It's confession time again! Donatella wants to know what you bought in the second quarter of 2009 (April, May & June) Update: poll is now closed!
I bought 3 bottles this quarter: a 15 ml bottle of Hermès Kelly Caleche Eau de Parfum ($35), a 100 ml bottle of Hermès Eau de Pamplemousse Rose ($125), and a 50 ml bottle of Diptyque L'Ombre dans L'Eau which a very kind friend picked up for me at the Diptyque sample sale recently ($30). Total damage: $190. I spent $90 in the first quarter, so I'm at $280 for 2009 so far.
And you?
Note: image of Donatella Versace's perfume collection (originally from Allure magazine) courtesy of Blogdorf Goodman.
0 for 2009 so far
Good for you!
Hmmm…I did not do too bad…at least for me, lol! I only bought four bottles, all at a discount: Eau de Rochas, Escale a Portofino, Patou Forever, and Eau de Gentiane Blanche. I love both of the Eaus the best!
Also, purchased a bottle of EL Private Collection Jasmine White Moss for my wonderful MIL.
Hugs!
Hey, not bad at all, esp. if you got all of them at discount!
Hugs to you…hope all is well!
Oh yeah…and bought a bottle of MAC Naked Honey for the DD!
I still need to go try that! And gifts don’t count
I want Eau de Rochas and Escale a Portofino!!! On my wish list…though I’ve never smelled Eau de Rochas – ha ha.
Eau de Rochas is wonderful! A friend is in Paris and is bringing me back a bottle. It better not break!
And I want Eau de Gentiane Blanche! I think a local perfumebuddy and I may split one soon…
Can I get a Woot! Woot!
Let me see…full bottle purchases this quarter…EL Pure White Linen Pink Coral, AdP Iris Nobile and Creed Love in Black.
3 bottles, not bad (I say because it’s what I bought, LOL)
I had to replenish some empties (Strenesse, Angel, Angel Innocent) and picked up the C. O. Bigelow Lemon EDP and a bottle of Eclix off Evilbay after falling for a decant. Speaking of which, those don’t count, do they?
If so, I’m afraid I’ve been pretty spendy in that regard. But at least they aren’t FBs… Yet.
Decants & samples don’t count!
I wish they didn’t count on my bank account!! I have only bought ONE FB ($10 at Sephora) but I have spent oodles on s/d purchases— especially before I discovered swapping. It really adds up, but my collection is getting to be huge. I just got into the hobby, thanks in major part to your blog. I’ve get more pleasure out of equi-spending in decants than I do on a FB at this point.
LOL…I wish so too!
Hmmm, what about swapping on MUA? Does that count or is this stricly about purchasing?
I *THINK* this is full bottles, 15ml and above, minis/decants don’t count… somebody correct me if I’m wrong.
Ack. Just back from the mini-vac (Red Sox won, yay, CEO is happy!) and haven’t checked my Excel file for the damage… I sure bought a heck of a lot of minis and decants this quarter that won’t even hit my total. (They hit my bank account, though…)
Correct, swapping doesn’t cound, nor do decants. I add minis as 1/2 bottle, but everybody can interpret it as they like.
Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. It keeps my bottle count down and makes me look a lot better.
Exactly!
And I must ask: Why is Donatella, in particular, so interested? Is La Versace’s involvement just One Of Those Ongoing Things, or is it a joke I missed, or what?
I think it’s meant as a joke; the picture of Donatella is from an Allure article about her humongous perfume, bath, and skincare collection.
Exactly.
Wow! I’d love to have a display cabinet like that. It would be SO fun to fill it up!!! Ha ha ha…
But the lights, the lights! Turn off the lights, Donatella.
YES!!!! I actually keep all my bottles in their original boxes inside drawers. Nothing is on display, but makes for better preservation, I suppose…
Karin, wow… I’m way too lazy to keep things in boxes. Or let’s say if I kept them in boxes I’d be too lazy to ever pull out a bottle in order to wear the fragrance. I just want to look at my shelf, grab, spritz, and go. Lazy, I tell you…. oh, also, half my stuff never came in original boxes to begin with because I buy a lot of ebay secondhand or testers.
J, you could take my halfway solution. I put them back in the box when they’re “out of season”. So for the 7 months of winter (seriously… well, almost), all the citrus/cologne frags are sheltered snug in their boxes. The Lyric, of course, will not see the light of day except when I plan to wear it… but it’s not one I’m going to casually spritz on on my way out the door for work anyway.
Ah. I see… I got nothin’ on Donatella when it comes to liquid possessions in little glass bottles, which is why that is the perfect pic for the Damage Poll. Thanks!
It is the perfect pic! And, I also think Donatella looks very non-judgemental there, and friendly, too. “120 Bottles this quarter? Good for you!” and she would still be smiling that smile while she said it. I think maybe Donatella is the patron saint of perfumistas.
Yikes! 6 full bottles and 4 minis. Grand total of only $200, though, so not too bad!!! The bottles:
– 3.4oz Insolence EDP ($25.00 with $50 gift cert and discount)
– Tommy Girl (around $25, CVS)
– 2.5oz Belle en Rykiel ($15 at Marshall’s)
– 3.4oz Cologne a la Francaise ($50 beautyhabit sale, plus 20% off)
– Eau de Star ($30 at Filene’s Basement, mistake – doesn’t smell like the sample I had – ugh!)
– 3.4oz Tocade ($20 at TJ Maxx)
Minis:
– Un Matin d’Orage rollerball
– Yves Rocher Noix de Coco
– Yves Rocher Rose Absolue
– Yves Rocher Neonatura Cocoon
Purchased samples:
– Chamade EDT and EDP
– L’Heure Bleue EDP
– PdN Fig Tea
– PdN Vanilla Tonka
– Organza Indecence reissue
– PdN Eau Exotique
I think that’s it! May have missed a few?!
BTW, total does not include what I paid for the minis.
Hey, you got lots of perfume for $200, congrats!
Thanks! Getting at discount helps rationalize the madness. Ha ha. Currently lusting after some classic Guerlains and Chanels. Uh-oh. I’ve been bitten by the Guerlain bug. And there are brands I haven’t even ventured into yet – Lutens, Rosine, Generale, and many, many other niche houses. I’m afraid of Lutens…
LOL…and you should be afraid.
There’s crack in there. I swear.
lol well, that explains a lot!
What is this Rocher Noix des Coco? The others I know…
It’s called Coconut Eau de Toilette on their website (but the bottle actually says Noix de Coco). If you like coconut, it’s a great scent! I’ve layered it with Demeter’s Kahala Blue Hawaiian (pineapple) for a whopper of a pina colada hit. Haha. I just looked up the Coconut EDT on their website, and a 3.4oz bottle is currently on sale for $5.50!?
Thanks!
Guerlain Nahema Parfum
JPG Classique Parfum
Vintage Miss Dior
Agent Provocateur Strip
Anna Sui
Arpege
Mme Rochas
Rochas Tocadilly
MAC Naked Honey
MAC MV3
ouch lol though the two rochas, the sui and the arpege were heavily discounted and I guess the JPG too and MAC was having a 25% off sale.
And I was gifted Nina-Nina Ricci and Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur (they bought it at Winners! lol)
Nice picks, and congrats on that vintage Miss Dior!
thank you
the new one smells like a swamp on me, the vintage does not!
I *love* vintage Miss Dior. I tried some of my grandmother’s vintage parfum yesterday and it was glorious. Still in the box… She had an ancient bottle of Crepe de Chine, too, but that one wouldn’t open. She must have had it for at least 40 years, right?!
ooooh, that Crepe du Chine…there are ways of opening that up, you know…(and I’m not talking smash and dab…)
Smash and dab! Ha!
Seriously though, I bought some vintage Vent Vert recently and the cap would not budge. You can definitely run the cap under some gently running hot water (being careful not to wet the label), and after awhile it should loosen up.
Only 3!! And one was discounted (Parfum Sacre) and one was half-price (Etro Dianthus). I feel so virtuous!!!
Mind you, the other one was Caron n’Aimez que Moi, which was, ahem, not cheap.
Two bargains though…so they help justify the third bottle
Dianthus is lovely, I’d buy it if I found it for half the price, too
Another Etro Dianthus fan here. Very pretty fragrance!
I’ve been so good this quarter – 0 for me! However, I am quickly approaching the end of my no-buy and have a list ready to go for my next spree. (I’m trying to be more conservative and less impulsive on frag purchases, so I’ve been culling from my list).
Congrats!
I need to learn how to do this…
One bottle of Caron Nuit de Noel pure parfum and one sample of Une Rose Chypree.
All the rest of my money has gone and will go towards our new house.
Worth saving for!
Yay, Moon grrrrl!!! New house!!!
Congrats on the new house!
Bvlgari Black. So far, not much has grabbed me the past few months. I was looking forward to the new ELPCJWM, but with these mixed reviews, now I’m not so sure. And that would be 3rd quarter anyway.
Good pick for your 1 bottle!
Oh, dear, I’m so embarrassed by myself. I won’t even tally up the total (too mortifying, although it might work to keep me in line…for a while), but here’s the damage:
David Yurman EdP
Trish McEvoy Blackberry Vanilla Musk (the sprayer broke the next day–what a freakin’ waste)
Vivienne Westwood Libertine (found at the Perfume House here–hurray! I’ve had to search forever for a non-spoiled bottle of this)
Guerlain Chant d’Aromes
And the MAC’s, the embarrassing plethora of MAC’s: MV2, MV3, Naked Honey, and Africanimal (I almost called it Garranimals)
Plus two Bond No. 9’s that I may or may not have bought prior to April (but just barely): Broadway Night and West Side
I meant to type “total cost” but forgot the word cost. Oops.
Hey, TM took that bottle back though, right???
I’ll have to go to Saks and see.
I never go there because its such an ordeal, but maybe it would be worth it.
Oh do, that’s absurd if they don’t take it back!
Chant d’Aromes is so wonderful!
4 nice Ebay bargains: 50 ml 4711, 50 ml Yves Rocher Yria (well more of a disappointment – but cheap), 50 ml EdT Miss Dior and a hefty 100 ml Egoïste. Plus found a nice Swedish web shop with grooming products for men selling a very affordable travel size Thierry Mugler Cologne :). And finally my souvenir from Amsterdam, the 50 ml EdP Jil Sander Stylessence. All in all about 140 $ I think. And except Yria they all fit in nicely in my small collection.
I am eagerly awaiting my first purchase for the third quarter – bottles of Eau de Shalimar and Rochas Man coming all the way from the US of A :). No Rochases are available in Sweden and the prize could not be beat even with the pricey postage and package.
Oooh, you got great deals!
NOT counting samples and decants :).
What’s Stylessence like?
On me it’s a soft woody scent, oddly sweet and dry at the same time. I like it a lot, works both for daywear and for that relaxing spritz before going to sleep.
Well, unless I’m forgetting something, I have bought 3 bottles this quarter: L’Artisan Bois Farine (50 ml), Hermes Vetiver Tonka (15 ml) and Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint (30 ml). I’m thrilled with all of them, no regrets whatsoever, but I need to be “good” for a while now.
Those are 3 great picks — hope they’ll tide you over for a bit if you need to stop! Jealous of your Bois Farine, I’d like a bottle of that.
Me too, I’d love a bottle of that!
Off subject! Have u heard of Britney Spears Circus Fantasy?
LOL…no, but do hope that’s next. Doesn’t seem likely, but you never know.
It is likely… it on the fragrance directory under her fragrances… the bottle is baby blue with red crystals it looks super cute….
Oh, that tallied number is harder to look at than all those new beautiful bottles lined up on the shelf. My excuses: I’m just discovering this passion and also, my wedding is coming up, so I have lots of testing to do!
Purchases:
Songes (top wedding pick)
Bronze Goddess (honeymoon pick)
Black (someday it will be fall again pick)
Mediterraneo (but right now it’s summer pick)
Escale de Podichery (duty free pick)
Nice! Songes is perfect for a wedding — when is it?
We are having a small ceremony mid-August in France and a slightly bigger wedding mid-September in the States. I’m thinking of Carnal Flower for the French ceremony, but I’m not sure!
How lovely!
I forgot to add Pacifica Mediterranean Fig (because it was so reasonable) and Juste un Reve!
I’m the poster child for BAD….I’ve bought 15 bottles….we’re not going to discuss decants and samples…..
here’s the list:
Fendi Theorema
Mitsouko EdP
PotL Luctor et Emergo
4711
Parfum d’Empire Eau Suave
Chanel no 5 perfume
MAC MV2
MAC Naked Honey
SL Clair de Musc
Byredo Pulp
MJ Daisy
IFdP Lilla
AT Un Rose Chypree
Amouage Ubar —anniversary gift, does that count?
at a total cost of just about a grand….however, I’d like to point out that I’ve sold decants or splits of a couple of these….
I plan to be better.
oops, left off the Sisley Eau de Sisley #3 sorry, my head is still spinning from adding this up….it was a mistake to do that.
Oh, I also forgot that teeny bottle of Anya’s Garden Kaffir Cologne….that definitely counts because I didn’t like it…wasted money is a much worse thing than money spent on something you love.
Oh, Daisy, that’s not so bad; you use your powers for good
hold on a minute while I put on my tights and cape…
there! Yes, I love to enable…..er, I mean SHARE!
Daisy, I got the little Kaffir bottle, too. Not crazy about it, either.
Me neither! Very strong Ivory soap…
Gracious! But if you’re splitting a bottle, I dont’ see why it counts as more than a decant. Have to think about that.
I count it if I keep more than 20ml. …because that might as well be a small bottle, especially with really pricey juice like the Pulp.
What is the Eau Suave like?
Monsta– the Eau Suave to me has the attitude of the classics…in fact, when I first tried a sample sent to me by a lovely NSTer I thought it was a vintage fragrance! It’s a little sharp at first to my nose but settles into a rather affluent lady who wears nice hats and heels….and goes to thoroughbred horse races…..send me your address and I’ll send you a sample if you’d like –daisyloo82 at gmail.com
Oooh! You got your Mitsy edp! Do you get along? Does she pass you notes in class? go to the little girls’ room with you? (She won’t even talk to meeee, pout).
Me and Mitsy are getting to be BFFs….we go everywhere together and we like all the same stuff like boys and movies and even the same ice cream! I hope we get in the same class at school this fall! Sorry she won’t talk to you…try bribing her with some Theorema…she gets along real fine with her.
I just ordered a sample of Pulp–I think you were the one who recommended it, Daisy? I’m looking forward to trying it!!
ARRGGG! why didn’t you just ask me for a sample? Wait, DID you ask for a sample and I failed to make myself a note??
egad! my brain is worthless!
No, don’t worry, you didn’t forget. Or if you did offer, I’m the one who forgot. I don’t know. I forget. ??? Now that I’ve confused myself, let’s just assume we’ll be hitting each other up for samples in the future and call it good.
lol ok….unless we both forget…..
Do you count three bottles of the same fragrance as one purchase?
OOPS! Shhhhhhhh…..
LOL!
yeah, well…maybe I did that, and maybe I didn’t…..but from now on I’m callin him “flappin-fingers” cuz “flappin-lips” doesn’t make any sense when we’re typing….
HUH! sheeeze way to rat me out!
I’ll have you know that I don’t have to count anything that hasn’t arrived at my doorstep yet, so NEH!
I actually bought something!!
CdG Vettiveru $52
Old Spice After Shave $7
Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom $20
And some samples.
And lots of great swaps!!
Almost bought a bottle of Burt’s Bees Natural Cologne but couldn’t find it closer to me than the store I originally smelled it.
Nice picks! Jealous of your CdG.
I am really eyeing a bottle of JM Lotus Blossom and Water Lily- are the Kohdo Woods limited edition? I’m supposed to be saving, but if it’s going to disappear ….
Yes, supposedly they’re LE the 2nd time around, although they don’t seem to be selling out as quickly this year.
I am hanging my head in shame…here’s the tally; like Daisy, I too am BAD. I guess I have the newbie’s excuse, this time around anyhow…:
London—I sort of lost my head but I blame the finally-decent exchange rate…
Ormonde Woman
Organza Indecence (original)
Fleurs de Sel
Parfum de Therese
Idole
Discounters—
Encre Noire
10 Corso Como
Matin d’Orage
Jungle L’Elephant
Crown Bouquet (x 2 I’m sorry to say…I decided I needed a back-up)
Demeter Gingerale
Caleche eau Delicate
Ebay—
Acqua di Parma Profumo (original)
L’Artisan Angry Mood
Gift—
Safran Troublant
If I don’t count the London purchases—better for my mental health if I don’t and after all, it was a one-off binge—the rest is around $300. Not brilliant, but no minis or samples to speak of this quarter except for a sweet little Kenzo Jungle Tigre mini….
Lovely — you have so many of my favorites on that list! I wouldn’t count London either
SO JEALOUS of the Ormonde Woman purchase. I LOVE that one!! I can’t even figure out where to buy that here.
pretty much the only way to get Ormonde Jayne is to order directly from their site…..but there are some decants available at scentsplits.wikidot.com
Or know someone who is travelling to the UK….
Yes, now that I know about this scentsplits, I’ll have to start taking advantage of it. Argh, there goes more money….
Sadly, I just looked around at scentsplits and did not find any OJ Woman listed for splits/decants…….so maybe you should buy a bottle and list a couple decants for sale?
Yes…yes…that’s a good idea. Thanks for being my enabler.
It’s so gorgeous…and the sample set has me longing for some Ta’if and Tolu as well. I wish she would let someone in the States distribute her line…but I guess better for the credit cards if some of the goodies are harder to get at!
Hey, another Profumo fan! Good for you!
I took a punt on it, and with fingers and toes crossed bought unsniffed–and it’s a winner. Whew… !
7 bottles for my seond quarter: Manoumalia, Cuir mauresque, Luctor et emergo parfum (addictive, seriously), ELdO Rien, Chaos, Mitsouko edp and Vetiver tonka. But I think the rest of the year will be much more restrained, as my real lemmings are not so many at the moment. Next will come – I think/hope – Vanille galante, Philosykos, Muscs Koublai Khan, Black aoud and Lipstick rose, maybe Lann ael and, when I’ll finally finish my decant, 31 rue Cambon
Good luck with the “more restrained” — although 7 isn’t too bad!
Oooooh my. So I am relatively poor at the moment, and am limiting my spending (for the most part) to essentials, which sadly does not include perfume. Up until the other day, I hadn’t bought a thing all year. Just lusted after things. However, I had a date two nights ago and wanted to a little something-something for it, so I went to Bergdorf Goodman on my lunch break, thinking I’d procure – at most – a sample of something good.
I went to the Serge Lutens shelves first, and I was *swept off my feet* by the gentleman there, who very quickly convinced me that i needed the Feminite du Bois, and I now know that I DID. I may have spent $120, an astronomical amount for me, but I am so in love with my bottle and the juice I can’t even tell you. I’ve never been really into possessions and having to own this and that, but I’ve been enjoying just holding the damn thing. I don’t regret a dime of that beautiful bottle. I really don’t.
Oooooooooooh what fun. Happy sigh.
I know that guy at the Bergie’s SL counter! He totally seduced me! His gambit was to have you smell the juice off the long spray tube, right? Because all the fragrances smell so delicate that way. Then when you get them home and spray on your skin they are hugely assertive. I had to sell the Datura because it was more cloying than I realized…but I kept the Sa Majeste La Rose. And went back for the Bois de Violette. And stayed away from that salesman – man, is he good.
LOL —goodness…I’m so glad I’m all the way over in Michigan! I do badly enough on my own!
I’m actually from Michigan too – Mt. Pleasant. All I can say is – New York may be sucking up my money, but I’m having a lovely time as it does….ha!
well hellooooo! I’m in Clarkston; we’re practically neighbors!
Was he tall & thin with black hair?
That wasn’t the technique he used with me, because I’d smelled it before & sprayed it on skin, so I knew what I was getting into. He and I just talked about the scent and its history and……ok, I’ll admit it – he also hooked me up with glorious little clutch bag for free, filled with all sorts of sample goodies. I’m sure this isn’t novel to any of you, but wow – comlpete and total seduction. And you know, I almost *wanted* to be romanced.
I have to say, my FdB isn’t all that assertive on me, but my skin may also eat scent (don’t consider myself enough of an expert on the topic yet to determine). You happy with your Bois de Violette?
BdeV may be my most favorite scent ever. It fascinates me. Quelle journey!
Oh, so glad your one purchase was something you really loved!
Thank you! I figure I’ll count it for the first six months of the year, and compared to many, I’m not doing too badly, right?
Lord, you’re not doing badly AT ALL. I know for sure there was a time when one bottle of Lutens at full retail price would have seemed like the height of [embarrassing] extravagance. Now if I could limit myself to one bottle of Lutens for an entire half year I would consider it the height of AUSTERITY.
Truer words have never been spoken!
Congratulations on your Feminite du Bois! I’m wearing it today and I know what you mean… but how come it’s so pricey? Mine was 50 euros… or is yours the ‘new’ version?
Donna Karan Black Cashmere –$40, and something called Vanilla Passion for $4.99 because it was in a frosted bottle shaped like a long flowing dress which looks nice next to the Organza Indecence bottle.
What I wanted to buy except for the fact of the mortgage:
Montale Red Aoud
Ginestet Botrytis
CdG Avignon
PdN Vanille Intense
OD Rock Crystal
A bunch of DSH
Some more SSS
“Except for the mortgage…” Lol.
Love the idea of a “what I wanted to buy except for the fact of the mortgage” list
There are times when renting seems to pay off.
Except at tax return time when I get a 3-4K refund due to number juggling….
Not to mention, the mortgage payment stays the same, while rent goes up and up and up. I bet my mortgage is much less than a lot of people’s rent…… shoot, it’s less than my 4 yo’s daycare.
A sample of perfume……$3.00
A decant of perfume……$25.00
A bottle of just about anything these days……$150
Paying your mortgage and having a place to live…… PRICELESS!
LOL!!!
too true!
JV Artisan
JV Rock Volume One
By Kilian Liasons Dangereuses Travel Spray
Diptyque Tarocco
Diptyque Philosykos
Escentric 01
L by Lolita Lempicka (13 Bucks on the Bay)
Le Labo Tuberuese 40
Le Labo Oud 27
DK Fuel for Men
DK Chaos
DK Black Cashmere
Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lily
Gres Cabaret
Good God! I probably forgot one or two. HA!
You must have — that is a shorter list than last time if I’m not mistaken!
I’ve lost count many credit card bills ago!
C: totally lemming your Tarocco. Let me know when you grow tired of it. Heh.
I did! Let’s talk.
Are you happy with the By Killian travel spray? It seemed like with each bottle, it totaled 1.0 ounce. Not bad for the price–which is a lot, but not as bad as the $225 full bottle price. I just ordered my partner a decant of Straight to Heaven (8 ml), but maybe the travel spray is the way to go.
I’m happy with it. Saving 100 bucks is cool by me.
I went on an Estee Lauder bender
Tuberose Gardenia – $65 (ugh, I couldn’t find it on discount anywhere, but I got a bunch of freebies with it, including TG and Amber Ylang-Ylang minis)
Pleasures Delight – $49.50 (Bonus Time – got a bunch of stuff with it)
Pure White Linen Light Breeze – $39.50 (again, came with lots of “free” stuff)
L de Lolita Lempicka Fleur de Corail – $47 (scored the Crescent Row trio sampler, and a Harajuku Lovers sampler)
Chanel Chance – $75 in a gift set with a velvety case, shower gel, and lotion
Oops – when I answered the poll, I forgot the following:
JLo rollerball set $15
B&BW Midnight Pomegranate $4.99
B&BW Cherry Blossom $4.99
B&BW Mango Mandarin $4.99
SJP Covet Gift Set – $19.99
Full bottle damage – $325.96. Thank goodness I’ve been resisting hitting the order button on Fragrancenet and picking up stuff that I don’t really love and/or need at TJMaxx – or it would be over $400.
Of course, I’ve also spent $85 on samples. This was kind of depressing and liberating at the same time – I don’t know if I’ll total up next quarter or not.
I just tried Pleasures Delight this week and I’m really liking it! Good choice.
Hey, but you got a lot of perfume for your $325!
I know what you mean about the sample costs. No way around it, unfortunately…you’d spend more buying unsniffed, right?
That is true – even if I stuck to minis for buying unsniffed, it would still be a much higher total.
Thus far, I’ve been relatively lucky with my few unsniffed purchases – they were relatively cheap and I don’t hate any of them. There are a few that aren’t for me, but none of them are scrubbers.
I was actually shocked by my love for both Pleasures Delight and Tuberose Gardenia – I never liked white flower perfumes, but loved both of these on first sniff. Almost all of my recent FB purchases should be a lesson for the industry – give away samples, you stingy marketing people! If EL hadn’t sent me free samples of those two perfumes, I never would have even tried them.
I bought:
TDC Sublime Balkiss and Pulp.
Andy Tauer Un Rose Chypre and L’Air du Desert Marocain
Great picks — I wish I had a bottle of Pulp!
Ohhhhh….Andy Tauer! Good choice! I need to break down and buy those…
ooh, excellent….don’t you just LOVE the Un Rose Chypree?
all great choices!
I completely did not expect to…but LS was giving away free samples, so I tossed one in my basket when I ordered some others. Oh. My. Gorgeous! Almost edible (and I know, bc it accidentally got on my fingers, and I forgot, and I was chewing on my nail)…
hey, that’s some expensive snacking! cut that out!
Yes, I love the Un Rose Chypre. I almost wish it came in a larger bottle. A little bit goes a long way, but there’s something addictive about it.
Oh, I’d soooo love a really BIG bottle of it!!!
Two for me: Astor Place and L’Air du Desert Marocain. I was thinking about a decant but I love LADDM I had to have the bottle. I did decant 8 ml bottles for two friends, so does that count as half a bottle?
I will leave that up to you! We’re not so very strict around here
Well, the last quarter is past, so it doesn’t count anymore anyway! Just bought 1st 3rd quarter purchase: EL PC Jasmine White Moss.
I meant Byredo Sublime Balkliss and Pulp. Getting my perfume companies mixed up.
I also did buy TDC Un Parfum d’ailleurs et Fleurs which I forgot to mention in my previous post.
No, Sublime Balkiss is TDC!
I know Sublime Balkiss is TDC and Pulp is Byredo. I just mixed them up somehow!
Gotcha.
Bought Eau de Sisley 3 and just love it. Also, a mini of Caterina de Medici, i Profumi di firenze. So not to bad for the quarter.
Not too bad at all!
Three for me: Annick Goutal Mandragore EDT (mini bottle), Soivohle Underworld (on sale), and Soivohle Grand Canyon (on sale). Trying to be thrifty since my job was eliminated in May…still jobless and looking.
Good luck to you – I’ve been out there for a while. Not easy.
Good luck to you, hope something turns up soon!
Oh, so sorry! I hope things start looking up for you!
Until recently, I limited full bottle “purchases” to asked-for gifts and gift certificates. Then, I started using up my sample collection.
Here’s the damage, which is not too bad:
Frapin 1270
PdNicolai Vie de Chateau
Lutens Chergui
and, at TJ Maxx & Marshall’s:
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Lolita Lempicka L
SJP Covet
Marc Jacobs Basil
I know I’m forgetting something!
and then there are the 4 sample collections from Aedes. . .and one from Perfumed Court. . .and the postage for swaps. . .but still, it’s worth it. My partner just said “put that one on my list!” to Ginestet Le Boise. . .so, there’s a justification for another bottle.
I saw L at TJMaxx the other day – unfortunately, as much as I love Fleur de Corail, there is something about both L and the orignial Lempicka that smells “off” on me. I keep hoping that they’ll grow on me and was sorely tempted to buy L in the hopes that cooler weather would bring love.
I also resisted the gift set of Lamb – which I like, but don’t love – and a bottle of L’Eau de Issey that I feel the same way about.
Nice list, and jealous of your PdN — I must get a bottle of that.
I just got a sample of that one, but haven’t tried it yet…
Thanks! I’m LOVING VIe de Chateau in the humid weather.
Why am I the only one that doesn’t have good luck at Marshalls?? I want that TF Black Orchid VdF!!!!!
You’re not. I only find junk there too.
I think I find good things at those stores because I live in a VERY rural area. I’ve seen Annick Goutals that have sat there for ages while the White Diamonds fly off the shelves (gasp!) And then I’ve kicked myself for not buying them simply to store or swap, but I’ve only got a part time job. so. . .
I bought 3 bottles for just over $100 (one was a split). But I also sold 3 bottles — mostly blind buys from my pre- and early parfumista days. So I’m technically about $20 in the green, but I’m pretty sure I spent twice or 3 times as much on samples.
Hey, great price!
Ouch! I hadn’t actually thought to tally them up per quarter. My excuse is that I’ve only been seriously sampling and buying for several months now, so my “second quarter” list is pretty much the list of all the FBs I own…. I guess I can say I’m making up for all those years of owning only a bottle or two at any one time. (Now, if this continues, I’m gonna have to come up with another excuse for the third quarter…) But I’m happy to say I’m slowing down now… (Except for the samples…just addicted to ordering those!)
10 Corso Como
Mediterraneo
Ouarzazate
Tam Dao
Eau d’Italie
Paestum Rose
Dzongkha
Passage d’Enfer
Poivre Piquant
Idole
Africanimal
Bois Blond
Maharanih
Douce Amere
L’Air du Desert Marocain
Whew! But you got some lovely things, and many of them are favorites of mine.
Love the Douce Amere, it’s one of my favorite SLs. I’m a sucker for the anise…
That is a lovely list. You and me both… as new perfumistas we have collections to build…wasted years to make up for!
Bois Blond! Yay…haven’t seen anyone mention that in a while. A fave of mine.
Nice list, Janice! I like your taste.
Ooh, NICE list! I wouldn’t mind owning one or two from that list as well…
I bought L, unsniffed, at $14.99. Not much to lose! I do not like it. There’s a note in there that I find nearly intolerable, but I can not place it.
$15 is just right for unsniffed, IMHO.
I wonder if it’s the same note that bugs me – I wish knew what it was, so I can avoid it in the future. It’s almost an “oily” smell – which is the only way that I can think of to describe it. The same note is present in both the original Lempicka and My Insolence – I wish that my nose was better at picking out individual notes.
I plead the fifth..
I didn’t exceed my self-imposed spending limit, but dang it was close!
But we want to know what you bought! You know we don’t really care about the money part! lol
HA!
I broke down and purchased the set of 15 ml Hermessence bottles: Vetivar Tonka, Rose Ikebana, Brin de Reglisse, Samarcande Poivre (the only one I really didn’t want). Their prices have gone up unbelievably – haven’t they heard about the economy? And I got a $50 bottle of Gucci Envy at an outlet center. So I spent a little over $200. No, wait a minute! I forgot that FB of Bois de Violette. Ooo, I’m a baaaaad girl. Spank me.
Gracious, what did the discovery set cost, if you don’t mind my asking? And if you do, just don’t answer!
It was up to $145, and the FB added on another $100 – gack!
Wow. Pretty sure it used to be $120? I’ll have to see if I can figure it out.
Zero, nothing, nada, zilch, none for me so far this quarter.
Congrats to you then!
Alas, I am at work (boo) and my list is at home… have to post it later. It will be my worst yet, but that isn’t saying much…I’m a compulsive sampler but very deliberate purchaser (mostly), so tend not to buy “in case something even better turns up” in my sampling.
We can wait!
If you can’t remember and need a list, it MUST be impressive! lol.
HA, no, I just have a notoriously poor memory.
Well, I hit the 5-9 category, which is appalling for someone of my income level and family size. Then again, I have no debt beyond the house and car, so… *shrug*. I bought:
JM Dark Amber & Ginger Lily
A big ole jug of 4711
A mistake whose name shall not be mentioned
A mini/20ml of l”O Bergamot Tea
AG Le Chevrefeuille
Guerlain AA Tiare Mimosa
And finally… a bottle of Amouage Lyric that was split many ways and therefore…doesn’t count? Or does it? And got in on the Pulp split as well. Sum total, $272. Not counting, of course, the numerous samples and one decant.
Also bought and returned a fake bottle of Creed SMW, which therefore does not count.
Oh, oops… and I forgot to add to the list a mini of vintage Eau Sauvage, but since my husband will probably get that anyway, I don’t feel too badly.
So… what was the big mistake?
We will hound Boo until we find out what the mistake was….
Oh fine, that’s fair I guess. Well, I could have sworn I tried it on skin, but I must have confused it w/something else; didn’t like it at all. I’ll give it another try or two… then I’ll give it to my sister, or try to find a sucker on ebay. It was Burberry the Beat (for women). Just a tester, not very $…but still annoying. I have no room in my budget for mistakes, and that’s 2 this past 12 months. (Ok…Red Delicious was the other. smelled great on my sis!)
Boo— you should tell the name of the mistake. You never know, someone here might be just the one to take it off your hands. Or at least list it at scentsplits for sale. I have a couple I think I’ll list too.
Hahah… less likely when your mistakes are generic mainstream frags. But I disclosed anyway, in the interest of disclosure (and bc I’m always annoyed when someone else doesn’t, lol). And that was before I saw your post here.
OMG! My sentiments exactly!
This was in response to sampling but not buying in case something even better turns up in sampling!
Well…it’s not virtue of any sort in my case. It’s simply that I have very little money to blow on such things, so they’d better be the right ones. Even then, I still make mistakes. I just try to keep them small.
Two for me: Bond No. 9 Nuits de NoHo (100 ml) and Bond No. 9 New Haarlem (100 ml).
And in August I will probably buy a bottle of Creed Milessime Imperial
Two is not so bad! Enjoy them
I couldn’t resist the 0.66 oz bottle of L’Occitane Bergamot Tea for $19. It seemed like a cheap thrill at the time, and the fragrance is perfect for summer. Unfortunately, it has the typical lasting power of L’Occitane scents–i.e., no lasting power at all. I’ll probably go through the bottle pretty quickly. Oh well!
Hey, that’s so cheap it hardly counts
Yogaprof: one L’Occitane tip… the Green Tea lasts and lasts and lasts, especially if you get a spritz on your clothing. Tenacious.
This quarter has resulted in a lot of samples, no FBs. I think this is a hangover from last year. I bought a couple of bottles unsniffed which turned out to be great (Terracotta, Vent Vert). Emboldened, I bought a couple more bottles unsniffed, and really bombed (at least three strikes out). So I’m being more cautious.
Good for you! I wonder how long I’ve ever gone w/o buying *anything*…don’t know if I’ve ever made it for 3 months or not.
Just 2 for me: Bandit — after 2 “off” bottles that got returned, the third time was the charm — and a bottle of Bal à Versailles for which I paid the princely sum of $3 at Marshall’s. I wound up paying the full department store price for the Bandit because I wanted to be sure I got the good stuff, but I got a free full-size body lotion to sweeten the deal — and my Marshall’s score should rationalize anything, right? Right?
I came very close to buying Baume du Doge but decided I was too poor and chickened out; nevertheless, that and Incense rosé are on my wish list. Anyone know a sugar daddy who’s looking for a sweet-smelling but not very young thing?
Thanks to your find at Marshall’s, I have now spent several fruitless hours digging through the “reject” sections at Marshall’s and TJMax looking for a comparable find – so far, nada. I have, however, discovered that Paris Hilton has a lot of scents, the Bratz dolls have an EDP out, and that Liz Claiborne made eleven billion Curve scents. Oh, and I loathe most Demeter scents.
It’s been fun and I’m determined to find something good … someday.
LOL
Cynthia, we must be frequenting the same Marshalls. LOL.
I know it’s painful, but keep slogging through the Bratz, the Elizabeth Ardens, the Tommy Bahamas, and one day — perhaps soon, perhaps in the distant future — you will thank me! Or, um, not…
I just need to start hitting up the out of the way Marshalls, I think.
I thought that I hit the jackpot today, but it was a false alarm. I found a bottle Black Orchid for $24.99, but it was the EdT – so I passed, fearing that it wouldn’t be any good. Plus, I’ve never smelled Black Orchid before, so it would be an unsniffed purchase – if it had been $15, I would have went for it.
Oops… I mean Tom Ford’s Black Violet – not Orchid. duh.
WHAT???? OMG, I would totally have bought that off of you! Dang! Ok, that’s, I’m actually going to start CALLING all of the Marshalls within a 30 mile radius…
Now that I looked at the boxes on-line, I’m pretty sure it was Black Orchid EdT and not Black Violet – so I don’t know if you would want that one or not. If I see it again (it was the only one), I’ll grab it.
$3! Wow, great deal, congrats, and glad you finally found the “right” Bandit.
From Amazon.com at serious discount:
Y
Parfum Sacré (my favorite of this quarter’s acquisitions)
Narcisse Noir (arrived yesterday, wearing today)
From Marshall’s: Eau Parfumé au Thé Rouge ($20)
Ooh…great buy on the Bvlgari, congrats!
Can I just say how much I love everyone posting where they found their great bargains?
I always end up with at least one new place to look.
True!
I am not counting this time. My only excuse is that I got a lot very cheaply on ebay-auctions:
Guerlain: Jicky, Mitsouko, Shalimar,Chamade,Nahéma. All extrait, but testers so actually Bargains! Also I love them, which I think constitutes the best excuse.
Eau de Guerlain, Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat ( because of IFRA)
Goutal: Sud ( backup bottle) I already own a vat of Hadrien so need not worry about that one and Camille.
YSL: Paris ( backup older bottles, they have virtually destroyed it with the new version. esp. The EDT.)
Divine: L’Etre aimé au féminin, L’Homme de Coeur,L’Inspiratrice.
( because I was in France)
It’s bad I know it is, but as long as I can afford it, it is such great fun.
Hey, and did your Eau de Guerlain smell “right”? I’ve been thinking I should get a bottle but was wondering if it was already too late.
Hi, just read this, I am in another time zone!
My Eau de Guerlain smelled exactly similar to the bottle I got in the spring of 2008. That bottle was packaged in the older box ( Black and gold). I am assuming that that one at least is pre-IFRA. Bear in mind that my nose is not very sophisticated- partly due to inexperience, partly due to having hay fever.
Mind you I haven’t a clue how old this new ( very large) bottle is. My guess is the Guerlain eaux are not big sellers, so stock could be fairly old. I got mine from Escentual. Whichever version I have, I do love it. It is my favourite of the 4. ( Guerlain eaux)
Excellent, thanks so much!
Oh, so YOU’RE the one who outbid me on the Nahema.
(Okay, I wasn’t seriously bidding–blast my compulsion to pay my mortgage and health insurance premiums.)
No that wasn’t me. I did not get these in an auction. They are worth the money though. I paid £80,- for a 30 ml. tester.
The thought of all those Guerlain extraits has me hyperventilating… before I pass out … Congrats!
If ever you have any extra money; they are well worth it.
Always supposing you love Guerlain, of course.
Forgot one of my favourite buys.:
A lovely bottle of vintage Nina de Nina Ricci. Extrait. It’s bliss and was extremely cheap. ( on ebay)
I’ve never smelled the original!
It’s year of birth is 1987 (or ’86). But it smells much older. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Poison, Amarige or Paris.
It’s an aldehydic floral, it slightly reminds me of First, but Nina is more delicate, more in the style of L’Air du Temps. There is a review of it on Fragrance Bouquet.
I got only one: The Pour un Ete. Since it was $34 for 100ml, I don’t feel bad. Thank goodness for the Bigelow sale!
Oops, make that 2–I forgot that I got a nearly full bottle of Theorema for $8!
Great deals!
Both incredible buys!!
I have another $11 to add – a 15 ml of Dirty English from Target.
Seriously, it’s at Target? Good deal!
They have a whole section of “fine fragrance” in SuperTarget now – seeing them hanging there in the blister packs takes away some of the notion of “fine fragrance”, but the deal was awesome. They have most of the celeb scents, Giorgio, the Calvin Kleins, and a bunch of stuff that I’m forgetting about right now.
I wish more perfumes came in the 15 ml size – I would buy a lot more if they did.
I’m going to have to look…I’m at Target frequently but usually skip the whole beauty section.
And then of course, there’s the expanded selection online at target.com. Haven’t noticed the prices to be anything exciting, though.
I can’t wait to scroll through all the comments. I’m glad your little poll makes me tally my “damage”… I selected 5-9, though most bottles were small or partial, and I’m counting some large or “pricey” decants/splits:
-FM Musc Ravageur (10ml)
-Soivohle Ankhara (15ml… +5ml Calcutta & Yin Hao)
-Nahema extrait mini
-MDCI sample set (50ml total)
-DS & Durga Orris Root (30ml)
-Chanel Sycomore split (25ml)
-Anya’s Garden Kaffir Cologne (15ml)
-Vent Vert vintage (.25oz)
-Hermès Eau de Merveilles partial (30ml)
-Amouage Lyric Woman split (10ml)
-Lancôme Sikkim mini (15ml)
-Chanel Cristalle vintage edt (10ml)
-CdG Energy C Grapefruit (30ml)
Plus WAY too many decants and samples. I’m not even thinking of totalling the $$ anymore, but I’m still a bargainhunter. Perfume Anonymous territory…
so where is the 30 ml of HeWood hmmmmmmmmmmm???????
Next quarter. Maybe. I can’t help it if other things keep knocking it out of the “buy me now” position.
how many full bottles do you have ~*total*~
I have 4 because I’m poooor ; _____ ;
K, you know… I’ve only counted once recently and it was just barely over 50. I’m not counting anymore.
Well, most of those are partials. I tend to do creative things like count them as 1/2 or 1/3, LOL…
Quite a few. But, I purchase almost exclusively aftermarket — many of my bottles are thrift store finds, esp the vintage ones. This quarter my thrift store, most less-than-$6 bottles (!!) include:
Lanvin Arpege parfum for $6
Tam Dao ($3.43, 99% full), my proudest find
Chanel #5 ($9.99) in the black refillable spray canister
Chanel #5 parfum, along with 2-3 lesser bottles, for $14.99
Shalimar EDC 50%, $6.50
EL Youth Dew bath oil I use as perfume sometimes, $3.43
Hanae Mori HM $14.99 and a STEAL, I love this juice
I also sold some items and rasied paypal, and bought on el-cheapo either through basenotes, discounter, or ebay:
AG Encens Flamboyante
Bond 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory
YSL Y
Mitsouko EDP
And for my amazing husband, a bottle of CdG2, possibly the most expensive bottle I have bought this quarter. He doesn’t wear lots of different scents, and tested a bunch, and of those only liked a few. CdG2 was the top of the list, and so it is his.
I’m very cheap. Seriously. I can pinch a penny into a length of copper wire when I try. I set myself a budget for a certain frag, and don’t go over that, and sometimes I hit it and sometimes I don’t and then I have to wait. I try to make it part of the fun, the “thrill of the hunt”.
Oh, and another thrift find. Kenzo Flower by Kenzo, the three little bottle set, for $14.99. And — on several of the thrift finds, including the tam dao, #5 parfum, and the kenzos, it was a 25% off day!
Wow – I want to shop at your thrift store. Most of the stuff that I’ve seen is along the lines of old Avon stuff or the celeb scents.
Many days I go and there is nothing. It’s a matter of popping in for five minutes and looking really quick once or twice a week, but it is literally on my way home so it is no sweat. There’s a ton of avon crap, and always things like Cool Water, and Iman frags, and so on too. I’ve gotten pretty good at recognizing bottles, esp since they turn away the lables so you have to ask the SA to see them from under the cabinet. I guess they figure if you ask to see a bunch you’ll buy something youdon’t like because you feel bad? Doesn’t work on me. I just figure, if you’d let me see the label we could avoid this, and I don’t worry about it.
Last quarter I got a full spray bottle of My Sin too. In great shape.
Wow! Seriously, I’m just wondering what city you live in that has such great thrift shops (and ours — and consignment stores — here are notoriously pretty good, affluent area, etc.)?
And you’re not talking about just the pricetag, you mean they turn the whole bottle away so you can’t see the name of the frag if you don’t recognize the bottle shape? Very weird practice.
I wanna shop at your thrift store….
Wow. I want a bottle of Tam Dao for under $4.
You’re scaring me Robin – I just pushed the “Buy Now” button on eBay today for a vintage bottle of Vol de Nuit, and come on here to find I have to fess up for it! Oh – today is NEXT quarter so it doesn’t count….yet.
2nd quarter then was only two bottles, both Guerlain vintage extrait – Mitsouko and L’Heure Bleue.
Some day I will succumb to a bottle of vintage LHB extrait. Where did you buy that? Evilbay?
The very place. I’m pretty careful about checking out feedback on sellers and making sure that it is at least 99% positive. The LHB is truly a masterpiece.
Did I say “some day”? The day has come. That took awhile, eh? I have no willpower… at least not in the face of LHB and enabling comment threads like this one.
You won’t regret it! And, if stored properly, it will last indefinitely so think of it as an investment! Don’t you feel better now?
I breathed a sigh of relief too when I realized that yesterday’s purchases were on the next quarter’s tally. We’re not even going to go there yet. And I’m reforming and being good now. I totally am.
At least for the first two days of this quarter!
Oh, very worthy buys, congrats!
Oh, Rapple—so sorry, there I was egging you on, practically holding your finger over the buy it button, with no idea that Robin was going to make us fess up today! I am evil.
I had forgotten that this was all your fault!
I’m baaaad…wahhhhhhh!
Yay – did you get that 1/2 oz tower-shaped one with the rose stopper????? Good for you!
Oops. That auction hasn’t closed yet. You bought the BIG ONE?
I think I’m going to spring for a tester bottle of L’Arte di Gucci edt… anybody know if there are huge differences between the edp and the edt? My mini is the edp and it lasts allll day, gorgeously.
No, not that big realllly old looking one….scary price….she found another, better deal.
Start breathing again Mals, you’re turning blue
LOL! NO Mals, NOT the big one!!! I actually chickened out *because* of its age! Just a small bottle today, but I hit buy so fast this a.m. it didn’t even have time to appear in the listings.
Mals–that’s risky…if you have tried the EdP and love it then how can you be anything but disappointed with the Edt? If nothing else it would not have the same lasting power….go for the EdP if you can find it. On the other hand sometimes Edt’s are brighter and more available!
Considering the tiny size of my budget, I have been relatively extravagant. I bought Cristalle EDT, Mitsouko EDP, (back up), L’Heure Bleue EDP in the gold refillable bottle, and 10 ml each of Sensuous and Bois des Iles. I love all of them and have no regrets. Next on my list is Black, Le Temps d’une Fete, and Feminite du Bois: can’t wait!
Oh, and I was given a vintage bottle of no. 19, which was wonderful this spring.
You got so many lovely classics, and even one as a gift, lucky you!
Why, thank you! I’m glad you approve. =)
I fell off the wagon with a resounding ker-plunk this quarter. I was the one who painstakingly explained in last quarter’s poll that one samples, then one buys a decant, works through it, and then (and only then) one buys a full bottle. HA!
Rochas Femme
EL Pure White Linen Light Breeze
Jacomo Silence
Liz Zorn Chrysalis
Liz Zorn Grand Canyon
Fresh Fig Apricot
PdN Eau Exotique
Not too bad, right? Then Serena had to go and have a sale at Ava Luxe:
Venezia
Queen Bess
Bergamot
Fig Leaf
Bois Exotique
No. 23
Sigh ….
Aparatchick, thanks for the ‘fessing up. I am summoning the courage to do so myself…am a big fan of the sample to decant progression…something went ‘ploink’ with that the past few months…
LOL…maybe you’ll get back on the wagon next quarter.
I bought Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower. It’s way too hot to wear it today though.
Just one? Good for you!
Awww, shoot! There was an Avon tea-scented thing I bought because someone who works for me sells it.
Oh, and two Pacificas: Lotus Garden and Egyptian Bergamot Rose.
I guess confession is good for the soul, though, right?
I don’t know if it’s good for the soul, but I do think it keeps my spending down. A bit, at least.
I have no idea what the total is for this quarter. I would guess that I bought between 15 and 20 full bottles, many of them at discount prices. But I did splurge on a few pricey ones throughout the quarter, including:
Tom Ford Champaca Absolute
Bond No 9 Madison Soiree
L’Artisan Oiellet Sauvage
FM Une Rose
Iris Ganache
Yohji Femme (score!)
So, yeah, the damage was fairly extensive, but oh, so worth it! I did wind up selling splits of some of these, but of course the $ went to more fragrances!
Whew!
Six purchases:
Prescriptives Calyx (the only acquisition NOT via eBay)
No. 5 (vintage extrait)
Cristalle EDT
Chamade
Dzing
Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice
Okay, I have only myself for my current financial situation (oh, and that special assessment by my condo board, and that increase in my health insurance premiums, and…).
Ouch, sorry about your unexpected expenses!
After reading these comments so far, I’ve decided that our collective perfume expenditures are larger than the GDPs of some small island nations.
We’re being patriotic Joe. It’s our own personal stimulus packages!
And that’s only counting the NST crowd… Imagine the total counting all of MUA, for example. Our combined expenditure could *buy* said island nation!
Tempting….!
Mitsouko EDP (I see I’m not alone)
Tauer Incense Rosé (for my mom)
…and I received Perles de Lalique as a gift.
That only counts as one, right?
Yes, just one! Congrats
I was in New York in May and despite having gone to Bergdorf Goodman (heaven) managed to buy only two bottles on the trip, my only purchases for the quarter: an ounce of Tom Ford Black Orchid and the limited-edition A*Men Pure Malt, for a total of $130 U.S. Leave it to me to buy two dark scents in the late spring. I also spent $300 on samples from The Perfumed Court: lucky for me they don’t count!
Wow, you’re a good customer over at TPC! Actually, we should do a poll just for sample purchases, I have a feeling they’re extensive.
That order had almost 90 samples in it: I figured I was likely to spend that kind of money anyway at the online discounters, since I have so little self-control, so rather than buying six or eight bottles I’d never use up, I might as well try as many things as possible instead. A few have made it to the list of probable future purchases, including Balmain Ambre Gris and Serge Lutens Douce Amere, but I’m not buying any full bottles until I’ve carved a swath through the samples, so they’re kind of like insurance against doing anything rash.
Good thinking.
I’ve lost the count this quarter. I’ve made some swaps, bought some thins and earn some as gift. I can just list the new ones in the collection, cause i don’t remember exactly all i bought:
Eau de vie chocolate mint
Serge Lutens Arabie
Serge Lutens Fumerie Turquie
Serge Lutens Rousse
(All 3 above testers)
Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist (bought used)
Kelly Caleche 2 edp of 15 ml each and 1 edt of 15ml (the 3 for 18 dollars, the best bargain of this quarter)
Chinatown (a lovely friend gave me as a gift! :D)
Eau d’Hermes
Rocabar
Very Irresistible Pour Homme (partially used, swapped it with a friend)
By Fem D&G (a friend gave me as a gift)
Hypnotic Poison (partially used, a friend also gave me)
Oblique play (anoyther friend hated it and gave me as a gift)
Must Cartier (bought today 100ml at half the price, and the kit included a lovely 15ml mini)
Black Aoud
Parfum des Merveilles (another half price bargain)
I also forgot of the Fahrenheit Kit that i bought on the outlet near my work. Mental note: never stop there on a stressing day rs
I forgot too that I’ve swapped by safran troublant, which i liked but didn’t care for it, for a bottle of the gourgeous encre noire. Has anyone found encre noire a “drierless” version of sycomore?
Oh, I think i’m with some memory problem… I remembered now that i also bought one red delicious on ebay at a bargain price
Where do you buy your testers?
And WHERE did you get that Kelly Caleche??
gvillecreative, I bought the lutens testers and the kelly caleche 15ml edps on ebay. I’m always searching for interesting things to buy there – and always find something rs
Ok, I can see that like me, you need to start keeping notes!
Jealous of the Kelly Caleche deal — that’s great.
Four bottles for me:
1. Chanel #5 Parfum – done in by all the hoopla in May (but I have worn this on and off forever)
2. Vero Onda
3. Caron Muguet du Bonheur extrait – this is the one I tipped over on first dab
4. My newest love: Guerlain L’Heure Bleue extrait
Am going to find out where you are so I can just follow you and enjoy the LHB trail…
Ha ha, Scentscelf…this particular sillage starts far south of the equator. But come on down and we’ll have ourselves a sniffing party!!
Oh, good…I’ll play a travel game, and just head south and try to find you. You’ll need to apply frequently, of course…
*moment of silence for the Caron*
so sad! I feel your pain!
Jealous of your Onda.
Oh, I forgot my cologne du 68 and the zara amber, which reminds me of amber absolute, but at 10% of its price rs
Okay… Just finished adding the minis, in the interest of full disclosure (I am a sucker for ebay minis… no good thrift stores around here, and even our TJMaxx stinks), and OUCH. Didn’t I say I’d be good this quarter? I know I said that.
I wuz Baaad. That is, I bought more unsniffed crap as well as some Holy Grail material. The Haul includes:
Amouage Lyric Woman 15ml decant
BBW Sparkling Peach 30ml
Cynthia Rowley Flower 50ml (unsniffed, a waste of $9)
Caron Aimez-Moi 30ml
Caron Parfum Sacre 30ml (vintage, backup bottle of a fave)
Chanel No. 5 vintage parfum (another fave) – about 28ml
Coty Emeraude vintage PdT, 2 bottles, 150ml total (HG material)
Donna Karan Gold 30ml
Guerlain Chamade vintage PdT 10ml decant
Ines de la Fressange 30ml
Juliette Has a Gun Citizen Queen 10ml decant
Ormonde Jayne Ta’if 10ml decant
Parfums de Nicolai Le Temps d’une Fete 30ml (HG material)
Parfums de Rosine Rose d’Ete 100ml (love it)
Rochas Tocade 100ml
Plus minis of: YSL Champagne, vintage Arpege parfum, new Arpege edp, l’Arte di Gucci (terrific!), Cartier So Pretty, and RL Safari parfum. Also bought my mom a half-ounce of No. 5 parfum ($26!) for Christmas.
The damage… (tell The CEO and I’m dead 8o)… $398. Only slightly in my favor is the fact that I have spent $0 on shoes this year and $40 on work clothes, as opposed to whatever-it-was I spent on those things last year…
Darn, forgot minis: Lanvin Via, EL Knowing parfum, and Tatiana parfum. Add $14.
Knowing is so so so so so good in the perfume, just stunning. Lucky you!
Oh, I’m looking forward to it… my aunt wears the parfum, which is so much nicer than the stuff in the big edt tester at the store. I actually haven’t gotten those 3 yet – which is why I forgot them – but the $$ has already left my bank account, so I must count them on 2nd qtr.
Already got started on 3rd qtr spending, though: 100ml tester of L’arte di Gucci edt, $51. Discontinued, HTF, why don’t I ever learn???
Update on the 3rd qtr: was able to zap the bottle of L’arte edt, in favor of the very very htf edp somewhere else… may list decants on scentsplits…
That is a LOT of juice for that amount of money! I think you should be proud.
LOL —-does this mean that you are bare-foot and naked but you smell divine?? There’s a few states between us –so that’s fine with me!
Daisy, and Rapple: Come on now, I’m CLOTHED and SHOD! I will just call my raiment “classic” instead of “out of date.” (Actually I’ve never been fashionable, so it doesn’t bother me to be unfashionable.)
Why no shoes and very few clothes, you’ve probably SAVED over last year!! The CEO would be thrilled!
You know, that is an amazing amount of perfume for that price.
And yeah, I basically gave up shoes & clothing too.
Why, thank you… now, when am I going to use it all up??? I’m like a kid in a candy store, making up for years of lost time… sooner or later it’s got to stop!
For the Temps d’une Fete, did you get the EDP or the EDT? It’s high on my wishlist but I’ve only tried the latter. Lovely purchases, by the way!
I can’t tell you how much vicarious pleasure I’ve received reading what everyone’s bought! Thanks for asking.
Good!
Uh oh… does the 99 % full Vintage bottle of My Sin eau de toilette that I just got from the mailbox count too? OMG It’s still really fresh! and it was only $24 something! whoa… keeps developing… animaltastic! score!
there seems to be some question about the cutoff date….yesterday or today……look at it this way: WE KNOW about it now so count it this quarter and you don’t have to say a word about it next quarter….
ps–congrats! what a score!
LOL good point!
Personally, if I don’t have it in hand by the end of the quarter, it goes on next quarter’s tab. But you can do it however you like. And congrats on the bottle!
well, I might have received it yesterday if it wasn’t a stat holiday(Canada Day) with no mail delivery… or not lol
It’s a two oz. bottle so one oz for the 2nd quarter and one for the third?
I’d list it for the 2nd quarter and start the 3rd with a perfectly clean slate!! But then, I’m sneaky and already tried to count multilpe bottles of one frag. as “one”……sigh….don’t tell my CEO.
I’m guilty of that too shhhh I wont tell If you don’t tell
Ah, and see… I count it when the money goes out of hand, since I figure that’s when I bought it. I guess it all depends on which method of accounting you prefer. And since even knowing there are different methods is more than I ever wanted to know…I’ll leave it at that.
This is all hilarious! It’s like how retailers don’t count sales of gift certificates or gift cards with quarterly sales… they count the sales when they’re redeemed. We all have ways of cooking our own books… muuuahahaha… I may have to go back to Accounting 101 and review liabilities and assets basics.
Hey, let’s cook the books together! Life is so much easier since The CEO asked me to take over the financial functions… especially because I’m the one with the accounting degree, mwa ha ha ha!
I keep trying to get the H to take over the financial functions for awhile, but he feigns ignorance and helplessness. I don’t know why; he’s MUCH better at spending than I am.
Yay for My Sin! I love that stuff, and I swear it holds up beautifully and develops like musky honey. Great find!
I am fairly certain I haven’t bought a FB this time around. The damage was all done last quarter, and as long as we’re not counting samps and decants, I am feeling pretty smug!
Good for you, smug it up
Only one bottle in 2009 so far (L’Artisan’s Tea for Two, with which I am desperately in love), but somewhere around 200 sample-sized decants… and I’m no perfumista. Maybe I should start considering a new career!
1 for the whole year! You’re doing great, samples or no.
My big spurge this quarter was Fleur d’Orange, by SL, $102, but got an 8ml of Daim Blond for free. The others:
Eau D’Iparie, Occitane (15ml for $20);
Anais Anais, Cacharel (50ml for $40);
Luctor et Emergo, (8ml decant for $32.50)
Agent Provocateur (at a discount, 30ml for $28)
Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille (8ml decant for 47)
Oh boy, my total is about 270!!!!!!! I hadn’t realized how much I spent on perfumes in just a few months, and I have another bunch in my wish list. I think I may change my hobby while it’s still early…
oops, “splurge”.
That is why I like these polls…it forces me to keep track!
Well some of you have been “badder” than I, so I will ‘fess up. This is the end of my first perfumista year, and I’m not even going to try to add it up. :-0 I will just need to slow down now! My April-May-June purchases include:
Etro Shaal Nur (on sale)
Neil Morris Dark Earth
Neil Morris Mariner
Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel
Gres Cabaret (at deep discount)
MPG Ambre Precieux (partial bottle)
Ava Luxe Midnight Violet (on sale)
SP Eau du Gouverneur (for hubby)
And some minis…
H, you didn’t do so bad except Fleurs de Sel is unfortunately so pricey here in the States. And I just have to say that Midnight Violet is amazing; I’m envious of that.
Nice list! And you don’t have to count the CSP if it was a gift.
This has been pretty bad…..
Givenchy Blue Label (Target clearance: 17.00)
Prada Infusion Fleur d’Oranger (Full price: 74.00)
CdG2 (Fragrance Net: 60.00)
Armani Prive Eau de Jade (Marshall’s find: 32.00)
Armani Prive Ambre Sois (TJ Maxx: 19.99)
Halle by Halle Berry (32.00)
Total: 235.00
Hey, but you got some great deals, esp. on those Armanis! Why does the incense one NEVER show up at discount…
I’m going to grow tired of saying it, and you’re all going to grow tired of hearing it: WHY ARE THESE THINGS NEVER AT THE MARSHALL’S OR TJ MAXX BY ME??? Armani?? The only Armani they would have would be some weird never-heard-of flanker to Sensi.
Seriously–I’m calling every Marshall’s I know of today. There’s gotta be a good one out there somewhere…
I’ve been very disciplined and practical this quarter.Only three full bottles.
Dior’s Escale a Portofino is my favorite FB purchase.
It is heavenly – perfect to wear in the steamy South.
I also bought Barbara Bui and Giselle by Carla Fracci,
two NST recommendations that I bought unsniffed, because:
1) I trust NST reviews.
2) they were very inexpensive online.
I also bought some samples from Andy Tauer – I’ve gone through 3 samples of Incense Rose and 2 of Reverie en un Jardin.
A FB of one or both may be a purchase next quarter.
Reverie au Jardin is moving up my list each time I wear it. I love it a lot.
It was my favorite Tauer until Une Rose Chypree came along. And of course then, I had to smell the 2 rose scents together to compare/contrast (nothing alike of course, just was curious).. and now the Incense Rose is growing on me too. Now I’m afraid to re-test L’Air for fear that one will suddenly move from nice enough to oh my!
Boojum – I did the same thing with the Tauer roses, and I have to say, Un Rose Chypree was a disappointment to me.
I was surprised that I did not love it – must be my skin, my nose, or my expectation of BIG scents from Tauer. I really like L’Air, Lonestar and Reverie au Jardin, and I am blown away by Incense Rose. Next quarter!
Hey, lucky you on the Barbara Bui. Wish I’d bought a bottle when it was still easy to find.
Robin- I got the Barbara Bui 1.7 EDP on Ebay, (as a “buy it now” ) and it was very inexpensive. The vendor seemed to have stock on it, so you may come across it if you check. Sorry if my details are fuzzy – hope this helps.
Thanks, I should input an automatic search over there.
Carla Fracci – an ex- ballerina has a perfume???? I guess you liked it. What’s in it?
It’s embarrassing to admit this: I bought it unsniffed and haven’t OPENED it yet! I’m “saving” it for a time when I feel the need
for a new something or other – just a little present to myself.
It seems like a good choice for a small indulgence: Giselle has gotten some love here, and elsewhere, so you might want to read a bit to find out about the notes, etc.
I tried that Escale a Portofino recently. I agree that it’s really lovely and perfect for a steamy-hot day!
I’ve already used a third of the Escale a Portofino – it’s really wonderful. I have to start rotating with Eau de Cartier and Bulgari The Vert – two of my favorite hot weather defenses from past years.
Isn’t Eau de Cartier great?
Apologies… Robin, you reviewed Barbara Bui, and the gals at Perfume Posse reviewed Giselle.
Correction and apologies….Robin, you reviewed Barbara Bui on NST, and the Perfume Posse reviewed Giselle.
OK – I’ll step away from the keyboard. I seem to be suffering from an
attack of monkey fingers.
Shamefully I’ve bought three…
Bouquet,
The Beat,
and ‘renewed’ my Coco Mademoiselle…
Gosh don’t I regret buying The Beat… cos now I’ve gone over my budget…… Thank gosh Lola probably won’t come out until next year in Australia…. grrrr ain’t there a downside with living in an outback country = =;
Hey, 3 isn’t so shameful! And hope you won’t wait too long for Lola…
I got a bottle of Terre d’Hermes courtesy of an ebay gift certificate and a great deal at Fragrance Net on Chanel No. 5 parfum (a refill for my ancient purse spray). Very satisfying acquisitions.
That’s the best: when you’re perfectly happy with what you bought.
Wow, what a gigantic thread this is! I guess people love to confess!! I was wary of doing it until I saw that my list pales in comparison to some of you! So here goes…
1. Ormonde Jayne for Men (replacement of an empty bottle)
2. Ormonde Jayne Isfarkand (I finally ‘got’ it and now love it)
3. Comme des Garcons Monocle Scent One: Hinoki
4. L’Artisan Vanilia
5. L’Artisan Dzing!
6. Nicolai Vanille Tonka
7. Nicolai Vie de Chateau
8. Nicolai New York (Eau Legere)
9. Guerlain Derby
10. Serge Lutens Sarrassins
11. Be Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful “The Full Monty” Sample Kit
12. The Ormonde Jayne Sample Kit
And… as gifts
13. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
14. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Tiare Mimosa
All bought on a whirlwind tour of Europe where I could have easily doubled that number of bottles! And oh, 1 Nicolai Vetiver de Java candle….(the Hinoki candle wasn’t out yet and I truly had to resist buying a selection of Cire Trudon ones). I almost bought the Le Labo Poivre London exclusive at Libertys and was sorely tempted by the new Diptyque Tarocco, L’Artisan’s The pour un Ete, Guerlain Vetiver pour Elle and OJ’s Osmanthus. Sigh….
Confession is a universal impulse, no?
What a great list…jealous of your Hinoki & your Vie de Chateau, both of which are on my buy list but likely to languish there for some time to come.
I bought three FB’s
Guerlain – L’heure Bleue
PG – Cadjmere
TDC – Sublime Balkiss
I’m happy with the FB’s and have been mostly happy with the samples. I see many, many more full bottles in my future. Hopefully a big raise is in my future as well
Good luck on that big raise!
Pretty mellow. I bought a Tokyomilk (Honey & the Moon) and Ava Luxe’s Sweet Absinthe, and found a bottle of By (femme) D&G body lotion, which I’ll count as a bottle since it’s discontinued and finding that made me very happy. I also wound up finding a mini of By for a friend. I was tempted by those MAC honeys but then, with the Tokyomilk and already owning Ava Luxe’s honey, I fear finding my perfume cabinet swarmed with bears if I add any more.
The cabinet has been a good self-checking device for purchases: it’s at the point that any new additions really need to earn their place, and it makes me look over my collection and wear some of the ones I haven’t spritzed in a while. I’m trying to stay disciplined with the bottles, and also use my yarn stash before falling head over heels for new fibers while half-finished projects lurk in my cedar chest. (So far this year I’ve finished one sweater with stash yarn, and I’m well into a second project too. Wait, is this NST or Ravelry….)
I have a friend who knits, and her yarn stash almost made me faint. Perfumistas have nothing on knitters…
Nor beaders either! Both my sisters make jewelry, and those tiny little beads are EXPENSIVE! Makes me feel better…
Yup, I do that too….
Oh yes, I used to bead. VERY expensive hobby!
You bet! I’m a jewelry maker–got a room full of beads….can’t spend on beads AND perfume….perfume has been winning lately.
So true! I have a friend who knits, I was astonished to see her supply of yarns…… But I’m terrible, I’ve got her started on perfume now.
I quilt – you should see my fabric stash!! Plus it takes up lots of ROOM. Thousands of dollars lying in bins waiting for the right inspiration to strike.
How do you like the Tokyomilk Honey & the Moon?
I’m captivated by the scent of honey, but don’t know where to begin.
I ‘ve used L’Occitane honey and lemon hand cream,
which I loved at first, but now it smells like icky sugar cookies on me. Any suggestions for something more natural and less cloying?
The MAC Naked Honey has been getting rave reviews around here. I thought it was really nice too, but seemed springlike to me, and it’s been summer hot for awhile now, so I passed it by. Might regret it later…
I splurged on full-size, full-price for some favorites (lys en mediterranee, l’air de rien), for one new spleen – mainly for it’s evovating name (escale a pondichéry), and I did find one bargain, Chinatown body cream…and of course samples. I’m going through the LesNez ones at the moment (is l’Antimatière just a joke? I suspect there’s a nice woody something after half an hour)
I suspect that some people can smell the LesNez and some people can’t. It’s a big old nothing on me.
That AntiMatter stuff smells like…nothing. On me. However, Let Me Play the Lion is wonderful.
I am so glad this blog exisits as througout my perfumista’s life i have at times felt guilty about spending so much on pefume! I like some of the comments on trying to be restrained I’ll try for sept!! As for my list: Chanel no 19 edp (an old fav i had to have again); eau de guerlain: Icceberg le parfum (great musc oriental for the summer!!); angel innnocent; prfumeum acqua e sale (lovely vanilla and red berries also for summer); caron royal bain; nenuco ( great cologne splash for small children, but smells delightfully fresh innocent, great for summer and comes in liter bottles( for around 5 euros per litre!)so that you can really splash, i don’t know if you can get it in the US but i get it in spain or now in brussels!). For my daughter of 2.5 yrs i bought Bugari for children, smells divine also for me, almonds, vanilla, but fresh!
What a great list! I’ll have to look around for Nenuco, I hadn’t heard of it.
try this link, it is really nice to splash and both me and my daughter love it!! i even splash it on the carpets so the rooms smell fresh!!!
http://www.tienda.com/bath/products/cl-08.html
Thanks!
I have been remarkably restraiend and well balanced!!! I sold on Ebay bottles that I have hardly worn since buying:
Tabac Blond EdP
SL Douce Amere
Jicky EdP
Incense Kyoto
I bought with the proceeds:
Bvlgari Black (v.cheaply online!)
Jicky Parfum (cheaply online!)
Tabac Blond Parfum (cheaply online!)
Andy Tauer Samples
Frederic Malle samples
So all in all, spent about £150, but recouped it by selling-off other bottles.
You found Tabac Blond parfum *cheaply and *online*??!!!?!?
How?
Where?
Seconding this, hang on a minute while I race to get pen & paper, my miser’s soul has searched fruitlessly for months!
The Perfumed Court were doing a special sale on all Caron urn parfums a few months ago. I bought 8ml of TB Parfum for a very reasonable price (especially since I am in the UK and conversion rates have recovered against the dollar). I’m not sure if the sale is still on – but it was a very reasonable discount, compared to what it normally costs in stores.
That’s what I ought to do: sell off what I’m not wearing. Too lazy…
LOL! Seconding that, Robin!
I accept donations…..
I too have enjoyed this thread enormously. I’m not going to say what I bought in the last 3 months, but what I’m anticipating, which is an EDP of Mitsouko. Sounds modest perhaps, but I’m wary of buying full bottles online (especially in this case, as it will have to come from overseas) so I will probably pay full price at a department store. Trouble is, the only supplier in my city will only get the EDP in for Xmas sales, so I won’t be able to get it before September. Plenty of time to save up.
Part of my pleasure in perfume buying is the over-the-counter experience: chatting with the SA, getting the stuff home, opening it up … all on the same day. Sometimes when I work from home I have a bottle of my latest love sitting on the desk with me so that I can feast my eyes on it occasionally as I work. Oh dear.
Interesting…we are opposites since there are few things I hate more than buying perfume in person!
Bless me, Robin, for I have sinned. : )
Actually, it could have been worse. Shopping in New York posed a lot of temptation. And yet I “only” bought EL PC Jasmine White Moss, the 10 ml roll-on of AG Matin d’Orage, and a very small Memoire Liquide.
I also got Tauer Une Rose Chyprée (partly using a birthday gift certificate to LuckyScent).
Oh yeah, and a 10 ml Yves Rocher Rose Absolue, which I forgot to count in the poll, but at $5, it hardly counts.
Oh, you were VERY restrained in New York, much better than I would have been!
I’ve been SO good this quarter – I’m proud of myself. (Never mind that I was forced by circumstances: rent, taxes, moving, health expenditures… I was GOOD.)
I’ve bought only one bottle: a long desired 100ml Dark Amber & Ginger Lily on Ebay halfway April. Damn near retail price, too, but I don’t regret it one second – I couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on the LE! Not taking chances, there. In fact, I think that’s been my only FB purchase for all of 2009…!
The only other addition was a gift (from my grandma… sweet!): 4711.
Whoever got gifted a bottle of Safran Troublant up there: I’m so jealous. I just ordered a decant of it, along with a decant of Oyédo. But I just realized: that’s the next quarter! Woo-hoo.
Now, the lust list is considerable, of course!
I really want the L’Occitane travel set of Myrtle, badly. Precious packaging and a very nice refreshing herbal scent. Too bad that travel set is only sold in the US! And as if that wasn’t bad enough, L’Occitane never seem to have a sale this side of the ocean. *Pout*
Then there’s AL #23, Costume National 21, Reminiscence Do Re, Ouarzazate, Angélique Encens (decant is running ouououout) – and then some, given unlimited funds.
If it makes you feel better, I was in love w/the travel set online as well, but didn’t find it nearly as must-have when I finally saw it in person. And it was much smaller than I expected, too.
I love the JM too…good choice!
Banana Republic W at Marshall’s for a song, and a big bottle of Vetiver Extraordinaire on ebay for a little more than half price. Couldn’t pass it up.
*weeps for missing half price VE*
No kidding! (pouts)
I’m new to perfume and bought 5-9 bottles this quarter. Do imps count? Because I just ordered about 20 from BPAL…. I also spent a small fortune on books last week. I’ve gotta learn, right? I’m a knitter and work in a yarn shop to support my habit, which isn’t cheap, but I think my new perfume habit may quickly outprice it.
I dont’ know if imps count, you’ll have to decide! Maybe you need a part time job in a perfume store as well, LOL…
I visited a couple of perfume stores at the mall today, and the “fancier” of the two didn’t treat me so well. The proprietress was on the phone and clearly didn’t want to get off for me since I was dressed down in jeans, sandals and a T-shirt. When I started asking to sample some high end classics like Jicky and Mitsouku she became slightly more interested. When I started talking about aldehydes her eyes nearly popped out that I knew anything like that, because I suspected she didn’t. Hubby and I are both enjoying the dry down of the Mitsouku. Learning…. Now off to the Perfumed Court.
I’ve had a few experiences like that. Most SA’s have a limited command of language to describe perfume. The standard remark from the SA, she having given me a test of something, is to say “It’s very SOFT, don’t you think?” This comment can be applied to everything from Opium to Miss Dior to the latest thing by Paris Hilton. “Soft” indeed. Perhaps one day I’ll walk in and say “Show me a HARD fragrance if you please!”
That said, I guess SAs have their work cut out for them to be polite about fragrances they personally hate. I know I couldn’t do it. Occasionally I meet one, usually slightly older, who will murmur discreetly about their dislikes. A few weeks ago one of them waved a dismissive hand over the newer Estee Lauders. I am inclined to go back and buy from her – not so much because I agree, but because I value her honesty.
LOL, you’d love the woman I worked with last at Nordie’s… we must have had completely opposite taste in perfume, and she didn’t hesitate to say so. She’d suggest something, I’d say no, she’d give an incredulous “really?!” and I’d say, “no, something more like *that*” and she’d wrinkle her nose. Of course, to be fair, she did spritz a frag or two on herself, and while they smelled great on HER, they were awful on ME, so I have to assume the reverse was true too.
Hi all,
I am so happy, I spent way less this quarter, five bottles, $198 total. Mitsuoko-$44, Jolie Madam-$18, AV-$15, JM Lime Blossom body oil spray-$65, Angel Body Oil-$50.
Good for you! We spent about the same but you ended up with more perfume than I did.
I bought four, two I was “allowed” to get as anniversary presents– Theorema and Tabac Blond edp.
The other two are Fracas and Bal a Versailles.
I had a wishlist going at Basenotes, and this all whittled it down to six. After all that, I deleted the remaining six, thinking that maybe I wouldn’t have such perfume lust if I didn’t have a list I was looking at as Goals I Must Achieve.
Plus, I’ve really been wanting (and trying) to appreciate my fbs, especially the pre-hobby stuff. I’d probably be able to wear Tabac Blond for days on end, but I’d be a little bummed if I used that one all up and still had my lil pre-hobby bottles sitting around, half-full.
So did deleting the list work for you — do you think about what else you want less than you used to?
Hee. It’s all psychological, y’know. There’s a much bigger chance of me actually accomplishing something if it’s on a list. The absence of a list lessens the importance.
Good for you then!
I did so great last round (2)- but i guess made up for it this one…
15ml Vanille Galante ($50)
15ml Osmanthe Yunnan ($60)
15ml Shalimar parfum ($55)
30 ml Vintage Joy parfum ($101)
100ml Rochas Femme ($17.50)
100ml Habanita parfum ($84)
and just squeeking into the count this week- FB Tiempe Passate ($120) and new Benefit shaker (Sofia- $36) for my daughter’s birthday in a few weeks- 15th- blows my mind)
My weak defense- Income tax refund lowered my inhibitions on about 4 of those
Hey, you don’t have to count gifts, but do hope your daughter loves the Benefit!
And *so* jealous of your Tiempe Passate, that’s been on my wish list forever.
I only bought two small bottles–actually just added to my summer “wardrobe” with Un Jardin En Mediterranee (small spray and body lotion set off of ebay) and Caudalie’s Fleur de Vigne–a green/grapey fresh thing that was 75% off at the B&BW sale in June. All total = $21.50.
I went to the Perfume Expo America yesterday–thanks Robin for the VIP pass. It was not crowded at all and I was disappointed that there were few samples to be had. You could spray all you wanted at each booth, but very little to take away.
Some high points– special thanks to the Robert Piguet house for a sample of everything as well as a cute litte change purse to go with Fracas. Also, the distributer for AG and Miller Harris was very nice and helpful, but only had samples of the latest AG to take away. A gentleman from Jovay was creating scents to order and was very interesting to listen to (that French accent gets me everytime).
Anyone else go? other thoughts?
I’m jealous! I’d been planning to go, but the switch from June to July ended up making it impossible, sigh. Sorry it wasn’t a sample-fest, but it sounds like you made out OK — like a Bandit, one might say!
In spite of delusions to the contrary, this has actually been my worst quarter ever! It must have been an invasion of the perfume body snatchers of something! Between the end of winter, spring and back to winter (no summer here yet), my frag impulses were all over the place, including various swaps, samples purchased, small decants…..GAK. I did make a big score on that Lyric split and then a great deal on an almost FB of L’Air du Desert Marocain which I was originally going to buy in the 4th quarter……What threw me off what at the beginning of the quarter I went perfumista crazy and was nervous about reformulations of my fav’s, so I bought a lot of backups. In my humble and sad accounting, I don’t normally count those as “new” as they are backups of frags I already have…So as far as new frags go, mostly mini’s and from that awesome fragnet coupon: SSS Tabac Aurea (love it!!), Hermes Jardin sur le Nil, AG Songes mini, AG Grand Amour mini, AG eau d’Hadrien mini, PdN Temps d’Une Fete and Rose Pivione, Kenzo Flower, and my first Chanel No 5 parfum!! Yeah!!! Can I plead the “twinkie defense” if my husband files for divorce?
Twinkie defense, ha! Hope that works (and let me know if it does)
two/three – two bought (lancome trophee – a keeper, bill blass nude – is going to be swaped, did not impress me) and one marc jacobs blush received as swap (like it a lot).
but I bought loaaads of samples, which would amount to about two FB’s!
But luckily you do not need to count samples
I got six of them
Nautica Oceans 3.3 (59.00, I think)
Kenneth Cole Reaction 3.3(59.00 also, I think. However, it’s making me break out :()
Bond No. 9 Chinatown Swarovski Edition 3.3(150.00 Can’t believe I spent that much on a fragrance, but this deal was just too good to pass up!)
Bond No. 9 Eau De New York 3.3(79.99)
Bond No. 9 Lexington Avenue 3.3(96.01)
Halle by Halle Berry 1.7(35.00)
Seriously, the K Cole is making you break out? I have never had that happen, what a shame!
Eternity Summer for men
Polo
Allure Homme Edition Blanche
Egoiste Platinum Pour Homme
Prada Man
Truth For Men
D&G The One
A Men Pure Coffee
BLV Homme
All 100ml or more with discount
All 100 ml …. that is a lot of juice! I really want a bottle of that Prada.
I haven’t been as good as I should.
AT Rose Chypree which I adore
AT Le Maroc pour elle which doesn’t love me and will shortly hit Ebay.
Chanel No 5 – the evil Bay, I thank you for the discount to top up my supply.
Comme Des Garcons Flower Power ( big discount at Harvey Nicks)
Trish McEvoy Mandarin and Ginger Lily – yum
Still looking for my ideal rose geranium or blood orange fragrance.
4 bottles isn’t too bad, is it? And if you’re selling 1 off you don’t have to count it
Have only sniffed once, but agree that TM is definitely worth further exploration. The snowdrop one was nice as well. Qualified, of course, by the fact that I tried neither on skin, and I’ve learned that’s a fatal error!
Robin-Is this a record for the most number of comments?
I’ve gone nuts with the first flush of perfumista-hood in these 1st and 2nd quarters – Between fleabay and various discounters I must have spent over $1,000 on FBs, minis, and samples. Minis and samples, in fact, (to quote Robin – I think) have been multiplying like rabbits…. So, I think, for this 2nd quarter, the most significant FB purchases have probably been:
1. Gianfranco Ferre (the original jasmin/white flower scent)
2. SSS Cameo (thanks AnnS for bringing Laurie’s lovely work to my attention!)
3. Guerlain Shalimar eau Legere (may have been a March purchase, but I’m attributing it here)
4. Ce Soir ou Jamais (long been on my wish list)
Mini bottles include:
1. Both Carla Fracci and Giselle
2. DSH Cielle
3. Paloma Picasso
4. Cartier Declaration
5. Original and Organza Indecence
Wow, the Shalimar eau legere reminds me–I bought a bottle of Shalimar EdT in May! Totally forgot. Which is understandable, since I wore it once and then tossed it in the fridge for it’s summer hibernation period.
OperaFan! I am so glad you found SSS!!! I am, unfortunately anosmic to the sweet musk in Cameo, or it would have been another SSS rose lemming for me…But I just love that opening for sure! I also have a small swap of that 1991 Ferre which is very nice, and on my consideration list for a mini. And I love the AG Ce Soir ou Jamais too, which I got last summer. I really enjoy that lovely rose accord that just lasts forever!
It isn’t yet…we’ve gone over 500 comments before, although now can’t remember where. An open thread, probably.
I just counted 495 – so perhaps we’re on our way to a new record?!
Ann – So sorry you can’t smell the musk in Cameo, which I love and and I normally don’t like violets! Lol!
The Ferre was a blind purchase, but it’s really pretty for after shower or with a sundress… And the Eau Legere combined with Jicky is a real winner!
Yep, we’re getting there!
Hi
Only one: Moschino Funny 25 ml
Good for you, that’s hardly anything!
I only bought heavily discounted fragrances that I found by chance. The prices were too good to pass up!
Congrats then!
Yikes i’ve bought more than i thought i had
JM vintage gardenia, vetiver black vetiver cafe
Guerlain vintage mitsy & shalimar (heaven on a stick), samsara shine, secret intentions
Chanel no 22 (faaaaaaaaabulous), cristalle edp
Dior vintage Miss Dior, hypnotic poison, poison
Lanvin vintage arpege & my sin
Carven vintage ma griffe
Shiseido vintage zen, murasaki
Burberry brit, weekend, brit red, the beat
Rochas lumiere, madame rochas, absolu
Keiko mecheri bois de santal
DKNY delicious night
Balmain vintage vent verte
Kenzo flower, air, l’elephant
Coty vintage emeraude, l’aimant
Caronvintage narcisse noir & nuit de noel (a gift from my beloved
Jean Desprez vintage bal a versailles
Vintage chantilly
Van Cleef & Arpels First
Thierry Mugler Eau de star, cologne
Teo Cabanel alahine
EL sensuous
Hermes un jardin apres la mousson
Vintage carolina herrera
Ormond Jayne woman, tolu
Chloe by chloe
Guy Laroche vintage fidji
Jean Patou vintage 1000
ummmmmmmmm……i need help lol
Wow, Chrissinoz, you’re making Donatella envious!!
But what a great fragrance wardrobe you have acquired.
no, no, you don’t need any help….you’re finding plenty to buy all on your own…..
hey, that list looks great to me!
Great stuff! Are you just getting started on this perfume thing? I started buying in January, and my collection is still less than 50, including decants and minis… I know, some of you are laughing at what a tyro I am, and some of you are appalled…
Anyway, my point is that at some point the collection will get to the point where you say, Um, that’s enough.
Nice list — hope you’re enjoying them all!
My first every post but I couldn’t resist joining in,
30mls Carnal flower
15ml Vanilla Galante
Hi and welcome! You got 2 beautiful scents
Just a few discount purchases this time around: Gap Grass 100 ml, Estee Lauder Green Tea 50 ml, and a mini of Omnia Crystalline. I only spent $34 though, so that’s not too bad! Mostly bought samples…
Wow, excellent! That’s about what I should spend every quarter.
4!?!?! i bought 4?!?!?!?!
lord have mercy.
armani prive: eau de jade + cuir amethyste
robert piguet bandit (which i’m going to have a talk about with the seller. i was dubious of the authenticity)
escentric molecules escentric 02
i can’t believe i bought 4 in this fiscal quarter…BUT…i got them all for a great price, nowhere near retail…so i feel okay with that.
*takes a deep breath*
hmmm…i didn’t complete my thought there.
perhaps i got 7 then? if people are counting samples and such.
i just received spray samples of some Serge Lutens…Tubereuse Criminelle and Muscs Koublai Khan. (what a trip those are! they boggle the mind, and make one rethink a lot of things…for the time being i’ve disposed of the paper i used to sample the MKK in a ziploc bag to contain the odor…not that its bad, per se…but its not something i want my room smelling like, thanks. lol)
and i got a sample of Bandit, which proves to me that my suspiciousness toward my bottle was correct. the sample is everything Bandit is supposed to be…incredibly funky. my bottle, as i’ve said before…is a cross between my grandmother and cheap bathroom air freshener. they don’t even smell remotely similar except for the alcohol immediately after being dispensed.
Do bear in mind that there have been different iterations of Bandit, and from completely different companies.
Just one. A refill for my L’Air du temps atomizer, purchased on sale at Perfumania for $2.99. I’m surprised I didn’t buy more this quarter, to be honest.
Ack, you kept your expenditures to less than $5! For some reason that’s more impressive to me than buying nothing.
I refuse to answer this. haha j/k Only 3 bottles this quarter. Two TF’s [White Pachouli and Black Orchid Voile de Fleur] and a vintage bottle of Joy.
Oh, so jealous of your Joy!
Oh, and I forgot to mention a vintage coffret of Guerlain minis [never opened] – which includes Shalimar and Mitsouko Parfums. Gosh darn Ebay. I feel very lucky to have scored the sealed unopened Joy [from the 60’s is my guess]. Happy 4th!
Hi Y’all,
Thought I’d let fellow Brits know that I’ve just bought a bottle of Eau D’Italie Sienne L’Hiver online from Liberty for £32.50 (+ 5.95 p&p). That’s half the usual price folks. They’ve got Bois D’Ombrie and Magnolia Roma at the same price and, although sorely tempted and after a long, dry, broke spell, I’ve limited myself to one bottle a month as a treat for being an all-round good girl.
So, July it wil be over to Les Senteurs for the Unicorn Spell; August – Angeliques sous la Pluie; September – PG Louanges, October – I’m gonna need some more Eau des Merveilles and November, all bets are off cos I’m London bound.
Congrats, that’s a great deal!
At the risk of being an enabler for the fragrance-aholics who are struggling to break their insatiable thirst for more fumes (!), here’s my FB activity in the past quarter. I also have swapped dozens of small-large decants and samples.
A number of these were purchased at discount or on eBay for a good price:
Just shy of 3 oz of Joy edt from the eighties from a lovely 78-year-old woman on eBay living in a small town Alberta. She only wore it on special occasions, which was clearly very rarely. She said her “time had passed” for wearing it, which made me feel very sad. I wrote her an email telling her how much I will enjoy the scent and that I’ll wear it in her honour. She included the nicest note in a shaky hand. It’s in mint shape, as fresh as the day it was bottled, and glorious. I feel privileged to own it.
15ml Je Reviens extrait; probably nineties? Smells just like it always has.
)
30ml Caron Aimez-Moi
15ml Tauer Une Rose Chypree
100ml TDC Sublime Balkiss
50ml YSL Paris
50ml each EL Bali Dream and Emerald Dream
60ml Organza 2008 Harvest Orange Blossom — oh, my God, it’s gorgeous
100ml DK Gold “Sparkling” with a lighter base and citrus topnotes
20ml Cristalle edt
50ml each Armani Privee Clair de Lune, Eclat de Jasmine and Cuir Amethyste
50ml Parfums DelRae Emotionnelle (mmmm, melon
50ml Sonoma Scent Studio Tabac Aurea
I don’t have the courage to add up the total cost. . .
Great list, and I’m jealous of your Joy too!
Just let me know if you’d like some, R. Hope you still have my coordinates.
Oh, and a full 50ml bottle of first edition Hermes Equipage I snagged for $7.99 at the Sally Ann, which went to a dear older friend of mine who loves little luxuries but is on a small pension now. He’s loving it and I’m so glad I could bring him that extravagance.
Wow, a grand slam home run! Beautiful stuff, dirt cheap price, a happy friend, and the happiness of having brought it about… what a lovely story!
I lost my mind this past month on the ‘Bay but only spent about $150! That is because I was trolling for some little-known (or wanted) vintages – NOT bidding on the Djedi that just went for $2045 for 2oz. I had such fun watching that auction inch towards the stratosphere!
Found some great, much-missed stuff at absurdly-good prices.
My work is done. I figure I could live to be 100, spritz 3x a day every day until then – and still have perfume left when I turn up my toes.
xo
What is with that Djedi? I can’t believe it went for so much.
I know! But it is an incredible fragrance – I have it in EdT and I would love to have it in parfum, just to see the difference. I was just yakking to E about this – it has that ‘cult’ thing going – most folks are scared of it, so it fascinates them. I like the odd combo of rose and freshly turned lunar soil!LOL!
I actually wore Djedi to a potluck cookout at a construction site on Thursday. Very odd juxtaposition but I was feeling very laissez-faire.
xoxoA
Agree it’s a wonderful scent…but wow, that’s a lot of moolah! I was wondering if it was a bottle collector or something.
Ooop! Forgot to say what I got:
Coty L’Aimant
Coty L’Origan
Coty Emeraude
Coty Paris
all three I got in different iterations: one was a great trio of vintage EdCs. PdTs and parfums from estate sales, the Bay and hellafabulous find in the middle of nowhere.
A tiny vintage bottle of Shalimar perfume for $10 (see? that’s not so bad) that smells like heaven. I tried it in 97F and it was so glorious it made my teeth hurt!
Balmain Jolie Madame parfum (vintage)
Nina Ricci Bigarade (vintage)
Balmain Vent Vert parfum
Mitsouko parfum(stocking up in advance of the reform)
Oh, you did get lovely things. And all that for less than $150? You’re a way better shopper than I am.
See R, your readers are all scoping out bargains while you’re busy bringing us all the latest news and reviews. Maybe you should post your wishlist somewhere and let them hunt for you, lol!
Ooooooh, sigh. Lovely stuff!
Goodness…. ebay is really dangerous on the wallet, isn’t it? LoL!!!
Although I must agree with Robin – Looks like you got some good buys….
I could not help it. I work in a perfume shopp, and I don´t want to fight againt temptation. So, I bought a lot…
Pettit Cherie EDP
KenzoAmour
Viva La Juicy
Juicy Couture
Ocean Lounge
Island Kiss (discount)
Rock ‘n Rio (discount)
I love love
Chance EDP
Glamour
Bond N°9 Nuits de Noho
Pacific Paradise (discount)
Tous in Heaven
Love by Nina
and I’m waiting for Putain du Palace by Etat Libre d’ Orange. I placed my order the last day of June, but I dont know if it counts. I have already make my wish list for the next 6 month!!!
I can’t even imagine what I’d buy if I worked in a perfume store…seems to me you did pretty well!
I’ve only seriously gotten into the perfumista zone in the last couple of years with the last 12 months being the most intense. Always loved perfume since i was a kid though. Haven’t started doing swaps or decants as yet but i would say that’ll be my next path to take.
Splits/swaps are the way to go, for sure! Just did my first one, a split of Lyric, and I would *never* have bought it otherwise. Can’t wait for cool weather to take advantage of it. And it was much easier than I tried to make it, lol…thanks to much advice from our Daisy and great articles on decanting here too.
And it was fabulous of you to do the split Boo! I don’t care what the temp is!—I’m wearing that Lyric and loving it! (thank goodness for air conditioning.)
Yes, it was super of you! Been too HUMID here to wear my Lyric, but I’m compensating with the L’Arte di Gucci… and waiting patiently for cooler weather, rubbing my hands with glee and cackling, “Mine, all mine!”
Does any1 know where i can get a bottle of MAC Naked Honey? None on ebay that i can find, it’s not available on the MAC australia website & the US site doesn’t deliver to oz? I’m absolutely DYING for a bottle lol.
I’m sorry but I have no idea
Don’t know either…but whereas I couldn’t find it at the stand-alone MAC shop near me, I DID find it at the MAC counter in one of the department stores in the same mall. Go figure. Maybe check around at any dept stores you know that carry MAC products?
I meant to say that i can’t find any seller on ebay who posts this fragrance to australai
australia!!! d’oh
Ummm…Poison EDT and Femme EDP from eBay, and a bunch of samples, from The Perfumed Court and Sonoma Scent Studios.
I restrained myself admirably!
Sounds like you really did!