Ding ding ding....it's time! Donatella Versace, Our Lady of Scented Extravagance,1 wants to know what you bought in the 4th quarter (October, November and December) of 2010.
Update: the poll is now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted!
If you dare, you can also report what you spent for the year.
My purchases? I was extremely well-behaved...
I bought a 10 ml travel bottle of Frederic Malle Carnal Flower (they come in trios; I bought one from someone who had bought the trio). Grand total: $43.80. That makes my total for the year $180, give or take a dollar, and that makes 2010 easily my best-behaved year (for spending) since I started keeping track in 2003.
As always, report your purchases in the comments if you dare! And as always, we don't include samples or gifts, and you can count miniatures, decants and bottle-splits howsoever you like (I usually count them as half bottles).
1. Why does Donatella host (against her will, mind you) the damage polls? There is no real reason other than the picture of her perfume collection, which shows that she indulges regularly at the perfume counter. The image, by the way, is originally from Allure magazine and appears here courtesy of Blogdorf Goodman.
You are very, very well behaved, missy!
Me, I did a lot of sampling at Scent Bar and the various retailers, but only bought one bottle, and that was Costes 2 by Olivia Giacobetti. Smells like Maison FK Pour le Soir, but at over half the price!
I do like Panache a lot though, as I think you do, too, and am thinking about Traversee du Bosphore, but we shall see. I love Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, but I bought that in the third quarter, hee, hee!
Hugs!
I was unbelievably good this year. Wish I could say it was will power, but a lot of it was just other things on my plate, so to speak.
I would like small bottles of Traversee and Panache, but I am pretty firmly opposed to 100 ml bottles at this point, and even 50 ml makes me think twice.
Violetnoir and Robin, Panache is my most-wished-for FB, as we start the new year. What a great fragrance!
Hi Violet,
ITA that Costes 2 smells like the MFK Pour le Soir – except I think I like Costes 2 better (and I love the bottle, though I’d buy the smaller one if I buy)! I also like Panache which I’ve just recently tried from a sample.
Hi Springpansy, longtime reader, first-time poster here. I, too, am a fan of both the MFK and the Costes 2, but I also liked the Costes a bit more. It seemed a little warmer and creamier on me. Might have to splurge on the small bottle sometime this year, if the budget allows.
You guys are making me curious. I’ve smelled the original Costes, and I did think it was great- while I would wear it, I didn’t leap out and buy a bottle. Now you are making me think I’m missing something by not smelling Costes 2!
I am starting to dread this poll more and more. Cause every quarter I seem to get more then the last quarter. The only plus side is this quarter was a gold mine for me. Amouage Homage, JIcky pure parfum. just to name a couple. Looking forward to this upcoming quarter with less new releases that I am looking forward too.
Cheers!
… just to name a few? You should name them all
I’m curious.
Agree! But can FULLY understand you not wanting to! I’m feeling awfully secretive, myself…
There’s a point where I stop adding up the total even in my head and I want to hide under a rock.
I’m not postin’ my total, either of bottles or $.
I will however say that I think my collection has now “rounded a bend”. I’m swapping and decanting more and buying fewer whole bottles. So. (If they’d stop discontinuing things I really, really love so I have to buy backup bottles, I could do even better!)
Well done Robin for being so sensible. I also never tire of that pic of Donatella and her perfume collection. When I first saw it I thought she was in a shop!
I did buy a SL Sarrasins bell jar for myself for Christmas, as I’d wanted it for a couple of years, which is enough on its own. HOWEVER, I keep feeling compelled to buy pre-reformulation bottles of Diorella whenever they come up on Ebay at a decent price and have been averaging about one a month for, er, a few months… Going to stop that now (unless they are in the dogstooth packaging of course). Just added it all up in my head – won’t be doing that again.
Wow, you find that many old bottles of Diorella?? I need to appoint you my requisitions officer for Diorissimo
Ha! They are on Ebay UK though, I don’t know if that makes a difference. I would have thought they’d be more, not less, in the US.
Oh, maybe there are. I don’t see that many that I feel sure enough about to bid…maybe you’re just more daring than I am!
…and a small voice said ‘um…keep buying…and I’ll tell you where to send them…’.” (Ah, Difficult but Divine Diorella.)
it’s good to listen to those helpful little voices…
I’ve looked & loved but haven’t bought many this quarter either.
I jumped into this quarter immediately, but it quickly tapered off as I awaited Christmas gifts.
The damage is as follows:
Robert Piguet Bandit
Amouage Epic Woman
Demeter Snow
Doir Pure Poison — a gift for a friend
The first three were purchased all within a 2 week span back in October and then I just stopped buying in anticipation of the holidays. Though, now that Christmas has passed I’m trying to practice restraint and not go off and buy two or three bottles I want that I didn’t get.
Gifts don’t count!! So you did even better than you thought.
I did a lot of sampling and spent quite a bit on gifts, but I also bought 3 FBs that I’m really happy with. I’ve read a few comments on here about how newbies can get carried away at first with FB purchases without considering the scents fully, so I was very careful in what I chose.
Well, except one. Versace’s The Dreamer was an unsniffed purchase that I got at a huge discount, but luckily I ended up loving it. The other two are my first ever niche purchases (yay
) and were both very carefully thought-out, sampled and re-sampled.
Here’s my list:
The Dreamer, Versace, 30 ml
Dzing!, L’Artisan, 100 ml
Santal Blanc, Serge Lutens, 50 ml
Dominika, congrats on your well thought out buying strategy and on your first niche purchases. Exciting isn’t it?!
It is. I was really picky in deciding which niche I would buy first (Dzing) because I wanted the first one to be special
Lovely picks!
Thanks
I don’t think I would have ever tried the Versace if it wasn’t for the 100 must-sniff perfumes list on this site, so thanks again for that. It’s nice to have a favorite I can get so cheaply at a drug store.
I really applaud your discretion and restraint. You’ll end up with a collection that you’ll be very happy with.
I hope so
Once I get up to 8 or 10 FBs in my collection, I’ll switch to buying decants.
I was very good this quarter – no full bottles. Just a Diptyque Pomander candle (had a money off voucher) and a small bunch of samples.
Total for the year – 6 bottles which is actually quite a lot by my standards. Having said that, I don’t think I paid full price for any of them except Cuir de Russie extrait. Plus it also means that now there are only 4 things on my full bottle wish list. I’ll be one content bunny once those are all ticked off.
How is the candle??
Really lovely and perfect for the festive period- orange, cinnamon, a bit of clove. Pretty potent too, I didn’t light it for about a week after opening the box and it still filled the room.
Thanks!
Only 3 again this quarter:
Chanel #22 pure parfum
Chanel 28 La Pausa
Issey Miyake Noir Absolu
Up next is Hermes Iris Ukioye. I compared 28 La Pausa and the Iris Ukioye wrist by wrist for a whole afternoon last week. Lady La Pausa won out by a mile, but the drydown on Ukioye is definitely FB worthy.
Happy New Year all !
K
I am very jealous of your La Pausa — that’s on my to buy list too.
Considering this is the first year I’ve really got into the stuff, I’m pretty proud of how restrained I’ve been! Damage for the quarter wasn’t damaging at all.
SL Ambre Sultan – finally gave in to a FB
Arpege pour Homme – at $10 for a 30ml you can’t really go wrong
I also bought the discovery set from Ormonde Jayne – probably the best $65 I spent this year. Brings my total for the year to around $550 – not bad for year 1 eh? OK admittedly I didn’t really start buying anything until June so the third quarter was a little more painful but still, I’m proud of my self-restraint
My next FB will be Ambre Sultan! I swapped away my OJ Discovery set so I think I’ll be purchasing another soon…
*swoon* – Ambre Sultan is one of those perfumes where I’m kind of glad I’ve never met anyone who wears it because I’d probably end up following them around all day! Following myself around has proven to be much easier and less stalkerish.
Agree about the OJ sample set!
Ormonde Jayne Discovery Set w
Ormonde Jayne Discovery SEt was my downfall earlier this year & then I bought Tolu Pure Parfum in October & adored it and then took advantage of their Thanksgiving offer & bought their neat little Tiare travel purse sprays. Toyed with Jo Malone’s Pomegrenate Noir but restrained in the end.
Damage this year!
Bottles of : Chene; Gucci Pour Homme; L Lolita; ; Mac MV2; Absinthe; Poe’s Tobacco; Paul and Joe Blanc and Bleu…Saving now for a bottle of Ambre Sultan and some etsy fumes…
When I started sampling fumes, I was on etsy more…now I’m tending to go back there to see what compares to some of the niche stuff I’ve learned about!
That’s for the whole year?? Not bad at all.
I was reasonable only in number of bottles, 2: Amaranthine and Vetiver pour elle (in the pretty bee bottle), ml and money-wise it’s a different subject. So total FB for 2010 is 5, not too bad
Amaranthine is worth every penny!
Oh, not bad at all.
Two GREAT choices, IMO. Congrats!
I bought both of those this year, too (amongst many many more) – both worth every penny!
I think my damage for this quarter is as follows:
SSS Sienna Musk 34 ml -$55
SSS Fireside Intense 34 ml -$55
CdG Incense Jaisalmer 50 ml -$80
Lubin Le Vetiver 75 ml – $75
4 bottles, not too bad!
This quarter I bought 4 perfumes:
XerJoff – Verona 010 (100 ml)
Tom Ford – Tobacco Vanille (100 ml)
Tom Ford – Tuscan Leather (100 ml)
L’Artisan Parfumeur – Tea for Two (100 ml)
I have no plans which perfume I should by next. I will try Traversée du Bosphore and Tihota in a few days, maybe one of these two?
I want to buy a bottle of Verona so badly. How do you like it?
I love Verona, it is a sweet gourmand fragrance. I can smell a lot of vanilla and caramel, some spices (cinnamon) and a fruity note (Orange). It’s comparable to L de Lolita Lempicka, but much more refined and balanced. The lasting power is amazing and it has plenty of sillage. And the flacon is so pretty!
If you want to buy a bottle, you have to hurry up! I’m not sure if they still have Verona in stock, it’s limited. They told me that I bought one of the last bottles.
Once I started counting on my fingers, I realized I was kind of bad ….
Hermes Hiris (was available for about 3 hours at one of the online discounters, yay!)
Givenchy III (back up bottle)
Hermes Kelly Caleche EDP (grabbed it at the duty free on my once-every-two-decades overseas travel)
CdG Kyoto
CdG Zagorsk
Dzing (back up bottle, when I was afeered it was being discontinued)
Balenciaga Paris
But, I was able to re-home an equal number of bottles, so … I’m even?
Nice choices, especially the incense series
I see FBs of a few of those in my future, since they’re really not that expensive (well in comparison to many other things anyways.)
My Dzing purchase was also partly fueled by rumours of it being discontinued, but I would have bought an FB of it sooner or later anyways. I’ve only got one bottle now, and I’ll probably get a back-up if those rumours surface again.
I knew there was one more thing I was supposed to do last night… Oh well. I’ll have to post mine later. I do know my total was a reasonably well-behaved under $200, but it was a better behaved $120 until just last week.
Heheheheee….. I’m with you, Boo! This did NOT stick in my head yesterday! Denial!!
I’ve been ever so restrained this quarter due to two things: 1) I retired and thus said good-bye to discretionary income, and 2) I realized that even if I live to be 100, I’ll never use all the perfume I have. So I’ve been enjoying re-discovering all the things that are in the back of the drawer and haven’t bought a single bottle of more than 20 ml.
I got splits of :
Tauer Eau d’Epices
31 Rue Cambon
Mary Greenwell Plum
L’Artisan Traversee du Bosphore
L’Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre
15 ml bottles of:
Ava Luxe Oeillet
CJ Scents Gingerbread Amber
And my bargain of the quarter, Yves Rocher Orange Blossom Honey, a whopping $6.00 for 20 ml.
Aparatchick, good idea to stick to splits and 15mls. I have 600mls worth of Chanel Exclusifs which would last me a couple of years alone. I do so love 31 Rue Cambon though!
It is lovely, isn’t it!
Congratulations on the retirement!
Yes, adding my congrats!
Congratulations, A! You’ll smell amazing!
Aparatchick – Congrats on retirement! I hope you have lots of fun. I am also trying to slow down b/c I realize as well I’ll never get through my collection if I were to get to 100 either! I need to create a fragrance will!!
Congratulations on your retirement! More free time to sniff.
How is that Yves Rocher?
A very nice honey. No beeswax that I can smell, but lovely lightly sweet citrus-honey.
Great, thanks!
Your split list is awesome! Nice choices
FB’s~
Memoir woman
Rosine’s Une Folie de Rose & Rose Kashmirie
Une Rose Chypree
vtg. Emeraude edc and pdt
OJ Woman and Tolu
partial bottle of Fendi Theorema
Natori
TONS of splits, so many that I am not going to list them all, let’s just say that I went over $500 and then I got really blessed on some awesome bottles and decants from PP when they did the Swapmania business. I’m a wild woman my friends and my love for scent knows no bounds. I’m happy with what I got, dismayed I want more and only a lil’ concerned about my sanity levels.
There.:D
Sheeesh. I was dreading this but I know for a FACT there are others out here that did WAAAAY more damage than me.;)
LOL. And I admire the ones that didn’t go overboard. Cheers!
Lovely full bottles choices Tamara, or should that be Wild Woman! Don’t feel too bad, two people have already clicked “More Than 15”
Why thank you Tortola! I thought I did OK. Of course you look back and see other stuff you could’ve got but that doesn’t mean I won’t someday! ha.
I love vtg. Diorella as well but my darling is vtg. Miss Dior parfum.
that’s interesting, you’ve reminded me that I want to compare une folie de rose and URC.. I sort of put them in a similar category, but apparently you think they are different enough… I’ll just go and try them out at the same time!
Hello Bee, yes URC and UFdR are totally different darlings.
Une Rose Chypree is my darkly spiced heavy rose, hardly rose at all to me, it’s very rich and strong with vetiver, patch,’ vanilla and labdunum. Une Folie de Rose is a mossy green rose chypre and I love the zing! factor it has for my nose but it’s not thin or sharp, it’s bright opening smooths down into patch’,sandalwood and oakmoss.
just pulled out my samples, you’re totally right, the top notes are different, but I’m curious about the drydown
I was afraid of the words “rose” and “chypree” in URC, but your description makes it sound like something I could actually like
I think I remember you describing how your daughter crawled under your blanket to smell that one, too… I’ll have to sample it soon.
Beautiful stuff, T.!
I agree! I never tire of Un Rose Chypre and when in doubt always reach for it. It is so uplifting.
Hi Tamara, it’s Ann from over on the Posse. We chatted a bit last year about the Memoir Woman. So happy to see you got a full bottle — hooray! And I see another fave of mine — Theorema, yum! Enjoy them!
I’ve been lurking on ebay looking for vintage emeraude… how can you tell? Same question goes for Shalimar and Chanel… what do you look for (other than the words vintage) to know that it’s the good stuff and not simply ‘used’?
Hi CM,
Others may offer different advice, but I’d advise to figure out what you’re looking for by the packaging. If you do a little research on the web, you can often find that a particular formulation (Eau de Cologne, for instance) is generally pre-1980, or that a particular bottle label or box was used before the re-formulation you’re trying to avoid. Perfume blogs are really helpful, as is the “images” function of Google, and eBay itself – if you look at each instance of a particular perfume, some helpful sellers will give you more information, and you can learn more about the options.
Good luck!
I forgot to keep a list this quarter, but I was very restrained after realizing I have so much stuff I haven’t tried and I’m using what I have very slowly (I’m not a big spritzer anyway and my hubby gets migraines, so I try not to overdo it!). I think I spent about $70.
Smell Bent samples and small sprays – $30?
Tom for Tobacco Vanille 5 ml decant – $15?
L’Artisan Cote D’Amour 15 ml decant – $12
mark Earth – $10 (yes, it’s Avon – it’s one of the very few things my husband had ever said he liked and it’s discontinued and on sale!)
Not too bad! I feel like I’ve gotten so much more since I participated in the big PP swap and have done a reasonable amount of MUA swapping as well.
Okay – so I’m cheating a bit, but for me samples are still expenditures, so in my case, it’s my total sum of fragrance purchases for myself, although I’m only counting a total of 2.5 bottle equivalent at $228, likely my thriftiest quarter of the last 2 years.
FB (just one this qtr):
DSH Essenza dell’Ibisco (purse spray & body products)
DECANTS & SPLITS (largely thanks to HRS, Miss Daisy):
Malle Carnal Flower
Montale Highness Rose
Teo Cabanel Early Roses
OJ Tolu
SAMPLES:
Packages of Divine (5) and mixed set by Divine
Package of Alahine (5)
Mixed bag of AG samples
SWAPS & Donations (reserved decants of all exiting bottles with full disclosure to recipients):
Exits-
Miller Harris Noixe de Tubereuse
Nahema pdt
Montale Aoud Roses Petals
Entries-
Jicky pdt
Delrae Bois de Paradis
Sacrebleu
I mean – HRH, of course!
hahaha well….I was sort of filling in different words for the S and wondering if there was something I didn’t know about….
It’s that pesky ring finger on my left hand – must have landed first and I thought I’d hit an “H” instead….
Splitter, of course, it means splitter!
ya never know! it could have been sh**head or something!
Do decants count as fragrance bottles?
I think i`ve spend more the last quarter in samples and decants thatn in full bottles…
I counted my decants in termsof the corresponding fraction of the volume of the smallest full bottle that I would have had to buy.
Me too! I love sampling, and if I’m “lucky” I tire of the scent before I purchase the FB. Very cost-effective – or so I keep telling myself….
I usually count them as 1/4 or 1/2, depending on price & size.
Me too! And, oh boy, do they add up.
I did very well this quarter — mainly because I had a lot of stressful personal stuff going on which pulled my attention away from perfume (amazingly!). Unless I’m forgetting something, my only purchase was a 15 ml bottle of Kelly Caleche, $20. It’s actually been a really nice time of appreciating the huge amounts of perfume I already had.
I know exactly what you mean: I’ve been going through my drawer and pulling out some of my favs that I’ve neglected. I’ve actually been enjoying wearing off-season fragrances right now too – light and fresh colognes and citrusy things I normally reserve for summer. I have a huge amount of stress at work and the big orientals I normally wear in the winter are too much stimulation for my poor brain.
The planets must be horribly misaligned or something.. I’ve had the same kind of year as well.
Stars and plantes indeed! They’ve all lined up and are sitting on top on my poor head. Hope things lighten up for you soon too! Every time I put on Mandragore Pourpre I think of you.
AnnS, I’ve been doing the same thing, pulling out some summer and citrus fragrances. On the worst winter day there’s something reassuring in those scents, a promise that warm weather has existed and will return again some day.
It must be something about how dreary it is this year. I keep wanting to wear Cristalle or AG Neroli to zing things up!
Ann, that is so interesting — I haven’t worn my big orientals and things I usually wear in winter a much either! They’ve felt like too much this year, but I hadn’t linked it to the stress I’ve been under — it totally makes sense!
Hope things lighten up for you soon too!!
It seems like everyone has such goodies! I tried very hard to control myself in this quarter b/c I knew there would be some gifts. I have a bunch of swaps and splits that I am happy to have which always help so much. It ended up being a very Goutal quarter for me.
FB-
Vintage Bal a Versailes edc 4 oz!!! for about $34 on evilbay – amazing bargain.
AG Eau de Ciel
AG Mandragore Pourpre
AG Vanille Exquise
And I’m going to throw in for the 10 ml of Carnal Flower decant I bought b/c of it’s cost and amazing significance for me – the only tuberose I really love.
I know they don’t count, but gifts were AG Ninfeo Mio and DSH Coeur de Vanille.
Evilbay can be amazingly friendly at times…
Yes, indeed! Thankfully I cast a small net on e`bay and have not had a bad experience yet.
Carnal Flower!
Eau du Ciel smells like sheets dried on the clothesline to me, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Many years ago, before I acquired my bottle (back in the days when they dispensed 100ml GWPs), I put some Eau du Ciel on at work and my neighbor in the next cubicle thought she smelled some kind of cleaner… BTW – I was advised by an AG SA @ SFA in NYC to layer EdC with Rose Absolute. The combination is amazing!
Hey Operafan – thanks for the tip. I stumbled across an amazing layering combo the other week too. I busted out my Ce Soir ou Jamais edp b/c of whatever post that was from Angela. A few hours later I put on some of the AG Vanille Exquise. Holy Moly! Imagine some powdery dark rich rose – the gaiac totally grounded the big rose in CSoJ… it was amazing and I couldn’t believe it. I’ll have to try out yours too!
I like tip exchanges! Think I have a sample of VE, and tons of CSOJ, so will have to try it soon.
Those SAs in NY (back in the mid ’90s anyway) were such good sales folks. They told me AG fragrances were meant to be layered. Of course, if you really believed that, you’ll certainly walk out with a multiple bottle purchase! I acquired mine one at a time. The Eau du Ciel, which I still have, was my gift from a purchase of a pair of ivy cluster earrings at Bendels.
Carnal Flower indeed~! A gracious swapper had thrown a small vial in a swap a few months ago as an extra. I wasn’t even interested. Funny how that happens. I was totally blown away. Me + Carnal Flower = TLA.
I voted, I compressed samples/splits/minis, I don’t know if I did some creative accounting…I am running away, and might come back to list the purchases…that is, if I haven’t hidden one or two even from myself…
You. You! You were incredibly good. Go get some quality chocolate.
Yeah, I was not so well-behaved on the chocolate (or the tea!) spending as I was on the perfume.
thats ok: its probably not humanly possible to ingest the amount of lindt that would cost the price of some high-end frag!
I don’t know about humanly, but I used to know a 25-pound Scottie who got into the Christmas presents and ate 4 pounds of chocolate. Figuring in the vet bills, that was worth a lot of perfume.
He was not MY dog. I guard my chocolate and my pets more carefully.
Do perfume-y products count? Because my cat treated me to some lovely OJ Woman bath oil and candles — or does all that go on his account? In any case, the tally is:
Bottles:
OJ Woman accoutrements
TDC de Bachmakov (bought 2 bottles but split off all but around 30ml)
vintage Caleche
Split portions:
Dior Mitzah
Dior Leather Oud
Creed Angelique Encens
Profumum Victrix
All told, probably just under $300. But I think I need to slow down my split purchases — it’s not that much money, but I didn’t adore any of them, and spending any amount on stuff you don’t love just ain’t worth it. On the plus side of the ledger was the Posse Swapmania: some of my unloved bottles made other people happy, and in return I got Theorema, Naked Honey, Bellodgia, and a few others. For just the price of postage, it was fantastic.
I don’t think gifts from the cats count.
Most of my collection came from my cat and my daughter when she was an infant. They both wanted me to be so happy! Gifts from anything that weighs less than 25 lbs don’t count.
Drat: my kitteh is a fatty, and the dog weighs 135 lbs. But their little paw placement on the “Place Order” button is feather light!
…feather light, but oh so willing….
Maybe you have two cats trapped in one cat body? You deserve twice as much fragrance!
Wonderful concept, Ann.
Gifts don’t count as purchases, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing the information!
I love how some people’s pets got them presents
I don’t have any pets… I’m hesitant to get any because I’m not sure I’ll settle down in the city where I currently live, and I don’t want to get attached to an animal and then maybe have to leave them. But I could get a fish. A generous fish that would herald in the new spring season with gifts to me from Hermes.
“A generous fish”
LOL!
Love it!
A generous fish who heralds the seasons with sumptuous scented offerings? If that’s not already in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, it should be!
Yup, a big fat goldfish in that Hermes orange….would naturally get matching packages!
I can totally see a fish going for eau de merveille – would have to be salt water one!
My large and gorgeous pup keeps getting me gourmands….
I was thinking Un Jardin Sur le Nil
Oh BTW…. How’s the OJ bath oil? Would you recommend it? Is it lightly scented or can you actually smell it on you even after the bath? I’ve been contemplating a purchase for a while.
LOVE the bath oil — I put some in my bath last night and got lovely whiffs of it all through my sweet slumber, so yes, it lasts (and it’s very true to the fragrance). It doesn’t seem to gunk up the tub either. The candles I’m less impressed by; I thought they’d be more powerful (I guess that would be more “throw” in candle lingo).
Thanks! Lemmings alert….
You know, maybe I should start saving the receipts this year. Last year I did not, and it was my first SERIOUS perfume year. 2009 was my first year of a slow start, in 2010 I just plunged right in.
I am not counting gifts that I bought for other people, but I do count the gifts given to me, since these were my choices (I submitted a wish list a while ago, and if you recall, many doubted that my husband will be capable of navigating DSH website during the December sale). I am happy to announce that he did, and so here’s my FB purchases:
YSL Yvresse (Oct 2010) whopping 120 ml wow
vintage Ma Griffe EDT (Nov 2010) also 120 ml — too much, I know.
Then I did the same bargain of the quarter, Yves Rocher Orange Blossom Honey, a whopping $6.00 for 20 ml as Aparatchik did. Got it together with a gift for my girlfriend who adores Yves Rocher, so there.
DSH Mahjoun
DSH Cardamom and Khyphi
DSH White Magnolia
Ormonde Jayne Tolu — thanks for letting know about the free shipping! I skipped the 10% off sale during Thanksgiving but happily surrendered to free shipping which in my case was MORE! I did not know at the time that my MIL will give me some money for Christmas, so I went on a limb with it.
You got some lovely things, and congrats on the Tolu!
and kudos to your hubby for successfully navigating DSH and finding you treasure! Isn’t the Cardamom & Khyphi glorious?? Love that stuff!
I got myself a small bottle of Cardamom and Khyphi–unsniffed, which I usually DO NOT do–and it is wonderful. It is also one of the few perfumes my hyposmic husband can actually smell.
I have five Ormonde Jayne perfumes by my very favorites are Tolu and Ormonde Woman. Tolu is so amazing. Every time I wear it, I wonder why I don’t grab it more often.
I’m getting better about being more selective in my FB purchases… but I’m also spending more on decants (small ones) and samples.
My damages:
Prada L’eau Ambre
L.T, Piver Heliotrope Blanc
Barbara Bui Le Parfum (still in transit)
L’Artisan Dzing!
Lolita Lempicaka, LL Le Fleur, and the orange one (3 on discount closeout!
$300 or so in total, excluding samples & decants.
I like the idea someone mentioned of ‘rehoming’ existing perfumes. Anyone in DFW area interested in a local swap?
I would love to offload about 10 bottles to good homes. …. It would be a nice thing to have a real swap meet!
A swap meet sounds like a great idea!
Count me in!
Maybe Robin would allow us to do one “on site” – people would just pay for postage (I bet most of us have Paypal accounts). I don’t even need to swap – I just want to pass on some bottles to folks I know will love them!
I keep saying we’ll do some kind of swap thread, and then I don’t get around to it. I’ll work on it.
Just like the recent swapmania on the Posse, hosted by the most gracious March!
It seems like we MIGHT have similar taste in ‘fumes. How do you like the Piver Heliotrope Blanc? Your post got me Googling it, since I like heliotrope but never heard of L.T. Piver.
I LOVE it! I found it while browsing at The Posh Peasant (her ‘special’s section) and ordered the FB unsniffed after googling and reading a review or two. It’s light and powdery without feeling too floral or too foody. Staying power is so-so and seems to last only a few hours. If you like fresh light scents, it’s very nice. Ava Luxe has a heliotrope that’s similar (as is her angel face white musk) to the Piver. I like the Piver better.
OK DFW-ites… let’s meet and see what happens! If you’re interested, send me an email with DFW Perfume Swap as the subject and I will organize something. I’m thinking next weekend (Jan 15/16 or the following Jan 22/23) at a coffee shop/restaurant is a good place to meet. Find me at Leximaea at yahoo.
If anyone has done this before and has suggestions, please post them to share…
$50 That was my damage:
SSS Femme Jolie, 17 ml
VC&A Midnight in Paris 10 ml
Annick Goutal Vetiver 10 ml
I wasn’t trying to “be good”: I’m just getting more selective. Robin told us this would happen on our perfume journey. Or, at least, that’s what I “heard” her say!
I was a lucky winner in Andy Tauer’s Advent Calendar giveaway this year. It was meant to be: Cologne du Maghreb is the first AT perfume that I love unconditionally.
Isn’t it just beautiful? Mine arrived on Christmas Eve, making it all the more special.
Oh congratulations, Boojum! Christmas Eve, no less. I love the citrus (I get lime) and the way the drydown perfectly blends the residual citrus with Andy’s base. In the future I’ll look closely at Andy’s colognes. I’m going to wear the heck out of this stuff in warmer weather, although I have to admit it’s amazing in the winter, too.
I was going to ask you to comment about this – it sounds really lovely.
AnnS, this is what I imagined Orange Star would smell like but it didn’t. There is a blast of fresh citrus, like you just stabbed a lime, lemon and grapefruit all at once and the juice flew out. After a bit it goes a bit earthy, like green stuff just about to rot (I like it). Quickly after that the spices come in, that Tauer base. It’s quiet and subdued except for that initial citrus blast.
Oooh – wooh! Thanks for the comment!!! Must try this now.
I am so jealous not to mention sad that I will never smell Maghreb. I entered the Advent Calendar blog every day but of course I never won anything. But then I never do–that’s just the way it is with me, if there there were 500 raffle tickets and I bought 499, I would still lose. Too bad that Maghreb is not available for the rest of us, but perhaps it will be some day. Congratulations and enjoy!
Filomena, I also entered everyday and managed not to win. Actually with the amount of comments I think a LOT of people entered every day and never won, so don’t feel bad!
I thought I gathered, from one of his blog posts, that he’s contemplating offering it at some point… but maybe that was wishful thinking, as it was before I won mine? I hope he does, as I’m already starting to jealously guard my bottle after making up a bunch of samples, and that makes me feel selfish.
Oh, and… I’m the same way with winning, so don’t give up! I was stunned when I got that email.
Congrats to both of you on the Maghreb! It’s a great scent.
I slowed down here…one large decant Heely Cardinal and a bunch of samples, which roughly adds up to one bottle. I know we’re not counting but I got that HUGE bottle of CdG Odeur 53 for Christmas. I probably have enough juice now to leave in my will. I’m eyeing a decant of Chanel Sycomore but want to slow down and enjoy what I’ve got for a while.
I did the Posse swap too and ‘rehomed’ one for YSL Paris. Now THAT’s a room-clearer! I bet Our Lady Donatella loves that one!
I got some Paris for grandma for Christmas, but took a few sprays for myself too and wow. I’ll be dabbing if I dare wear it again.
Paris for Grandma! Now I won’t be able to wear it without laughing!
I have a love/hate w/it myself. My older sister studied a semester in the south of France and came home w/a bottle of Paris. At first, I really liked it, but it is *powerful* stuff, and she applies more heavily than I would have. So.
I used to adore Paris when I was in college and had a bottle for a short time. But now, even though I love roses, I have trouble with it b/c it just smells like that time. I wish I could have tried all those lovely flankers that came out about 5 years ago.
Ann, didn’t I send you some of my Paris Pont des Amours?
You can have some if ya want… it’s much less potent stuff than the original. I have a big tester bottle, and I like to sleep wearing it in the summer – it’s powdery, but comfortably so, like a soft cotton nightie.
I have been relatively good with a burst of purchases this last quarter, as someone said above I have been slowing down, and enjoying what I already have.
FBs
Prada Eau Ambree EDP and lotion heavily discounted gift set – yippee.
Shalimar Ode a La Vanille
SSS Rose Musc
SSS Winter Woods
Narciso Rodriguez for her EDT
Only 2 other FBs in the year – Amaranthine and Chanel No 5 pure parfum which I got on store card points
Very pleased with what I have.
Next year ? Want to sample some of the Chanel Exclusifs as they sound divine. and would save up for all the SSS fragrances when they become available.
SSS Winter Woods. Yum. I’ve been enjoying my sample this winter. Sometimes I get a lot of smoke and a little sweet. Other times I get the reverse. It’s strange, but I’m not complaining!
I agree, it is changeable, and all the more likeable for it.
Sunsetsong, lovely purchases! That L’Eau Ambree really is rather nice, fancy a bottle myself. Definitely do check out the Exclusifs, I didn’t think I even liked Chanel till I found them, now 3 200ml vats later… From your buys I’d start with 31 Rue Cambon as it has a beautiful ambery drydown.
Thanks for the advice! It is always great to have a pointer.
Like Tortola, I hadn’t met a Chanel I really loved until the Exclusifs. Coromandel and 31 Rue Cambon became immediate must-haves.
4 bottles. Yikes. Somehow I thought I bought less than that. Huh.
PdN L’Eau Mixte 100 ml – $80
PdN Eau d’ete 30 ml (counts as 1/2, I say) – $40
Gorilla Perfumes Breath of God and B-Scent 10 mlers – $50
Jacomo Paradox Pour Femme 100 ml – $25
Monsieur Givenchy reissue bottle 75 ml – $65
So $260, give or take a dollar or two and some currency exchange. I’m not going to add up the year because I don’t like to think about quarter 2. To my surprise, the best thing was the haul at the end of this year: a super-generous friend gave me a bottle of Vamp a NY after my review, and crazy Santa got me the vat of Chanel No. 18, a small vintage tester of Jean Patou Moment Supreme (!) and a 15 ml of Concentree D’Orange Verte in my stocking (I admit I helped him with the last one, but he did the other two himself, clever elf.)
Oops! And I got that Mediterraneo bottle (50 ml) in a swap. It was a satisfying quarter.
Wow you got some real beauties!!!
Yes, Ann, I am feeling pretty sated. My “Top Three” wish list for the second half of this year was No. 18, L’Eau Mixte and some pre-2000 Nahema and, of course, your generous decant will get me through until I buy a full bottle of that last one. I would make some wild, un-keepable resolutions for 2011, but I’ve kind of promised myself I would support my local boutique that brought in Heeley when I harrassed them by buying a bottle of that brand. And then, I’m really liking I Loves Les Carottes, too. But enough! No Dior collection scents for me in the new year!!! No Cartiers! Serge, the next one better suck!
Erin – I’m happy the Nahema will hold you over. It is great stuff. That is so great you have a local boutique you can support! I wish I did too. Maybe I need to support your boutique as well. Eau de Monsieur anyone??? And thanks for that little vial of Carnal Flower – you changed my life, lol! I never thought I’d ever like a tuberose!!!
Ha! “counts as half,” that Eau…eau, you…
I have Breath of God in the center of my radar. Among other happinesses is that is a something that spouse recognized as “weird” and “wonderful”…go figure!
I’d like to hear about the Jacomo; congrats on the No. 18.
But… but… it’s 30 mls! It came with the L’Eau Mixte and free shipping! And I’ve held off buying it forever! That counts for half! It does, really…
Sadly, my father and hubby smelled Breath of God, and B commented: “Like skunk, maybe. Yes, skunk.” My dad said: “I thought perfume was supposed to smell… well, good?!” It has not deterred me, though – never does. The Paradox is another one that would divide even perfume fiends: it starts with a huge blast of nuclear melon, salty and very Calone-ish. That takes out a good 75% of your current audience right there. A flip book of fruits and then caramel/vanilla snuggly drydown. Sounds like I should hate it, but I really like it. Think you’d like the salt, but it’s a try-before-you-buy.
That Paradox sounds interesting. And challenging, LOL!
“A flip book of fruits”! Love that image.
Hey, NICE friend!!
After being relatively restrained all year, I went a little nuts in the fourth quarter. Not counting the three gifts I received for birthday and Christmas, and a gift to my husband from me (Escale a Portofino, which he will share with me, hee hee), these were my FB purchases:
Acqua di Parma Profumo
Serge Lutens Douce Amere
Serge Lutens Gris Clair
Santa Maria Novella Fieno (partial bottle)
Maoli Perfumes Colonia Dulce
Ava Luxe Madeline, Moksha, Johri, & Sweet Absinthe
Molinard Habanita Parfum
I did take advantage of percentage-off sales for nearly all of these. Makes me feel a little better.
Just because you aren’t counting them, doesn’t mean we don’t want to know what they are….
Boo, the gifts were as follows:
Serge Lutens Chergui, from hubby for my b-day in October
Anne Pliska, from a friend for Christmas
L’Artisan Fleur de Narcisse, from hubby for Christmas
Of course, the cats help my husband shop! =^..^=
Fleur de Narcisse!! Good hubby. Douce Amere! Good you.
I know, scentscelf. I smell really really really nice.
Smart cats!
Hey, Haunani, my fellow Profumo lover. Glad to read that you finally got a bottle
It’s just SO good, isn’t it?
Agreed on that Profumo. If it weren’t so dern expensive locally, a bottle would be mine. Very fine haul list there, H. Also most impressed with your Douce Amere…
The Profumo IS expensive. I got it online from a vendor offering a discount on AdP fragrances. That helped a little – worth watching for! And lately I’m quite taken with Douce Amere, and anise/licorice fragrances in general.
Douce Amère was one of mine. Does absinthe really smell like the apotheosis of root beer?
It’s wonderful! So plush and luxurious.
Isn’t Habanita parfum wonderful stuff!
Yes, I finally got around to trying Habanita (silly me – I thought it wouldn’t be my type of thing!), and fell for it hard. I went straight to ebay and bought some.
How was AL Madeline? My finger kept hovering over the “buy” button, but I’ve sworn off any more unsniffed buys.
I was bad, aparatchick. I bought those Ava Luxes blind. I really like the three I’ve tried so far (Madeline, Moksha, and Sweet Absinthe). People say that Madeline smells like eggnog. It really does! It’s a great holiday comfort scent. Would buy again. Probably will, because the bottles are small!
This has been a crazy year for me with perfume. Believe it or not, after this craziness, my wish list is currently vacant. I think I’ve reached maximum capacity!? Is that possible?
Q4 is an anomaly in that I “won” two full bottles, plus had a large $ haul on my birthday (I turned half a century in November – yikes). These two factors upped my bottle count significantly, but my actual out of pocket for purchases is less than any other quarter this year.
Purchased bottles:
Roberto Cavalli Oro – $30 (OK fragrance, very cool bottle)
Mauboussin Histoire d’Eau – $20
Un Bois Vanille – $20 (had a $100 Amazon gift cert)
Purchased decants ($84):
Bois de Violette
Gourmand Coquin
Oriental Brulant
Traversee du Bosphore
de Bachmakov
Bottles I won through blog giveaways (gotta play to win!):
Histoires de Parfums Defile New York
Delrae Coup de Foudre
Birthday gift from my husband:
Kilian Love and Tears
Bottles purchased with birthday $ (hosted splits of all of these which helped me to stretch the $ quite a bit):
Cartier La Treizieme Heure (came with a 5ml bottle of Panthere parfum – wow – love the Panthere!)
Cartier L’Heure Defendue
Cartier L’Heure Fougueuse
Il Profumo Patchouli Noir
Phew! I told you it was crazy. Also purchased about $80 worth of samples. So, grand total out of pocket = $234 for the quarter.
Total out of pocket for the year: $1,191
25 bottles
12 decants and minis
Numerous samples
About the same as last year. 2011 will be the year of the purge, I think.
Forgot one – Nuit d’Amour decant – included in the birthday haul.
Wow, you did well. That’s a pretty impressive list of acquisitions for that money!
That’s quite a haul for your $234 investment.
Wish I could get gift certificates so that I’d be “forced” to make purchases!
Get a credit card that accumulates miles with every purchase, then trade in the miles for gift cards! That’s my secret.
Okay – I see. I have a rewards credit card, but I trade my points in for cash to help me pay my bills….
I eat bread and water so I can buy perfume.
You did get a lot for your money!
OMG what is Love and Tears like???
Beautiful jasmine!
I actually didn’t think that I’d bought anything this quarter, and was happily anticipating reporting zero. In the interest of accuracy though, I double checked my Paypal log, and I *did* buy a couple of things the first week of the quarter:
5 ml. split of Messe de Minuit – very nice, but I like Incense Pure better
10 ml. split of Shalimar Ode de Vanille – Note to self: Do. Not. Buy. Unsniffed.
1/2 oz. vintage Samsara parfum – a great deal on the auction site
Rappleyea, have you found a home for the OdlV?
No! But pleeeeaaasse email me at rappleyea11 at yahoo dot com and I will be verrra verra nice to you!
hi poll-uted friends,
damage is done, no regrets:
FB:
L’Heure Bleue contemporary edt
L’Heure Bleue vintage edp
Cuir de Lancome
Rose Ikebana travel size
spent a fortune on tiny drops of vintage pure perfumes:
jicky, apres l’ondee, mitsouko, vol de nuit
emeraude
no 5.
cuir de russie
they all made my christmas extraspecial
Except for the #5, your pure perfume stash is identical to mine! Chasing vintage extrait is an expensive proposition, isn’t it?
Rapple, try the vintage no5. it is so one-of-a-kind
yeah, they are so expensive I did not dare to tell anyone, but I know you guys will understand
it is like buying a time machine
Ami, I know it didn’t come cheap but you’ve got some fabulous classics there. Like you say, no regrets!
my professor was Robin and the gang
it was a lesson worth learning
I think only two this quarter: Mythique and my (hope) soon to arrive Shalimar Ode de la Vanille (three if you count a decant of Bosphore and the Huiteme Art sample set as one). I also spent a few dollars on samples from luckscent and smell bent….All in all- I bought fewer bottles in 2010 and I am very pleased with my purchases. On my 2011 buy list: Bois des Iles (hopefully in the smaller bottle!) and Ormonde Woman.
I want some Bois des Iles too. I want the darned parfum though.
Helen, oh how I love Mythique, so perfect
Eek, I’m feeling shy. Why am I so bad. bad. bad.
Kenzo amour, 30 ml
cool water for men 40ml
hypnotic poison elixir 30ml
coco edp 35ml
Cdg 2 25ml
ambre Russe 100ml (ouch)
ELDO divine enfant 50ml
The first two I got great bargains on, the H.P. a 20% off, the coco at a discounter, the cdg at a fleamarket. So I only paid the full price on the last two…
(And i won the anthropologie + Le Labo solids…)
Merlin, no need to feel bad at all, I think you’ve done really well there.
Thank-you, sob.
When I almost like something enough to buy it, I end up buying it when I see it on special. I’m not sure thats a really good strategy – maybe if I don’t like it enough to pay the original price I should just say no.
But then you would have said no to Ambre Russe, and it’s worth every penny (wearing it right now …. ah, it’s good!).
Actually I paid the full amount for both ambre russe and Div. Enf. But I don’t regret either. Those two and the Coco have turned out my favourite…
Well I know I love the HP. elixir too as I have used the EDT in the past – but actually I haven’t opened it yet.
That does not seem bad to me at all! You should have seen my lists a few years ago. Ack.
Patou Sira de Indes edp1.7 OZ
Smell Bent One1.7 OZ
Donna Karan Gold 1.7 OZ
J Lo My Glow 1 oz
L’Or de Torrente 10ml mini
Vintage eau de Arpege ½ 2oz bottle & parfum 5ml mini
Balenciaga Talisman 5ml mini
Lolita Lempicka 5ml mini
Wing & a Prayer Sabra Co, Flowers, San Fran 3.75ml minis
Wing & a Prayer Fioli Rose, Lavender and Roses, Tallulah B w jasmine 3.75ml minis
Vireo Baudlaire 4ml mini
about $175 in all
Wow, you got an incredible amount for your money!
sorry so thats 10 1/2 with minis as half bottles right, we need an edit button dreadfully
Four for me:
1. Schiaparelli Shocking
2. Aesop Marrakech
3. Grosssmith Phul-Nana– this line has been my favourite discovery for 2010. I can see myself owning all three of these.
4. Divine L’eternel feminin – for when I want to smell like a grand lady even if I never want to be one. All fans of Divine Divine really have to try this one.
I liked the Grossmiths, too. Different and special.
Vinery, I’m intrigued about what you said of the Divine that you have. What does it smell like? I LOVE that house and Divine is my tuberose and L’Inspiratrice and L’Ame Soeur are my darlings..
Tamara, L’eternel feminin is the pure perfume version of Divine, very rich and haunting. I have and love L’Inspiratrice and L’Ame Soeur, too!
Hmmmmmm…. my totals in bottles purchased is lower…. however, I surpassed the $200/bottle landmark twice!
Here goes:
Montale Black Aoud 20 ml
Borneo 1834 50 ml
Cannabis Santal 30 ml — though I ended up giving it to my brother-in-law for Christmas — does this count?
Comme des Garcons edp 50 ml
Smell Bent One 55 ml
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady 50 ml
By Kilian A Taste of Heaven 50 ml
Rochas Man 100 ml
I completely covet your poll!
(…maybe not the bills? But heck, those are stunning buys!)
It does not count if you gave it as a gift!
When it comes to perfume, I spend most of my money on perfume samples. I’ve recently gotten into swapping, which is much more economical. The bottles I bought this quarter were mostly Le Labo.
Carrie, I agree: samples are the way to go! Swaps are great too, but bottle splits have been my saving grace—it seems like 5 or 10mL is enough of almost (*almost*) anything!
I was rather well behaved during the rest of the year, but I closed it with a hell of a perfume shopping spree. The total count of the year is 18, but the last quarter alone counts for 9, though technically 3 of them might be seen as (discreetly orientated) gifts by DH:
Piguet Futur (gift, the first in its genre I really love),
OJ Tiare,
Piguet Calypso (impulse buy during trip to London, at the moment I’m not wild about it, I’m hoping it will grow on me),
Narciso Rodriguez For her edt,
OJ Ta’if,
Shalimar edp (gift, how did I live without it all my perfumista life?),
Vero Profumo Rubj extrait (wohoo! I had been wanting to buy it for a year!),
Montale Black aoud (gift)
and a 10ml spray of Breath of God.
I swear I’ll be a good girl in 2011 and that, after Kiki and Homage, my current huge lemmings, I’ll be quiet
Good to see another Vero Profumo lover.
Holy Moses in robes, D, you went big!! I love it. OJ Tiare and Rubj especially – did you get those in London? I fully support the Kiki and Homage, too, by the way *yelling this last bit as they drag me away to debtor’s prison*
I bought Tiare and Calypso in London. The Vero profumo I bought on Ausliebezumduft. I’ve spent months trying to love the edp, but the fruity part was too fruity and I was always missing the burst of sunshine of the extrait, which is awesome all year round, but during the winter smells like a promise.
Now I have the same doubt about Kiki. I prefer the burnt caramel of the extrait, though the fruity aspect doesn’t bother me like it does in Rubj edp.
Anyway, I already hear the sirens coming to get me to debtors’ prison too
Hey Del, I love my down and dirty decant of Rubj EDP, but I totally agree…it hasn’t got that iridescent shimmer the extrait has and unfortunately hasn’t calmed the lemming enough!!!
Hi W,
the day before placing my much awaited order I remember trying the edp and the extrait, one on each wrist, and deciding that, while it was the latter I was really craving, the edp had such a different feel that one might almost think of having both.
Curiously, in many reviews of the edp the cumin is pointed out as responsible for the whole “rotting” feel, but my nose just smells too much fruit for its liking.
Hello D – just thought I’d say, I’m a huge Kiki fan, I couldn’t happpily live without some, and I was so looking forward to a less spendy version of the extrait but the EDP isn’t what I hoped for. I have made my peace with it but like you, I so enjoy the burnt caramel aspect of the extrait and the EDP doesn’t have it.
Hey D, I keep changing my mind. I always like the extrait better, but still, in some days the fruit in the edp is offputting and seems to break the entire balance of the fragrance, in other days it’s just a different accent, that makes me think I might go for the cheaper one.
Also I find Kiki a rather unpredictable scent as for staying power. It certainly doesn’t love hot days, but somedays it’s intoxicating for hours, some others it seems to go lost on my skin. So I find myself comparing the two versions in this sense too.
What’s your experience?
Replying to Delfina here I hope! My experience is very similar to yours and you put it well. Some days the fruit in the EDP makes the thing smell like french furniture polish to me and other days I don’t get that association (not that it’s an unpleasant one!). And I agree about the extrait’s character. Some days it lasts and lasts and others, only 4 hours max but then those days are when someone will compliment me on it. So maybe it just develops more sillage sometimes! Whichever you go for (or both) – Congratulations and Enjoy – I’m glad to have met another Kiki fan
L’artisan havana vanile (took me a while to love it!)
Parfums de Nicolai Kiss me tender (30mls)
Iris Ukioye (15mls) and Rose Ikebana which was a gift from my husband.
Oh and decants of Cote d’amour and Vamp a la NY
Pretty happy with all of those!
I second the Havana Vanille comment. It took me until winter to love it. Now it’s on my FB list. Congrats to you.
I was really really bad.
Serge Lutens La Myrrhe
Carillon pour un Ange (split)
Portrait of a Lady (unsniffed) 50 ml
Le Feu d’Issey (still somewhere in the postal hyperspace) 50 ml
Kenzo Winter Flowers 50 ml
No. 5 Eau Premiere 30 ml
Lush Karma 10 ml
and “few” decants and splits of Guerlain’s extraits and exclusives.
Okay, 5 full bottles just doesn’t count as really really bad around here. I doubt you would make even one of the ‘really(s)’. ( :
Interesting choices, Macska! What’s the Malle like? And the Winter Flowers?
Well, I really like it, a big red rose with patchouli, spicy, resinous… I find Winter Flower pretty similar to the original Flower scent, only a little more flowery and less powdery. It started dissapearing from local store shelves so I *had* to stock up
szia macska,
it is so good to be bad
enjoy your beautiful scents 
Has anyone round here made a 2011 perfume purchase yet – just wonderin…
yep! Two 5ml bottles from Yves Rocher for a whopping $5 each, and I talked Dangerous Daisy into splitting up her Montale Boise Vanille with me! Party time!
*cough* Bulgari Black (couldn’t resist to New Year’s discount)
Cuir Mauresque, Molinard Musc, Ciro New Horizons parfum, Emeraude parfum, Lanvin My Sin extrait, and Bal a Versailles bath oil. And I’ve got others lined up for purchase in the next few weeks
it’s gonna be a GREAT and SMELLY year!
Wow Lilybug, it sounds like it!
Since a friend is going to Germany and the incense series is less expensive than it is here (S. Africa)I have ‘ordered’ Kyoto. I bought Quarzazate (sp?) some time ago because it lasted longer on, but have had a burning flame for Kyoto for a long time! And while I was at it I ordered a bundle of samples of some great niche stuff I have never been able to try! An expensive way to enter the year but hopefully it will still my craving for new scents for a while!
I haven’t purchased anything yet this year — only because I really lucked out with no less than 5 bottles given to me for Christmas gifts.
Uh… yeah. I bought a mini bottle of Ferre by Gianfranco Ferre – the aldehydic one in the grenade-looking bottle. It hasn’t arrived yet; I’m out $13.
Yup, 3 from SSS now the carts back up, a whopping 100ml Nuit de Tuberose (but am splitting a few off if I can get paypal to come back from wherever its gone…maybe I wore it out), the PG Hutierre whatsie set, and Felanilla. That’ll do me, I’m going back up to the farm and settling!!
The SSS cart is up?? Birthday present, here I come!
Not yet, but it will be a matter of days before I hit the buy button to make Vero Profumo Kiki mine…
gosh, you folks are unbelievable!!! perfume purchase on the 4th day of the quarter, wow!
good soldiers of Donatella for sure : )
Got some vintage Joy parfum and have my finger poised to click on some Kingdom.
2010 Total: $1,613.19
A few bottles, lots of splits, and lots of samples! The number is a little bigger than I expected, but my Excel spreadsheet doesn’t lie…
…dratted spreadsheets. Which is why I said maybe I’ll be brave enough next year.
Yeah, guess there’s a reason I don’t keep a spreadsheet. Allows for what someone further up called some ‘creative accounting’!
I do keep a spreadsheet, but I do not include sample expenditures on it. Samples are expenses, FBs are capital purchases.
Exactly. (I do keep track of decants, now that I jumped into the niche pool and everything is so expensive.)
Expenses and capital purchases? Oh my goodness, my tolerant husband might crack if I set a budget for two categories! LOL
LOL! I don’t count samples, either, even though some years they account for the bulk of my expenditures.
My damage:
FB-
Oriflame’s Midnight Pearl
Ava Luxe Madeline
Saffron James Ipo
Decants-
Claudie Pierlot Mon Premier
All 3 Andrea Maacks
Damien Bash Sin
Guerlain Nuit d’Amour
Hermes Iris Ukiyoe
SIP Black Rosette
J’Adore l’Or
How do you like the Maaks? I’m very tempted by those.
The Maacks are interesting, indeed. There are splits available on wiki, I think….;-)
Oh, the damage done…
(mind, I don’t think it’s too bad – let’s just hope I don’t go off my rocker in 2011)
FB:
)
Matthew Williamson Incense 100ml
ELdO Tom of Finland 50ml (2 bottles at £10 each. Harvey Nichols had a crazy sale in the UK around July. Bought unsniffed, fell in love…)
Grès Cabochard 30ml (online discounters are my friends
Dior vintage Diorella 50ml
Gorilla Perfumes (at Lush) 10ml bottles of Orange Blossom and Tuca Tuca (and samples of each offering in the new line)
Lanvin Arpège Homme 30ml
EL Youth Dew Bath Oil 30ml
Marks & Spencer Autograph Noire 100ml (wish more people knew about this gem!)
I remember also getting quite a few samples from Les Senteurs (but that doesn’t count, right?)
Gifts were EL Youth Dew Amber Nude, ELdO Tilda Swinton Like This, Chanel Les Exclusifs samples and the entire By Kilian line in samples.
Some great buys, and great gifts!
Harvey Nics had a crazy sale??? Oh I am so gutted I missed it but many congrats on your £10 bottles. Will also have to check out that M&S scent.
As you’re in the UK too, if you even want to swap samples, let me know.
Ok, I confess to 8 bottles! but mind you half were bought at discount (at Ross Dress For Less..no less! hehehehe) and were gifts to my in-laws.
The other 4 were the 4 hermessences on 15ml bottles.
Hey, gifts don’t count!! And a discovery set ought to count as 1 or 2 bottles, right?
The damage:
FB of Chanel Bois des iles –that’s 200 ml of beauty (and I got a smaller decant of the perfume) 210 dollars
FB (paranoid back up) of Amouage Homage Attar but only paid 125 dollars for 30 ml. YES!! It pays to have Armenian friends who go to the Middle East for months on end!
FB paranoid backup of Habanita. <75 dollars, maybe around 60 or so, I think.
Somewhere around 400 clams. But I'm happy as a clam.
those were EXCELLENT deals ! You did well…..why, WHY don’t I have an Armenian friend who travels to the Middle East??? This is all so unfair…..
Yeah, me too… why?
we should start a campaign I guess
I notice all my backup bottles are of things that are discontinued. Reasonable, yes? Except that there are FOURTEEN of them. That’s silly. I should pass them on.
namely?
Holy cow! We should organize a perfumista shopping trip to the mid-east, imagine all those dollars saved on Amouage!
I want a European friend who goes to Paris and London, so I can get bottles of things that are unavailable here in the US.
IMAGINE what its like to live in AUSTRALIA and want EVERY bell jar….wha wha wha
yeah, but you have summer now : )
Only one: Deluxe Pussy. I bought it online because of the name, and the darling packaging and bottle. It’s a cheap, fruity-floral (no surprise). Yes, the pussy a little kitty.
Maurer & Wirtz, right? That really is a darling bottle.
Yes, that’s it. If I were 14 years old, I’d wear the frag, so I’ll just enjoy the adorable bottle instead.
splutter splutter – the problem with a sudden outburst of giggling at the computer is that the dogs jump up in case something is wrong – and one of them is a 35 kilo pig dog
I was so virtuous this quarter, after being so awful for the first three. I bought a bottle of SL Arabie (well, I HAD to, I was in Harrods and I couldn’t just leave empty-handed) and then Yves Rocher Orange and Chocolate edt, for a total of around $140. We will not talk about all the shower gel (20+ bottles).
After going through my vast collection of samples over the holidays, I have resolved to buy nothing in 2011. We’ll see how that goes.
DOWN you darn pig dog
Totally agree: it would be absurd to leave Harrods with NOTHING.
FB-
Natori
Shalimar Ode La Vanille
Shalimar vtg. parfum
L’ artisan Dzings
L-Lolita Lempicka- very cute bottle
3 small DSH Cardamom and Khyhpi
SL Clair de musc- got it unsniffed and Love it Thanks T.J.
CdG Avignon
CdG Zagorsk
Decants-
Memoir Woman
Fendi Theorema- in search of a fb of this one, can’t seem to find one.
31 Rue Cambon
PdN Kiss me Tender -had to get a decant, bought a fb for my little girl and it’s girly.
AG Rose Spendide
Bandit
28 La Pausa
SSS Champagne de Bios- well all I can say is hurry I need a fb of this one–Please allow me to order asap.
By Kilian Beyond Love
Delrae Bois de Pardis
Malle Un Rose -Oh no..I love it!! must get FB!!
L’Artisan Nuit de Tubereuse
Iris Ganache (replaced) still not sure of a fb. samples seem to ran out quick…and it’s perfect in cool weather.
It’s hard to be Good:)
Adela I love your loot! I’m so jealous my dear! Especially the SL CdM!!
Yummy! I adore PdN Kiss me Tender too, I want a FB of that too!
Hi Tamara, Some SL CdM..is on the way…I’m still waiting for my 10 ml decant of PdN Kiss Me Tender..It is FB worthy. It reminds me of an updated version of Apres L’ondee with great staying power, I wonder what everyone here thinks about it.
wow….I love your list! Each entry is one of my favorites….except that Shalimar **shuddering** , if it weren’t for that–I’d have thought this was one of MY lists.
Let me just say: YOU SMELL FABULOUS!
Ok, for $190.80, my 4th quarter purchases were:
Midnight in Paris – 10 ml
Traversee du Bosphore – 5 ml
CBIHP Gingerbread – 5 ml
Iris de Nuit – 10 ml
Victrix – 10 ml
Antilope – 4 ml ea of vtg parf and ed…t? I think?
XIIIeme Heure – 5 ml
de Bachmakov – 5 ml
30 ml each vtg Lanvin My Sin and Arpege extrait (just arrived)
Maybe next year I’ll be brave enough to do a full-year disclosure.
You did well, almost all decants. Smart Boo!
…or poor, space-restricted boo. One of those.
Maybe a little space restricted but mostly I think you’re just really responsible and don’t make your perfume decisions lightly…..I need to take lessons from you. (really, I do)
I keep trying!
Great stuff!
I tend to forget what I bought in which quarter but I think I bought the following in the last:
AG Songes
Bal A Versailles
Cuir de Lancome
Balenciaga Paris (Christmas gift from husband so doesn’t really count!)
Spent less than $200 for these so not too bad…
Not too bad at all!
Small but very versatile and lovely acquisitions!
Full Bottles–
CdG Avignon
AG La Violette
Molyneux Numero Cinq vintage (about 30 ml)
Minis–
Amouage Ubar (7.5 ml)
DSH Cardamom and Khyphi (5 ml–I guess this counts as a mini?)
Secret of Venus vintage (1/8 oz.)
Nombre Noir (4 ml)
Not sure how to count it–
Bat-Sheba PdT (15 ml). Is this a small FB or a large mini?
Samples–
Two Lucky Scent sample packs, Anya’s Garden sample pack, and samples of the entire available line from SSS.
Next quarter is likely to be a much smaller total, as I currently have only one thing on my “To Buy” list and that is SSS Champagne de Bois. (Of course, that is assuming I don’t discover another “must have” in an upcoming sample order!)
Avignon is so my next FB purchase! I wore my sample constantly during the Christmas season.
Champagne de Bois is the only thing I have left on my “I need some of this” list.
Ahem. Right NOW, it’s the only thing. Actually, I might get by with a small purse spray or something. And I have a birthday coming up.
It sounds to me as if there is going to be an avalanche of orders for Champagne de Bois as soon as the cart buttons go back up.
A total of 308.20NZD got me: Hermes Hiris, vintage Chanel no 5 EDP and 2 parfums, No 22 parfum, LOTS of random minis including Hudnut three flowers, yvresse, replique, vent vert (love!), clandestine, and some stuff I picked up at garage sales that I plan to onsell like brand new Estee Lauder mini sets. It’s more impressive in my cabinet than typed. But, as I mentioned above, I’m already working on the new quarter at an embarrassing rate. To my credit, I have been selling more than I’ve bought (value and quantity) so, really, I’ve been good! Oh and apparently I sneaked the Emeraude and Youth Dew in Q4, not this new Q1
Excellent! I need another bottle of Hiris myself.
I purchased 5 bottles this quarter. Not bad if I don’t say so myself. And no full price shopping for me. : )
1. Lolita Lempicka au Masculin 3.4oz for $30
2. Parisienne 1oz for $27 w/ coupon
3. Fancy Love 3.4oz set $20 w/ coupon
4. & 5. Gucci Guilty 2.5oz & 1.7oz both for $43! How amazing is that?! I saved $127! That’s a lot of Guilty though. LOL! : )
Those really are great prices, and that really is a LOT of Guilty!
I bought nothing in the third quarter 2010 but made up for it in the fourth quarter by buying five bottles! The ones I bought (although there were several more I really wanted and still do) are:
TDC de Bachmakov
L’Artisan Traversee du Bosphore
Vero Profumo Rubj
Ineke Gilded Lily
Nasomatto Nuda
As the Nuda and Rubj were pricey, the five bottles did a lot of damage to my checking account.
Nice selection! I have yet to try the TDC.
ditto
It was mainly samples this fall, in addition to swappapalooza, but if I remember correctly the only bought bottle coming in was the Private Collection mossy jasmine I got at Winners (at a biggish discount).
You were very well-behaved
I bought my usual bazillion samples and decants, but the only full bottles I purchased this time around were a 100 ml bottle of Daisy for my daughter and an Eau Duelle solid perfume compact. Nothing I sampled lately has compelled me to splurge. I’m going to San Francisco soon though, and I’ve got visits to Ineke and Diptyque on my mind. Does anyone know a great perfume shop in the Bay Area?
Click on my name and email me – I’ll give you some pointers.
Oh, I forgot that I also bought large bottles of SSS Champagne de Bois and Lieu de Reves…OOPS!
At the start of the year, my spouse & I agreed on a $50/month perfume decant budget for me. (As small decants are my primary form of fragrance purchase, this worked out well.) This past weekend I totaled up all my invoices, and the monthly purchase average worked out to approximately $48. Hooray for keeping within my means!
I did obtain a number of full bottles throughout the year… but all through gifts, thrifts, and vintage scores. All in all a good year!
I should do that. $50/month is more than reasonable (wonder if I can stick to it??).
Mals, I guess either you keep this 50/month sh..t, or you honestly tell us and Donatella how much you really spent on perfume
Good for you!
This is my first time with this poll. I actually thought I had been pretty good, until I really thought about it…
1) PG Cadjmere
2) VCA Orchidee Vanille
3) SL Chergui
4) Payard Pistachio Ganache
5) Incense Rose (Tauer)
Oh, well. This is my first year as a perfume-head, and I’ve really been buying a good deal. So, five is pretty good….:)
I was VERY bad my first year, way worse than that!
Robin – that’s a comfort to know. How bad were you?? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!
I don’t really know because I wasn’t keeping track. One of the reasons I started doing these polls was to force myself to a) keep track and b) confess!
A very good quarter. My sole purchase (after six months of consideration) was 30 ml of FM Iris Poudre, but since I bought it on our SF Sniffathon, it was accompanied by fabulous bunches of free samples, not to mention the fabulous company of fellow NST-ers. Definitely a win-win situation. (Iris Poudre’s my SOTD too, as it happens).
and you have made a Worthy Choice. I love Iris Poudre!
Iris Poudre is a worthy choice! I am still in the contemplation phase on that one.
I feel like such an amateur. Under other circumstances, with a different crowd, I’d feel smug for spending so little, but in this bunch it’s like I’m not trying very hard to smell pretty and interesting.
I’ve no idea of my yearly expenditures. For the last quarter, 2 FB.
1.Hermes 24 Faubourge- $32 at the Airport Lost Luggage store.
2.Tokyomilk Song in D Minor- $28
Currently angsting over my next purchase. Either Chanel’s Cuir de Russe, or Bond’s Silver Factory.
No, no, you’re fine! Buy what you like and wear it proudly…
Airport lost luggage- wow, I haven’t thought of that!
It was a clever idea, wasn’t it
Some of my friends/coworkers drove over to the one in Alabama (Selma, I think) and asked me to go with them. I wasn’t in the mood, asked them to look in the frags for some high end names and call me if they came up with anything.
In my fantasy, some poor unfortunate had returned from Paris with a suitcase full of SL bell jars, and then lost their luggage. It didn’t happen of course, but I’m tempted to drive over myself, in the hopes that someones Christmas trip, involving many perfume gift purchases, went astray. Very bad of me. Very very bad!
After my under-$200 quarter last time, I wuz bad again. Mostly with splits of ‘spensive stuff…
3 FB:
Moschino Funny! 50ml
Smell Bent One 55ml
Vtg Chanel No. 5 parfum 15ml (which came with a bonus small bottle of Maja Myrurgia – I haven’t sniffed it yet)
2 minis and (cough Iblameyoupeople cough) several decants:
Si Lolita, 5ml
DSH Oeillets Rouges, 4ml, pricey but got it during the 20% off sale, and I’ve been longing for it for at least 18 months now
Mary Greenwell Plum 5ml
Dior New Look 1947 10ml
Malle Iris Poudre 10ml
Malle Portrait of a Lady 10ml – which I did not love, but was able to swap it pretty speedily for some good stuff: 4ml more of MG Plum and 4ml of Guerlain Vega (Thanks, Joe!!!)
Hermes Iris Ooki 10ml
Damage? $252. Ouch. I’m not even going to tot up the yearly total. (Well, okay, I did get my husband to give me several of those decants for Christmas, but cash still left my bank account, so I count gifts too.)
Oops, left a 5ml decant of Aldehydes 44 off the list (it’s definitely in the total).
Mals, they are investments in your writing pursuits, right?
But you did get an awful lot of juice for your money, I must say!
I need to try that Vega
I’ve been on and off all year about OJ Ta’if, so on the last day of free shipping I bought Tiare. This qtr I also got the baby Cormondel and BdV EdC (what was I thinking?). 2011 here I come!
Congrats — I wish I’d bought some OJ when they had the free shipping!
Just got home, and first able to post now. I think I was very good this quarter, for Carlos standards anyway.
• Halston Amber Man
• Bond No 9 Cooper Square
• Dior Fahrenheit Absolute
• Farmacia Annunziata Ambra Nera
• Van Cleef & Arpel Midnight in Paris
• Montale Mango Manga
• Halston Exclusive Man
2010 was the year of decants for me, and I’m thinking that will be my buying pattern for 2011 as wll
It certainly makes the dollar (and the storage space!) go farther. I’m with Robin; there are just not many things that truly warrant a FB if a person plans to own more than about 20 scents. If I use up a split, I can split another bottle, and if I haven’t used up my split by the time a reform or dc comes along, I probably didn’t love it enough to miss it. Right?
Hey!!! You finally got your bottle/can of Mango Manga!!! Oddly enough, I was thinking about that just today! I was digging thru my decants, found my couple mls of Manga and thought “hmmm I wonder if Carlos ever got a bottle….”
I did! We discussed it dear, you must have forgotten.
I thought you were still at the “wanting” phase, guess I forgot the ordering phase! Makes me happy!
We have such different tastes…then we have these great overlaps…this whole perfume obsession is such fun. sigh…what would I do without you all?
Oh and extra pets and hugs for Julian from Aunt Daisy so he knows he’s loved too.
AND, you sent me the link to the auction which I won BTW. I will tell Julian. Hugs to Aunt Daisy! xoxo
yeah, I’m really surprised Carlos. usually I can finish my dinner whilst reading your damage. now it was 1 sip of wine : ) what happens to this world? : D
*well*
Hmmm………I notice Daisy has commented on several other people’s posts, but hasn’t fessed up herself! Come on, now, how many bottles was it this time?
there might be a comment limit, and all of her bottles will not fit in the comment box HA!
She’s probably trying to figure out how to make the font size smaller, Carlos!
hey! I heard that!
….can you make the font smaller?
LOL…I was sorta hoping no one would notice! I was bad. very bad. worse than usual. I bought many many bottles….BUT (and this is a really important but) I split most of my bottles, some down to nothing…like that horrid Shalimar Ode a la Vanille…4 bottles but I kept nary a drop!
Oh Daisy – you should never feel guilty. Loaves and fishes my dear.
I can list my favorites though…things that were just for ME, no splitting or nuthin! Okay, maybe a little bit of splitting…
1. Solange Cosmic —Luckyscent special! woohoo!
2. Solange Stoned—Beautyhabit discount coupon!
3. TDC de Bachmakov –I’m just plain crazy!
4. Jil Sander no4 —-seemed like a good idea at the time
5. DK Black Cashmere edp —ebay win, that bottle is just too cool to pass-up!
6. DSH Khyphi –omg!, I’m in Ancient Egypt…probably royalty…yeah… work with me here people!
7. DSH Cardamom & Khyphi–even in a past life I’m indecisive!
8. Traversee du Bosphore — I needed a back up! really! I did! besides I used the dis.coupon…
9. Iris Ookie–but I split over half!
10. Chamade pour Homme partial-ebay, –this is all Rickbr’s fault…he told me about it, got me all drooling…but I’m sharing it so that makes it less greedy, right?
11. MAC Naked Honey –ebay, paid too much…oh well, MAC doesn’t seem to want to favor us with a reissue (bastards)
12. Revlon Intimate-vintage in a very cool bottle
13. FM Carnal Flower—I can so love a tuberose!
14. FM Iris Poudre —sigh…I love iris
15. CdG Daphne –we fought when we met, name calling , hair pulling, kicking….I just couldn’t appreciate who she was….I grew, now we’re the best of friends.
There, my list of spending shame…..
Hey, was that Daphne a “two-hours-till-midnight” New Year’s Eve purchase? For some reason I thought it was coming in 2011 Quarter 1… hahaha…
hey—you are right! Daphne could conceivably be put into 2011 1st quarter…I received it in 2011….so that counts, right?
But I forgot to put FM Portrait of a Lady on the list…so it sort of evens out.
heh heh Daisy….hmmm???
So glad you love Daphne, its great and quite unusual and puts me right back in the painting stacks at art school!
you are right! –there was something about Daphne that was reminding me of school days….I think it’s the note that some people say is bubble gum but it smells like acrylic paints to me….ah, yes….back when I would stay up all night and paint because I was “inspired” at one in the morning. too old and tired to do that now!
I haven’t smelled the solanges but I love their names – cosmic and stoned!
You should check out the Solange bottles, they’re are gorgeous too. But I guess you’d expect that from a jeweller. Pricey though..,
Solange is so …..kooky….that you’d think the fragrances would be weird or really edgy…but they’re not. They both have a very sophisticated (but not cold) feel to them. Stoned is soft and powdery, romantic. Cosmic is a soft chypre…very appealing and oddly enough: the CEO’s favorite thing for me to wear despite the fact that he says he likes florals!
Merlin—are you in the US? drop me an email at Daisyloo82 AT gmail.com and we’ll see if some samples can find you.
Wearing …. stopping to sniff….. Solange Cosmic as I type! I LOVE this one!!! Thank you so much, dearest Daisy.
which reminds me to thank you for the lovely book you sent….and I still have a rather large box to send you! I must get a move on here!
No worries. I hope you enjoy the book!
Absolutely fantastic list Daisy. Planning on getting a bottle Iris Poudre at some point myself. Must check out that de Bachmakov as it’s on a lot of people’s lists.
Also know what you mean about Daphne, I tried in paper and it was quite “in yer face” but then I could smell that lovely incense drydown for days afterwards.
Iris Poudre is amazing….I’d definitely recommend getting a bottle right away. You are in the UK, yes? So probably lessenteurs is your best bet.
About Daphne– (hey, it sounds like the title of a book!) on paper it is very in your face, harsh…a little scary. But the dry down keeps my nose on my arm! I didn’t like it the first time I tried it….but came across the lonely little sample (Angela sent it to me ages ago….so this is really all Angela’s fault) while digging in my sample box….couldn’t remember why I didn’t like it….dribbled some on my arm….tested a few other things. Then later I kept smelling some WONDERFUL…what was it? so then begins the process of sniffing up and down my arms from bicep to fingers….oh and both knees (it was a very busy test session) ….it was the Daphne…I knew I had to have a bottle!
Daphne is a favorite of mine – love at first sniff for me. There wasn’t a darn thing problematic about it.
So glad a tubey finally sneaked on you! CF is wonderful, isn’t it?
ha! I know! it’s like a perfume landmark: My First True Tuberose…..Nuit de Tubereuse doesn’t count since it doesn’t smell a bit like tuberose (the non-tuberose tuberose)
I finally got a sample of that one in a swap, and spritzed a little at bedtime. Of course, then I went to sleep and missed it all, but the bit that got on the sleeve of my pajamas sure smelled good the next night! Will have to give it a real try in the spring, I think.
I miss a lot of stuff by sampling right before bedtime, especially the big storytellers. Can’t seem to stay away past the opening pages….
Oh, I saw that Lucky Scent Cosmic special and almost pulled the trigger. But, it really reminded me of something else, which I couldn’t put my finger on. Finally I ran across a blog which mentioned Dioressence. So I pulled the Dior out and and did a side-by-side and found they were similar enough for me not purchase Cosmic. It is lovely, though. Congratulations!
Woo! This quarter went fast! And I spent less… mostly because I took a ten-day trip to Japan, so you know where my money was going instead.
Total: I checked 2-4 bottles, but these were mostly splits.
Guerlain Shalimar Ode a la Vanille – 5ml ($15.5)
Mugler Cologne – 5ml ($9)
Aqaba Sands of Aqaba – 5ml ($14)
Tauer Lonestar Memories – 5ml ($16.5)
L’Artisan Traversée du Bosphore – 20ml ($31)
Guerlain Arsene Lupin Dandy – 5ml ($17.5)
Hermes Terre d’Hermes parfum – 10ml ($14.3)
Penhaligon’s Zizonia – 15ml ($26)
Chantecaille Kalimantan – 5ml ($16.5)
Weil Antilope parfum – 5ml ($9)
Weil Antilope PdT – 5ml ($3)
Ava Luxe Royal Parvati edp – 15ml ($45.55)
Micallef Black Sea – 10ml ($16.25)
Annick Goutal Eau du Fier – 5ml ($9.5)
Penhaligon’s Night-Scented Stock – 5ml ($11.5)
Parfumerie Generale Corps et Ames – 10ml ($20.75)
Mary Greenwell Plum – 5ml ($13.5)
Cartier XIIIe Heure – 5ml ($19.5)
Le Labo/Anthropologie Poudre d’Orient – 15ml ($16.86)
Tauer Carillon pour une Ange – 13ml ($60)
Total spending for the quarter: $385. (it’s still insane that that seems “frugal”… I need to get a grip!)
But look at the variety it got you!
Very nice Joe!
but look at that amazing list! Can you imagine what full bottles of that list would cost?? holy cow! So all in all you did very well AND still got your trip to JAPANJAPANJAPANJAPAN…..
and NEWJERSEYNEWJERSEYNEWJERSEY!
good job Joe : )
You got a lot of great stuff, Joe!
Uh oh, I may have lied in the poll – it was probably a good thing that I got a spambot that frightened me off the internet for a while… uhm, checking, no not too bad but I’m not counting decants..
There was the frenzy when someone on the Posse found old mouldy Messe de Minuet in Germany (I conducted the transaction entirely in a foreign language with faith that the fumiverse wouldn’t let me down!); then it was an old Ma Patou, Heure Attendue which I just adore, then a couple of cheap Armani Prives (the Eau de Jade which is gorgeous and the Eclat Jasmine which is meh), and on New Year’s Eve I went a bit overboard on got Au Lac, Ameureuse, A La Nuit (having given up trying to make up a stonking jasmine from mixing various amounts of my fail jasmines), and Cedre – it makes me feel I can sometimes afford to use a little Tubereuse Criminelle without panicking!
I’m pleased to report that A La Nuit is still a B-I-G jasmine, although Rubj probably blows it into the reeds insofar as hot and lusty harem goes! But I feel a bit self-conscious going into the feed store in Rubj, whereas A La Nuit is OK!
Long live our perfume love!
Nice to see you back, Winifrieda! Wondered why you’d disappeared for a bit. I love Amoureuse and Cedre, and I wouldn’t mind a bottle of Au Lac either. Happy New Year and I hope you’re enjoying your summer… far away from those floods in NE QLD!!!
Okay, all you lightweights.
vetiver pour elle 250
Coeur du vetiver sacre 125
SMN Iris 125
Chanels (2 minis and a partial bottle) 30
bel ami 60
kelley caleche 18
m7 30
joy parfum 40
my sin parfum 35
arpege parfum 35
afteliers 165
tiare mimosa 30
champs elysees 30
diorissimo 25
cuir pleine fleur 150
coromandel 110
smell bents 65
Total: $1323.
So there. Ha!
GASP!
Hey Tama, what is your single most favorite from the list? Or is that too hard to answer?
That’s pretty hard to answer. I wanted the Vetiver Pour Elle for a long time, but also the Coromandel (which I don’t have in my hot little hands yet), so they are special. The Chanel 5 is also special because it reawakened my appreciation for that fragrance. The Afteliers are my first foray into the world of hideously expensive naturals, and meeting her was very cool. Those Lanvins are pretty amazing. I dunno – they all carry such different meaning.
Ooh, you know what I forgot? All those Etat LIbres! Add another $150.
Tama ~
You have great taste and I love it! Cheers to you my love!
<3 ~ T
That is one classy list Tama!
Love the list! Thanks for making my purchases seem reasonable in comparison.
I know a few of us were waiting with baited breath for your list Tama and it doesn’t disappoint.
I’m SO jealous of your Vetiver Pour Elle. 
well! some people are making up for lost time! Magnificent list…so many many wonderful things. I want to spray them all at once! oh, would that be too much sillage?
Oh, bless you… I could post my annual total after all, lol!
Most excellent!!
Nice list! Tama you rock!
OOPS! Forgot Arabie!! Add another $90, haha
Awsome! And all for your own little self?
Yep! I share, but I don’t buy for splitting. I got my sister some Citrus Petals, but it was a gift, so not on the list.
I didn’t try to keep myself in check this quarter, but I also didn’t do any mad impulse buying. Or so I thought. This is my list, sans things that I bought that I can’t remember:
vint. Diorissimo, x’s 2
vint. Diorling (very expensive disaster)
Boreno 1834
Daim Blond
Bas de Soie
Bois Blond (but will not be arriving until tomorrow…)
Ava Luxe Crepe de Chine (all Ava’s were blind buys)
AL Pearl Musk (SSS Opal fans need to get this)
AL Ingenue (not wild about it)
AL Bal de something or other (smells like wet wool on me)
vint. Jolie Madame
AG Grand Amour
L’A Ananas Fizz (discontinued! eek!)
Chinatown decant
L’Heure Bleu decant
My perfume cabinet is now officially closed for business. Nothing else will fit. Or maybe I just need to buy a second perfume cabinet.
Somebody (not me, though) would probably take that Diorling off your hands. Unless it’s totally age-damaged?
Umm… no, that’s not the problem. The problem is the bottle was only half-full, and it doesn’t spray. I won’t even tell you how much I paid for it. I wanted it so bad, and I end up with pretty much nothing. I’ve left it ignored in the cabinet, hoping that it will magically rejuvenate itself and at least be spray-able some day.
what if you wrenched off the whole atomizer unit and poured it into a decant bottle? The glass part of the bottle would still be fine for display (hopefully) and you would be able to use the fragrance. It just has to be carefully done ( I do it on all the bottles I decant to zero–I like to make sure every drop gets used.)
Drill a hole in it?
(Oh, no, the bottle fans will cry, “Sacrilege!” But I’d make that sacrifice. If I knew someone who had a drill bit that would go through glass without shattering it.)
Kitty – that is just such a drag. I had to pry very carefully with a nice strong knife the crimp off a vintage bottle of Magie Noir. It was worth it! I dumped the fragrance into a good strong boston round bottle and some in an atomizer. Is is possible you can remove it and then you could put the empty bottle on display with it’s cap on?
I think I tried to take the cap off, and it was on there good. It’s sort of a weird atomizer. I actually think it’s the travel refill, but it doesn’t say so. So the bottle isn’t even pretty. But you’ve all given me hope. I am going to try again to get the top off of it.
You’re all making me nervous. I hope you wear sturdy leather work gloves and safety goggles or something. Anything w/the potential for shattered glass scares me silly.
the trick is to wrap a bit of cloth around the aluminum crimped top. Then very carefully apply the pliers —get a good grip around the top portion (so you’re not compressing the glass part) and then begin rocking it side to side….reposition the pliers and begin rocking it again…keep doing that until you’ve loosened the crimp all the way around –works really well for me. The only broken bottles happened when I let the CEO after them—of course he just tried to quickly pry it off with great big muscles etc etc….the trick is to go slow and gradual….he broke 2 bottles….I’ve never broken a single one!
I had that happen with a bottle of Violettes de Toulouse. The sprayer simply wouldn’t spray anymore, and the bottle was still half full. I actually managed to cut though the metal part of the sprayer mechanism, above the glass and below the nozzle. It would depend on the design and shape of the atomizer on your bottle. I love the convenience of spray bottles, but I do wish they all had the atomizers screwed on rather than crimped on, for exactly this reason.
Hi A – what do you think of the Crepe de Chine? Out of the two AL fragrances I purchased, I like Kashmir Spice better, but the CdC is pretty. One of the samples she included was Ambre Antique which I’ll get a FB of. Actually, her Amber Essense is really good too. That is, if you’re a fan of amber. Which I am in a big way.
I don’t like amber, and I loved the Ambre Antique! Crepe de Chine is nice. I don’t know if I would have bought it if I had smelled it first, although I like it a lot better than the Ingenue (too tuberose-y, even though that does not seem to be a listed note) or the Carnet de Bal (pretty at first, wet wool later). She has some others I really want to try, but noticed she doesn’t sell samples. They seem to be pretty expensive on TPC, or I’d buy some there.
oh miss kitty, I’m glad to hear you managed to find the vtg Diorissimo enfin
Hooray for Diorissimo!!
Oh lord. I’d be scared to know how much I’ve spent on perfume this year, but I’m sure it’s more than I’ve spent on : clothes, make-up and shoes combined. Actually, my perfume cravings have been replacing other necessities. I find myself craving the smell of vanilla the way that most people crave eating chocolate. I have also been impulsively blind buying lately; Vanille by Molinard, and Havana Vanille or Vanille Absolument by L’artisan. Dangerous, I know, but so fun. This post has inspired me to keep track of all my perfume purchases so that I can track them by quarter. Thanks NST!
Know exactly what you mean! But who needs shoes, clothes or make-up anyway!
Keeping track has truly made me buy less, I am sure of it.
You know, the last time I checked, you still couldn’t take it with you. Everyone spends money on something “frivolous”. I justify my perfume expenses by telling myself that I DON’T buy a lot of other stuff. I have no need for expensive clothes, I don’t care much about shoes, I don’t wear makeup, I hate purses (I have been carrying the same purse for at least 5 years), and I actually feel I have enough jewelry. I don’t play golf, I don’t go to movies, and I don’t go out to clubs. I don’t smoke and I have only an occasional drink. I brew my own coffee, and I take my lunch to work. Therefore, I regard perfume not only as my only indulgence, but also as my hobby. All those people buying $5.00 lattes and going out for lunch every day spend more in a year on coffee and lunches than I do on perfume. Ditto for the clothes horses, the shoe fanatics, golfers, clubbers, movie goers, drinkers, smokers, etc. My thing happens to be perfume.
two 17ml of champagne de bois…i will definitely need more( am more and more hooked daily…absolutely one of my top 5)
oj woman( love)
love chloe (easy and lovely)..it seems i have calmed down..or maybe have gotten older and forgotten when I bought what!
for 2010 am thinking of
ode de la vanille
have fallen in love with vega!!! my preference over no 5
would love a back up bottle of attrape
vetiver pour elle(for the summer)
i must this year, finally try ism and la myhrre!!!!!!! or maybe not…i have more than enough lemmings!!!
I would also like to try bosphore!
Vega is really gorgeous, I think. It beats the cr*p out of modern No. 5 for sure, but the vintage No. 5 parfum gives it a run for its money.
I agree completely with everything you just said. Vintage No 5 beats the pants off most fragrances. Hey, did anyone hear about that book over the weekend on NPR about No 5?? It sounded suspiciously written by someone who has never smelled the vintage stuff.
My worst quarter, my worst year!!!
I bought two oldish Shalimar extraits (15 and 30 ml),
one vintage Shalimar edt,
a vintage Mitsouko edt,
three (3!) bee bottles of Attrape coeur,
and a 30 ml n. 5 extrait.
I feel a bit guilty for the expense, but the Guerlains have made me insanely happy, and I *had to* hoard because of awful reformulations and discontinuations… I am enjoying them very very much!
On a purchase, I received a sample of n.5 parfum, it was so wonderful! I am very sad to say that the bottle I bought as a consequence is not as floral-powdery-gorgeous as my sample. I feel a bit cheated on that one, and am oh so angry with all these reformulations!!!
Zazie, that is such a wonderful list, all those vintage Guerlains and 3 – THREE – bottles of Attrape! I wish I had just one. Don’t feel guilty, they are all fab and will last and last. Plus those darned reformulations and discontinuations forced you into it
Three bottles of Attrape!!! Wow – makes me almost long for a back-up bottle…
What does one do with three bee bottles of AC? Add to laundry? I can’t imagine exhausting even one bottle in a lifetime – it’s such potent stuff! Lucky you, though. Maybe I should just cave in and purchase one, if one can still be found that is…
Do you find it so potent, OperaFan? I wouldn’t call it light by any means, but to me it has far less sillage than Mitsouko or L’Heure Bleue, unfortunately. I love it though.
Hi Joe,
I guess maybe another way to look at it is rich. It’s so full-bodied that it feels strong. In a way – to me, it’s like L’Heure Bleu – the scent is so strikingly different from anything else I own that I can’t help but notice its presence when I wear it, all the way to the drydown.
I’m nursing decants, so really only sneak out a drop now and then to savor. I’ll admit that no one has complained on the few occassions when I did wear it.
Zazie, I envy your acquisitions!
I was tight on money this year again – on the other hand, nothing screamed my name (nothing reasonable priced…) I bought
Un Jardin sur le Nil (discounted)
L’Heure Bleue Extrait (the small one)
2nd hand: Coudray Musc
2nd hand Kelly Caleche
makes around 240 Euro.
I would have bought TDC Sublime Balkiss and Eau Suave – the latter I am going to get now in 2011 for my wedding
hooray!
A great big MAZELTOV, on the purchases and upcoming wedding!
Oh yes, many congrats on the forthcoming wedding Andreea
Congratulations! you will look beautiful and you will smell beautiful!
Who could ask for more than that?
You don’t have to buy a lot as long as you love what you do buy. I love Jardin sur le Nil and Kelly Caleche! Some L’HB extrait is a wonderful fragrance investment!!! Good luck on your wedding.
big bada congrats Andreea : ) we are all so happy for you : )
Mmmm, Vetiver pour Elle. I’m going to get it someday.
The quarter was quiet for me, and the Visa says thank you.
I bought: Jessica Simpson Fancy Night full bottle. Also large dacants of Creed Aqua Fiorentina and Etat libre d’orange Like this and Incense and bubblegum.
Yes, my Visa thanks me for finally calming down too!
My best-buy-all-categories this quarter was a brand new Ebay-acquired SL Santal Blanc at half price. It has been my signature scent since its arrival.
Other good Ebay catches have been Guerlain Vetiver (finally!), Dior Homme Intense and miniatures of Guerlain Champs-Elysees and Dior Jules.
Excellent find, lucky you!
Darn – I’m always late to the party these days.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was good this quarter – I would have preferred to be bad, but what can you do.
Full bottles:
Ava Luxe Crepe de Chine and Kashmir Spice
Splits:
VC&A Bois d’Iris
Chanel Bois des Iles & Cuir deRussie
Laura Mercier Ambre Passion Velvet
I also ordered the 2.5 ml sprays of SSS Champagne de Bois and Incense Pure – she didn’t have larger sizes available.
Even though I would have liked to purchase more, I still smelled pretty darn good.
Don'[t worry about being late, I for one am still really enjoying reading everyone’s posts. Might get a sample of Bois d’Iris myself as it gets a lot of love around here.
Oh, and yes, you do smell marvellous!
Hi Tortola – I have a little BdI I can share. If you like, email me @ vdp1956@yahoo dot com with your address and I’ll be happy to send you some!
That’s very kind of you but I’m in the UK. Thanks for the offer though.
the UK is no obstacle….one of us will get some to you…email one of us! Daisyloo82 AT gmail.com
I, too, would be more than happy to send you some of the Bois d’Iris.
Ooh yes, that VCA Bois d’Iris is simply to die for. Must get more one day. And that Laura Mercier is really growing on me. Hope it’s not one of those darned limited editions.
Yummy buncha stuff!!
My only purchase this quarter was a FB of Ormonde Woman, which I’d been wanting for quite some time after getting the OJ sample set. It’s my favorite of the line, which I first heard about on this very blog!
It was my 8th bottle of the year, but the rest tended to be gifts or bargains, like a $20 bottle of the original Lolita Lempicka.
Longtime reader, first-time poster here. I’m new to the damage poll concept, but here goes. I have been mostly a sample/decant girl but did get a solid perfume in Diptyque Eau Duelle this quarter and a nearly full bottle of Bill Blass Nude (Hi, Angela) and 10 Corso Como lotion in a swap. What I spent on samples could have funded several full bottles but I was just having so much fun trying everything …
Hi Ann and welcome!
I know what you mean about samples when you add them up but they are a lot of fun and unless you live near a good perfume store it’s the only way to smell a lot of stuff. Plus, with a sample you can give a scent a few tests (always a good ides). You’ll also be surprised how often you can go back to old samples for various reasons – you need them for reference
Hi Tortola! Thanks so much. I am enjoying the samples/decants immensely. And as it turns out, I have wound up with a “library” of perfume, of sorts, that I’ve been referencing as people talk about various scents. Although I live near a large city, there aren’t any places to sniff niche fragrances, just Neiman’s, Saks, Nordstrom, etc., so sampling by mail has been a blessing.
Hi Ann! Welcome & thanks for joining in. It is fun to read what everyone is interested in and ends up buying. Amazing what a wonderful selection of fragrances there are to smell & own. Joining in is a good way to start on the path of swapping!!
Hi Ann, thank you for the welcome note. I love reading everyone’s thoughts on all things fragrance. I have been lurking for some time, but felt a little intimidated because it seemed like everyone already knew everyone else and it’s hard to be the “new kid” on the block. But I guess everyone has been the new kid at some time or other and you’ve got to start somewhere, right?
Welcome, Ann!
I de-lurked 2 years ago in a damage poll. It was so much fun reading what everyone else bought that I felt compelled to fess up as well. It was my cheapest quarter and the bank account hasn’t been the same since…
Thank you! I guess the damage poll has a way of reeling you in. And you don’t feel so bad when you see that everyone else is in the same boat, awash in wonderful perfumes.
welcome Ann, keep commenting
Thank you, Ami. Everyone has been really nice.
Welcome, Ann
Hope you enjoy your stay on the blog.
Thanks, Dominika. It’s so nice to be here among like-minded folks who love perfume as much as I do.
Perhaps my worst quarter so far…
Chopard Casmir
Chanel Antaeus
Ginestet Botrytis
Max Mara Kashmina Touch
Prada L’eau Ambrée
different versions and bottles of Chanel Cristalle and No. 19.
VC&A Les Saisons: Eté, Printemps, Hiver (I’ve had Autumn and spotted Hiver, after there was no choice)
all of these FBs…
Magie Noire parfum, vintage for around 10 $, Givenchy III, half bottle
OK, for all of this I have a very reasonable explanation and/or excuse and only Botrytis was full price. However, I do not dare to sum up…
I bought 75 ml of Pamplelune because the smell makes me happy.
I bought 50 ml of Fille en Aiguilles because I liked it and because it’s the perfect scent for knitters…
I’m waiting for a spray sample of Yohji Homme (because Luca said it was wonderful) to arrive from eBay.
I bought some samples from Luckyscent:
CDG Energy C: Grapefruit (didn’t like it)
CDG Leaves: Calamus (like it, but probably won’t buy a bottle)
Yuzu Rouge (OK, won’t buy a bottle)
Atelier Cologne, Orange Sanguine (didn’t like it)
“Because the smell makes me happy” is the best reason ever to buy fragrance.
Hear hear!!!
Douce Amère
Jicky EDT
Ma Griffe
Fémininité du Bois
Rive Gauche (backup bottle)
Cheap solids from a crafts fair: patchouli/lavender and jasmine/rose/sandalwood
I bought the Jicky for what it turns into after the first 10 minutes, but I’m starting to appreciate the top notes more. Maybe I’ll make my peace with Shalimar some day. My favorite is Douce Amère. If that’s absinthe, it’s nothing like I imagined it.
Hi aimiliona, did you get the Serge Lutens or Shiseido version of Feminite du Bois? I’m curious about how they compare — I’ve only tried the SL version.
I got the SL with a 20% coupon from Parfum1. I’ve never tried the Shiseido.
I refuse to total the damage. I am embarassed and annoyed at myself. However, I do love what I have!
If I can’t remember at least the full bottles, I shouldn’t have them. Let’s see:
The crown jewel was Amouage Opus I. I am helplessly in love with that one.
AG Matin d’Orage
Histoires des Perfumes, the travel bottles of Vert Pivoines, Blanc Violettes, and 1872, I think
A vintage bottle of Givenchy Le De
Similar of Diorissimo (OH, a good vintage!)
DSH Bois du Chocolat, and the winter sampler set
AG Rose Splendide
A whole handful of Jo Malones – Amber & Lavender, Lime Basil & Mandarin, English Pear & Freesia
The Pink Room Darkly Audacious
Molinard Iles d’Or (Daisy is VERY VERY BAD…)
a handful of Ava Luxes including the new Madeline…
…
I should give away anything I can’t think of right now.
drat drat drat drat drat….
On the upside, I got a luscious bottle of Amber Ancien in a swap, split the bottle of Ode a la Vanille I broke down and bought so I wasn’t carrying all the cost, and got an absolutely awesome Christmas box of here-you-want-this? from another perfumista.
Oh I forgot about the bottle of Spiritueuse Double Vanille I hid in the closet for a month because I just couldn’t face I’d shelled out for it.
Really not good.
But I filled in a lot I wanted in my collection. I truly believe I will slow down now.
I believe it.
Not looking forward to this.
Promesse de L’Aube (I think that’s how it is spelled)
Hommage Attar by Amouage
Mihime by Keiko Mecheri
Black by Bvlgari – tester
Shalimar EDP – tester
Princess Hamida by Arabian Oud
I am not quite sure that’s all – but it’s close. Doesn’t look as bad as I thought.
Thank goodness gifts don’t count – and THANK YOU Santa!
Yeah, I forgot Tolu by OJ
4th Q 2010 I bought Balmain Jolie Madame, Balmain Miss Balmain, Lancome Cuir de Lancome and Gap The Natural. Two that don’t count are the bottle of Linked She from O Boticario that the hubby brought back from Brazil (since I didn’t buy it, it doesn’t count) and the bottle of Grass from Gap that I managed to score for free! Also got the sample set from Ineke Perfumes and a grouping of samples from Lucky Scent but of course those don’t count either.