So. I have a series of little plastic drawer thingies (you can see a picture here if you scroll down) where I store fragrance samples that are waiting to be tried. Once I take a sample out of its drawer, it hangs around on my desk until I've given it a few tries. Then I have a large plastic cart with drawers (you can see a picture here) that holds fragrance samples I've already tried but want to keep. Every so often I try something a few times and still can't make up my mind about it either way. I don't give up easy; some of my very favorite perfumes were not love at first sight. So those samples go into what I think of as "the purgatory basket", and there they languish, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months, yes, sometimes for years.
Recently the purgatory basket started to overflow. I thought about getting a bigger basket — that tells you most of what you need to know about my organizational style — but decided last week to make a concerted effort to clear an inch or so off the top. Most of the samples ended up in the "give away" box, a few got stored away in the "to keep" drawers, but a few sternly resisted categorization for the umpteenth time. Here they are*. Do tell me if you love them (or hate them), maybe you'll help me make up my mind:
D’Humeur à Rien ~ From the Les Sautes d'Humeur (Mood Swings) coffret by L'Artisan (shown above), this one is meant to represent the "spiritual mood". The opening is perfect: a deeper, more resinous and churchy incense than Passage d'Enfer, very brisk and cold, with a touch of something like fresh pine needles. Sometimes I wear it and it stays perfect throughout, other times, it goes damp and mildewy, and reminds me of clothing long forgotten in the washer, still other times, it goes damp and mildewy and sweet, and then I want to wash it off. I already have enough incense favorites for this lifetime, so I don't know why I don't give up and move on....
Spirit of the Tiger ~ This is by Heeley, and was inspired by Tiger Balm. Does anyone use Tiger Balm these days? When I was in junior high, I carried Tiger Balm around in my purse, and applied it (dramatically, no doubt) to my temples when I had a headache. I haven't smelled it in a long time so don't know if this is a dead ringer, but it does seem close enough to what I remember. The camphorous opening is fun, and while it doesn't quite pierce your brain the way that the ointment did, it has a nice spicy ring to it. The spices stay vibrant for hours instead of going flat, as they so often do. It sounds like something I'd love. Why don't I? Or do I? I can't seem to make myself discard the vial. (Notes: camphor, mint, clove and cardamom.)
Leiber Eau de Parfum ~ Leiber came out last year, and is the debut fragrance from Judith Leiber, who makes little purses, right? And I think there is a fancy name for the little purses, but I can't remember what it is. Leiber Eau de Parfum opens Big and Bright with a capital B, and with Lots Of Pineapple. The dry down is a mostly clean floral with the slightest edge of something off — not unclean, which I'd like, but off — in the dry down. It is an odd fragrance, and doesn't fit neatly into any current trends. I am pretty sure I hate it, but I'm fascinated by it nonetheless.
There are perfumes that smell expensive (Jean Patou Joy) and then there are perfumes that smell like they're meant to smell expensive, and Leiber is in the latter group. Spirit of the Tiger might be missing some element to make it perfect, but it's "me"; Leiber is not "me" in any possible way. So why do I still have this sample? I don't know. Here is March's take on Leiber from Perfume Posse: "This fragrance not just unsexy, it’s anti-sexy – in other words, to me it’s a perfect adjunct to Leiber’s fussy, absurdist, eponymous Swarovski-encrusted minaudieres". There, and now we know the name of the little purses. (By perfumer Karine Dubreuil, with bergamot, mandarin leaf, pineapple, osmanthus, pimento, rose, jasmine, mimosa, gardenia, cyclamen, cedar, amber, musk, patchouli and vanilla.)
Onda ~ Onda is one of the three scents by indie perfumer Vero Kern, marketed under the name Vero Profumo. It takes us back into "me" territory, as it's about the last thing you'd wear with a fussy little Swarovski-encrusted minaudiere. It smells like dirt. Lots of vetiver-ish dirt, nicely spiced. It is deep and rich, with leathery-animalic undertones that intensify the longer it is on skin. I adore vetiver, and I adore spices, and so I keep dabbing this on, waiting for it to grab me. Maybe I'm on vetiver-overload lately? I couldn't make up my mind about the new-ish Lubin Vetiver either. (Notes: vetiver, ginger, mace, coriander.)
Féminité du Bois ~ Yes, it's true: I keep a SERGE LUTENS CREATION in my PURGATORY BASKET. Some of you may find this heretical, but hey, I'm not sure I really like Shiseido Féminité du Bois. In fact, I'll go farther and say that I'm not sure I like any of the Bois series (that is, the ones that actually have the word Bois in the name) that followed under the Serge Lutens brand name. I tried Féminité du Bois again yesterday, and did find I liked it much better with a little dab of Rousse (Rousse turns out to be a wonderful layering agent in general) on top to help cut the thick peachy-fruity stuff, but still, I'd rather be wearing Chêne or Santal Blanc. There! Shoot me! I'm afraid this one goes right back in the basket, where it can hang around with Guerlain Mitsouko and whisper about what a boor I am. (By perfumers Christopher Sheldrake & Pierre Bourdon, with notes of cedar, orange blossom, rose, violet, honey, plum, beeswax, clove, cardamom and cinnamon.)
Are there any fragrances you just can't make up your mind about? Do comment!
* Yes, I know it's Valentine's Day, and this post isn't appropriately thematic. If you need some Valentine's Day lovin', check out Pia's post on the La Rose de Rosine candle or Erin's post on Three fragrances for a confident Valentine's Day.
R, such vivid memories just came back to me with Feminite du Bois–I was in my early 20s in Denmark, loitering around the Shiseido counter when I saw this perfume I had never seen before…I spritzed it on and was astounded to smell cardamom in a perfume. It was my first introduction to a world of deeper, darker, warmer perfumes that were more than just glitz and packaging–and it kept me warm all through that winter! It was also my first SL although I had no idea of any of that at the time….
Unfortunately, the current Feminite du Bois in the Serge Lutens Series is a much sweeter and not as sophisticated version of the original one from Shisiedo. I used to love the original one, but I wouldn’t bother buying the current version.
Hahahhahaha! Totally with you on the JL, as you noted — seriously, you couldn't pay me to wear it, but it's so *interesting.* Not something you smell every day … I asked at Bloomie's and they assured me it's selling like hotcakes. Maybe they're lying?
And I am so glad I was sitting down for the rest of your purgatory read — FdBois??!? Blasphemy! Although I thought it smelled like armpit until about six months ago … at least your purgatory scents keep good company. I love Mitsouko, but it is the quintessential purgatory scent.
Hey, remember those TDC Jardin scents? There were like three of them, right? Or am I imagining this whole thing? I could never decide whether they were interesting or a nasty joke. They must be at the bottom of my silver purgatory bowl (because I organize a lot like you do!)
So many parts of your post made me smile. Your organizational system, applying Tiger Balm dramatically to your temples, the “heresy” of relegating a Serge Lutens to your “Purgatory” basket (btw, ever seen the film “Purgatory”?). As for me, I love Mitsouko… except on the days it makes me queasy. There, I said it.
P, See, you are a better perfumista than I! I do know that FdB is genius. It just isn't the sort of genius I want to wear.
But your article *is* very appropriate! “Love or hate” and “purgatory” – isn't that a perfect metaphor for the flirty beginning (or not!) of a deep relationships? (Fortunately my partner is filed in the “keep him” drawer. 😉 )
In general I'm a lover at first sniff. When I don't love a fragrance I either hate it or know right from the start, that the scent in question is wonderful but would never fit me.
I'm insecure about L'Heure Bleue, though. Sometimes it feels like “me”, next time not.
FdB is just so CHEWY. Santal Blanc starts out chewy but settles, FdB hangs on to the chewy for dear life. For CHEWY + ARMPIT though, you need SL Bois et Fruits 😉
And LOL!!! those TDC jardin thingies are in the basket, where I'm sorry to say they went after only 1 try. Somewhere in between Chanel's Les Exclusifs & Tom Ford's Private Blend, “collections” stopped getting the same treatment around here that I give to single releases. If they're going to rush through the release process, I'm going to rush through the sampling process.
That's only fair.
LOL at “except on the days it makes me queasy” — right now, those are most days I wear Mitsouko. I still swear I'm going to grow into it any day now.
I did not see the movie, is it good?
I doubt that R! I was too inexperienced to even think in terms of genius, and I have not smelled it again since then (I was young enough back then that I could get away with spritzing it regularly on my way past the perfume counter on the way to work, lol, I never bought a bottle!!!) 😉
HA — I didn't even think of it that way, but I've been married 10 years and perhaps purgatory is the perfect metaphor for today. I'll ask my husband, although he's too smart to answer 🙂
Of course he is! 🙂
Ah, but you RECOGNIZED genius without being told, I still say that is better!
Glad someone agrees 🙂
Purgatory…limbo…whatever you want to call it, I call it a fate worse than Hell! Leave it to the Catholic Church to come up with such a brutal concept.
I don't find the fact that you don't like FdB blasphemy, R, but come on, you've got Mitsouko in the purgatory basket???? Mitsouko??? Say it ain't so, babe!
Yep, purgatory truly is a fate worse than Hell!
Hugs and love!
LOL, it's good to know others have Purgatory collections too. I don't have FdB in my Purgatory samples, but only because I bought a whole bottle of it years ago. There's about an inch left, because I was determined to acquire a taste for it :-} Sadly, it always reminds me of the smell of my children's morning pyjamas in the days before they were reliably continent…I'm not exactly pining to test the Bois series.
In my do-I-or-don't-I collection languish samples of Rousse, Bois Blond, Frapin 1270, Shaal Nur, Patchouli 24 and Costes.
In my gosh-I-admire-you-but-please-don't make-me-wear-you drawer there's Mitsouko, Joy, Bal a Versailles, Parfum Sacre, Iris Poudre, Daim Blond and Chanel No. 5. There, that's half the perfume world insulted. Believe me, you wouldn't like them either if you smelled them on me.
Ah, but see, it is a sign of my great respect for Mitsouko that it is STILL in there. It is going to STAY IN THERE until I learn to love it, see? I am not giving up, because I know it is wonderful stuff. It just isn't “me” as of yet. And it has all kinds of great company, like FdB. So it isn't maybe so brutal as it sounds! Hugs to you R, and have a great VD.
Ooh, R, you sound like a guilt-ridden Catholic school girl! It's simply oozing out of your keypad, lol!
And a very Happy V- Day to you, too, love!
AHA — that is just what I need, a gosh-I-admire-you-but-please-don't make-me-wear-you basket. It would a) show greater respect to Mitsouko & FdB and also b) solve the overflowing purgatory basket problem.
Really though, Joy smells bad on you?
HA — so I do! But I'm not even close 🙂
(whispers: sounds like me and a lot of the Carons. I mean, everyone knows they're genius, right? even tho they smell like iodine?)
Hey, are those Annayakes in purgatory? Or the to-try basket? I'm only curious because for once I thought, oh, Robin'll love this (either Miyako or Tsukimi.)
“I thought about getting a bigger basket…”
LOL!
Ah yes — I have a collection like this too. Some days I think of it as my “to sell or swap” pile. Sometimes it's my “museum piece: keep on hand for reference” pile. And sometimes its the “apirational–keep on trying” pile. Depending on my philosophy of perfumista development, growth and maintenance that day…
Annayake Pour Elle went into purgatory because I thought I ought to give it another try in warmer weather. Miyako & Tsukimi are on my desk, tried them once & now waiting for a day when I have arm space to try them next to Organza Indecence or something like ~ pretty sure Miyako is my favorite though, and that Tsukimi will turn out to be maybe a tad too sweet? Course, figures that Miyako was an LE and you probably can't get it now w/o spending mucho $$$.
And LOL at “even tho they smell like iodine”!
And you know how I feel about the 'heresy' of not liking an SL. 🙂
A, in one sense, my whole “to keep” cart of samples is the “keep on hand for reference” pile — there's all kinds of stuff in there I don't like but want to have a sample on hand for one reason or another. But I'm too much of a geek to put things in there until I've made up my mind about them. Which says much about my own philosophy of perfumista development, LOL…
leiber smells exactly the way nina ricci face cream smelled in th early '90s. when i tried it i honestly thought they had recycled that scent. i liked it a lot in a face cream but not so much in a perfume – there is something cold about it.
i have feminite du bois and am still on the fence about it. i do like it, but do not understand why it gets such raves from everyone. it's nice, but not astoundingly interesting, and it is not long-lasting. but i did love rousse when i finally got to try it, though not louve, which turned to baby powder (one of my nemisis notes) on my skin.
at least you are somewhat organized in your sampling. i try everything as it comes into my space, then it all goes into the same grab bag. if i like something, it stays out where i can play with it a while, but then it all goes to the same place. when i get really bored, i go back to the grab bag to see if i feel differently about anything. usually not. but there's always the possibility.
Some days, Mitsouko is the most marvelous thing, and some days, it just seems like a quagmire. Perhaps there is some sort of natural affinity to fragrances that are more like things in nature (you like figgy scents, and I am like “huh?”), as well as an opposite affinity. I am just speculating wildly here, so….
“Purgatory” is worth a netflix rental, and I only mention it as I recall that you like movies. Consider it your random movie recommendation for the day.
LOL!
Oh yeah, I admit that a lot of the Carons are in my purgatory, save Bellodgia and Parfum Sacre, which by the way, took me several tries before I finally fell head over heels for it.
I think I'm too immature for the other Carons….
'D’Humeur à Rien ~ From the Les Sautes d'Humeur (Mood Swings) coffret by L'Artisan (shown above), this one is meant to represent the “spiritual mood”.'??? Is that what L'Artisan says it means? That's weird: 'être d'humeur à rien' means to be depressed; to feel like doing nothing ('d'humeur à rien' is short for 'd'humeur à ne rien faire'). Nothing spiritual there. I'm really puzzled now.
I love the smell of Tiger Balm and still use it. I have the one with lots of cinnamon.
I have very little space for perfume samples; if they don't fit in the drawer they've been assigned, they have to go. I have the same problem with books: if they don't fit on the shelves I can allow for them, they can't stay. I buy a book, I sell or give away one. I acquire a sample, I give away one. It's as simple (and as frustrating) as that. Not enough space for purgatory.
I'm still fairly new at this…can't make up my mind whether to just give away the samples I don't like or keep them on hand awhile, to try again later. Right now Jolie Madame is in purgatory – “I really like your violet notes, but hate your leather…” FdB I love but she's in a holding pattern…I'm going to order a sample of KM Genie des Bois for comparison before making a final decision. Keep for reference? Apres l'Ondee – hate it, but hate it less than when I first sniffed it…
Ok, I've put it in my Netflix queue — at the rate things are going, it should work its way to the top in about 2 years!
How interesting on the NR face cream. Maybe that is where JL got her inspiration. Agree there is something cold about it.
Have got to be organized because my sample collection, after 5 years of swapping & buying & whatnot, is HUGE. I can't find anything otherwise!
Yep, the wording in both languages is from L'Artisan. I sort of thought by “a rien” they must mean something along the lines of meditating (e.g. clearing your mind of all thought)?? Just making that up, though, I've no idea what they mean.
LOL — if books don't fit on the shelves, I buy more shelves — and that includes books I purchased but can't bring myself to read. If worst came to worst, I'd have a hard time picking between the books & the perfume.
That is hard. Many samples I gave away early on, I ended up replacing eventually. Sometimes you can't know what you'll end up liking, and sometimes even if you never end up liking something, it is useful for comparison purposes. But — you can't keep everything!
I'm sure L'Artisan are very nice people, but not even they can make a well-known French expression mean something other than what it actually means. LOL! By no stretch of the imagination can 'être d'humeur à rien' mean 'clearing your mind of all thought' or anything remotely nice and peaceful like that. It only conjures up someone who's shrugging their shoulders and sulking a bit and staying in bed because they are just fed up with whatever is happening in their lives at that point and they don't feel like even trying to do anything – even something enjoyable. It conveys a totally 'negative' attitude.
Buying more shelves. I wish. I live in a minuscule studio flat and my tiny hall is already lined with bookshelves as well as everywhere else. I wish I could be even more Zen than I am and able to get rid of more stuff. I very often feel oppressed by my possessions.
I'm hugely impressed by all of you who can bring yourselves to give away samples you don't like. I hang onto EVERYTHING, even carded samples of something I'd never wear, like Fendi Palazzo. The thought that one day I might want to sniff it again just to remind myself why I don't like it – and by then I'd GIVEN IT AWAY – makes me slightly ill. Help. I have so many samples, I recently bought myself a big chest of little drawers, and I've been having great fun sorting out my samples into houses…and then cataloguing them. I'm not sure there isn't some kind of illness going on when you find yourself carefully recording whether your sample is a vial or a spray…
You don't like FdB? *covers sarasotagirl's eyes*
Well, you know, I'm not claiming to know what they meant by the expression — they may have meant something entirely different than what I was guessing. The coffret comes w/ a little booklet that might explain it, but I haven't got the booklet.
I haven't any kind of Zen attitude, and feel best when surrounded by a bit of a mess. Really stripped down, very clean interiors make me nervous. LOL! I guess we all have our own “baggage”, pardon the pun.
HA, but I kept a sample of Fendi Palazzo too, and my cataloging system is impressively complex (doesn't work, still can't find anything, but it's impressive). But some things, you know, it's just out of the question I'll ever like them and they're also meaningless, there's no way I'll ever want to put them on again, even to compare them to something else. Those go out the door.
Don't ask don't tell…
I think I've got it!
Whoever wrote the English blurb didn't get the right message.
This is what the English blurb says:
Eaux de toilette sets reflecting different moods. To show how you feel or hide your feelings with scents that tell different tales – “Lazy mood”, “Angry mood”, “Jealous mood”, “Joyful mood”, “Spiritual mood”. Five sprays (15ml) contained in a satin case with the “Moodswings” booklet.
And this is what the French blurb says:
'Et si tout à coup, l’envie vous prenait d’un parfum vraiment assorti à votre humeur. Pour l’afficher au nez de tous, la chasser d’un coup de pschitt, ou en changer au gré de l’humour !
L’Artisan Parfumeur s’est pris au jeu… Il a créé ce coffret de cinq parfums pour accompagner vos humeurs. Les bonnes, les mauvaises, les comme ci comme ça, les humeurs à rire ou à rêver… Un jeu qui l’a entraîné sur des voies nouvelles, des sentiers olfactifs encore inexplorés : l’amer pour la jalousie, le piquant pour la colère, l’acidulé pour le fou rire, l’humide pour la mélancolie, le moelleux pour la paresse. Un jeu au cœur même du métier du parfumeur : partager des émotions.
« D’Humeur Rêveuse », « D’Humeur Massacrante », « D’Humeur Jalouse », « D’Humeur à Rire », « D’Humeur à Rien » : 5 vaporisateurs 15 ml réunis dans un coffret de satin rouge cerise (15,5 x 3,5 cm) avec le petit livre « Sautes d’Humeur ».
OK, so…
l’amer pour la jalousie = « D’Humeur Jalouse
le piquant pour la colère = « D’Humeur Massacrante »,
l’acidulé pour le fou rire = « D’Humeur à Rire »,
l’humide pour la mélancolie = « D’Humeur Rêveuse »,
le moelleux pour la paresse = « D’Humeur à Rien »
therefore D'Humeur à Rien is meant to represent Lazy Mood (paresse = laziness). It doesn't have the nuance of depression that the phrase contains, but at least it's more accurate than 'spiritual'.
I could never live in a minimalist environment: I need my things (they all mean something to me). I just wish I *could* be more detached. Not in this life, I fear. My flat is fashionably 'distressed'. LOL!
Hi Robin,
I'm the same way; I feel best when surrounded by my favorite things–especially books, but also my growing perfume collection, etc. What's worse is that my favorites-of-my-favorite-things MUST be within my immediate reach, so you can imagine what my bedside floor–I mean table–looks like!
And if someone borrows a book and never gives it back, I feel like I've lost a limb.
Mmmmmm… I wonder what a psychoanalyst would say all this means? I probably wouldn't want to know!
Oh dear, how confusing. It sounds like I've got my name wrong, but it appears after doing some looking around that everyone in English assigns “Spiritual Mood” to “D'Humeur a Rien”, and everyone seems to agree that it is “the incense one” out of the five.
So perhaps it ought to be lazy mood, but everyone says lazy mood smells like fabric softener, and the one I have that smells like fabric softener (actually, it smells like the later L'Artisan Extrait de Songe) is clearly labeled D'Humeur Reveuse.
I give up!
LOL — we are much the same! My favorites must be in reach of my computer, so my home office is a mess. It is where most of my books are (all the fiction, anyway), and all of my perfumes, and in the middle of the room is a large table that holds my son's lego train set (I can swivel around in my chair and run the train around the track) with most of the (lego) Harry Potter/Hogwarts castle in the middle. And it smells, very faintly, of every perfume I've sprayed for the last 3 months. No psychoanalysts are allowed to enter, under any circumstances 😉
I've truly no idea what they each smell like, but according to the French blurb – and to the actual meaning of the words and phrases used – it does seem that D'Humeur à Rien is Lazy Mood, and D'Humeur Rêveuse is Spiritual Mood. The other way around just doesn't make sense.
That's it. I too give up now. LOL!
What a relief, Robin! I was beginning to think you were perfectly organized and knew how you felt about every sample. So relieved to know you are normal! There are several SLs I'm ambivalent about. Spirit of the Tiger is worth keeping till it gets hot and trying it then. It's more a hot-weather scent. I got a sample last year and loved it on hot days. To my mind it doesn't smell at all like Tiger Balm, which I remember as melting my mascara and blowing a small hole in the top of my head. This is much nicer, and stays interesting for a long time.
FdB by Shiseido takes me back to being a student in London. My mum came up to meet me for the day and we went to Selfridges. Me – trying to be an oh-so-sophisticated 20 year old – wandered over to the Shiseido counter and dabbed on this perfume from this sinuous, fluid purple bottle – and smelled a different kind of perfume to anything I’d worn before (at the time, D&G ‘Red’ was my perfume of choice – I can’t *stand* it now!) My mum bless her bought me a bottle. I loved the stuff but it never seemed to last very long on me. And it’s only recently I now realise I *was* a perfume sophisticate in training – but at the time I’d never heard of Serge Lutens.
Around the same time I went through a phase of desperately wanting to like Opium. The name, the exotic ingredients, the imagery… Goddamnit, *I* wanted to be exotic and irresistible – despite being from the Home Counties and terribly English. I remember swooping around Liberty’s wearing my fake fur coat drenched in the stuff! Even at the time I realised I was like a child raiding a dressing up box for grown-ups and wearing things that really didn’t suit me. And it’s only now – at the grand old age of 35 – I can finally wear Opium with confidence and like how it smells on me.
Wow. What a trip down memory lane. God, I was a pretentious pain the arse! At the time, I also fell in and out of love on a weekly basis and wrote execrable poetry too you’ll be unsurprised to hear! I much prefer being a fully fledged grown-up 😉
My entire sample collection is in purgatory… I practically never pull them out, I've got so many loved ones to give skin space to! Bad perfumista, bad, bad, bad… But I even keep my smelling strips wrapped in Saran Wrap, when they're rarities or raw materials I want to memorize. So I'm a hoarder.
Féminité du Bois, I wore when it came out but the cedar note has been making me queasy for quite some years.
I do urge you to give more tries to Vero Kern's Onda though: it's thoroughly unusual, with depth and soul. I kinda loved it from the first because it was so fascinating — that earthy vetiver, that leather morphing into smooth honey and beeswax — and finally ordered a full bottle. It's not a scent I'm in the mood for every day but I'm very glad I own it. It's unique.
Such a good post, thanks Robin! It and many of the comments have made me laugh and often in recognition. I recently “organised” my samples into a neat little muji plastic set of drawers but of course it wasn't big enough so I have a vanity case thingy which was a free gift with something or other and a load of samples went in there because I couldn't be bothered to make a decision about them – kind of like purgatory you see? I keep my sample of FdB in my SL sample drawer and sometimes take it out to look at. I like it about 2/3 hours in when its calmed down and stopped shrieking at me in fruity tones. I am also writing though to second Carmencanada's comment about Onda. I have a sample which I've only worn about twice but I would hate to be without this primeval (sp?) beauty.
LOL at “melting my mascara and blowing a small hole in the top of my head”, yes, that is about how I remember Tiger Balm too. Would have thought SotT was more of a winter scent, but will take your word for it and give it another shot this summer. Back into the basket it goes…
Oh, I much prefer being a fully fledged grown-up (or as close as I can get) too! As a 20 year old, I would have run screaming from FdB though, so yes, you were a perfume sophisticate in training!
No, no, you're a good perfumista; what I do is even worse: I let my favorites sit and turn to vinegar while I test, test, test.
Thanks for the vote for Onda, I'll keep trying.
Well, in my organizational system, Feminite sits at the right hand of the Lord. As you know.
I haven't even tried or heard of any of the others, so file me under Philistine.
But: My standards in the purgatory basket (because I do have one of those, too) are: Would I buy a full bottle? Rather high standard, I'll admit.
Here are the two in it: 1000 and French Cancan.
Both are worthy of decants — it's decants in the basket — but are they full bottles? Stay tuned; many tests to follow.
Ah, another vote for Onda, thanks! I'll keep trying.
And that is the problem w/ organizing the samples: whatever you do, eventually you grow out of the system. I've redone mine countless times.
Ack, you caught me on the FdB!
Oh dear, I'd buy a full bottle of so few things that it's too high a standard for me! I think the way I look at it is more “if a full bottle dropped from the heaven's, would I use it or give it away?”
I find myself apologizing for not loving some of the cult favorites. Are my ganglia suffering from “Perfume Greatness Dysfunction?” Well, this Valentine holiday I gifted my purgatory box plus 4 FB's of very well known and high end unsniffed purchases to friends and family. Like Edith, no regrets!
Wail!!! I just spent an embarrassing amount of money on 5mls of Mitsouko parfum extrait, scent unsniffed, on its way via UPS, because — I thought, obviously erroneously — you guys regarded it as the Ultimate and I am utterly serious about pursuing my perfume education at all costs — literally. Now Robin says it's in Purgatory???? Whaa????? Where did I go wrong???? Would someone please tell me I haven't thrown hard-earned money into the wind??? I thought it was supposed to be gorgeous, smooth, highly wearable, Everyone Must Own in This LIfetime thing. . .
You did nothing wrong — Mitsouko is one of the great perfumes of all time, and everyone ought to know it (along w/ Jicky & Shalimar & whatever other classic Guerlains you can get your hands on), and to know it in the extrait is best. It is gorgeous, and I do think you will find it so.
Whether you will feel it is something that “fits you” personally, or is something you want to wear all the time, is another matter. But I don't think you've thrown your money into the wind at all, and I'm not joking at all when I say I hope to grow into it some day. For now, I like to wear it from time to time, but it doesn't really fit me.
Obsessora, never apologize, you should like what you like! And good idea to just get the purgatory box out of the house 🙂
Robin, thank you for saying that. I was starting to freak!
You can see just how influential you are. And I do know that you understand that and you are careful to steer us, particularly newbies like me, gently in all the right directions.
I guess part of my freaking was knowing that you actually LOVE Miss Dior, and that feels a few lifetimes' growth ahead of a good “fit” for me, so Mitsouko seemed that much more of an impossibility.
I shall be patient.
You know, even if it never fits you, I still think you'll be happy to have it — the thing about FdB & Mitsouko being in my purgatory basket is that no matter where they are stored, I wouldn't want to not have them or know them — they're both important pieces of perfume history, so to speak. And esp. w/ Mitsouko, the Guerlains are so much more impressive in extrait, and you can't hardly get a sample of the extrait w/o either buying a bottle or buying a decant.
Here is a quote from Perfume Legends by Michael Edwards (which, by the way, is worth every penny — it is in some ways a better investment of $100 than another bottle of perfume would be):
“In the world of perfume, Mitsouko is as miraculous as Chanel No 5 or Joy by Patou”, writes Colette Fellous in her book Guerlain. Her claim is no exaggeration. Mitsouko represents the first perfect liaison between a natural and a synthetic material. Its balance and harmony inspire perfumers to this day.
There! How could you not own at least a few mls of such a thing?
R, I checked my bottle (I have one) and Rien is definitely the incense one, and the Lazy one IIRC was the fabric softener one.
Having said that, I'd assumed the “Rien” thing (not speaking French) was some sort of Zen spirituality angle I was too dense to get. It was fascinated to read Bela's sleuthing, though — it sounds like maybe someone on the English translation end of things at L'Artisan wasn't quite up to the job.
Phew!! I feel an immense sense of relief. Thanks for helping to put Mitsouko in perspective, Robin. I feel much better about spending that whack of money. I must admit, my little head was spinning in confusion and disappointment, but you've straightened me around nicely.
P.S. I'd be lying if I said that it was reassuring to read Mitsouko mentioned in the same sentence as Chanel No. 5 and Joy, as those are two fragrances that, much as I admire them, make me actually queasy to sniff! Some days — not many, but some — I wish I was back to blithely enjoying my Anna Sui in happy ignorance.
Thanks so much for doing that M, I was getting worried my sample was labeled incorrectly or something! Did check w/ Marina as she works for L'Artisan, and she agrees — for whatever reason, “A Rien” is “Spiritual Mood”.
Aha, but again, if you really care about perfume, you've got to “know” Joy & Chanel no. 5, even if you don't wear them. Of the 3, Joy is really the only one I'd care to wear — Joy in extrait, to me, is what luxury is all about. Anyway, Mitsouko is quite different, so don't give up hope, and if you hate it, it's highly swappable!
J, see March's comment below. “A Rien” is “Spiritual Mood”, apparently, whether it makes any sense or not!
Actually, should have said: see my response to her comment — I did check w/ L'Artisan.
Hi Robin–
You are reminding me of me in terms of being a perfume newbie and trying to learn more, and I have been really enjoying your comments. I too have been trying some scents just to be familiar with them–I just got a bunch of Lutens samples–not expecting to like them, but curious about them. Anyway, I am viewing this as an “enjoying the journey” kind of thing, figuring whatever I like right now is great. This reminds me of wine–I am going for lots of relatively sweet scents right now, just the way wine newbies tend to go for sweet. I am sure my taste will evolve and expand, just as it did with wine, and in the meantime it is a lot of fun.
By the way…my first thought with Miel de Bois was–This is quite lovely! I think I have a nose mutation…
“Enjoying the journey” is exactly the way I approach it. I do understand that many people are simply looking for a signature scent or a fragrance to elicit compliments or attention from the opposite sex, but that isn't “my thing”.
So glad there is another human on earth who likes Miel de Bois — we are a very small club 😉
I've loved and worn FdB on and off for about ten years, but I neither love it nor wear it as much as I did ten years ago. It is very fruity and jammy, I can imagine it being too much of a good thing on a different skin chemistry, I would like more of the cedar and clove in it, and maybe less of the plum and the rose. The lasting power of the EdP isn't that great on me either. Still, I never want to be without a bottle of it.
It is too fruity-jammy for me too — I'd like more cedar & clove & less fruit.
Yes, I have read so many awful things about Miel de Bois I ordered the sample out of curiosity, never expecting to like it–now I am hesitant to wear it out of the house since it seems to horrify so many people.
I tried layering it with Botrytis tongiht, but I think I prefer them each on their own…
Hello Robin,
I am in Amsterdam till the end of this week and have found a wonderful perfume shop named Skins. It is localized in the very centre of Amsterdam in a small street (Runstraat 9) between two canals. Their website is http://www.skins.nl
They do send samples and their phonenumber is (from abroad) 00 31 20 528 69 22
Happy regards from this wonderful city,
Marianne W.
Oh well, from what I just now read is that you all have already way too many samples..
FdB opened my mind to other fragrances that are not perse appreciated by everyone.
To me FdB was intriguing but not something to wear. Could not bring myself to like the combination of cloves, nutmec and cinnamon alltogether in a scent.
LOL — I don't wear it “out” either 🙂
M, hope you're having a wonderful time! sounds like a great store.
Hi Robin,
In my random surfing for atomisers, I came across this:
http://www.sisweb.com/catalog/08/G18
…and thought of you and your purgatory basket …no idea how much it costs…
Morag
M, wow, that is for the seriously hyper-organized perfume freak, no? Thanks for the link 🙂
long belated comment…
but just in case you were still wondering those little useless purses are called “minaudieres.” as a funny friend used to say, it's big enough to carry a lipstick, credit card, and a tiny gun in case someone stalks you back home. pretty, but not exactly functional. leiber did a couple this summer that were made out of abalone shells (mother of pearl) in the shape of giant clamshells. gorgeous, but doesn't fit anything useful!
Yep — that's in the quote from Perfume Posse in the article 🙂
I carry something more like a suitcase!
I just put on some Onda and spilled it on myself – frantically running the vial up my arm to catch the errant drop! Then rubbing it all over my decollete. But I think that was a good thing. I tend to be so sparing in my testing, especially when you get such a tiny bit in a sample, that having so much of this on me at once was a revelation. I immediately thought of my Dad and going to the tobacconist, inhaling that sweet air in the big walk-in humidor, and the more hay-like smell of the store in general. I could tell it was somehow related to vetiver, but this is so much more interesting, and the smell on my wrist is much softer and sweeter than the sillage aura I am wearing. I hope my friend coming over for dinner is okay with it! Eek.
Hope it did not overwhelm your dinner!
Nope – and we had a little sniff-fest afterwards – she was excited about my new hobby! I was a little annoyed that Jicky smelled lovely on her and did not become the pond scum it does on me. Her fave was MPG Secrete Datura.
How fun!! And cracking up at “pond scum”…