]

This one is really strange. On first sniff, it reminded me of a candle shop I used to frequent, sort of candle-y and incense-y. Then, sadly, it morphed to: Black licorice? Are you kidding me??

[Schmoozy]

Nutty, mossy apple goodness. The crunch and scnet of dry leaves is softened by apple and poppy juice. There is a certain amount of spice that gives the blend an apple cider feel. The creaminess of the nutmeat makes this almost foody, and the moss and bark definitely give it green/earthy tone.

I feared this would be a heavy scent, but it is light but long lasting.