Neil Morris of Neil Morris Fragrances

Those of us who have the honor of Neil Morris’s acquaintance and friendship know him as a teddy bear of a man whose physical height and talent make the rest of us feel physically insignificant and a bit tongue-tied. His perfumes, as a rule, are pictures of personal memories – blue seas, gardens, exotic places –and there is almost always a note of brightness that reflects what I’ve seen of his heart.

This image of Autumn Mist (photo wallchan.com) really "haunted Neil"

Chasing Autumn is another snapshot, but it’s not autumn in the Hallmark, candied apple, football sense. Neil takes us to the brink of seasons, memories, and other past worlds. Neil explains to us: “Autumn has always been my favorite season. I love the chill in the air combined with the warm sun, the rainbow leaves, hot mulled cider at a farm stand in New England. I created a perfume to celebrate that aspect of fall. It’s called OCTOBER, and it remains one of our most popular fragrances. But with CHASING AUTUMN I wanted to create a scent that touched on the darker, moodier aspects of Autumn; the spookiness, if you will. A ghost story. The smell of brave campfires carving out some warmth and light on the darkest nights. The leaves have fallen and are turning brown. There’s that sense of pulling in, wrapping ourselves in warmer clothes, the approach of Halloween when the veil between the worlds is said to be thinnest. The scent of fir and cedar and the promise of winter".

Photo: Indulgy.com

It’s dusk and we’re between storms. The sky is luminous, almost painful to look at silver, darker gray and purple clouds piling up and the reflection of a fading sun has made the last stubborn leaves look like stained glass. The dampness mutes the sound of footsteps on twigs and through leaf piles and swirls. Perfect weather for leather coats and well-worn boots. I go up the hill by the creek. The mist foretelling another storm is coming off the water and starting to dance up the banks in swirls that catch a fading light. We called them fairy mists because of their transparency and constant motion. There is no sound here – the fallen twigs, needles, and cones from the evergreens create a scented chamber where the only sound is one’s uneasy heart and perhaps an eagle’s cry.

 

The Haunted House. Image by Loren Zemlicka Photography

I find my destination. The heavy air resurrects the smell of centuries old dead smoke from the ruins. A smell you can almost ‘hear’ in memory. It soaks the pores and lays a handprint on the souls of the living. After all these years, you still find bits of scorched crockery and ash soaked bits of leather. My heart aches from the sadness and I feel the lost ones gathering to reassure. To console. They let me know that it’s alright to be among them though I shouldn’t tarry.

The brilliance of the leaves is gone. The clouds have lowered and I wrap my long scarf around me hoping to fool the piercing river cold. The old trees throw shadows and an odor of sweetness that heralds inevitable decay. I follow the path past the mills and find the beginnings of civilization – cracked stone leading to asphalt paving and sodium vapor lights with their unbecoming yellow glow. The darkness seems more so here but ahead is home, warmth, security. And, yes, the spirits of the lost ones.

Neil Morris has done an amazing job of breaking my heart and bringing tears to my eyes. Chasing Autumn is a scent of loss grabbing you from behind and leaving you gob-smacked and staggering for your equilibrium. Balance and serenity is restored through his eloquent use of evergreens with soft warmth that comes from amber. Lest you think this is a harsh scent, be assured that there is a rich underlying smoothness late in the picture that comes from a dark un-bitter coffee and an unobtrusive (but captivating!) spicy – frankincense note that I really can’t explain. My guess – without asking him – is that it must be the spirits.

NOTES: Siberian Fir Needle, Nutmeg, Birch Tar, Coffee, Leather accord, Atlas Cedar, Amber, Nagarmotha (cypriol-very earthy and is reminiscent of pine and cedar), Nootka (a type of tree oil also known as Alaskan Cypress), Vetiver

-Mary Beth Devine, Guest Contributor (Mary Beth has written several wonderful perfume reviews for us over the past few years, including the memorable The Ghosts of Samhain Liz Zorn of Soivohle Green Oakmoss and Underworld)

Editor’s Note: The art chosen for this review actually inspired Neil's creative process in composing Chasing Autumn, which is not on the site but it is available. The 2 oz. Parfum bottle is $95.00. The 1 oz. Parfum is $70.00. The 1 oz. Eau De Parfum is $48.00. It can be ordered by selecting a Signature perfume (Aegean) or a Vault perfume/eau de parfum (Café) and in the comments section at checkout, tell Neil that you really want Chasing Autumn. That’s it!  Based on my own experience, Chasing Autumn had overnight longevity and above average sillage. Birchtar is a tricky raw material to work with as it can overpower a composition, but not here. 30 + years as a perfumer shows why Neil Morris is and has been one of  the best in indie fragrance. My nose was to my wrist for hours.-Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Photo: Michelyn Camen Handwritten note from Neil Morris and Chasing Autumn Perfume

Thanks to the generosity of Neil Morris we have a .25 oz travel spray of Chasing Autumn for any CaFleureBon Reader worldwide. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what haunted you about Mary Beth’s review, if you believe in ghosts, your favorite Neil Morris Fragrance and where you live. Draw closes October 30, 2014

We announce the winners only on site and our Facebook page, so like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will just be spilled perfume.