CB I Hate Perfume- M3 November

Yes, I know it's March.
I had every intention to review November at the appropriate time, but that whole moving house thing came in the middle, and frankly, I'm surprised I actually managed to maintain a regular blogging schedule throughout the process. But in any case, spring is almost here and I'm talking about a perfume that smells of rotting leaves and pie.

There's something familiar and comforting in  the top notes of this Christopher Brosius' creation. It's the pumpkin spice, I presume, though on my skin it's more of a caramelized, crisply baked dough and not anything in the squash family. I smile the second I open the bottle and take the first whiff- it's such a warm, inviting and happy scent.

Things go a bit darker after the first 20 minutes or so. It's not CB's Black March or Burning Leaves, but there's some wet wood and newly raked patches of earth, a little decay here and there but also anticipation for joy to come, while maintaining the initial sweetness that was introduced at the opening.

I have some skin chemistry issues with the first part of the drydow. It happens to me with several of CB's scents- probably something he uses in the base- that turns a bit too chemical on me. It disappears at some point, in November much faster than in Greenbriar 1968 from his Secret History series, for example. It only takes a couple of hours for the scent to settle back into a much more pleasant smoothness. I get something almost incense-like, which I'm guessing is the hint of pine forest and more of that warm kitchen aroma. It's less a perfume than a mood, a frame of mind on the brink of a new season. It's cold enough here to wear it, so I'm taking November to bed with me tonight. The cats seem to really like it.

November (M3) from CB I Hate Perfume's Metamorphosis Series is available in perfume absolute and water perfume. I bought the absolute ($80, 15 ml) at the Williamsburg, Brooklyn gallery. It's also available online (cbihateperfume.com) and there's a 2ml trial size ($15).

Art: Brandi Milne- Naughty Boy