With age and experience comes the temptation of despairing prophecy. The landscape of perfumery is so ephemeral that is hard for even the most optimistic fragrance follower to not sometimes feel like Cassandra, plagued by futile visions of flaming, fallen monuments of smell. In truth, the internet has made possible the niche scent industry and new marvels are being created every month. Meanwhile, auction and fragrance decanting sites have ensured that, unlike the Library at Alexandria or the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the lost are not necessarily gone forever. There has never been a better or easier time to be a perfume lover. But the abundance and range of fragrances available to us, as well as the wealth of online information about those fragrances, has created an age of anxiety. What should we smell now, we wonder, before it's gone?
For at least the past year, I have been campaigning for the best perfume boutique in my area to start stocking the Heeley fragrances. When the owners thought the samples I brought to the store last autumn were merely nice, I warned them: Heeleys are sneaky. Cuir Pleine Fleur, Figuier, Cardinal, Verveine and Menthe Fraîche — I'd ordered and used up several samples or decants of each before I realized I was completely captivated by their quirky, quiet charm. It was a bottle of Cedre Blanc, however, that I intended to buy if it came to town. Formerly called Eau de Cedre and re-worked in late 2006 to include violet and white musk in addition to cumin, cardamom, violet leaf and Atlas Cedar, this was a beguiling unisex fragrance, abstract and yet weirdly natural and familiar. I racked my brain to determine what it smelled like. A perfume blogging friend and I met for coffee and I brought along a vial of it. "It's that Indian sauce, with grated cucumber, mint and spices in yoghurt," he said casually, immediately after testing it. "Raita?" I asked, amazed. Yes, blast it, he was right: the wood and sweat of roasted cumin, the watery freshness, the smooth, cooling milky base.
Several months after our meeting, the joyous day came: I dropped by my favorite store and they had carded Heeley samples and were ordering bottles from Paris. But no Cedre Blanc samples had been sent. As Scooby-Doo would say: "Ruh roh!" It was an odd perfume and I couldn't imagine it being a big seller. I tried to remain calm while waiting several months for the promised bottles to arrive. Last week, I called the store and one of the owners happily informed me the line would be available by Friday or so. Great, I'd take a bottle of Cedre Blanc. "Oh sorry, that one's not coming! We couldn't order it, I'm pretty sure it's discontinued," he said. And then fondly: "Erin, you've killed another one."¹ While he reminisced over our failed attempt to order me a bottle of poor, doomed Diptyque Virgilio, I began to make a bitter mental tally of all the perfumes I'd apparently condemned by my interest: Dior Cologne Blanche, Slatkin Persian Lime & Mimosa, Annick Goutal Eau de Ciel, Donna Karan Gold, the old formulation of Etro Messe de Minuit, Jean Patou's original Sublime, the Institut Très Bien colognes, Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, the Thierry Mugler Miroir line (gone from Canada anyways), numerous Parfums de Nicolaï scents and on and on. Next came the list of those I was sure would be next on the chopping block. I know it's shallow to worry about endangered scents as the snows of Kilimanjaro are melting and the Maldives sink into the sea... but does anyone want to spend the rest of their life regretting they once ignored a tester of Jovan Fresh Patchouli?
As a public service, I will now reveal five fragrances that have recently attracted my attention. You should smell them now, before they're gone.
S-Perfume S-ex: Approximately once a year, I decide I need a bottle of this Christophe Laudamiel oddity before its expense, very limited distribution and embarrassing name add it to the dearly departed list. Whenever the currency markets are in my favor, I go to the website and S-ex is out of stock.² The listed notes include salt, strawberry, oxygen (?!), camellia, willow, leather, musk and malt. Fresh without sacrificing richness, silky but also tough, S-ex mixes the inspired (and not insipid) strawberry note of classic leathers like Knize Ten with a sea air tang and a base note not unlike beer or Liziza flavored malt beverages (free of antioxidants, for good-times seekers!) This is how the amusement parks smell in heaven.
Kenzo Winter Flowers: This limited edition play on Flower by Kenzo is probably already discontinued, as it no longer appears for purchase online. My local department store had a few bottles left, but a sales assistant said the stock wasn't being replenished by the distributor. Orientals with mimosa are always weird — remember Chopard Cašmir? — and this flanker is no exception. There's something compellingly flat about it: the summery melon of the original is replaced with a more somber mandarin, the damp newspaper effect mimosa sometimes produces is evident and the vanilla seems to have developed a brûlée crust.
Armani Privé Rose Alexandrie: Just because this is part of the less expensive "Les Eaux Armani Privé" line, it does not mean it's selling well. The scoundrels at Armani have seemingly discontinued the more affordable refills of the original six "La Collection" scents, so they're apparently determined to keep costs high, even if it means going down with their Kotibe wood ship. Certainly, my local luxe department store has moved all the Armani Privés to the back right corner of the fragrance floor, where scents go to die. This is that rare creature, the quiet tuberose: gently spiced, milky white and with some of the steambath caress of the eighties great Rochas Byzance.
Guerlain Philtre d'Amour: Of the Parisienne fragrances available at my Guerlain boutique, this is the only one sales assistants have not warned me is in imminent danger of being discontinued. Naturally, I'm suspicious. Plus, it's such a weird cologne: citrus sweetness along with astringency, cold, lush florals and the whole thing overlaid with fuzzy musk. Too serious and smart to last.
Astier de Villatte Eau Chic: I haven't even smelled this darned thing, but I know the end is near. Released by makers of beautiful glazed ceramics, composed by the masterful Françoise Caron (she of Hèrmes Eau d'Orange Verte, Kenzo Ça Sent Beau and Pierre Cardin Choc), and enticingly reviewed by Kevin here, this unusual white floral eau has proved impossible for me to sample. I can't find the prices or place an order on the high-concept website and none of the North American stores I've called that sell the tableware line carry the fragrances. Please join me in my quest for this elusive scent and report back.
1. Kindly see Robin's post on the difficulty of determining whether something is discontinued. Cedre Blanc is still on the Heeley website and available from some online retailers.
2. Currently, the American site has S-ex available for purchase. The international and Japanese sites (both indicating they ship from the Shaping Room, Tokyo) do not.
Note: image of Mount Kilimanjaro [cropped] via Wikimedia Commons.
5 Perfumes To Smell Now is a great title Erin because once again I hark back to when I loved a fragrance and it was discontinued. So sad!
Dolly2, I know, I’m so melodramatic lately! Trust me, I’m normally a cheerful person, but it’s getting to be that sort of nostalic, melancholy time of year… and I really am peeved about that Cedre Blanc. Sorry about your lost love.
Uh, that would be “nostalgic”. Boy, the coffee didn’t work this afternoon.
Erin- sorry to hear about the coffee. I know what you mean-I feel so wishy-washy!
Some days I should spring for the espresso double-shot 😉
The phrase “this is how the amusement parks smell in heaven” has me sold.
As long as there’s no clowns. If I see a clown, then I know I’m not in heaven!
Absolutely, clowns belong in a particular corner of carnival hell that includes novelty prizes you have to win with a mechanical crane arm (impossible!) and unwashed carnies with mullets.
The key is to find one of those “Play until you get something” mech arms: 35 minutes of frustration and a small, unrecognizable stuffed thing for only two dollars!
That reminds me of what my 8-year-old nephew said the other day. He went to one of those laser tag/bowling/carnival game places, kinda like Chucky Cheese but not so creepy. Anyway, he was all excited because you paid for the game with tickets so he basically thought they were free. He didn’t realize some adult had to pay cold hard cash for them first! And like his mother said, she should just pay for the prize rather than the tickets, it would be much cheaper!
The most infamous story of my childhood is that I was left at Chucky Cheese when I was eight and the birthday party drove 45 minutes home before anybody noticed I was missing. Creepy, indeed!
Omg, Erin, you poor thing! That would have scarred me for life! My cousin Tim was always the one getting left behind on family outtings. I got left behind at home when everyone else took off for my brother’s wedding. My aunt had to come back and get me. I was 17 and self-centered so it felt like something out of “Sixteen Candles” at the time. lol
Unwashed and mullets are two things that should not occur. Ewww!
Hmmm, I think I smell the beginning of a new Etat Libre D’Orange fragrance: “Mulleted Carny”. 😀
Ha!
Regarding the mechanical claw: Not impossible! My parents both have some knack for those things. They’ll get it on the first try. I always thought those things were bogus, too, but it turns out it just requires some weird skill that most of us don’t have. Luckily for all of us, it would seem this skill isn’t necessary for anything else in life.
There are no clowns in heaven. Only in the circus. And in my nightmares.
I love clowns! I am not afraid and will protect you.
PS- Don’t beleive those stupid movies!
The thing is, I don’t think I ever saw a movie with a wicked clown in it until I was 13 or 14 when “Poltergeist” came out. My earliest memory of a clown was sitting in a booth at a carnival/circus themed restaurant and the clowns painted on the wall in my booth freaked me out so bad, I got a stomach ache and couldn’t eat my food! I’ve also always had a fear of people in giant costumes, a la Disneyland, so maybe that has some connection with my fear of clowns?
My brother-in-law is totally freaked out by clowns. I’m just afraid of balloons (and a sudden, shocking POP!) And hot-air balloons? Madness!
I had a picture of Emmet Kelly on my wall when I was a kid.
Yikes! Unusual kid poster material…
So did I! I loved him.
Miss Kitty: I hope you love it if you get a chance to try it. I think for some reason of Coney Island, although the only time I went was at night in the smelly, humid summer and my husband and I spent a fruitless hour searching for Nathan’s. We kept asking for directions, but all the people out strolling were from a local Jewish retirement home, and they were understandably not well-versed in foot-long hotdogs.
Same here. I don’t like the ones on earth, but they do smell good. Great line, Erin!
(Agreeing with Miss Kitty about that line selling me.)
Thanks! I seem to have sold a lot of S-ex samples 🙂
Me too!
Do try S-ex if you get a chance. Don’t worry, as Tania Sanchez has pointed out, you can call it “Essex”.
Oh God, DK Gold has been discontinued? Is that why all those cheap bottles are on Ebay?
Sigh. Time to restock.
Yes. Yes, it has. Unbelievably, Be Delicious is still selling.
I had a customer of mine actually buy a bottle of Be Delicious as a gift a couple of years ago. I didn’t care for it, but wore it and people said I smelled good. Oh well.
I get the same reaction with Tommy Girl, which is fairly apple-y. People must like apple, I guess.
I certainly think it has, despite not doing the thorough research Robin very rightly suggests. Even my local discounters are reporting having trouble finding bottles.
I am SO THANKFUL I stocked up on Voile de Fleur. Gorgeous stuff.
I forgot I *had* Voile de Fleur! I need to dig that one up. My big plan for my week off is to organize my perfume cabinet, and get rid of anything I’m not using. (No, it will not take me the whole week. I’m just really looking forward to it. I may spend one day organizing and the rest of the week staring admiringly at my collection.)
If you’re getting rid of anything, please, please, please keep me in the know!
Send me a note at MUA. I may not have anything you want, though. 🙂 Some of it is department store dregs.
Dear JeninDC and anyone else who wants my castoffs – email me at powersjanamherst”at”hotmail.com
I do with my book collection all the time!
That’s so funny, because after I posted this I thought, Hmm… I should really go after the books next. Those are *really* out of control.
I keep thinking an NST swap would be a great idea for a Lazy Weekend Poll.
It would be cool!
Yes, Please ! !
I recently got a decant in a swap with the lovely AnnS, but I still curse the day many moons ago when I passed by a bottle at Winner’s discount store for $25. Of course, I am haunted now and keep checking that same store futilely (also for cheap the Sira des Indes gift sets I by-passed at Christmas – sigh).
Aw, shucks…. right back at you!
Kitty set me up with my first sniffs of VdF and then I got a nice small bottle. But I always want for more.
Sira des Indes is relatively easy to find online…..
Well, thanks for sharing your precious stash with me! Yes, I ought to order some Sira des Indes. It’s heat-powerful stuff, though, I always wonder if I need a whole bottle. (What *do* I need a full bottle of, really? 🙂
Erin–Not sure which Canadian city you’re in, but if it’s Toronto, I’ve seen Sira des Indes at a number of Winners outlets in the last month–pretty sure the one at Lawrence & Bathurst had it, and also the one at Eglinton and Vic Park.30 ml EDP for $24.99.
Cool! Up by where I work (when not on mat leave, as currently). Thanks for the info, I’ll check it out next time I’m out that way.
Yes, that was a good move! I see it in Germany and Switzerland still, but for serious money.
It must have ultimately been more popular than they thought it was when they discontinued it. Or was it supposed to be a Limited Edition? Hmm.. I don’t know.
This is so great, Erin. SO GREAT. I’m frantically stabbing “Buy” buttons all over the internet right now.
Sometimes I am completely overwhelmed with love for this site. It’s so funny and thoughtful and engaging and just plain interesting that I’m afraid it, like a lost perfume, will disappear one day. I’ve only had the pleasure of reading it for about a year, and would be desolate if Robin and her coven of noses didn’t exist any more. Dramatic sob! Hand pressed to chest!
I’ll stop emoting all over you guys now. I’m getting messy. But my love, it’s real.
Aww, thanks, I’m touched! (And I hope I didn’t blow your quarterly budget…) When I think of all the time Robin spends on this site, writing, editing, finding images and prying posts from a boob like me, I get worried, too. I’d be financially richer, but much poorer in passion and friendship if it wasn’t for NST!
Chanterais- My eyes are puddling right now. That came from the heart.
RuthW – they still have DK Gold on fragrancenet … but I am worrying that my beloved Hiris has disappeared.
Thanks, good prices! I’d order it right now, but I need to re-visit my samples and see if I prefered the EdT or EdP, which were quite different, as I remember.
Thanks for letting me know! I have both the EDT and EDP and wear them in different seasons – the EDP (which I prefer) is much better for fall/winter as it is so lush that I feel it overwhelms me in warmer weather.
Nice post, Erin.
I can get into fits of frenzy sometimes, but mostly I take the Buddhist approach of reckoning with impermanence as a fact of life in these matters. Yes, I’d want to cry if certain things were discontinued, but then I’d rustle up one of the last bottles and enjoy it for 5-10 years or however long it lasted me. Life is thus!
Is TFBO Voile de Fleur really d/c? Didn’t realize that (though I enjoy the original just fine).
I’m so happy to see you toot the horn of Kenzo Winter Flowers. It’s one of my unlikely favorites — it captivated me couple years ago on a lazy browse through Sephora. I think it’s fantastic and one of the easiest scents to wear when I’m not sure what I’m in the mood for. Time for me to get a backup bottle I guess. I do like several of the Flower line in general.
I also like Philtre, though it’s so fleeting that I’d never pay for a full bottle. The drydown it leaves close to the skin is sublime though. I may or may not try the others on your list. They sound fantastic, but sometimes ignorance is bliss in this fast-and-furious perfume world with treasures around every corner.
I’m trying to take a moderate approach now too – easier said than done. But I went nuts last year stocking up on my fav’s. Now I can calculate that what I have now will last me well into advanced age. And then I’ll need to leave the rest in my will, lol. It is hard to not keep hoarding.
I watched that show “Hoarders: Buried Alive” for the first time the other day. Really, it’s a kind of an exploitative show and very sad. But I know how these things might get started….
Babydoll,
this would sound more ‘Buddhist’ had I not just seen a picture of your sample/decant collection (I didn’t even look for FBs, I was so stunned by the beauty that is your organized collection!)…
but you’re right – I, too, have gone in for ‘less frenzy/more acceptance’ – stuff I want always seems to turn up somewhere…..somehow…
xo
Okay, well… I’ve gotten a little crazy with decants the last year and half or so. But I have *friends* who make me feel RESTRAINED. HA!
m/A: well, true. For a Buddhist, he seems suspiciously well-stocked. That split group can be a very tempting thing. I keep my eye on it, but am almost scared to start putting in for mls. 😉
Joe – are you wearing the old edt of Philtre d’Amour or the Les Parisiennes edp? I have scent glue skin and the edt was fleeting on me too. But the edp does just fine.
No idea. Whatever Pusher Daisy supplied me with. 😀
Certainly the musk from the EdP hangs around for quite some time on me. Checking the split group, I know Daisy got some for a great price around Christmas last year, but don’t know which is was either. Maybe she’ll check in and let us know!
Ah, digging the Winter Flowers love. You know, I think I gave it the kiss of death because the first time I tried it, it was so unexpected. I thought it would be much closer to the original Flower. It took me a few tries to come around to it, but I think it’s quite beautiful for this time of year, and generally underrated. I also am liking the new Flower Essentielle, another one I got decanted from AnnS.
I admire the Buddhist thing, and at least every time we move I wish I could be a little more into the impermanence and transitory nature of all things! (Books are heavy and perfume is breakable…)
Joe – so true – but the worrywart in me is why I have two bags of backup bottles in the guest room closet. My enduring loves have backup bottles for their backup bottles.
I think I’ve only ever bought two back-up bottles, but both came in handy. I traded one to a good swapping friend and the other was by beloved Nicolai PH, which I’ve just learned will soon be gone for good. I can see how backups for backups would feel very safe!
From Lucky Scent website: The Scoop
“Patchouli is a material of great importance in the perfumer’s palette. It plays as first violin in the orchestra. Among all the woody notes, it is the most sensuous. Patchouli evokes richness”, writes Patricia de Nicolaï. With Patchouli Homme, the perfumer wanted to compose a woody oriental for men, but she ended up selling it to women too (which is why it will soon be renamed Patchouli Intense).
SB: At first, I didn’t quite understand why you’d posted this, but I’ve just realized you thought I meant they’d discontinued Patchouli Homme – a very understandable confusion! Really I meant they’d discontinued Nicolai Pour Homme, Nicolai’s fruit-green lavender fougere, and one of my very favorite scents ever. Sorry!
Ah… So many things to try, and I’m not able to. Having to now carry over credit card debt and pay finance charges gives pause to contemplating whether or not I want to add to those charges with this purchase if I were to click that “buy” button. Philtre d’Amour is lovely. I was given a sample vial by a very nice Guerlain SA. I’ve read that the original – pre-Parisienne version is even better.
Opera Fan – I’ve used both and they are almost identical – difference being the edt doesn’t last while the edp (the Les Parisiennes version) does. Your mileage may vary… 😉
Thanks for the info, I’ve wondered about the difference, too.
Hi Rapple
Love your horse ears avatar…. soft fuzzy goodness…. 🙂
Well, I hope you feel responsible rather than like you are missing out as you carefully consider each purchase. I’m trying to restrict myself to one or two reasonably priced bottles each quarter now, with Robin as my example, and I do have fewer regrets. (Lots of sample purchases, though…)
Ah, Erin, what a great public service. I wonder why companies are so secretive about what they’re discontinuing, though? Is that somehow valuable information to their competitors? It would be so very nice if there were a central registry somewhere for what is being discontinued.
Dzingnut, I made myself stop when I saw that I had 5 bottles (some partial) of Fendi. Its price is starting to rise dramatically on eBay, so I know the stashes of it around North America are starting to dwindle. This actually makes me confront my mortality more than anything else. (As in, “Hmmm, realistically. What are the chances I will wear all of this? And how can I develop a young person into a perfumista to take over what I leave behind?”)
I suspect the secrecy is due to a sense of failure on the perfume company’s part. Either that, or they can’t be bothered dealing with wails of dismay from loyal, yet statistically insigignificant, customers.
Probably very true, I hadn’t thought of that.
PF / E: It’s good to “see” you! I’ve often wondered the same thing about the perfume companies, though Annie gives what is very likely a sound reason below.
Get the mortality thing: I spend so much time on samples, also, that I worry I’ll get to ANY of my bottles. The last four days, with my permission, my daughter has selected spritzes from my precious, obviously expensive Patou Moment Supreme decants to wear, though, so I guess I have someone to will the stuff to now. On Monday, when she came to me soaked in the stuff, I felt an odd mixture of horror and pride…
Pitbull-you’re speaking to the choir, I have 7 bottles of Fendi, that’s one scent I’ll keep and never sell off.
Loyal fans for this fragrance!
This post is not helping me stay away from The Perfumed Court.
Oh, sorry! Though I’m always happy to direct business to those lovely ladies.
Great review! There are so many perfumes to try and smell. I am still aftraid to try Covet SJP because of the lavender. I got my lavender shock from Ambre Gris SL.
Was to quick…….. I still miss my discontinued Joop Berlin. Why oh why …………..
Why, oh why? Sorry to hear about Berlin (great name!)…
I meant by why of why: why didn’t I buy a back up bottle, as it was still available. I personally found Joop Berlin the best scent from Joop.
I haven’t tried very many of the Joop fragrances, unfortunately.
This kind of post makes the anxious perfumista’s heart leap: the mere idea of endangered fragrances ready to be chopped and/or reformulated is the perfume lover’s nightmare!
Perfume houses has license to kill… I see the head of IFRA, ehm, no, SPECTRE, deciding which bottle to chop while caressing a white, excessively hairy cat.
I recently fell in love with Shalimar. We were just given the time to set up plans for the future, and when I was ready for marriage (i.e. go FB), Shalimar and her leather musky attire were gone: miss moneypenny in a fake vanilla fur was all what was left instead… Quinolines they say… Banned…. Stocking up and sympathizing with you, that’s the end of the movie… 🙁
Take heart Zazie: it is relatively easy to find lots of vintage Shalimar in all it’s versions on ebay…..
Great metaphor, Zazie!
Laughing at the excessively hairy cat! The problem with tracking down vintage scents is that it’s hard to determine exactly what vintage was the one you liked. I’m interested in getting some Diorella, but those Dior scents change every six months. Good luck finding “your” Shalimar.
Which ones did I give the kiss of death – once I loved them they disappeared forever?
L’AP Orchidee Blanche which is one of the most gorgeous iris vanilla powder fragrances EVER.
L’AP Jacinthe des Bois – most gorgeous spring flowers lilac/hyacinth EVER.
Donna Karan (Signature) which went away.. and then came back. Still gorgeous, luckily.
Trish McEvoy #8 Citrus Petals – gorgeous linden blossom floral.
That Jacinthe des Bois sounds amazing. I wish I’d known about it when it was still available! I figure we will all get chances at these things in the next life. We can wear them to our outings at St. Peter’s Amusement Park. Ooh, corn dogs with no calories! 🙂
And mustard you don’t drip down your shirt!
Very cool! 🙂
Robin would be cheering you on the Jacinthe des Bois. It sounds lovely, but I never got to try it. (I am a little lilac-phobic, though.) And I’m right there with you on DK Signature / Robotic Duck . Thank heaven they brought it back!
Ha, yes, I have two robot duck bottles that are totally hard to make decants out of. But it smells sooo good. And it’s one of the fragrances that my husband really likes.
That’s the trouble with cool/weird bottles, isn’t it? I hate making decants from Bulgari Black, and the people who bought V & R Eau Mega to split must be cursing the day they were born.
Is Eau du Ciel discontinued? I would be very sorry for that. It’s still on the French Goutal website.
It’s difficult not to hoard the fragrances we love best isn’t it? I try not to but I own multiple bottles of several of my favourite fragrances. Hoping they won’t have turned by the time I need them.
I don’t think eau de Ciel is disc, but I do believe that the Goutals are going into limited distribution in the USA, which means that they are hard to come by and then full price too. Do you hear me sobbing?
I do very loudly. Well I live in Europe and it’s only 5 hours by train to Paris ( or even less, if there is no strike or anything of that kind). So I need not worry. I thought Goutal was owned by an American company but I am probably misinformed.
Your favourite Goutal is Heure Exquise isn’t it? I love that one, but Ciel is so good an a spring day.
Yes, HE is my fav Goutal – it is one of my HG fragrances too! It was the first fragrance that opened my mind to galbanun and iris, so I have a big soft spot for it. As time passes, I find more and more of the Goutals to be so amazing. I really underappreciated most of them for a long time. I just discovered Eau de Ciel at the end of last winter, and it wasn’t soon enough! I consider myself very lucky that I have a bottle.
My husband and I have been following all the strikes, etc, in France. It must be really chaotic! I hope things calm down soon.
Ann, this does seem to be the problem with EdC (and Eau de Monsieur, too). Rarer and more expensive…..
Austenfan, I did notice it on the main Goutal website, but it’s very difficult to get here. When Luckyscent got the Annick Goutals, they were offering it briefly, but it’s sold out there now. I think it might be fairly exclusive to Europe, now.
I think you are talking about Noor!!!
They told me the Heeleys were coming in. I’m anticipating my next visit.
Noor! Now that is good to know. In TO, correct?
Correct! If you’re in town, check them out. (And drop me a line – I’d love to go sniffing….)
I’m parked here permanently. I might just take you up on that offer!
Hey, I guess I’d forgotten that! Please feel free to email me anytime…
Hey, you caught me out! Great place – I’ll end up buying another Heeley, of course, to support them, probably Cuir Pleine Fleur. Poor Fred, he puts up with lots of my foibles…
Best in town, to be sure, lovely staff, lovely everything. I wish they would pick up Lutens since Sephora dropped them like a bad joke. Ah well.
I think Fred and Nahla don’t want to compete with Andrew’s there, since they have the Serges. The testers there are always in rough shape, though, labels missing and such.
i love Cuir Pleine Fleur; and I agree, the Heeleys just need a little time to really grow on you.
Loved this post Erin! The Heeleys have long interested me and I just haven’t sampled any. I must remedy that.
I’m so glad you too love Philtre d’Amour. I think it’s a very under-appreciated treasure. A traditional cologne with a twist.
I don’t think I’ve been exactly the kiss of death for anything (that I can think of), but being a “woman of a certain age”, I’ve certainly seen my share of beloved scents either discontinued or reformulated beyond recognition. It’s all I can do not to buy back-ups of all of the fast disappearing classics.
Thanks! As I mentioned, I think the Heeleys need a little time to grow on you. They’re subdued and very smooth, but they each have interesting twists and turns that hold the interest when you’re paying attention. If you like Philtre, you might appreciate Verveine, which is similarly an intelligent citrus-floral.
Hee, hee! Love this post, Erin, though I am very sorry for your loss(es). What I want to know is, do your powers work for perfumes you don’t necessarily like? Could I email you a list of all the ones I’ve been dithering over…? Hmmm.
To indicate to you which ones are liable to be discontinued? I can try! The thing is, the ones I like best are most likely to be discontinued, and I’d advise you to buy those ones anyway 🙂
Is it safe to say that Burr’s assessment of S-ex as “the freshly shampooed genitals of some beast” is slightly off-base, then?
Unless the beast has been shampooing with beer? Yeah, not necessarily my favorite review of his…
cologne blanche?? it was beautiful.. i still see a bottle or two in the dior boutiques (asia).. so crossing my fingers (until i can afford it 😛 )
personally, i lament for the weird and initially reported diptyques which have apparently been made boutique exclusifs.. i hope they havent reformulated them to no end!! i’ve never smelled l’autre so am still dreaming of that..
l’feu d’issey is another one which raised my interests.. unfortunately i only see the light version even in obscure perfume shops here (is it in any way reminiscent of the original one??)
o well.. long live the weird!! long live the beautiful!!
love love love the post btw, erin 🙂
Thanks, you’re very kind.
Long live the weird, indeed! And you’ve picked two of the weirdest oddballs out there. L’Autre I’ve never owned but tested many times and it’s exactly like wearing very sweaty, pungent curry – only the brave! Feu is a great one, but people testing it often think it’s gone bad. I have a bottle and every time I wear it out, I watch people’s faces as I go by: some very funny looks.
Cologne Blanche is very hard to find here now, Eau Noire non-existent (luckily already own a vat of that), and I think the only one available from the original Slimane trio online now is a 500 ml bottle of Blanche in the UK.
not sure if i had people give funny looks on me because of perfume i wear, haha.. probably behind my back.. i’ve had a friend who commented on my perfume though.. i was like “oh, sorry that seems to be me, does it smell bad??” and he was like “nah.. it’s just.. weird”.. lol
anyways, i love most of my diptyques in the comfort of my room where i can admire them and enjoy the memories that they sometimes represent.. virgilio i cant even wear but i spritz it once in a while and cant help forming a funny smirk on my face..
as for the diors: oh, i thought it was only blanche!! so apparently even my beloved eau noire?? i thought this would have been selling well.. good thing i have a bottle of that already.. hopefully i’ll get tired of it by the time i completely consume it.. or maybe not 🙂
p.s. virgilio i cant fully wear due to the near migraine symptoms the hay accord unfortunately gives me sometimes.. otherwise i would have loved it more.. it’s one of the wearable weirder perfumes IMHO
Too bad! Yes, it’s very wearable if it doesn’t give you headaches…
Outstanding post, Erin. It’s clear that you reached your audience. The Cedre Blanc sounds just great (tempted to order it blind before it’s really really gone!). I’ve yet to really explore Heeley, but their Sel Marin is one of the best marine fragrances I’ve tried.
Yes, like Sel Marin and actually, most of the good salty fragrances. Oh, poor old Virgilio! Sob!
Warning about the Cedre Blanc: you definitely need to be able to handle cumin (but I think I remember you’re okay there…) All the ad copy recently includes something about “modern freshness” and it’s nice to finally find some!
That’s right – you are a fellow salt fan. Yes, I like cumin and seem to be able to handle it in quantity. But yes – I’ll order a sample only.
Always a wise move….
I think I may have killed the original (Shiseido) Feminite du Bois, although it happened *after* I bought a bottle. It became an HG for me and I wore it like mad for a few months. Taking stock of the dwindling level in my bottle, I went back for another–no luck! I finally found it on Fragrance Net a couple years ago and bought two more bottles before it disappeared again. I think it was just too different–a cedar-based feminine being sold in mainstream department store cosmetic departments–no way! I have a sample of the new SL version, but I haven’t compared them yet.
I gave away an original teardrop bottle of Feminite du Bois just before the old version disappeared, so maybe we both killed it. Glad you got some back up bottles. I’m okay with the SL variations (Violette and Musc, particularly) and I have the old, very similar version of Dior Dolce Vita, so I don’t regret that moment of generosity – it went to a good home.
Thanks, Erin – this is an evocative and USEFUL post. I don’t think I hit quite as many buy buttons as Chanterais, but would echo that heartfelt appreciation for NST!
I’m still sad that the original 1999 J’Adore was reformulated so soon. Normally, I would just snap up a vintage bottle on Ebay, but it’s so relatively recent, and I cannot remember any distinguishing features from the current bottle, so this is a truly frustrating loss. I do own and appreciate J’Adore L’Absolu, which is lovely, but the original J’Adore was the scent of pure happiness to me. “Smell it before it’s gone” is the best advice, for sure!
Thanks! Oh, that reformulation problem is the worst. I really should get into researching sticker codes and packaging differences, but there’s so many other things to spend time reading that I guess I’ll never end up with my original YSL Rive Gauche, Diptyque Tam Dao, Patou Sublime, etc. Hope you *do* chance upon some happy J’Adore, though – it was such a popular scent from the beginning, I can’t imagine it’s all gone.
Erin, I gather you are in Canada–do you know if it is possible (legally, that is, and for less than an arm and a leg) to ship perfume from the US to Canada? Maybe by UPS? I’m still fuzzy on just what can be shipped and how and to where. The reason I ask is that I have a 50 ml bottle, about 75-80% full, of Eau du Ciel that I would like to find a good home for. I liked it at first, but I find it becomes too sweet and cloying on me and tends to give me a headache. If you are interested and if it would be possible for me to send it to you, contact me at Roses_50 at yahoo dot com.
Hey, that’s very thoughtful! I get perfume through the mail to Canada all the time, but my friends often, well, I guess the technical term would be *lie* on the customs declaration form. USPS and courier service people seem to vary in their response to the truth: some could care less what you’re shipping, while some ask you ridiculous questions about the flashpoint temperature or whatever and are very skeptical about the legality of it. The (un)funny thing is that if it comes from a retail business and you pay customs, they never hassle you on the shipping issue. If you feel comfortable dealing with the post people, maybe we could do a swap?
Great article Erin. Thanks for making me dash into Barney’s tonight to sniff Heeley Cedre..NICE. Also, to pull out my stored away decant of S-EX. 🙂
Hey, so glad you like the Cedre Blanc. And, oh, to have a Barneys close at hand!
Having a Barney’s close at hand is dangerous. Trust me.
I second that! I nearly went crazy the last time I was there.
Trying very hard not to hit the buy button on the S-ex! Great idea for an article. I have to be a bit Buddhist about the whole thing myself, and try to like what I have and what I can get, without crying over what is gone.
It really is a good idea to love the one you’re with. 🙂
Oh! And I just tried a new sample I have of Heeley Cardinal = Nice! I wasn’t sure at first but the drydown is great.
Tama, I like that one and it reminds me VERY much of CdG/Artek Standard
Speaking of which, I meant to tell you… I retested that one, and whatever weird sour note was there before didn’t show up. I really think my over-air-conditioned office last summer did a number on my nose. They had it under control this year, which was much more pleasant.
What is it with office temperature control?! I froze all last summer and alternatly sweated and shivered all last winter. It does tamper with the instruments….
Love Heeley Cardinal
I get a little bit of soapiness off of Cardinal that doesn’t always enchant me, but it does wear off in the drydown. It makes a nice alternative on days when I don’t feel up to Bois D’Encens.
I just heard on MUA that my (closest approximation to a) HGS, Guerlain Plus Que Jamais, has been discontinued. I knew the threat was hanging over it, but didn’t realise the deed had been done. So am trying to swap for some of that before it is too late – a FB always eluded me (geography and cost).
Can also thoroughly recommend Opium Fleur de Shanghai, which is still knocking about on Ebay and is very lovely.
I heard it was going, too… but as I indicated, my Guerlain SAs have warned me Derby, Attrape Couer, Liu and Chamade Pour Homme are also doomed, too, and I’m not sure I believe any of those. I do notice that PQJ is not on the website anymore, though. *sigh* It’s a lovely one and only the cost has ever deterred me from a bottle, as well.
I remember Opium Fleur de Shanghai – it was great!
AG Eau de Ciel is still available on fragrancenet …
Looks like I could spend a lot of money I don’t have on fragrancenet! 🙂
Erin, you’re right. I recently tried Heely Cuir Pleine Fleur and it totally surprised me. Very edgy leather at first, eventual drydown was very soft and tame. I wasn’t looking for tame that day.
My must smell probably will buy is the M Mink by Byredo. Such a great scent……. edgy, different, great depth and lasting power. Will have to revisit though, I want to be sure I’ll really love it.
We’ll have to try that side-by-side – it smelled great on you – wonder what it will do on me!!
CPF does have a very smooth, soft drydown and it definitely has a hush about it, so you’re right that it’s not for a wild day. Bandit is for a wild day… or apparently M Mink! (Haven’t tried that one yet…)
Erin I e-mailed the Astier folks and they got back to me =) Even though I eventually bought a bottle off BN I found out that they sell them in HK and even in Taiwan! Anyway, it is a good summer cologne with some depth and happy to decant some at cost if you want some~
Thanks – that’s very kind! After this post, it looks like I have a sample/decant coming my way, but I’ll keep your offer in mine, in case I can’t live without more once I try it. It seems to be relatively available in the US, just not online….
Interesting! I tried Virgilio at Diptyque in Paris this summer and really liked it. If the SA had told me it was about to be dicontinued, I might have bought it. It was lovely! Also, interesting that S-ex has strawberry. La Maison Francis K’s Cologne pour le Soir is a soft leather, kind of linear, but every once in a while I get some strawberry from it. I wonder if they’re similar.
I think Virgilio is still around in Paris, and a few stores in North America that had a lot of older stock still have bottles available, but it’s much, much harder to run to ground here now. I’ll have to dig out my Cologne Pour Soir sample and sniff for strawberry – I can see there being rich berry notes in there for sure.
I just purchased a new bottle of AG’s Eau de Charlotte — it’s awful & all wrong, cat pee & lemony water. The slightest hint of its old cheery self in the deep dry down. It had been such a great comfort scent for me. I’m going to have to go searching on the on-line discounters to find the good old stuff.