The last lazy weekend of 2025, and the perfume confessions I can’t keep to myself

I woke up to a gray sky and reached for comfort with a bite. Today it is Hermès Ambre Narguilé on my wrists, that honeyed tobacco swirl that turns a cold kitchen into an amber bakery. If 2025 taught me anything, it is this: when the world keeps pushing syrup, bring your own spice. Thank you, Jean-Claude Ellena, for a timeless hug that does not smother.

Now for my year-end fragrance confessions, no filter.

• Biggest redundancy regret: I bought Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait even though I already owned Baccarat Rouge 540. The extra heft gave me louder, not better. I decanted half and moved on.
• Cherry fatigue is real. Tom Ford Electric Cherry was a fling when Tom Ford Lost Cherry already told that story with more sultriness and less sizzle. Lesson learned, my skin prefers the original’s almond-kissed depth.
• Missed classic moment: I hesitated on Guerlain Mitsouko when it briefly resurfaced at a sane price. I blinked, it vanished, and now I am stalking decants like a raccoon with a spreadsheet.

One redemption though. I scored a near-mint Serge Lutens Chergui at a consignment shop, and its hay, honey, and tobacco made every over-frosted 2025 flanker feel instantly forgettable. If you know, you know.

Trend snapshot, no perfume PR fluff. Vanilla kept the crown, pistachio flirted its way into everything, and skin-scents kept whispering. My antidotes this winter:

• Green and clean that still has a spine: Chanel No. 19 and Diptyque Philosykos.
• Cozy without a sugar crash: Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace and Diptyque Eau Duelle EDP.
• Gothic rose to reset your palate: Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady by Dominique Ropion, a reminder that density can be elegant.

If you need a simple 3-day weekend plan, try this rotation:

• Day 1, housebound with books: Replica By the Fireplace, because chestnut smoke pairs with wool socks better than any latte accord.
• Day 2, cold air walk: Philosykos, fig leaves and milky wood that feels like clean hair and brisk light.
• Day 3, midnight mischief: Portrait of a Lady, a brazen rose that outlasts the playlist.

My 2026 vow is boring on purpose. Fewer blind buys, more skin time, more re-wear. Perfume behaves like a person, it needs a second date to show you the good parts.