Short & sweet: was 2009 a good year for perfume, and why or why not?
Note: image is What is to love in December? [cropped] by lepiaf.geo at flickr; some rights reserved.
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For me it was both a good year and a bad year. First the bad -it was bad because I found out all about those new crappy rules and regulations being forced upon an art form! I am still completely upset that my HG fragrance has been ruined because of it!
It was good because I think I have become more educated about perfume and have become much more discerning in my taste. I wont “settle” for a fragrance anymore.
Have a great weekend everyone!
In that sense, you’re right: not a good year.
You have a great weekend too!
I’d say mostly good – I really started exploring and reading about fragrance and, thanks to Daisy, was able to move beyond department store and designer fragrance into niche. I think that I have a good basic fragrance wardrobe, as well as some interesting scents.
On the other hand, it wasn’t so great for my bank balance – but I’m grateful for discovering splits and decants or it would have been much worse.
If it’s bad for the bank balance, it has to be a good year for perfume I guess!
Daisy, and many others including you, get much love from me for excellent taste. You get extra points for having Willow as your avatar. (I can’t get mine to show up here, but I always use Buffy!)
Hi Robin,
It was both good and bad. Good that many fragrances were released that I absolutely loved. And I explored new genres of scents that I adored (Iris and violet).
The bad is the new regulations and my reduced budget (not too bad because I spent half of what I did last year)!
I thought there were lots of great new scents this year, more than 2008.
Have you considered coming up with a “10 best list” of 2009 perfumes, at the end of the year?
We do a Best of post every year, but it’s not a Top 10 — that’s too hard!
I would say a tie between good and bad. Good because I discovered some imported fragrances, bad because of all those celeb fragrances out there, which I really wouldn’t mind if one of them would just buck the system and come out with something totally original.
Not likely!
It’s hard to say because I really did not try all that many new releases, or fall for the ones I did try — I was too busy falling in love with Bois Farine, Vetiver Tonka, and a number of other JC Ellena creations. In that sense it was a very good year!
Oh, fun!
Both, good and bad. I learned a lot about perfume through your blog, many thanks.
I’m so glad 🙂
Good year, because it seems like they’re *finally* starting to move at least a little outside the sugar water known as fruity florals. Bad year for my wallet too though! But in my defense, I held off buying *any* for a pretty long time, so if you average it over that time span, not really so bad. And by now, I think I’ve explored enough through samples that I have a better feel for what warrants a purchase for me.
I think you’re right, fewer pink fruity florals.
More fruitchoulis – 😀
LOL…true!
Which they try to pass off as ‘fruity floral chypre’ – yeah right. They’re not fooling us! 😛
It was a bad year b/c of all the silly regulations etc etc etc….
It was a very good year because of all my new fragrance friends – swap buddies, et al…. All of whom kept me in crackers, so to speak, and gave me access to so many interesting fragrances. And a special nod to Joe who saved me from selling a kidney as he graciously swapped me some FM Noir Epices.
It was also a good year because gorgeous classics like Mitsouko and No 5 (parfum) *finally* worked for me! And I got a few bottles pre-reformulations that I’ve squirreled away. I found L’Air de Desert Marocain and Maroc pour Elle. I found Parfums de Nicolai… I got for a quick song and dance some vintage Magie Noire……
And it was a good year because there are still some gorgeous new fragrances coming out between the cracks of miserable mass releases: Sonoma Scent Studio Lieu de Reves & Tabac Aurea… Kenzo Flower Essentielle …. particularly come to mind.
You are so welcome. It was the least I could do since I converted you to the Church of Noir Epices in the first place.
Is it something like the Church of Baseball?
Mals – My ALL TIME FAVORITE movie soliloquy! Years ago, my best friend wrote the whole thing down for me as part of my birthday present. I still have it!
that must be a branch of the Canadian Church of Hockey.
… Yes, and I pray at that altar at least once a week! 🙂
so glad to hear you are still in possession of the full compliment of kidneys!
Pshaw. You can get by with one, as long as you smell good.
That’s the truth. But I’m in the wearing burlap saks fashion category! I’ve given up a lot these past few years for fragrance, and I hardly even miss it. Fragrance is my liquid wardrobe.
I think that jeans and a t-shirt along with good shoes, a good bag, and your favourite scent make a fabulous outfit.
So agree! Although my idea of “good shoes” probably would be a little different from yours. 😉
SSS Lieu de Reves is a hit with me too!
I’m trying to talk myself into/out of getting that as a “gift” for myself. It’s just so affordable! I’ve spent more on samples!
It *is* an affordable range especially as they come in the 17ml size. I have also tried some of the other SSS offerings as Laurie tends to send a sample or two with an order, and have fallen in love with Velvet Rose, so that’s on my To Buy list for next year, or the year after … or whenever I next have any spare cash.
Any year that brings a scent as good as Liz Zorn’s Bottleneck Blues has got to viewed as a very good year 🙂
Nice endorsement!
Oh, I think it was great. Plenty of interesting new launches, in my opinion:
Delrae Mythique
Penhaligons Amaranthine
CdG Daphne
Hermes Vanille Galante
And plenty of others that Iiked a whole lot such as Eau de Gentiane Blanche, Pondichery, Jasmine White Moss, Eau de Tarocco. I’ve been very very happy.
I hope, I hope to get a FB of Daphne one of these days. Gorgeous.
Yes, Daphne really is beautiful — I wore my sample of it over Thanksgiving and fell in love!
I think it’s a good year too.
Good: discovered NST and the wide world of fragrances beyond the 3 I had worn for 30 yrs. Feels like my nose went through college and graduate school in less than 12 months. Learned how to pronounce “chypre” correctly, although I haven’t worked it into any conversations except with my cat (here Falco, I’m going to spray a teeny bit of Givenchy III on your furry little noggin. It’s called a chypre. Now you smell all nice, and it masks your tuna breath, although I enjoy that smell too, tho only in connection with your overall kitteh adorableness). I’m too new to perfume to really know if this was a good or bad year, but it does seem like the gloomy overall economic environment has had a negative impact on the quality of new, mainstream fragrances. They seem to be playing it safe, and only releasing what they are sure will sell well – because it smells exactly like something else that sold well 6 months ago.
Bad: reformulation of the classic Diors since I’ve worn Diorissimo since before the flood and was looking forward to trying Dioressence.
Really bad: my bank balance
Neutral: I still don’t like Mitsouko, although God knows, I.Have.Tried.
This cracked me up! The only time I’ve managed to work “chypre” into a conversation was with the SA at Saks, who apparently didn’t know what it meant. So that still wasn’t very fulfilling. (And the fact that I know there are still a million other things I’m mispronouncing makes me anxious.)
“Sheep-rah” would be a cute name for a pet … Can you imagine standing on your doorstep each evening yelling out “Sheep-rah come in!” Over and over.
Not so much. My neighborhood has Mammalian Mowing Machines that might respond to such a call. The community hires a shepherd and sheep to keep the grass down, year-round. So, who knows what might come running in my door if I called “Sheep-rah, Sheep-rah!” One night they broke away from their pen and surrounded my house, lost and worried, baa-ing and nibbling and clomping around non-stop under my windows until dawn. The next night, they were back again. It wasn’t nearly as cute as it sounds.
Cornlily
Well, I can certainly see your point! Sheep are cute and a nuisance all together. We used to have a neighbor when I was growing up that kept black sheep on his hobby farm…. But the whole picture of sheep running around always makes me think of Wallace and Grommit’s A Close Shave!
That’s why we all meet here – so we can talk to each other about chypres! LOL! Otherwise where in the world would we ever get to use that word?!?
“Feels like my nose went through college and graduate school in less than 12 months”…now if we could all just get scholarships!
Yes, a graduate study stipend would come in handy about now…
a big, fat, need-based grant would suit me right about now….cuz there’s lots of perfumes I need….
*Definitely* a good year! I discovered Tabac Blond and Chanel No. 22 this year, that overrides anything negative (yay for me that I fell in love with the reforms of each.. ;))
Last December I had a big ol’ epiphany about fumes and, armed with two new bottles I was totally stoked about, I set out to learn more, and discovered a whole world of fabulous fume blogs!
Now I’m the happy owner and wearer of stuff that would never, ever have shown up on my radar, and I’ve met some really great people, on top of it.
Yes, definitely a good fume year! 🙂
Oohh… good point – I’ve met some fabulous people through swapping and decanting, which makes it a very good year.
Good!
It was a very good year [I feel like a Frank Sinatra song]. I’m going to be short & sweet. My favorite part is that I’m no longer a swap and decant virgin. How can you have a bad year when you’re involved in something as fun as that?! 😉
LOL!! :d
My husband always teases me about “swapping” – it’s become a big joke for us. Esp. when I “swap” with a man! So that’s how it is?!?
LOL!
Stuff in the mail: my favorite part.
Oh I know Robin – it’s awesome.
An awesome year cause I discovered Ormonde Jayne through this site and I’m CRAZY about their perfumes!
Yay!
It was a great year! I’ve learned a lot about fragrance, I’ve made some really good scent friends, purchased some wonderful fragrances (spent most of this year getting to know FM and his gorgeous line of fragrances! Carnal Flower, Dans Tes Bras, Geranium pour Monsieur, Musc Ravageur, Une Fleur de Cassie and Une Rose are nestled gently between the jams and jellies shelf in my fridge), and participated in the perfume blogosphere more then ever. Like any good art form, fragrance/perfume, really helped me discover some things about myself this year…..and what could be bad about that?
Hey, you have a whole shelf of jams & jellies? Do you make them yourself? (sorry to go off topic, but intrigued)
Mmmmm…Dans tes Bras. I love it. I love it better on men than on me, but since I can’t get anyone to wear it for me, I’ll wear it myself. Musc Ravageur was my first “real” perfume purchase, and I have 10ml each of Noir Epices and L’Eau D’Hiver. I’ve got a total of about 6ml. of Carnal Flower that I am preciously hoarding until I can get a FB.
It’s been a good year!
I slowed down a bit on the must-haves and the impulsive purchases of $20 bottles. I sampled in a reasonable fashion. My wish list has remained manageable, and I even got a couple of bottles on it (Ginestet Botrytis and PdN Vanille Intense) thanks to that 20% off coupon at BeautyHabit mentioned by the fine people here on NST.
I try not to think about the reformulations, as it makes me feel that they are destroying perfumes I haven’t even had time to become infatuated with!
I’m a fan of PdN Vanille Intense as well….I got a good size decant of it but planning to get a full bottle fairly soon since it is now my engagement fragrance.
Oh, what a nice association to have with a favorite scent!
Yes, I am sooo glad he didn’t propose while I’m sans perfume, wearing my grungy clothes smelling like household cleaner. I think I would have told him to try again 🙂
I am not totally sure if the year you got hooked on fragrance should be considered a good or a bad year ;)… But I am happy to be here, listening in to this lovely bunch of people sharing and caring about all aspects of the olfactory universe out there :).
LOL…I’m not sure either.
It was a great year for perfume, almost too great. With so many interesting scents coming out, especially in the last six months or so, it’s been difficult keeping up with the sampling, let alone the lemmings.
Yeah — it’s been really hard to keep up this year.
2009 has been a great year for me, at least perfume wise.
I made so many exciting discoveries!
From entire lines to perfume ingredients, it has been an exciting journey. I found several treasures, in new and older launches. And I found daily pleasure in reading your blog Robin. Thank you and Kevin and everyone who comments: it is so lively and nice here!
At the moment I’m excited with 3 new samples that just arrived from FM: carnal flower, vetiver extraordinaire and PDT… so my current HGs recede in the background.
Oh, however 2009 is not over yet and I still have to test the Cartiers, Mythique and give skin space to Jabu. There’s work to be done!!!
Oh, 3 of my favorites from FM! Hope you like them.
I think compared to the past couple of years, 2009 might be considered a vintage year – especially when you take into account the Van Cleef & Arpel releases, the Cartiers, SSS, Parfum d’Empire (especially Wazamba) and I’m sure a few others that I’m forgetting today.
Yikes! Add to that Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree. I’m sure there are others.
Oh, I love une rose chyprée! It is in my top three 2009 launches, with Havana Vanille and bois d’iris!
I have a sample of URC on it’s way to me from one of my perfume pals [you know who you are!] and I can hardly stand waiting for it!
Hope you love it!
Not bad in all aspects. I spent a good chunk of last year and the beginning of this one out of the fragrance loop but got back into it this summer.
I’m yet to try many of this year’s releases (Cartiers, VC&A, Havana Vanille, etc) but there were a number of new frags that I liked a lot – Vanille Galante, Amaranthine, Epic all spring to mind. Managore Pourpre was an unexpected surprise. I didn’t think I’d like it but I did and, if I still enjoying it in a few months time, then I might buy a bottle to wear in hot weather.
Instead, I spent most of my time exploring the ranges that I already knew about like like Ormonde Jayne and Chanel Exclusifs in more depth. Along the way I ‘discovered’ and fell in love with Cuir de Russie, Vetiver Tonka, Jubilation 25 and Sycomore.
Been pretty good spending-wise too. Other than a small number of samples I only spent money on a bottle of 31 Rue Cambon 🙂 I’ve been getting quite good at begging for samples from both the SAs and the companies directly.
Hello Abyss – what a good year indeed! Can you please indulge my curiosity and explain how Mandragore Pourpre smells? I have Mandragore already, and I am very curious about the MP.
I’m really curious, too!
I think I’ll have to cave in… I plan to order some samples for the spousal unit’s stocking, and if a MP sample accidentally falls into the cart? Well, I’m sure I can find a home for it…
It opened with a nice hit of bergamot and geranium, then, after a few minutes I started getting more anise an mint which lasted for a while. Several hours later, the drydown was mostly vetiver.
It has a fresh, herby feel. It made me think of a person after their morning ritual – freshly showered, teeth brushed (the mint), splash of citrus cologne. Clean but not sterile.
I don’t usually like anise but I didn’t mind it here. Very unisex and I think it would be perfect in hot months. I found the lasting power surprisingly good too.
Forgot to add – I haven’t tried the original Mandragore so I don’t know how the two compare, unfortunately.
Thanks, Abyss! It’s been a while since I tried Mandragore. I did like it. I guess the thing to do will be to test them side by side.
The first five months were good and I purchased quite a few fragrances–some tried and true classics and also some new ones. Then from June through October, the bottom fell out of my finances and I couldn’t even buy samples to test. By the middle of November I had worked things out where I could start purchasing samples again and also bought a couple of FB’s. All in all I would say it was a good year in that I finally got to sample some of the Comme de Garcons line, discovered Ineke Parfums through NST and purchased MKK. Now I’m waiting to receive Mythique, which should arrive some time next week.
Oooooh, Filomena! Envious of your Mythique!
Joe,
I’ve been dabbing my sample for weeks–can’t wait until I can freely spray it!
I realized that Ineke is 10 minutes away on a bus line I use often. I’m trying not to pull the stop cord as we pass by. Restraint, restraint. I’m determined to spend time only with the wonderful perfumes I already own in considerable abundance, get to really know them. And I stick to that plan. Mostly. Sort of. Hey, that new Andy Tauer sounds really interesting, doesn’t it?
Cornlily
“And I stick to that plan. Mostly. Sort of. …”
Yep, that’s the top of that slippery slope! LOL!
Like others on here, it was a GREAT year for me because I discovered this site! I only wish I had found it sooner. I have really enjoyed learning more about fragrance, along with meeting some awesome possum people and swapping samples and entering the dangerous territory known as the Split. (Any time anyone suggests a split, I picture the witch in Snow White, holding out the poison apple: “Just a bite, deary?”)
I think as long as there is niche, it will always be a good year in perfume. Maybe it’s just because I’m new to this, but it really seems like even the less-than-exciting niche releases are still a lot more exciting that your average department store release. That said, the reformulation trend that has been eating away at the classics is upsetting. (Especially since I don’t have the funds to go out and buy every last thing I want before the last of the good stock goes away.)
Oh, and it has been a VERY bad year for my credit card. New Year’s Resolution in Progress: set a budget, only spend what I have, and stay the hell away from the credit cards.
Good luck with that Miss Kitty V! 😉
Oh, yeah, me too… me too… me too… you think if I say it often enough, I’ll actually do it?
Why not? I do! Or at least… I get an “allowance” that goes into a separate account (the spouse gets the same), and any perfume I want has to come out of there, or my freelance work. Yes, I miss out on a lot…but I never have a balance on the credit card!
I admire your restraint Boojum – you’re so good!
Oh please! It’s just that the pain I’ll suffer if I’m in debt would far outweigh the pleasure I’d get in the process of incurring it. I was living paycheck to paycheck, and patching w/credit cards, long enough that I have NO desire to owe money ever again (beyond the house and car).
Swaps have totally saved my poor credit cards and bank accounts! Thank god! I can’t think of a better way to use the collection I’ve built up. Such a good way to get my hands on everythign I want to smell!
Mals, there’s always the “just this one time…” excuse.
I think I’ve had ten of those in the last six months. 🙁
My first year (or two) of perfume were VERY bad. I did eventually make a budget and stick to it, but it’s hard.
Good to know! You have given me hope, Robin. 🙂
Great year: Muscs Koublai Khan was released into the Export range and I LOVE it. I picked-up a cheap deal on 15ml of Ambre Sultan on Ebay. I explored incense scents and discovered that they are my ‘note’! I investigated the L’Artisan range for the first time, am so impressed and plan on sampling each single scent in 2010. It appears that Olivia Giacobetti is ‘the nose’ to turn me onto lighter, fresher, more subtle scents – until now, I have been a Bandit/Tabac Blond kinda gal. But Passage D’Enfer and En Passant literally swept me away with joy.
Bad Year: Hmmm. I just wish I had more money to spend on sampling, as i was olfactorily voracious this year!
Oh, then you’ll have a fun 2010! Love L’Artisan.
It was a very good year for perfume in my case. I was able to pick up much more this year than last, and have added a great deal to my fragrance wardrobe just by purchasing decants. They’re economical, don’t take up as much space and are a good way to test drive a frag for quite a while before deciding whether to purchase a full bottle. It’s also been a good year for getting over my lurkdom and getting more involved in the fragrance community, and I’m so glad I did. 🙂 A couple of my resolutions next year involve trying to stick to a monthly budget and to get back into writing more reviews on MUA. Oh yeah, and that whole working out thing. 😀
Yeah, I need to get better about that whole working out thing too.
Good Lord, how to answer that question… I haven’t sniffed most of the 2009 releases – I’m still working my way through the classics, along with some niche favorites – and my background is pretty much nonexistent, so I really cannot speak to the place 2009 will hold in perfume history.
However, this time last year I was the proud owner of the following:
1 50-ml bottle of BBW Velvet Tuberose
1 15-ml bottle of Victoria’s Secret Pink, down to the dregs
Period. That was it. I’d left any number of empty bottles in the past, one at a time, but it was different this time.
That Velvet Tuberose, however much you might (justifiably!) malign BBW, started a craving for more perfume. I began doing some google searches and started lurking here just about a year ago, and I think I finally posted a comment in early January. And since then, I’ve acquired a collection of scents I like, some really great swappie-friends, and a blog which often addresses fragrance. I’ve now also got a clearer idea of my scent preferences, which – oddly – keep modulating.
For me personally, I’ll therefore say 2009 was a great year. Thanks to ALL the collaborators, both here and on many other blogs, and also to the blog readers. I’ve learned so much from all of you. Yep, it was a great year. (Unless you ask my bank account.)
Hey, mine keep modulating too though! I don’t think it ever ends.
Hey Mals — no need to be embarrassed about the BBW Velvet Tuberose. No less a discerning nose than the excellent Victoria Frolova gave it a rave over on her blog, Bois de Jasmin. Go check it out, it’ll make you feel sooooo smart and tasteful!
For me, a GREAT year. Since this is my rookie year, so to speak, I’ve got the whole world of fragrance to explore. Kinda mind-blowing!
(other things “blown”: budget; good sense)
Then you probably have a few more good years before you get jaded 😉
Oh, I think it was a very good year, R. So much better than 2008.
Our budgets are tighter, so that’s no fun. But maybe that’s a good thing, because it’s making me think about what I really want to add to my collection, rather than just purchasing a fragrance because it smelled good in that moment and everyone else is raving about it.
Also, there were way too many releases, yet again, in 2009. Note to fragrance industry: More is not necessarily better!
Hugs and love!
R, I thought it was better than 2008 too.
Hugs to you — and happy holidays!
It’s been a GREAT year!! Yes, I did just lock my credit cards in the car so they wouldn’t hear me…..at the very end of 2008, I discovered Hiris, 24 Faubourg, and Prada Infusion d’Iris….I felt like I had a TREASURE TROVE and wanted to read more about my discoveries…and found the greatest treasure of the year: NST. Everyone here has helped open my eyes to a whole new world of exciting fragrance–I went from having 10-12 bottles of department store stuff to having a total of 159 bottles and don’t even ask how many decants and the sample pile defies description, so let’s not even go there. So, yeah, it’s been fun…..you know, if you don’t count my piggy bank being on life support.
It’s hard to believe that little over a year ago swapping, splitting, decanting —all unknown phenomena! I’m so glad for all the friends I’ve found on this site,….friends, enablers, co-conspirators….hmm, if I try hard enough, maybe I can blame my spending on you all…..
Hey now – we’ll have to blame you right back! LOL
whoa, hey now…..hmmm …..ok…..in light of recent developments I have absolved you all of any blame….. 😉
Daisy – you are indeed a force of nature! Thanks for all the good splits & swaps!
and thank you too! I’ve been enjoying many fine sniffies sent to me by you! 🙂
All hail the Empress of Enabling….:-D
(I wish we had the little bowing emoticon here!)
oooo… a bowing emoticon….yes indeed, that would be just right….heheheheh….oh wait—-aren’t YOU just as much an Empress of Enabling as I am?????? Shall I count the number of bottles I’ve bought as a result of swaps avec vous?? hmmm?
Swaps avec moi? Mais non! 😉
Oui! Absolutement!
Wow, 159 in one year!! That’s astonishing. Curious if you think you made good choices early on? Or if you wish you’d collected more slowly?
I know that sounds pretty bad….apparently I have no control at all.
That # does include all my old bottles, not that that makes it seem that much better…I should have gone more slowly, definitely. My mistakes (and by that I mean unsniffed) came early in my frenzy (I’d say obsession but frenzy more clearly imparts my wild-eyed ‘lemming-that-ate-Chicago’ approach) mostly inexpensive things that “everyone” raved about….but it turns out that I don’t love…mainstream items that I’m sure I can donate to some of my friends teenage daughters. And it’s important to note that quite a few of those bottles are now only partials because I split off portions but because I retain the bottle they didn’t fall under the catagory: decants. As Chasa noted the rookie year is tough, but exciting. My goal is to become more discriminating in my purchases…we’ll have to see how I’ve done by the time 2010 first quarter damage comes around. 🙂
Oh, but I didn’t mean it as a criticism! I was just curious because I regretted some of the things I bought early on, and so thought if I’d been going at a faster pace, I probably would have had a bigger pile of mistakes. But you also do lots of splitting, right? So you’re probably ending up with less “mistake juice” on hand than I did.
not to worry, I didn’t take it as criticism. I was too hasty when it came to some of the more mainstream scents and those juicy 25% off coupons at places like parfum1. I was too eager to pick up relatively inexpensive things I hadn’t tried, just based on others opinions….but $30 here and there not only adds up quickly but those bottles take up precious perfume cabinet space. I’ll probably have to give away those mainstreamers…good thing I know some teenage girls who will think it’s wonderful treasure! And yes, I’ve split lots of spendy bottles up…so while I may have the bottle, some of those spendy bottles only contain 15-25mls. (but even 15mls of something like Iris Ganache still ain’t cheap!) Sometimes I have more enthusiasm than good sense….but I’m working on that! 😉
Well, I don’t know enough about the perfume world in general to make an assessment but I do know that 2009 is a pretty good year for me in terms of acquiring more perfume knowledge. Interestingly enough, I also find that by exploring scents I also explore parts of my personality…..scents trigger such an emotional response for me that I surprise myself sometimes. I’m finding out this year that I often use perfume as aromatherapy, rather than an essential part of being a well-groomed person. I used to try to match my perfume to occasions and outfits, this year I’m starting to experiment with matching my perfume to my emotional landscape.
Interesting — I don’t know what I match my perfume to. It might be just random.
It wasn’t an easy year for me personaly working hard on my music and having no social life but having a very exciting perfume life!!! I bought all these perfumes and got to know your amazing blog! My first consultant to the perfume quest together with Bois de jasmine Perfume Shrine and other blogs. You are doing wonderfulll job out there! I wish all of us to have an exciting pefume life also for the coming year.
Thanks!
My year began with the purchase of Mitsouko and is coming to an end with a decant of 31 Rue Cambon, so I guess it has been a good year but there have been mistakes in between. 31 is so, so good that finally my perfume madness might be easing (at last!). I think I can take things more slowly, searching for the BEST, not the MOST.. And the best is not going to be the most expensive, or the most intellectual. (Although I do thoroughly ‘get’ Mitsouko and love it.)
I’m also rather pleased with myself for realising, all on my ownsome and without at that point having ANY read reviews, that Guerlain’s Idylle is NOT one of the best. Twelve months ago I would have fallen for the Guerlain mystique but now, with more confidence, I know that it is a nice fragrance but not worth my money. And in the promotion of it I sense Guerlain’s desperation for both a best seller AND a great classic. Very, very hard to do. I’ll stick with No 5 for that.
It really is very, very hard to do…and so in many ways my feeling about Idylle is that it’s surprisingly good. I think trying for a blockbuster rarely results in a classic: it’s too confining.
This was a great year for perfume because this is the year I became a Perfumista! I always wore fragrance, but never really gave it much thought. I had one perfume that I liked and other people complemented , so I applied it everyday as part of my morning ritual. I was stuck in bed recovering from surgery late spring/early summer and stumbled across this blog and started reading. Several thousand dollars later I am a confirmed perfume addict and spend many of my waking hours sniffing, acquiring, reading, or writing about perfume. I am obsessed. My nose has developed tremendously and I am learning what I like and what I don’t and I’m trying very hard to refrain from purchasing something unsniffed and untested. I’m also trying to learn that in many cases a split or a large decant of a fragrance is enough and I really don’t have to shell out for the whole bottle. I’ve also stopped trying to buy everything I can – just be patient – the right scents will come to me and even if they get discontinued there will be something else out there to take its place. Many thanks to all of you!
Splits really are a wonderful thing…one of the many ways the internet enables perfumistas 🙂
I fell in love in 2009. Complete, total, bottomless, utter infatuation.
He’s from Bhutan, and he grew up in a cave, or a temple or some such place. He never even had cable until the President of his country decided that he couldn’t go on living without watching the NBA playoffs.
We barely knew each other when he moved in – just a few short conversations. It was almost like we only “sampled” each other, you know? But now – an evening without him and I get downright crabby.
His name? Dzonghka. Apparently in the cave and/or temple, they don’t feel the need for more than one name. I’m still not sure how to pronounce it – but hey, I can pronounce “chypre” (to myself), so there.
Dzingnut, I hope you’re not the jealous type because that fella from Bhutan has been seeing me on the side. I just couldn’t resist that kind of charisma! 🙂
LOL! Excellent.
A very good year indeed! I too feel like I’m playing catch-up on sampling many of the 2009 releases (Cartiers, VC&As, FKs, Tiare, Amaranthine) but there are so many I want to sample, that must be good, right? Only two FBs of 2009 releases—Life Threads Silver and CdG Daphne, but I’ve got my eye on Futur, Mandragore Pourpre, Une Rose Chypree, and Epic Woman. For 2010, if I can figure out how to score Epic Woman and Lyric Woman and keep the kidneys intact, that will be a coup! (And I must keep lalala-ing so I can’t hear the siren song of the Amouage Attars…)
Also got some good bargains here and there on vintage or hard to find goodies like L’Arte di Gucci edp, Y parfum, Sirocco parfum, Shalimar Light (original version), Organza Indecence, Chanel No. 19 edt (vintage), Quadrille parfum…And became a total Ormonde Jayne fangirl with FBs of Woman, Ta’if and Tolu.
And a shout out to LT/TS for bringing out The Guide in pb this year and to NST for daily inspiration and almost daily lemmings!
Keep those kidneys! You will find a split group soon!
I live in hope! Although with the Amouages, I sometimes feel like I’ve been hypnotized…I-NEED-FULL-BOTTLE…
Oh no!!! I know that hypnotic pull…..why, oh why couldn’t it be for something CHEAP????
It has been a great year for me because I found this group. I’m learning so much about scents that I never even considered before. Thanks for putting up with me, guys. Denise
Always happy to have one more 🙂
2009 has been a great year for perfume releases. Purchased many cremes this year, Chinatown Bond No. 9 and Acqua Di Parma Magnolia Nobile. Do want a FB of Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose (sp?) or Le Labo Iris 39 by year end. Thanks Robin for the blog and to the many commenters. I truly enjoy this site. Everyone have a geat weekend.
Hope you’ll get one of your FB wishes, and a great weekend to you too!
No. All blah. Not a single bottle worth keeping. The only one I really like is L’Encre Noir (mens) but that isn’t even this year.
That’s so sad!!
Oh no, not a one? I’m so surprised.
This year brought me into the realm of niche fragrance. I have been disappointed with a lot of the lines i have tried, but i have found a few wonderful and unique scents.
I feel like kind of a minority among the perfumista world because im a guy, but ill get over it.
NST is a great site, and its readers are really nice (sometimes too damn nice). I wish i could participate more in the discussions here, but im already looking over my shoulder too much at work, hoping i dont get caught slacking off.
I wish I could meet some people in REAL LIFE that have the same passions as me.
Rictor07, I couldn’t agree with you more. I am also at work and sometimes have to rush my comments. Also, I don’t have any friends who have the same passion for perfume as I do. Most of them just buy the latest thing in the department stores.
You know, I feel really fortunate in that respect. My mom is one of the original Perfumistas [though we didn’t have a name for it back in the day], my daughter is a budding Perfumista and one of my very good friends shares this passion. My husband even understands my interest and he appreciates the art aspect of fragrance. I have people to share this with in the real world too and I’m grateful for that. That said – NST is close to my heart – a very special place for me and I am so glad I found it!
Dove – you ARE lucky! How wonderful for you. I know I’m like a lot of others on here that my on-line perfume friends are the only perfumistas in my life.
I’m halfway in between, I think. My family is quite happy to sniff just about anything I put in front of them, and express opinions, but they aren’t into it themselves. So, not quite the same.
When I speak of perfume, most women I know rather huffily say, “I don’t wear perfume”. So, no conversation, passionate or otherwise. Is it Nova Scotia that has banned the use of perfume in public places? I think so; I don’t want to leave here to Google it.
I wear only tiny dabs of perfume except when I’m at home alone. then I apply heavily (or what seems to me to be heavy) in order to think about the perfume, to consider it, to immerse myself in its aura.
Cornlily
Ewww – those women are savages. LOL
Have you noticed that the people who say “I don’t wear perfume!” say it in the same tone that one might use to deny involvement in any number of particularly depraved and unspeakable acts and habits?
Yes, either unspeakably depraved or absurdly decadent. I also find the ‘I don’t wear perfume’ people are similar those who say ‘Oh, I don’t watch much TV’ in an especially superior tone.
I have to admit I’m guilty of saying I don’t watch TV at all, but then I work for the cable company, and when I get home the last thing I want to do is look at a television screen. I’ll watch my tone from now on! 😉
PS–Those who say they “don’t watch much at all” are secretly watching Jerry Springer, Judge Whoever, and reality shows.
Not me! but then, I don’t use a superior tone, simply a matter of fact one. I honestly *don’t* watch tv, other than an occasional football game. I spend too much time online. 😀
Sorry, wasn’t meaning to sneer at the non-TV watchers. I don’t watch much either, but I have encountered a few people who claim not to with the most irritating fervour – as if those of us who do watch TV are the ultimate bubble heads. And yes, home on a sick day these people probably do sneak an hour or so of Oprah or Neighbours … or whatever …
Yeah, and those women are the same ones who pick daintily at their salads while I enjoy my Reuben sandwich. They’re just no fun, I say!
Hahaha, true that sister!
This all brings me back to my idea of having a perfume retreat. “Our kind” needs to be able to get together in person.
Where & when Miss Kitty? 😉
Miss Kitty’s house! I’ll bring mulled cider…
Works for me! We can then descend on Angela’s house. 😉
Seriously, though, maybe when it warms up here. It could be fun? We do have some good perfume shopping, especially the Perfume House.
I think you’d be surprised how many men comment here under gender-less user names…there are people who commented for ages before I even realized they *were* men. So you’re not alone at all!
I haven’t had enough years in this to gauge this year, but – I’ve never been happier with a hobby, that’s for sure!
Hobby, passion. Those are the polite terms for the addiction and obsession of perfumania. 😉
Yeah, “hobby” is still the denial stage. LOL! 😀
Exactly Rapple! 😀
It would only be hoarding if we never used any of it! We split, we sample, we share. No hoarding here. Denial, what denial?
So true! We NEED extras to share with our friends!
on the whole yes, there were about ten standouts imho, from mass to ulta niche. (considering over 660 fragrances were launched andd that does not the super indie brand,) i woud say that if i can something unique and 2 die for any year i forget about the rest.
Glad you found a few you liked!
This year? Terrific! I’ve been so thankful to have found fellow enthusiasts, the kind people here who’ve done swaps and hosted splits. This is also the year I finally realized I don’t have to shell out for a full bottle if I like something; much better to have a small quantity of something I like, then I can spring for the full bottle of something I love.
Looks like lots of people discovered decants this year, excellent!
Good year-Bad year! I discovered TPC and have been receiving little padded bags in the post, weekly, since- not good for the bank balance -good for undying luv of perfume. Latest had CdG Red Carnation and i think i have finally found my HG!
Oh, I discovered that Carnation this year too. Yummers!
Oooooh! My second real perfume purchase! I LOVE that one! I want to love Bellodgia, but the new bottle of of EdT I have smells like lemongrass/rose. I did score a vintage bottle of parfum (about half full) and it is amazing. The carnation and vanilla are just beautiful together.
It was a good year in that I realized that I can show up at work in the standard jeans, ID badge around neck, Doc Martens for the unplowed parking lot, and Mitsouko. (Development is not marketing; we don’t do suits unless we want to be suspected of an outside job interview.)
It was a bad year in that they reformulated Diorissimo before I got around to buying it.
Will say this…vintage Diorissimo seems to hold up very well, even very old EdT.
Good because I discovered this site. I have learned a lot and have gotten so excited about fragrance! I have ordered several samples from TPC and I even have a bell bottle of SL Rose de Nuit on the way (Christmas to myself).
Bad because there are too many to try and not enough time or money!
For me, this is the year I really accepted that I no longer have time to try everything….and that really eases the stress. I do what I can, and forget about it.
‘Twas a good fragrance year for me. I’m actually glad that I didn’t fall for too many new releases, because I was still enough of a newbie that I had lots to catch up on (still do, really). I’m grateful for all that I’ve learned from all of you!
My goal this year was to get to know some of the classics, and I did! I learned that I like some of the Carons and Guerlains, even considering reformulations. Jicky PdT was an eye-opener (I could see becoming addicted to that!), and Caron Poivre is now firmly esconced as a top favorite.
I’m guessing that I’ll never be a Chanel girl, but I kinda enjoyed Beige and I’m still wanting to try Coromandel and Cristalle.
You never know – I didn’t think that I’d ever be a Chanel girl and then I fell in love with No. 5 parfum (after all these years of failing to like the edp). That was my gateway drug and now I have a shelf full of FBs and decants of Chanel scents. The only thing that will get me to perk up faster than a Chanel split is a vintage Guerlain split.
Well, that’s encouraging! I’m going to try to stay open-minded.
Wanting to try Coromandel? I can hook you up.
Would love to trade samples with you!I am Haunani at Basenotes and (a very inactive) Kolea at MUA. Perhaps you could contact me at one of those?
I’ll send you a note at MUA. 🙂
I have fallen hard for Bois des Iles and I’m not much of a Chanel girl, either. No. 5 Eau Premiere got me over my aversion to No. 5. I need to try the rest of the Exclusifs next year.
Mostly a very good year in that i’ve discovered my love of iris, violet & vetiver ….le labo vetiver & encre noire being 2 of the most wonderful in the latter category(also managed to find a great priced etro vetiver on the bay on the same day Kevin posted about this scent). I’ve also been fortunate in finding some wonderful vintage scents…miss dior, noel de nuit & a gorgeous halston. My perfume obsession has also made my friends & work colleagues very happy as the mainstream scents i no longer wanted i gave to them. I’m tentatively making my way into the world of splits & swapping….2010 promises to be a much cheaper year going down this path hopefully. Thanks to you Robin, Kevin, Angela, Erin & all the wonderful bloggers on this fantastic site my education in the world of scent continues.
That’s sweet, thank you!
I think it was a good year for perfume, perhaps not the greatest year but still a good year nonetheless.
A highlight for me this year were discovering the Tokyo Milk brand at David Jones in Adelaide and buying a bottle of Honey and the Moon.
Another highlight for me was discovering Sonoma Scent Studio and the great work that Laurie does there and of course getting that bottle of Lieu de Reves.
Of the new releases, I was very happy with Versace Versense and D&G L’Imperatrice and have put these two on my To Buy List. And was Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere released this year too? If so, that was definitely the best new perfume for me!
A disappointment was finding that The Body Shop had discontinued Aqua Lily.
And last but not least was finding this website and all the perfumistas who chat here – finally I have found people who can relate to my obsession! Thanks Robin, Angela, Erin, Kevin & Jessica for the great quality articles here 🙂
Mmm…I love Tokyo Milk’s Honey and the Moon also. It’s like an unexpected foody fragrance, there’s a hint of salt in there, at least on my skin.
I find it very foody! On me it’s pretty much all honey and yes, I do get a bit of salt wafting around too 🙂 I actually find it almost confronting – like the honey is just barely hanging on the cliff of Sickly Sweet.
I remember I was at this chic boutique, sniffing the bottle cap, quite unimpressed. I thought well here’s another sweet scent for people who want to smell like cookies. But I gave it a try anyway, just to compare with the Kabuki one (which I thought I liked better). It’s pretty interesting how the honey sweetness as you said didn’t become too much then the jasmine and sandalwood emerged.
Another one from Tokyo Milk I have added to my To Buy list is Song in D Minor. I think it’s lovely and like the elegant older sister of Honey and the Moon, who I can see as a six year old girl with blonde ringlets running around the house giggling hysterically.
The Eau Premiere is actually 2 years old already!
So glad you’re enjoying NST.
Gosh I *am* behind the times aren’t I?? It must be doing OK sales-wise if it still around after 2 years so I needn’t worry about it being discontinued.
2009 was a great perfume year for me, not because I have even a slight inkling of the quality of the new releases, but because I’ve discovered that there are so many people who feel passionately about fragrance. Prior to a year ago I had absolutely no idea that places like NST existed. It’s like finding a home planet after years as a lonely perfume-loving alien 😉
Thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome and helping me on this incredibly fun journey.
it’s like NST is the mother-ship that finally came for us!
Take me to your liter? Preferably Chanel? 😉
LOL!!! yes, please do! Then we all bow down and pray for a good discount code….. 😉
Amen, Daisy! 😀 I think I’m going to be waiting for that precious beautyhabit discount code to get the PdN Vanille Intense FB. Preferably next year though, my wallet is running thinner and thinner bcs of Christmas. BTW, I’ll get on MUA pretty soon, I’ve been so sick and congested I wouldn’t have been able to smell anything really.
Hi Isnuing, thanks for the heads up on the Tokyo Milk @ DJ’s, i’m also in adelaide so i’ll definitely be heading there to check them out.
OMG this is SO cool! Another perfume lover in Adelaide! I actually set up a Perfume group on Facebook for Australia-based perfume lovers but no one has joined yet. So I was feeling very isolated as none of my friends quite get it but then I found this site 🙂
Great year as I finally clued in to the wonders of discounters– on line and stores. And great year because I finally made peace with the fact that I get less joy out of running after the latest releases and the over priced Holy Grails, than in finding great deal on a vintage scent that I like.
(not that I completely stopped looking at latest releases …..)
Discounters are wonderful!
I had a good year even though I was broke for most of it. Thanks to many enablers, er, friends here I have been able to try a lot of things in exchange for samples of my meager offerings. So thank you all!
It was funny, in a moment of weakness and desire for the Beautyhabit 10-piece deluxe sampler, I finally bought a perfume from my first Luckyscent sample order, l’Olfactive 129 from Crazy Libellule. It is a fruity vanilla floral, and there is nothing about it to recommend it, except that I cannot put it on and not start smiling. Why shouldn’t I have that? So I finally did it. I also broke the Rule and bought Tokyo Milk Poe’s Tobacco unsniffed because it just sounds magnificent.
So, have I learned anything this year? Lots! Have I learned anything this year? Apparently not.
Thanks to all of you here for all you do. I love this place.
You know, there’s an Anthropologie here that I need to come back to….I think they carry Tokyo Milk. Poe’s Tobacco does sound divine. I have to confess I bought two minis unsniffed recently: Fendi Theorema. An online fragrance boutique was having a sale and free shipping…couldn’t resist. If I hate it I know several people here who would love to take them off my hands LOL
Theorema is Lovely!
I’m so glad you love it! It gives me hope and also somebody to give the bottles to if I don’t like it. I got two, so it will be you and Tama 😀
Well now I’m selfishly hoping it’s not your thing! Is that wrong? 😉
Nah, not wrong. I might not actually use the other mini bottle and by the time the warmer months come around I’ll ask Santa (does that still apply?) for a FB as my bday gift 😀
Oh, forgot to add…so that means I may send you the extra mini 😉
That’s awesome Perfumegeek. I’m sure I have something around here to swap for it. 😉 Are you on MUA? If so, please send me a message. I’m RusticDove there too.
I just tried Theorema and instantly asked Santa for some. It’s good stuff.
This was my first perfume year, having started ~the obsession~ in January, so I can’t really compare. 🙂 But it’s been an adventurous, education, life-enhancing, and overall totally fun experience. (And freaking expensive, but… you know what, I can’t say I regret it too much.)
Just recently, I loved the fluffy, rice-y cuddliness of EgoFacto Poopoo Pidoo… too bad it didn’t last long and is way expensive!
It was supposed to be a lower priced niche line, but it isn’t working out that way in the US.
It was a good personal year for perfume, because it was this year that I discovered this blog and all you wonderful fellow perfume enthusiasts. Its been fun ! Thanks everybody 🙂
Oh good!
I didn’t check out that many new scents, but nonetheless it was a great year for me as a perfumista, I went on a perfume pilgrimage in Paris and I did my basic homework:
I am just not a Guerlain girl, well too bad…
Most chypres don’t work on me with two exceptions, AT’s rose chyprée (but is that really a typical chypre?) and my new love, 31, rue Cambon
I find most Irises lovely (when not carroty), but too evanescent, with the exception of Iris Taïzo
I have “deskankyfying” powers, and receive compliments for MCC, tubéreuse criminelle, L’air de rien, black oud, Dzing!, Rose 31, jasmine & cigarettes
In a dream world I would only use Francis Ku.’s washing products
My scent collection is starting to be well-rounded, but I still need an edgy rose and a warm incense
And I had great fun reading all your comments! Best wishes to everybody!
Perfume pilgrimage to Paris?! Wow – lucky you! And – isn’t 31 Rue Cambon the most glorious thing? I just recently got to try that one too.
With you on the Guerlain; I’m more of a Chanel girl, although really it’s the niche lines that seem to make me happiest.
I adore Iris Taizo! That’s the one that started me on Iris scents.
Hi Bee! A perfume pilgrimage to Paris? I’m doing that too next year. Did you do an escorted perfume tour? Someone offered to do one for me starting from 100 Euro, but my friend who lives there said perfume shops are easy to find and not to bother with a tour unless I can get special access somewhere or a bottle of perfume is included.
sorry Robin, I have to recommend the competition, at the “grain de musc” blog you’ll find 2 exhausting but nearly complete tour descriptions (left and right bank), newest entries, like Francis Ku… are missing, but easy to find.
It’s better if you have a list of scents you want to try, or you’ll end up with about 4-5 samples on every arm and mix up everything. Do this on your own, or with someone like-minded, only the very dedicated can manage half of the tips. I don’t think you need a guide, a smattering of French helps, but might not be necessary everywhere. Must SAs are helpful, and give out samples, except for Chanels (of course) and Montale
Thanks Bee! 🙂
This is my first full year being a die-hard perfume lover, so I have to say it’s a good year for me (but not my bank account). NST opened the world of perfume and blogging to me in 2008 when I was trying to research how to pick out a new perfume.
I have hundreds of perfume bottles/decants/samples now; my friends label me obsessive; I’ve made many new friends on MUA; and I’ve cultivated relationships with SA’s and they mail me samples at whim. What fun this has been and still there is much to discover!
Oh my, I need some SAs to mail me samples at whim! Lucky you.
Still in the early stages of perfumista-itis, has been a good year in which I acquired an FB of Une Rose Chypree . I do like an FB, they look so fine in their boxes on the shelf. Other purchases – Infusion D’Iris, Loulou, Sensuous. Rose de Mai – lots of wallet damage, craving MH Fleurs du Sel and OJ Tiare. Love reading the blog and have learned so much from you all – thanks!
Looking at FBs is incredibly satisfying (and I do have several), but I ended up giving up that singular pleasure for the (imho) greater pleasure of having many, many decants, especially of stuff that I couldn’t really afford FBs of – not if I wanted more than one or two, that’s for sure.
I still buy the occasional FB, but am more active about participating in splits and getting decants of stuff that I like. It seems like a lot of stuff that I like (like the Chanel Exclusifs and the Le Labos) come in pretty pedestrian bottles anyway.
My collection up to the end of last year consisted of primarily older (pre-2000) Guerlain and Annick Goutal scents, with a Chanel here and a Lanvin there. NST and many other wonderful perfume blogs have helped acquaint me to more scents in 1 year than I have tried my entire life. They’ve also helped me discover wonderful niche labels such as Montale, Amouage, SSS, and Andy Tauer to name a few. I started the year with a bottle of Montale and ended the year with another Montale. In between, there were bottles of Nicolais, SSS, and countless numbers of minis and decants.
It’s been a great year experience wise, but also disasterous budget wise! But now that my initiation into official perfumistahood is rounding out its first year, I think I will be much more selective in my bottle and even sample purchases next year. Of course, we still have 3 more weeks to go before the end of the year – just don’t tell my bank account!
Eek – that means that our quarterly accounting is coming up, doesn’t it? Or (horror of horrors) are we going to have to do a whole year accounting – because I might have to bow out of that one.
A whole year? She wouldn’t be that cruel! There would be suicides.
I can’t recall what we were asked last year. I certainly know it would be a day’s work to figure it out!
Or we could jettison some fragrances really fast! 😉
IMHO, not so great. I have not tried many new fragrances launched this year, but truthfully, having read descriptions on the blogs, I had no desire to. It seemed the vast majority fell within the “light fruity-floral” category, a genre that does nothing for me. Hopefully it is a marketing phase, and in the near future they’ll have exhausted all possibilities and move on to something else. And it’s been depressing to read how the IFRA’s noose continues to tighten. Really, what are they going to leave alone? Are we going to end up dabbing vanilla extract behind our ears, as our great-grandmothers did?
Oh, what a shame…I thought there were so many interesting releases this year.