National Apple Day meets Diwali: my Tuesday scent file

I woke up craving the perfume equivalent of a clean bite into a chilled Granny Smith, then the day reminded me to light a virtual diya. It is National Apple Day and Diwali, and my wrist is glazing the room with Astier de Villatte Grand Chalet. Think linden pollen floating through a wooden chalet, hot tea in a porcelain cup, a drop of honey on warm milk. I blame a friend with impeccable taste for the sudden obsession with their teapot, and yes, Grand Chalet makes me want the matching china too.

If your apple mood swings from tart to temptress, try these:

• DKNY Be Delicious, the original green-apple poster child. It is photogenic, clean, and unpretentious, like a crisp white shirt that actually fits.
• Nina Ricci Nina, a candied apple in ballet flats. Sparkly citrus up top, praline hush underneath, surprisingly grown-up if you skip the second spray.
• By Kilian Apple Brandy on the Rocks, an oak-barrel wink, polished wood, boozy fruit, cool musk. A nightcap you can wear to brunch.
• Kayali Eden Juicy Apple | 01, glossy red and selfie-ready, fizzy fruit with a soft-focus filter that clings to scarves.
• Hermès Un Jardin sur le Toit, the city’s secret orchard. Dewy apple and pear, basil and grass, a rooftop breeze that cleans your palate.

Diwali begs for radiance, so I reach for saffron threads, marigold petals, and sandalwood glow:

• Neela Vermeire Trayee, temple smoke and spice market in one heartbeat. Cardamom sparks, holy basil lifts, sandalwood steadies. It is a celebration that lingers.
• Byredo Mumbai Noise, resinous coffee hum over smoky woods and leather. Gilded, modern, hypnotic when the lights go low.

Today’s birthdays read like a mixtape, and I love that for us. Raise a spritz for Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Celia Cruz, Dizzy Gillespie, Ursula Le Guin, and Carrie Fisher. Their kind of imagination deserves scent with backbone.

On 10/24 I am planning a little olfactory theater, the kind that says I know exactly what I am doing. It might be the quiet authority of Chanel No. 19 or the velvet thunder of Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady. Either way, the message will arrive before I do.