One thing I don’t talk about much on my blog is my love of scents. Up until recently, I had a pretty intense hobby of collecting smell-good body care, home fragrance products, and more. As I have gotten older, I have learned what scents I love, hate, and some I like but don’t suit me.

Every season, I rotate out what I will try and use up from my collection. I thought it would be super fun to lean into one of my more niche interests and talk about some of my favorite scents for fall. Thank you, Dylan, for the idea!

I have come up with some scent combos for 6 classic Autumn activities. I used fragrantica.com and Pinterest to create the graphics. Pulling inspiration from the Buzzfeed quizzes I mentioned during September’s Self Analysis month, this post is structured like a “personality quiz”.

I have listed the Fall activities below. Pick whichever one calls to you, and I will share the scent combo that goes with it. Would you wear it as a body spray? If it were a candle you received as a gift, would you secretly dispose of it? Let me know what activity you would choose!

🍎Farmer’s Market🍎 – 🍬Halloween Party🍬 – 🥧Baking🥧 – 🎃 Pumpkin Patch 🎃 – 📙 Thrifting 📙- 🍿 Movie Marathon 🍿

Farmer’s Market

Notes: Apple cider, fresh bread, floral bouquet, roasted nuts

You step out into the town square on an overcast October morning. A wisp of wind catches your hair and with it brings the scent of a fresh loaf of sourdough bread. It had to have been baked just that morning, without seeing it yet you know that it is still warm. Grabbing your bags and walking past the booths, you spot the source of what your stomach is yearning for and then some. The couple behind the bakery table smiles at you as you browse the loaves, each with intricate braids and floral cuts into the browned tops. You make your pick, pay, and place the wrapped loaf into your bag.

You make your way past the other tables, passing homegrown produce, quilted jackets, and framed watercolor. At last, you stop at the florist’s array of brilliantly colored blooms of orange, yellows, whites, and some pinks. Small fallen petals decorate the grass surrounding the pricing signs. Which bundle would make Mom smile? You end up leaving with your best guess and the taste of spiced apple cider still lingering in your mouth even though the cup is long gone. The sun peeks out in rays to welcome the noon.

Halloween Party

Notes: Bonfire, marshmallow, caramel, crisp air

You arrive at the house after being rushed by your friend all night to hurry up and get ready. You had planned your costume in advance, and it seems as if there’s a healthy mix of people who spent equal amounts of effort into their ghoulish appearance and those who threw on a t-shirt with a logo and called it good. Any jitters you had are melted by the warmth of the heated foyer and chatter that would increase in volume to welcome you and comment on your costume choice. As you are led into the kitchen, various treats are thrown into your hands. “You have to try this!”, someone says. You bite into soft caramel that melts away into a sweetly tart apple slice. Maybe you have to try it more than once.

After games, laughter, and entertaining the children that come knocking for candy, you join the group that has reduced to calmed conversational embers around an impressive bonfire. Marshmallows are being passed around, a guitar is playing softly from a figure behind the smoke, and extra jackets are being fetched from storage closets to provide extra warmth from the chilly night.

Baking

Notes: Cinnamon, brown sugar, sweet cream

You have spent weeks being shown every kind of seasonal baking recipe. No app has been safe from you hitting the “save to” button, and tonight is the breaking point. You have found the perfect recipe, and all of the ingredients are already waiting for you in the pantry. Turning up the volume on the ambient music playing on the television you then head into the kitchen faster than is necessary. You prepare a small mug of hot chocolate or tea, grab the ingredients, bowls, utensils, and excitedly pull up the recipe.

Some time later, your dish is set into the preheated oven and wash your hands of sticky, sweet smelling dough. You forgot to adjust the recipe to a smaller size, so there is plenty to share. You clean up the rest of the ingredients that missed the bowl and start thinking of who all would be eligible to receive a share of your recipe. The deep sweetness of brown sugar and spices reaches it’s most fragrant as your timer reminds you of what you had been counting down the minutes for anyway. Opening the oven, you poke a toothpick through the baked good to confirm what you already know- it is perfect.

Pumpkin Patch

Notes: Sweet fallen leaves, hay, funnel cake

The sun shines down upon the field of pumpkins before you. Bordered by forest, the drying leaves from the rain in previous days releases a lightly sweet fragrance. As you search for the perfect pumpkin, either to take a picture with or to take home to carve, you inhale a deep, healing breath. You are almost at the end of the field, away from any children yelling around the stacked hay bales and small playground. You check the corners of your mouth for any powdered sugar from the funnel cake you finished not so long ago and bend down to inspect a pumpkin.

It was large, perfectly round, and the curly q stem on top was the selling point. You can only imagine the seeds through the tough rind roasting in the oven to be snacked on before bed. Carrying the heavy gourd like a trophy back towards the populated entrance of the pumpkin patch, you make it look easy.

Thrifting

Notes: Coffee, old book pages, cedar, soft lavender

You duck out of the drizzling rain and into the immediate warmth of your favorite thrift shop. You had spent the last hour reading in a coffee shop along the same block and weren’t ready to head home yet despite the rain. The heat meeting the damp ovals on your jacket create an air of coffee aroma that accompanies you as you walk through the clothing racks. You notice the older patrons stand closer to you than normal and look at you approvingly. No one knows a cup of coffee like they do, but you keep mostly to yourself as you get increasingly immersed in the new arrivals. You find multiple dream items, and the prices are suspiciously good. You thank the rain, there’s barely anyone out in it and it is all the better for you to find things.

An arm full of clothes, you pass the donated tables and furnishings, the oiled wood still shining through it’s increasing age. Finally arriving at the books, you scan the spines. Old and new, they all share the unique smell of aged paper. You find a book to add to your ever growing pile and head to check out before you are unable to carry any more.

Movie Marathon

Notes: Cashmere, kettle corn, candlelit smoke, salted pretzels

After a long day, you return home just wanting to relax. Throwing any unnecessary items onto the kitchen table, you drag your feet into the living room and use your body weight to lower yourself onto the couch. Turning on the TV, you flick through the various shows and movies available to you and spot some “Recently Added” films. One is something that your friend had been talking about watching since before the trailer came out, but hadn’t find the time to watch before it left the theatre. The thought of your friend sparked your energy, and you shoot a quick text to them inviting them over. At the mention of the movie, they were already on their way.

You take a quick shower, clean up a little, and light some candles before they arrive. From the hallway closet, you grab some of the extra blankets from the top shelf and you hear the door. It was already unlocked for them, and they come in holding treats that they had picked up along the way. Your favorite microwave kettle corn, and “Where did you find fresh pretzels, and why?” you ask humorously. “It’s a special occasion,” is all they replied with.

Closing

I hope you all enjoyed this fun post, and the short story descriptions that go with it. I felt taken aback to my Quotev days, taking quizzes throughout the night and reading the stories that went with my results. Thanks for playing along, and I will see you all tomorrow!