Sonoma Scent Studio- Winter Woods

You'll find Winter Woods by Sonoma Scent Studio under "cozy" in your dictionary. This one is all about warmth and comfort, a cashmere blanket by the fireside, a cup of hot smoky tea, and a couple of snugly cats. It's the perfect winter hibernation night (or day. It snowed for hours today, which prompted me to reach for my little bottle).

Perfumer Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio is known for her use of wood notes, often with incense, smoke, amber (Fireside and Fireside Intense, Champagne de Bois, Tabac Aurea and others). Winter Woods may be the sweetest and cuddliest; a fragrance that is pure indulgence, like canceling all plans on a cold and miserable day, staying in wearing fuzzy socks and spending the afternoon reading and watching a favorite old movie. It's meant to give pleasure and delight, but doesn't compromise on either quality or interest twists.

Winter Woods opens with a whiff of smoke, and I remember the first time I tested it I was certain it will lead to some heavy incense. Instead, the fragrance gets both sweeter and a bit outdoorsy- it feels like opening the window for a minute or two and letting in the smell of snow and rain-soaked trees for just a bit. Then you close the window again and take in the warmth of the room, taking note of the sweet woods burning in the fireplace, the brewing tea that is just about ready and the cat who just rolled in your perfumed blanket. There's a bit of an animalic hint in Winter Woods, and it takes the fragrance to the level beyond a candle or other ambiance aromatics. It becomes sweeter and more ambery the longer I wear it, and clings in the best possible way to scarves and jackets, creating a scented bubble around me that works well for both hibernation or facing the cold world outside.

Notes: Guaiac wood, cedar, sandalwood, birch tar, cade, oakmoss absolute, castoreum, amber, labdanum absolute, vetiver, ambergris, musk.

Sonoma Scent Studio- Winter Woods ($17, 5ml extrit travel spray. Other sizes and samples available) can be purchased from sonomascentstudio.com.

Image: Malene Hartmann Rasmussen-"If I Had A Heart I Could Love You", mixed media sculpture (2011)