Time for another damage poll! Donatella Versace, Our Lady of Scented Indulgence,1 wants to know what you bought in the 2nd quarter (April, May and June) of 2011.
Update: the poll is now closed!
My purchases? I was not quite as well behaved as I was in the first quarter.
I bought 30 ml bottles of Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine and Grand Neroli. Total for both: $111. Grand total for the year: $139.
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.
I was very, very good. I bought decants of Ecume de Rose and LAP Orchidee Blanche, and samples of 3 Roxana Illuminated solids: GreenWitch, Vera and…another one. Have to look it up. Total: appx $45.
Cimbalom was the third.
Oh, you were very good!
Oh, for full disclosure, I should probably add a couple of swaps… but as they cost me nothing but postage, I won’t. 😉
Nah, don’t include them unless you had to shell out cash. (I did. Phlbbph.)
3
A backup bottle of Versailles homme Desprez, I’ve been wearing and loving this one alot! $85
PG Felanilla $150
Iris Silver Mist $200
$435 total, which isn’t bad, but looks worse now that I add it up!!
Thanks Robin! 😉
But I must admit, not so humbly, I SMELL GREAT!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, you do smell good.
Thanks mals86!
It always looks worse when you add it up!
Jealous of your ISM.
ISM was a PITA to acquire but you only live once, and I LOVE it!
ha! so true! my solution….hid the calculator! 🙂
I was soooo close to reporting zero for the first time ever, but in the last 10 days I bought an unopened LB Venezia extrait on eBay (under $150 so a bargain, right?) and a bottle of L’Artisan Traversee du Bosphore during a 20% off sale for the 4th of July. It’s my birthday tomorrow so I’m calling them presents to myself!
Hey, if you bought during July, that’s next quarter!
Right.
Oh, whoops, you’re right! I guess my damage was one bottle then.
(It would make ME feel better, anyway.)
Happy birthday! And enjoy them.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday!
Where was the 4th of July 20% off sale? Been looking for a L’Artisan on sale but didn’t want anything on their site. Just wondering, so I can put the “vendor” on my list to watch…
Beauty encounter has occasional discounts and carries Traversee – not sure if they go up to 20%
Thanks so much!
It was at MIN New York. I’d never heard of them before their sale, but someone on MakeUpAlley posted the coupon code and I went to their website to look around.
I think their sale only lasted one day, but Beauty Cafe carries L’Artisan and has a permanent 10% discount code for MUA.
I was pretty good – just $75. I’ve come to realize I have to stop buying perfume, not only for financial reasons, but practical ones – I am not a liberal sprayer and can usually just wear perfume at work (due to hubby with migraines), so I will never use up what I’ve already got. I made a point to pull out all my favorite summer perfumes and put them on my vanity to make sure they all get some love since I usually just grab whatever is near the front.
I bought 3 decants (Le Labo Gaiac 10, Atelier Trefle Pur and Oolang Infini) and some Pacifica solids and a roll-on (, Tibetan Mountain Temple, Brazilian Mango Grapefruit, and Indian Coconut Nectar).
Practical is good.
we should do a a new line
our debut perfume could be called ‘Practical reasons’ the male equivalent could be ‘Financial reasons’ : )
Ami–Ha! that’s priceless!
I’m a good girl, I am : )
Guerlain Mitsouko 50 ml
JHAG – Not a Perfume decant
Chanel – Eau de Cologne decant
I like this “not counting samples” policy, although it greatly skews my numbers! I bought two decants of Jardin sur le Nil and Jardin en Méditerranée (still haven’t received the latter!) and a 15 mL bottle of Sweet Anthem’s Sophie. So about $60.
But if I include samples, I’m more in the three digits…
It’s true, sometimes samples cost as much!
I keep saying I’m going to be good. I never am.
What with swaps and splits and ebay minis, I wound up with several items and a total of $230:
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds parfum mini (Angela’s fault!), K de Krizia mini, Nina Ricci (original) mini, Charles Jourdan Votre mini
Decants of Guerlain Idylle edt, Hilde Soliani il Tuo Tulipano, Illuminum White Gardenia Petals, Shiseido Inoui, Nobile 1942 Chypre, Patou Eau de Caline, and L’Artisan Mon Numero 8.
Partial bottle of Amoureuse, from swap
Small bottle of DSH Chypre
And then I spent my anniversary gift money on a much-anticipated bottle of Mary Greenwell Plum. Which is going to be cherished and loved and worn the heck out of, I can tell you, since I’ve gone through three decants since late November. (Total spent, $308. I usually include gifts since the money is actually coming out of my bank account.)
I did sell off an unloved bottle and put the proceeds toward a decant. And just today, I resisted signing up for a split of the upcoming Vitriol d’Oeillet… go me.
White Diamonds is nice, I smelled a scent strip of it and even that was interesting.
Does either the DSH Chypre or Mary Greenwell Plum have oakmoss in them? And jealous of your Plum, House of Frasier doesn’t do international shipping!
In a word, YES on the oakmoss. Plum doesn’t have all that much, but it definitely has some. (I bought it on ebay from someone in the UK, and paid the retail price, which I never do, but I love it so much.)
DSH Chypre is a recreation of the Coty, and it is stunning. However, it’s being phased out and all that’s left (if there IS any left) is perfume oil.
Thanks!
I just started on the third quarter by ordering the Chypre dram rollerball.
Oh, I hope it works for you. It is not very “me” in the way that a floral, for example, would be – but I love it. It is elemental and weird and striking and I can’t stop smelling it when I have it on.
I love Plum too. I bought the purse spray (which is so heavy, I’ll never carry it around) when House of Fraser was selling it at a discount. It’s so lovely.
you did? resist? hahahhaa
No perfume which makes total for quarter 0.00 and total for the year 0.00.
So far this year’s perfume money went into the jewellery fund instead 😮 I so fancy me some Jubilation and Sycomore, though. Perhaps I should really look into buying decants.
Nice, hope you got some great jewelry!
Thanks, Robin, I’m very happy with it. I also feel less guilty about spending money on it than I do on perfume.
I have Sycomore. If you’d like to do a trade let me know.
I got to report JUST ONE- which is rare: My very own Bell Jar of Un Lys. It is my first and only Bell- and alas, I did not get to buy it in Paris. $175
Oh, nice!
Oh, I’m jealous of the Un Lys too.
Aack! (frantically rummages through “receipts” for the last quarter…)
Not too bad this round, mostly splits, a small bottle and couple of decants:
OJ Champaca – 2 travel sprayers
Chanel LE Cuir de Russie – 1/2 of 75ml edt
Hermes Un Jardin en Mediterranee – 15 ml spray
Deneuve Parfum – 8ml decant
Attrape Coeur – 5ml decant
Illuminum White Gardenia Petal – 5ml decant
AG Rose Splendide – 9ml decant (already swapped – just didn’t work for me….)
All for a grand total of: $207
That’s actually more than I initially thought. Oh well…
Deneuve! Wow.
Wow is right! Where did you score the Deneuve if I may ask? That and Chanel No.5 were my mother’s faves! I have not been able to find it anywhere.
TPC sells the large decants (1/4 oz) for 49.99. It’s pricy, but competitive and you know you’re getting the real thing. I’ve been eyeing it “forever” and decided to bite the bullet and hit that “buy” button.
Thank you so much for the info! I know you will really enjoy it. If memory serves, it was very exquisite.
Oh, no regrets whatsoever!
Does it exist a 15ml bottle from Un Jardin Sur Le Toit??
It would be so good for the collectors if the brands made 15ml bottles from all their perfumes.
Not sure whether sur le Toit has a 15ml bottle yet, but at one time I had a 15ml of sur le Nil, so I imagine that sooner or later Hermes will put one out.
I have it! Found it on evilbay a month ago and it smells wonderful. I have never gotten so many spontaneous compliments. Also rather potent. I’ve only used roughly 10% so far but there might be a full size bottle in my future…
Good news!! Thanks!
I thought I did good until I started adding. My vintage eBay finds totaled about $100.
Vintage Chanel #5 extrait (early 1950s and perfect!)
Vintage Shalimar Cologne (1960s, I think)
Vintage Eliz. Taylor parfum set (1980s)
Vintage Emeraude (1970s) (I have extra powder/sachet if anyone wants them)
Brecourt Harum, a creamy cinammon & tonka bean
PdN Le Temps D’Une Fete (spring in a bottle)
PdN Mimosa
Molinard Habinata ETD
Guerlain Tiare Mimosa
Agent Provacateur (scrubber on me! Up for grabs)
Handful of decants (5mls mostly)
Handful of samples (1.5ml or less)
Looks like you did awfully well with that $100!
Yes, really well.
My decants (most 5ml):
Azugury, Guerlain Vetiver pour elle, Guerlain Floral Romantique, Guerlain La Petit Robe Noire, Parfumerie Generale Tonkamande, Hilde soliani Il Tuo Tilipano, JHaG Midnight Oude, LAP Safran Troublant
Good stuff.
Great choices, there!
Hey,nice stuff!!! Good trades you’ve made!
CM I love Agent Provacateur ! Sorry you didn’t like it. Send it my way. 🙂
Hi Tamara – I’m happy to send AP to a good home. email me at Leximaea at hotmaildot com and I’ll see what I can do to get it to you. Are you in sthe States?
I was bad. So very bad. 18 bottles total and I don’t want to add up the damage. Granted I shop at perfumezone.net (best place for mainstream on the internet) and I comb eBay for the best deals, but still, spent way more than I intended.
But we want to know what bottles! It’ll make us feel better 🙂
CM, agree 🙂
Mals and Opera, what do you think of the Illuminum WGP? I love gardenia, but have heard mixed reviews of it.
This quarter my FB’s are Creed Virgin Island Water and Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, both of my summer favorites. And then there’s countless samples from The Perfumed Court and LuckyScent!
It’s not gardenia, but it’s a (somewhat aquatic?) white flower with a very good throw. I would definitely sample first before buying if you’re considering a purchase. It’s a little bit of a dept store-but-better kind of floral. I like it and plan to use mine up as it’s very pleasant and inoffensive, but don’t think it’s worth the full-bottle purchase price.
eggzackly!
The short answer: Meh.
That is, it’s perfectly inoffensive but unexciting. And not gardenia at all, in my opinion – more a sort of sweetish generic white floral. Honestly, I wish I had bought another mini bottle of MJ Daisy instead.
Mals, I’ve got a 4 ml mini of Daisy I’d be happy to send you. Let me know if you want it!
Meh is the perfect description — just what I thought.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It sounds like I’m in no hurry to try it;)
OJ Tolu travel size
Ralph Lauren Tuxedo
VCA Gardenia Petale
L’A NdT
Tauer Un Rose Chypree
Etro Heliotrope
Odin Nomad
PG Tonkamonde
SL JdP
umm…I guess I was kinda a bad girl. But, in my defense, Many I got on ebay at some kind of discount.
Full bottles?
You did get good things.
Yes, all full bottles. I don’t mess around 🙂
Jealous of that VC&A…
There’s still one on ebay. The listing is for van cleef and arpel (no “s”) which is probably why it’s still there. $125 vs $185 (with CA tax, it would be $200)
I didn’t see that, NO! I did NOT see that….
in fact , I think you DID see that…..
Daisy, you have no mercy! LOL
Fuddy –that is part of my CHARM ! 😉
I am full bottle hoarder…but when you get a good price for the FB, it really makes it easy to do…and don’t they look pretty on the dresser?
Also, with full bottles, I have plenty to swap with thereby alleviating the need to buy decants at 3x the price.
I haven’t bought any perfume for the last 2 years before this quarter, I think.
I have bought 3 bottles of perfume this quarter–Bulgari Black, CdG Ourzazate, and YSL M7.
I bet you smell great in them. (School going okay?)
Nice picks!
Yes, excellent picks! I lurve M7 especially!!
I need to try this YSL M7…
Ami — I can share a bit with you, if’ you’d like to toss me an email at Daisyloo82 AT gmail.com
I bought a small bottle of Hermes Jardin sur le Nil, a bottle of Andy Tauer’s Zeta and a bottle of EL’s Bronze Goddess Soleil, for a total of $285.00. Even though there were only three bottles and one was not expensive, it still added up to more than I thought.
Well at least you made some good purchases!
What is the Zeta like?
When wore Zeta back in April when it was cool, it seemed fleeting, however, when I wore it in the hotter weather, it was much more noticeable and lasting. It is really a pretty scent but stays close to the skin. I really like it a lot.
I bought pricey bath oil and a solid perfume, but no bottles — although this feels like a fudged answer. I promise to go completely crazy this month when I go on vacation, as there are a couple of things I’ve been thinking of getting. Oh, and I was GIVEN a bottle of Mauboussin, so I did acquire perfume.
I’ve been considering picking that up. What are your thoughts on it so far?
Mauboussin starts out strangely, with candied, boozy fruit and…hair. I think the drydown is quite beautiful, though…
All i bought was a 30 ml bottle of JM Lime Basil Mandarine for summer. My birthday was in June so i usually slow my pace down because i know im going to get at least 1 bottle as a gift. This year i got CdG Red:Sequoia.
Oh, perfect gift (and happy birthday!)
Rictor, my perfume budget was also rescued by my birthday! I got a few bottles, and lots of decants, from loving friends, or my Q3 totals would have been double or triple what they are! 🙂
All my purchases were from Ebay, so don’t feel badly because I didn’t pay full price for anything. Here goes…Sage Machado Moonstone 1/8oz / Bvlgari d’ete 1.7oz/ Badgley Mischka 3.4oz/ Balmaine Jolie Madame 1.7oz/ Ava Luxe Carnet de Bal / Ava Luxe White Musk / L’Artisan Mure et Musc 1.7oz / a mini of Fendi Theorema. Total damage was around $140.
My next purcases will be a FB of Fendi Theorema, Teo Cabanel Alahine and Sage Machado Onyx.
Alahine is fabbo. (Where did you find the Theorema to buy?)
I found the Theorema mini on eBay after reading rave reviews on MUA. It was love at first sniff…my wrist kept finding its way to my nose all day! Amazon also carries it. One bottle of Theo. will cost as much as my whole score in this quarter!
Well, that was what I meant – the minis seem pretty easy to find, but the full bottles are elusive. And expensive.
I had a mini at one point but swapped it away because I didn’t love it. I know a lot of people who visit here are fans and would love to know where to score a bottle, though.
Ebay also has full sized bottles…so does Amazon.
Bonnie, I may be able to help you out with one of your next planned acquisitions. Shoot me an email at snchamness at msn dot com, and I’ll give you more info.
not too bad… I think for me, I was very restrained. 🙂
4 full bottles: EL Bronze Goddess, the vat size for Bvlgari’s Thé Vert, the new small bottle for Chanel Beige, Esprit d’Oscar by Oscar de le Renta.
4 decants – Hermes Eau Claire des Merveilles, Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Bvlgari’s Pour Femme & Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile.
and lots of various Guerlain and Hermes samples
Oh my. I guess the EL BG is worth sniffing out. Macy’s Herald Sq. here I come.
Bronze Goddess is wonderful! I never want to be without this scent – and it great to spray on your pillows at night, too 🙂
I think I’m anosmic to it. This makes me very sad. 🙁
Go quickly – I just went to Macy’s and they said they were taking off the shelf soon since it is just a summer limited edition!
Mmmm. They all sound lovely. The smaller Les Exclusifs are a boon.
My purchases this quarter were a Lavanila Pure Vanilla rollerball which I think was $28, a CVS Essence of Beauty White Lilies & Freesia body mist (on sale for $2!) and a Chanel Cristalle mini ($2, thrift store find!). So a grand total of $32.
The scary thing is I was sure I had actually gone a whole quarter without purchasing anything — but when I looked at my dresser, I saw that, of course, that wasn’t true! 😉
My purse always contains at least one or two rollerballs. They are the best invention ever! 😉 I am a big fan of LaVanilla. I love their body butters too.
I am surprised how much I like the Lavanila perfume I got!
Jill, I didn’t answer the poll right away, because I too thought that I hadn’t bought anything (or, at least, anything of consequence). My budget spreadsheets tell a different tale though!!! 😉
Isn’t it funny how quickly we forget?! 🙂
I never have the total to post, because I never keep track of it and add it up, because I am terrified of it. This next quarter I am going to to do so. Because the first step to controlling an addiction is to look at what it’s costing you! There’s a reason I’m always a bit short of funds, and I fear that reason is… perfume.
Which doesn’t mean I’m going to stop myself. But if I go look at the spreadsheet at least AFTER I buy it and see what I just did… perhaps I will slow down! (I HAVE slowed down. I would like to slow down a bit more. 😉
Lemonprint I feel exactly like you my dear! Denial is a b****! LOL
Thanks for the solidarity, Tamara! I haven’t even gotten as far as denial – I’m still working on “facing reality”!
Baby steps, Lemonprint. Baby steps.
: DDDDDDDDDDD
I can’t remember exactly what I bought in these particular months.
I got a partial bottle of MPG Tubéreuse and Donna Karan Gold
Histoires de Parfums 1740
Parfums d’ Empire Equistrius
Editions de Parfums Le Parfum de Thérèse
Divine L’ Eternel Féminin ( it’s the extrait of the original Divine and is divine!)
I only paid full price for the last two, the first 4 were won in ebay auctions. I love all of them. I really need to start slowing down buying. I have so much already!
I smelled the Atelier Colognes that you got for yourself. I especially liked the Orange Sanguine.
Austenfan -I’m jealous of your Divine extrait!!!!
I love that perfume<3
I really liked Orange Sanguine until I tried it next to my (cheaper) Guerlain Mandarine Basilic, which now I realize I like MUCH better. Oh well!
I completely forgot that I also got a small bottle of Chanel 19 pure parfum. I would love to smell the vintage of that one!
I was very, very good. One small bottle of Chanel No. 18 for a grand total of $110.
And a very nice pick!
Ugh. Really. My wallet cries when I think about my ‘habit’.
*4 bottles of vintage Guerlain Vetiver (found a stash in a store when I was traveling abroad. I bought every bottle they had.)
*PdN New York – I know, I’m late to the party
*Kenzo Pour Homme
*Kenzo Jungle Pour Homme
*Kiehl’s Musk edt
*Narciso Rodrguez for her – yup, and I’m a guy. It’s basically ‘Egyptian’ musk, orange blossom and patch, right?
*Bond No. 9 Fire Island
I don’t remember if that’s everything….but let’s pretend it is, for the sake of said wallet.
Oh darn. I must’ve been on a serious musk kick the last 3 months. I also acquired a 3.4 of Malle’s Musc Ravaguer. *sigh* After all the hype, me thinks the Kiehl’s Musk is a nicer scent. Go figure.
I must stop thinking about this. Adding:
A bottle of SSS Tabac Aurea
TA is great stuff.
Sayitisn’tso~ I love your line-up though! And I want a big FB of MR too, it’s on my wish list! 🙂
I am envious of your Malle – I like it better than the Keihl’s. I get more depth and the texture isn’t quite as oily as the Keihl’s. Enjoy!!
(I agree! Kiehl’s Musk over FM Musc Ravageur! Shh!)
4 bottles of vintage Vetiver is quite a find.
Looks like I have to try that New York…
Yes, I thought it was quite the discovery too. It’s become my daily go-to fragrance and with 9 bottles total, I’m set for a good long time. 🙂
Lets hope the juice stays pristine in each of those 9 bottles for the next 10 years.
From the sublime to the ridiculous:
Nahéma
SJP NYC, because I had a 30% off Kohl’s coupon. It’s strawberry, but not red pop.
Nahema is one of the very few Guerlains that work for me. I find it very plushy and just divine – I feel pampered whem I wear it.
Hrm, maybe I’ll have to try it. It always sounds so nice, but then Guerlains rarely work for me, so I resist.
Well, I haven’t added it up, but I bought full bottles of Eau première, Guerlain Vetivier and three Andy Tauers (Zeta, Une rose Chyprée and Carillion pour une ange). Also a lot and I mean a LOT of samples including the whole OJ and TDC lines. So I don’t think I’ll be better next quarter, I already have several new buys in mind…
But you got some wonderful things!
I agree! Nice choices!
I was quite restrained this quarter: found a vintage Emeraude cologne online, some sampler bottles at a flea market (Organza, Anais Anais, plus a 30ml Evening in Paris), and bought a White Linen set (parfum, shower gel & body lotion) partially with a gift card.
Nice bargain finds!
Just a lot of my purchases would be in July but, what the heck, I’ll probably erase the memories of my credit card bill by the time the next poll happens. I had a number of unsniffed (or just one testing) purchases; happily none have ended up on ebay or the local charity shop yet. The causes of damage are:
Un jardin sur le toit
FM L’eau d’hiver
Apres le ondee edt
Iris No. 19 Poudre
HDP Vamp a NY
SL Cuir Mauresque
Infusion d’Iris EDT
Much to my wallet’s relief, I got second bottles of Balenciaga Paris and Un Jardin en Mediterranee as gifts! 🙂
No. 19 Poudre!
What’s it like? Do tell……….
agreed..chomping at the bit to know how it is…
Ok – mini review! The Chanel SA tried to sell it to me as ‘fresh’ – I take the apparent mis-categorisation of my age as a compliment. 🙂 Anyway, although the opening was quite bright, I found it less so than the original No. 19. Poudre is, true to its name, about the powder but the iris is very evident in the middle, with a drydown of warm-ish musk. I like No. 19 in abstraction but not so much on my skin – this one is more wearable, and that shouldn’t be translated as ‘bland’. This is a beautifully done perfume, like most Chanels. Medium sillage and good lasting power – I bought it as an office perfume and it lasts the whole day. I think of Poudre as the No.19 rebel who has suddenly realised that No.5 may have had the right idea all along…!
WAHHHHHHH! I want one!
thank you for the impromptu mini review….it’s made my lemming WORSE! 🙂
total envy : D
Where did you buy the No. 19 Poudre and the Apres L’Ondee? I’ve been looking for the Apres L’Ondee and haven’t been successful.
No. 19 Poudre is already available at the Chanel boutique at Selfridges in London. Not sure about the US or online. I have had some difficulty tracking down Apres l’Onde as well but have been seeing it fairly regularly at the Guerlain desks at most big stores. Mine was from Liberty.
Adding my voice to the rest: totally jealous of your 19 Poudre!!!!
Hope you all get to sniff it soon – it is definitely worth a sniff!
I made 2 online FB purchases of things never smelled:
Jolie Madame (but so many positive reviews and I do like it) and, for some reason, Tabac Original, which I’ve also read about here. Tabac is working out particularly well as a daily rotation summer scent for me, as I live in a very warm and humid climate. Total spent just under $45.
You did well for the price!
1 FB Andy Tauer Zeta
1 FB Parfums MDCI Enlevement au Serail (delightful)
Parfums MDCI Sample set – wonderful deal on the company’s website
and many samples! (and one perfume bottle replacement of Amouage Ubar, which I’m not counting)
Kitty, a FB of Enlevement au Serai!? Wow. I have a decant. It’s truly beautiful. I’m surprised people don’t talk about it much here.
I’m with you, Suzy Q, I really love the whole house! I would love a Fb of La Belle Helene, but it will have to wait! (and wait….)
Histoire de Parfum …….. 1969
Frederic malle …….. Carnal Flower
Serge Lutens ……… Tubereuse criminelle
Happy. :))))))))
The happy face makes it all worthwhile. 🙂
I keep hearing things about 1969 – I think I tried it and found it Not Good. But I have some other Histoires des Parfums, I love them. I need to try it again!
Il Profumo Patchouli Noir, (Osmo-Absolu) topped with 1969. Majorly gorgeous.
Unless Patchouli is not your thing. I have compliments galore. Staying power? Hours and hours. Never fails. 😉
For the first time ever, ONE, yes one bottle: Jacomo #8 which I am loving. It was a whopping $56 on cheapsmells, so it even feels like a bargain. I love orientals, and this is a wonderful summer oriental.
I bought a bottle of OJ Frangipani, and a decant of FM Le Parfum de Therese. I’m loving and wearing both of them. No regrets at all.
Two of my favorites 🙂
Borneo
lonestar memories
1804 george sand
i am very, very happy with them all as they were all thought-out and carefully planned 🙂
Good for you…mine were impulse buys & I regret them.
Been pretty naughty this quarter…
FBs…
Hermes Hiris
Hermes Pampelmousse Rose
Dior Forever and Ever
TM Womanity, plus body lotion
TM Cologne, plus shower gel
Large decants…
66 at the Beach
Diorissimo
You got nice things though! I need to replace my Hiris soon.
THREE full bottles! My lord!
– Dior Diorella DT 100 mls ($97)
– Jacomo Silences #08 100 mls, ($25)
– Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel (about $12 I think)
And TWO Tauer sample sets. AND a couple of small orders from TPC. Ditto minis from The Miniature Perfume Shoppe.
My pride is a mini of Miss Dior parfum, which I am loving.
This is a lot for me. Oh boy …
Don’t feel bad Annemarie, compared to me you were positively saintly! You really didn’t spend that much and I think you did really well. Glad you love your Miss Dior parfum mini and hope you love the Diorella as much as I do.
Many thanks. Yes, I love them both!
WoW! That was a good quarter for you Anne-Marie! Are you loving Silences??
Thierry Mugler – A*Men Pure Havane
Guerlain – Eau de Cologne Impérial
Hermès – Un Jardin sur le Toit
Bond No. 9 – West Broadway
L’Artisan Parfumeur – Jour de Fête
L’Artisan Parfumeur – Mûre et Musc Extrait
L’Artisan Parfumeur – Vanilia
Serge Lutens – Muscs Koublaï Khän
I was really baaaaaad 😉 You know, it’s always shocking for me to realize, how much perfume I bought in just 3 month…
Hah! Did you manage to catch the LAP sale of discontinued products as well? I felt quite proud about resisting unsniffed purchases of Haie de Fleurie and Jour une Fete at half price. 😀
Yes, I did, could not resist. I also ordered a scented candle (Invitation Créole) and a room spray (Îles Bourbon). It was soooo great to unpack the big parcel. Every room in my house is scented with Îles Bourbon 🙂
Actually, I got 50 ml of Tea for Two, the Jatamansi body oil and the Fou d’absinthe shower gel but remembered not to count the Tea for Two as the purchase was very much in July! Next quarter allocation… How is Iles Bourbon?
Yay! After a veeeery long dry spell, I can finally confess my scented sins on here, although I have been a good boy with only three buys: A*Men 50ml, Mugler Cologne 125ml and a 30ml bottle of Patricia de Nicolai’s L’Eau Mixte, all coming to a little less than 100 euros 🙂
A bargain for such swoon-worthy scents! Good man, D.
Agree, a bargain.
Oh, how I would like to have Donatella… I mean Donatella’s collection!!! 🙂
She has been less than frugal 🙂
With her there is no misery at all!!! And at all the aspects: from the blondiness of her hair to the plastical surgery!!! Money really works!
this is pretty bad for my standards, full bottles of une folie de rose, OJ woman, absolue pour le soir and voyage (that one was nearly a bargain, duty free), and a travel set of iris poudre, and in the meantime I’ve discovered that I love vetiver, so I’m sampling a lot of that..
The vetiver road would keep anybody busy for a good long time — there are so many now!
I promised myself I would have nothing to report when the damage poll came around, but low and beyond by the end of June I broke and bought a relatively cheap bottle of Tokyo Milk’s Eden ($32) on vacation. I also bought a small mini of Lollia Wish ($12). The total of $42 for this quarter brings my yearly total to $218.
Even though this was the most frugal quarter of my perfumista-hood so far it was also the most rewarding. I had my first swap because of Swapmania, a randomly inexplicable and crazy generous sample package from another NST-goer, and my own personal sniffapalooza with my friend in order to introduce her to niche perfumes. It’s been awesome!
What fun! Swapping is so enjoyable.
After over five months of virtuousness, I bought a bottle of Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau and the sixteen-bottle coffret of 10-mL Etat Libre D’Orange minis while in New York in June. Well, I had to! It’s not a trip if I don’t buy something scented to remember it by. And JdP is spectacular.
Then a couple of weeks later, my resolve weakened, I bought a little set of five minis at Winners (the Canadian version of T.J. Maxx) because by chance it had bottles of Claude Montana Just Me and Loris Azzaro Oh la la, both of which I had been coveting. (Two of the others had leaked somewhat and the fifth was gross so I gave it away, but I still got my money’s worth.)
Total for the lot: $275.
Oops. $295.
That ELdO coffret was so cute, congrats!
This was my best quarter ever! I bought four:
1. POTL Luctor et Emergo. How did I miss out on this one? I know–I was put off by reviews speaking of play doh and cherry cough syrup. But no, this is an amazingly wistful sweet incense. I love it and would have been happy to have this as my only purchase for the quarter.
Then one day I was early for my hair appointment and decided to kill some time at the nearby antiques mall. I came out with:
2. 1940s Guerlain Mitsouko in Baccarat
3. 1930s Coty A’Suma in Lalique (sealed bottle)
4. 1950s Nina Ricci Coeur-Joie in Lalique( sealed bottle in its box)
Can’t believe my luck.
Your adventure in the antiques mall is my dream come true. I haven’t been able to find any perfumes in antique stores in California. I am guessing there must be a law against it (we Californians are so litigious, you know.) Congrats on your amazing finds!
This was the first time I have ever seen full bottles in any antique store here. Usually they only have empties. In this case, they were clearly selling the bottles, as the merchant asked me if I was actually going to put that old liquid on my skin!
*Swoons* If that merchant only knew… No, wait, maybe the ignorance is better. That way you can have it for yourself!
No such luck in the greater NY/NJ/PA area. Antique dealers are too well-informed… Congratulations on your treasures!
Thanks, and well done to you for your Deneuve!
Wow, those vintage finds sound amazing! Have you tried them yet? What’s the verdict?
They had been well cared for, and were all in good condition. They have in common a smoothness like driftwood, with no harsh edges at all.
The Mitsouko is far softer and “rounder” than the modern formulation, much easier to wear.
The A”Suma is the most wonderful spicy amber–not curry spices, more of sweet dessert spices. The dry down hints of baklava
The Coeur-Joie reminds me of vintage Chanel No. 5, but “sunnier””.
Luctor et Emergo is divine!! Must get a fb myself… one day.
I had a dream like that once. But, alas, only a dream…
My most disciplined quarter since I first went scent-crazy:
Only one full bottle. Did you all hear that, only one full bottle. Bow, bow. (sound of applause).
The bottle was a 100ml infusion de iris, which came with the matching lotion. Cost $135 (ouch) but then I did have a voucher for 40% of it.
2 Annick Goutal minis – about $10 each
Samples for $28 of Chanel exclusifs – but post is slow here, so I haven’t got it yet.
And, two Crabtree$Evelyn lotions at 50% off., together $31
Total $152
Not sure if I’v done good or bad.
Does Chanel sell the samples? I need to try these but sadly do not live near a boutique.
Have u tried TPC or luckyscent?
I know luckyscent doesn’t have Chanel, could do TPC especially for rare or imports … but always like to go to the source first if possible. Sounds like yours were TPC then?
I am indebted to Daisy who allowed me to sample hers…
One full bottle: Si Lolita, $19, TJ Maxx. One rollerball/lotion/shower gel set: Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar, $18, Sephora. Grand total of $37. But I don’t think I’ll be able to brag next quarter because I’m saving my pennies for Hermes’ Jardin Sur Le Nil and Eau Claire des Merveilles. Hermes and I are getting along too well, these days.
Hit up the discounters for Nil, and it will only set you back about half as much. Or if you’re like me and know you’ll never use a FB of anything again, you might even find a 15 ml of it and save even more yet.
For the first time in my perfumista life I can say I only bought ONE bottle (though it was expensive and something I had been wanting for a long time): the 15 ml bottle of Vero Profumo Kiki. The real damage is that it’s been in heavy rotation ever since, so nearly half (micro)bottle is already gone…
Kiki is really lovely, as are all the Vero Perfumos
Yes, I really love Kiki and Rubj, but I have to say that Kiki, the extrait de parfum I mean, is overpriced. One or two drops won’t do the trick or it won’t last more than half an hour on your skin. Fragrances like, say, Amouage Homage, cost more or less the same, but one drop will last hours with major intensity and your tiny treasure will last years in your cabinet, used this way. Here I’m halfway through a bottle I bought four months ago and worn 23 times… which means 4.30 euros per wearing…
Oops! Sorry… I just realized, doing the math, that I bought Kiki in march, so it doesn’t count for this quarter, in which, it appears, I didn’t buy anything!
Full bottles of:
OJ Woman
SL Chene
JHAG Calamity J
and a 10ml mini of FM Une Rose
Chene is so lovely – one of my favorites.
Oh yes, that’s for sure! It’s also winter in Australia now so I seem to be reaching for it most mornings.
A woman after my own heart!
Excellent choices! 🙂
Seeing as I’m only a little over a year in, I have quite a bit of trouble controlling my spending! I also graduated from college in May, so I spent a lot of my graduation money on perfume (of course!)
Guerlain Tonka Imperiale
SL ISM
EL Bronze Goddess
FM Carnal Flower (50 ml) – these were at a FM event so he signed my bottles!
FM L’Eau d’Hiver (50 ml)
AdP Iris Nobile
YSL Cinema (from a discounter)
…and since I am writing this from my parent’s house I think I may have missed something… I need to learn how to start cutting back!
Signed bottle of CArnal Flower! That rocks.
it was an Hermes 2nd quarter for me: bottles of the Jardin apres la Mousson and Mediteranee, as well as Voyage, and Eau d’Hermes, and gasp, a jumbo size bottle of the Eau d’Hemes in splash not spray…still haven’t purchased a full size of Timbuktu, but that’s coming very soon!
Have you seen any similarities between Voyage and Eau D’Hermès?
I was horrible….worse than usual…verra verra BAD.
I’ve become a “matching body cream Ho” and added to my loot with Amouage Jub.25, Balenciaga Paris, and Pacifica Malibu Lemon
Then I bought many bottles…but many to split , mind you!
I lucked out on ebay and won a bottle of L’Artisan Oeillet Sauvage
and vintage Louis Scherrer, 2 vintage Coty Chypre edt and Vintage Chanel no19 extrait, back ups of Guerlain Philtre d’Amour and Attrape Coeur . All just for greedy greedy me. Although I did help a desperate perfumista source her own bee of Attrape Coeur ..so that earns me a little perfume karma, yes?
Splitting saw Illuminum White Gardenia Petals, Shalimar Parfum Initial, Laboratorio Olfattivo Daimiris, SL Jeux de Peau, Etro Shaal Nur, Patou Colony and Kilian Incense Oud., the last bottle of vintage Ubar on the planet, …um, and something else but I’m drawing a blank.
A total? are you kidding me? I don’t even want to GUESS a total…sheesh, what are you trying to do? kill me?
Daisy, I counted to you: 37!!!
I’m kidding! And no, I don’t want to kill you!!!
this is such a stressful thread! 😉
Spritz thyself some more to relieve some of thy stress, my dear!
Oh, and can you help ME source some AC in a bee bottle too?
I might ….email me!
So YOU’RE the one who bought the last Latvian Ubar! 😉
Congrats it is fantastic!
One question: how does Shalimar Parfum Initial compare to the
Shalimar EDP? TIA
heheheheh…yes, tis true, twas me!
I’m splitting it up between a number of fine perfumistas who were longing for a bit. So it’s going to good homes. 🙂
Shalimar and I are mortal enemies. I really have not been able to tolerate ANY incarnation of Shalimar on my skin….I almost didn’t even try the sample of Initial sent, but the SA had said that this was the first Shalimar that she liked (we were commiserating about how much we didn’t get Shalimar) so I decided I should at least give it a go….soap and water at the ready. I loved it….really, within the hour I called her and told her she was absolutely right and I needed a FB.
The note that turns to a huge blast of bad breath in shalimar is GONE….so now what I get is a lovely lemony-custard , lightly floral with just a trace of an animalic tone and some vanilla in the dry down. Finally, a Shalimar for the Anti-Shalimar crowd!
oh, and the body lotion is soooooo nice! layered they are simply fabulous! 🙂
I know what you mean about the bad breath note! And congrats on finding an acceptable version of S.
You have plenty plenty plenty good perfume karma; I can smell it all the way from S. Africa 🙂
What a great analogy!
Oeillet Sauvage????
Oui Madame!
Daisy, it’s all your fault I spent so much money this quarter 🙂 I bought a FB of Cruel Gardenia! (see below)
I’m happy to have enabled you……er , I mean, happy to have spread some joy! 🙂
I see what you did here, Empress – you thought to make that list look MUUUUCH smaller by listing in paragraph style rather than a list! You can’t fool me! 😉
shhhhh…..you’re a naughty girl to mention that! I may have forgotten a few things too….you know how bad my memory is….particularly around damage poll time!!! 😉
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 :), smart girl…
the only noteworthy ones I bought are guerlain vintage scents, l’heure bleue extrait and some 1967 shalimar extrait which should be sitting on my doorstep when I get home tonight!
*glee*
1967! Hope it is awesome.
Oh dear, after deciding (early May) not to buy any new perfume for 12 months I have just this minute cracked and ordered a bottle of Bandit. I have always wanted one and found a 100ml bottle for $70AU on the net-now im hoping its a safe site! Im not happy with myself but will be excited when-if-it arrives in a week or two!
Good for you, finding something you wanted. Hope it’s excellent.
(July purchases go into 3rd quarter, if that makes you feel better.)
Of course! Still broke my promise-by months!
but you persevered for 6 months!!!! I get jittery after about 10 days….
I think you should be proud of your achievement ! Robin’s willpower is made of twisted blue steel and even she bought some thing this quarter! You’ve done very well!
And it wasn’t even something I was dying to have! It is a good thing all the niche fragrances on my list aren’t at the mall in 30 ml bottles, I’d be lost.
Hi Debbie, do you mind my asking where you ordered your Bandit from?
Hi Annemarie, I ordered it from fragranceX.com. I think it was you that first mentioned the site. Shipping not too bad either. Apparently they only have a few bottles left so if you want one you had better hurry! I so hope it is a safe site though!
Thanks, I’ll check it out. Fragrancex has always been fine for me, although it can be VERY slow to deliver. Good luck!
Hi Annemarie- I ordered it from fragranceX. I think you mentioned this site earlier in the year. Quite reasonable shipping too-hoping now that its a safe site. Now if by some chance this answer appears twice-its because I pressed the post comment box and nothing happened so I have typed it again-hope this one works!
Just one bottle I think….Lolita Lempicka au masculine.
But Au masculin is so good! It has a lot of qualities!
I love the damage poll and have been reading it for a long time. But did not have courage to participate, until today.
My damage is four bottles and two decants – not that bad, but still, considering I have a college student daughter to support.
The bottles: Bois de Paradis, CDG Daphne, Clair de Musc and JHAG Calamity J. I aslo bought 5 ml decants of Moon Aoud and Dark Aoud. Actually, I may have bought more decants, but I don’t need to know exactly.
Now don’t you find confession to be good for your soul?
Absolutely 🙂
Well, for once I was able to say “0 bottles”, and it is true, I did not buy any full bottles. I did, however, get some decants, minis, and samples:
DSH En fleur, 4 ml oil rollerball
DSH Hemlock, 4 ml oil rollerball
SSS Voile de Violette 5 ml purse spray
SSS Wood Violet 5 ml purse spray
Andy Tauer Zeta 5 ml
Lanvin Crescendo vintage extrait, 10 ml
Max Factor Primitif vintage perfume ~5 ml (with the velvet cat!)
Sinan vintage EdT, 5 ml
Lanvin Crescendo EdP 8 ml
Balenciaga Fleeting Moment EdC 8 ml
Lelong Indiscret EdT 8 ml
Lelong Orgueil EdT 8 ml
Lelong Passionement EdT 8 ml
The last five were courtesy of TPC’s decant sale
Samples from Lucky Scent and eBay: too numerous to list. This included a lot of 32 samples from eBay for $15!
Total damage: more than seems right, considering nothing was over 10 ml (I know the total, but would rather not say!)
But you got some lovely vintage stuff… that usually runs into $$.
Oh yes, 50_Roses has great taste in vintage perfume!
Thank you! Actually, most of the vintage stuff was unsniffed, but I have liked most of it. Besides, when I can get a mini or decent sized decant for very little more than a sample vial, I just have to go for it. I seldom have tried a vintage scent that I have hated–usually I find them at least OK, and many of them are fabulous.
This quarter was pretty skinny and I pretty much ended up in the 2-4 statistic. I bought a bottle of Cabaret, Midnight Poison, two bottles of Lilacs & Heliotrope which I counted as one bottle since they were on clearance from The Posh Peasant and I poured them into one bottle as intended and a partial bottle of Paestum Rose for not much more than a song off Ebay. No decants or samples to report save for those I’ve swapped for on MUA, which I don’t count.
In the next quarter, however, I’ve got an L’Artisan Fleur d’Oranger decant I’m sooo excited about purchasing and hope to save up for another bottle of Guerlain SDV. Oh, and just paid for my Miel de Bois yesterday, which should be on the way, and picked up a mini of Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere off Ebay with accumulated Ebay Bucks from last quarter after all the good reviews and can’t wait to try it since I love the original. 🙂
While it has been a rather quiet quarter, I’ve very much enjoyed what I’ve purchased and am loving Midnight Poison and Paestum Rose.
Absolute Scentualist, if you would like to buy a decant of SDV, let me know – I still am annoyed that I bought a FB in a fit of pique when something else I wanted wasn’t in, and it has an almond note on me that means I’ll never go through it all, and I’m an idiot.
Hi. Oh, that’s very kind of you. I’d love to take some off your hands. 😉 Please feel free to get in touch with me at MUA where I’m found under the same name. Thanks so much! 🙂
I like Eau Premiere better than the original. I hope you love it!
my favourite to go scent!
One 3.5ml mini of Chanel no19 extrait, purchased on *bay. A good quarter!
Oh, good one to spend money on!
mmmm lucky girl! Chanel no19 Extrait is lovely!
This little mini is a backup. I have others in my stash. . .
2:
Insolence EDP
Kenzo Amour le Parfum
This was the most expensive quarter ever and it’s all Daisy’s fault 🙂 It all started with that little vial of Cruel Gardenia that she tossed in to a package. I quickly graduated to a decant and then… just had to have a FB.
Over $400 spent–it makes my head spin. I have to admit, however, that there’s something very satisfying about having a collection of perfumes that you really love.
FBs:
Coromandel (the small bottle)
Cruel Gardenia
Decants:
Diaghilev
Grand Neroli
Bois Blonds
Chinatown
Musc Ravageur
Coromandel is one of my favorite scents!
sneaky little sample vials! they look so innocent…. 😉
Daisy, I should be bowing down before you in thanks for introducing me to Cruel Gardenia. I would never have tried it. I was *so sure* it was something I wouldn’t like!
I know what you mean–Cruel Gardenia was a surprise to me as well….sniffed it, and couldn’t stop thinking about it…which of course leads to reckless spending. 🙂
Cruel Gardenia is my go-to skin scent and Coromandel is top on my must-try list. 🙂
Bonbori, I feel the same way about Cruel Gardenia.
Coromandel is like two perfumes in one. I find that in the heat of summer it’s more about the base notes. In cold weather the patchouli is much more prominent. I hope you get a chance to try it soon.
I bought SL Jeux de Peau with my Christmas gift certificate from the Perfume House.
Then I foolishly got some samples from Luckyscent, and now I am in lust with Montale Dark Aoud, and Diptyque L’Eau and its little brother.
And back in love with Tauer L’AirDDM.
Hellfire AND brimstone.
2011 has been the year of decant’s, not FB’s. This quarter only bought Chanel LE No 22 and Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds.
Carlos, what happened to you? 😀
I did not intend to be this bad, I don’t even know how it happened :), This quarter I added to my full bottle collection:
Cristalle EdP
Bois des Iles Parfum
Si Lolita
Apres l’Onde
Shalimar Parfum Initiale
I also split a bottle of Oud Incense (thank you D!!) and bought too many decants to even count.
I have to behave next quarter, but it will be difficult.
ahhh, my work here is done….. 🙂
You got some great stuff!!
I bought a full-blown Kilian, so I was doomed from the start (not one of the Ouds – that’s next). Also some Sel Marin, and other various and sundry stuff. I doesn’t FEEL as bad as the last couple of quarters but if I stopped to count I would probably still be over a grand. Got a free bottle of Carillon Pour un Ange, and won a full bottle of Shiloh X, which balances things out a bit.
“a full blown Kilian” WE know what that means….to outsiders I bet it sounds like a dreadful medical condition or a particularly effective wrestling maneuver….
Sounds like a new X games move–maybe doing some sort of flip in the air on a snow board? : )
My credit cards know Kilian as the irresistible vampire… 😉
LOL!!
Well, I refuse to add up the $$$ or to count a handful of decants, minis, and body butters, but even then –YIKES! – I bought these in full or partial bottles: Amaranthine, Dilmun, Manoumalia, Ginger Ciao, Nectars des Iles, Vents Ardents, Eau des Merveilles, Fleurs d’Oranger (new LAP one), Stephanie, and Madonna of the Almonds. Yes, it was a self-indulgent quarter, but I did share a lot of samples and decants with perfume friends. I’m happy!
I know the feeling of “YIKES”, Haunani. How do you find the lasting power of the L’Artisan? I love the scent but find it rather fleeting and very close to the skin. Maybe it’s just me though.
Hi Tortola! Lasting power isn’t great, but I’m one who doesn’t mind respritzing now and then.
Mmmm, Ginger Ciao. I have an… event… coming up at the end of the month that warrants a purchase. Might put this on the short list.
Event=Birthday? Perhaps? :->
How do you like the Vents Ardents? That’s the one mentioned on the Posse recently, right?
Hi Odonata9! It must be the same one, though I haven’t seen the article (will check it out!). Vents Ardents is by Shelley Waddington of EnVoyage perfumes in California. Its sister fragrance, Nectars des Iles, was created by Juan Perez. They are both drop-dead-beautiful tropical fragrances. I love them individually and layered.
Manoumalia and L’AP FdO are such transcendent florals! This is a timely reminder to try EnVoyage, too.
This was my worst quarter – money wise – so far. I feel a little sick after adding it all up in my head. No, I will not be posting the total amount! I did click 2-4 bottles on the Vote but then remembered a fifth, oops. They are –
Bois D’Argent
L’Artisan Fleur d’Oranger (new release)
Bois des Iles 15ml parfum
CdG Kyoto
Shalimar Ode a la Vanille
I’m now scared to buy anything this quarter but unfortunately I already have! (Eau Noire 50ml for £12 on Ebay). Must be good from now on…
Mmmm…. Kyoto is one of my faves.
Bois des Isles in parfum – excellent choice.
Bargain in the Eau Noire, surely!
Eau Noire was practically free! You had a great quarter Tara; I’ll bet you are luxuriating in the BdI extrait… *sigh* 😉
Mostly decants for me this time around. Total just over $300.
Bottles:
Roma Imperiale (LOVE it)
Serendipitous
Mini of Vaniglia del Madagascar
Decants:
Martin Margiela Untitled
A bunch of Amouages (thanks, Daisy!!!)
Il Tuo Tulipano
Illuminum White Gardenia
La Petite Robe Noire
By Night White
Plus, about $45 in samples from Luckyscent. There may have been another decant or two that I forgot.
I got a sample of Untitled during Swapmania. Wow, I really like it. Need more!
Like many others here, I had good intentions this quarter, but a couple of Couldn’t-Pass-Up-The-Opportunity opportunities showed up so….
half bottle Roja Dove Unspoken extrait
3/4 bottle Nahema edp
the other 1/2 of Opera Fan’s bottle of Chanel Cuir de Russie
Decants of Tauer Le Maroc Pour Elle, Zeta
Minis of Guerlain Herba Fresca, vintage Jardins de Bagatelle
Total $345, not bad, but three times last quarter! :-0
But you totally deserved every single one of those!
Thank you! But so do we all! 😀
Wow – a whole 1/2 bottle of extrait! That must be fabulous.
Happy splitting the CdR with you!
minis:
-elizabeth taylor’s white diamonds (yep, shortly after she died, so i’m going to say it was during april)
-0.34oz of flower by kenzo (love it, but it fades so fast on me)
small bottles:
-1oz of burberry weekend (yuck, yuck YUCK, wish i didn’t waste my money)
-1.69oz of cabotine de gres (yummy, even if it does smell like laundry detergent, i don’t care.)
3.4oz bal a versailles edt from jean desprez. this smell is ok. i believe it’s more suited for cooler months, so maybe i’ll like it better then. when i sprayed it on for the first time, it made my head spin (in a good way), but the heavy incensey scent was a bit too much after awhile, especially since it’s warm out, and it feels like the olfactory version of a heavy blanket. i’ll save this one for later.
1.7oz of bill blass nude–i am currently waiting for it to show up in the mail.
these bottles have all been bought either at online discount stores, or at tj maxx, so the damage was not as bad as it could’ve been.
currently coveting:
tom ford’s black orchid
tom ford’s white patchouli
I find BB Nude too much for summer. If you bought it unsniffed and don’t like it, save it for cool weather and try it again. I wear it to bed in the winter..
I must be missing something: Only two this quarter? Not bad.
SL Myrrhe
Heeley Cuir Pleine
I wasn’t well behaved either. I bought 6 bottles, which is downright extravagant for me. Ususally, I’ll buy 5 or 6 in a whole year…Yikes!
SL Ambre Sultan
Anisia Bella
Encens Flamboyant
Lalique Flora Bella
L de Lolita Lempicka (back-up bottle)
Vintage Opium EDT
Since I’m in a confessional mood, I’ll also tell you that 2 of those were un-sniffed purchases…Anisia Bella, Flora Bella…and they totally DO NOT work for me. What was I thinking?? Lesson learned.
Oh no, the un-sniffed fb gamble! Maybe they’ll grow on you? 😐
Maybe. There’s faint hope for Flora Bella, but it’s just so *not me*, you know? :/
I’ll confess that I bought Flora Bella blind, too. I like it a lot, but find that I rarely wear it. I guess it’s not really “me,” either.
Yeah, I hear ya. Last year I bought Bas de Soie and Nuit de Turbeuse un-sniffed. BdS ended up working but I am *still* waiting to learn how to appreciate NdT a year later.
Meg, I SO wanted to like NdT that I actually fooled myself for a while! I have traded my bottle away since.
we all have our dirty-little-unsniffed-purchase-secrets, eh? If you never find the love, there is always ebay, or the scent wiki bottles for sale page, and hopefully the Posse ladies will host another swap some day down the road.
I bought 2 for me and 2 as gifts…
1) The vert extreme by bulgari… I wanted this one for a long time.. and it is VERY hard to get here in south america (although still available on some websites on the US) but I’ve been on the malls in US over the past years and the Thé verts and Bulgari Black are getting increasingly hard to get… I paid almost the same as what they are selling it for in US (the 100ml one.. as this is one of those “spray liberally” scents) so I am a happy camper.
2) Ferragamo Pour Homme. This one is definitely discontinued. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fig leaves on this one and I got a 50ml bottle. It was about 60u$s…, but hey.. no one else has it now.. and I love it. Perfect combo! 🙂
And the Gifts: Biotherm Homme for a friend’s husband and anotherone from Natura ( a deodorant cologne) to another friend.
Oh! and 1 more.. For my father I got Vetiver and bergamot from 4711… 🙂
I love The Vert Extreme! Good choices you have made!
I keep a perfume buying spreadsheet which is quite eye-opening and sometimes brutally honest. I’ve had a couple of successes this quarter (Diptyque Opoponax and Hermes Eau Claire des Merveilles). Most frustrating were the ones I bought that didn’t really work out. In particular, thought I would LOVE Hermes Eau des Merveilles – it gets so much love everywhere (and I do love the Eau Claire version), but all I get is pepper and patch – which would be fine if I liked it. No sun-warmed skin, no ambergris. I’ve tried several times.
It’s hard for me not to count decants and samples as they can really add up – guessing my spending has been close to $300 this quarter including samples/decants. That’s living way high on the hog for me, and next quarter I’ll need to do better! In the meantime, if someones wants some Hermes EdM…
I thought I was fairly restrained since I had lashed out in March and bought 8 x 15ml edp and 2 x 5ml parfums of Ava Luxe, and she gave me loads of samples as well :), so it was
Caron – Montaigne edp
Guerlain – L’Instant edp
Kenneth Cole – NY edp
SL – 5 O’clock au Gingembre
Jill Sander – Jil (Pink and black bottle)
+ the Jil Shower Cream and Lotion, and impossible to buy (bought at a local dept store, and the SA said “oh a woman came in earlier and bought a few bottles – saying it was fairly hard to get”, I kept quiet and said, do you keep it in stock, and she said oh yes we have it all the time (my little perfume heart squealed with delight).
A total of $414.39 AUD + small samples bottles of RL Notorious, Rochas Femme and Ungaro (self-titled) $21.92, I kept under $450 not bad, but definitely not restrained now that I add it all up. I guess you can tell it is getting chilly in Sydney.
I am getting a lemming for L’instant. To the extent that i stopped at a mall today just to get a spray from a tester. But, these sudden passions haven’t worked out well for me in the past…a month down the line and I suddenly find I cant stand the smell. So i’m going to put off buying it for some time. I think 3 months would be ideal.
I bought four:
1) Bronze Goddess Soleil (100 ml)
2) Ambre Narguile (3.4 oz)
3) JM Blue Agava and Cacao (30 ml)
4) Diptique’s Set of four 15ml EDT (Phylosykos, Tam Dao, Do Son, and L ‘Ombre Dans L’Eau.
3 full bottles
1 Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme Super Concentrate 100ml
1 Rochas Globe 50ml
1 Rochas Eau de Rochas 100ml
Plus a mini of Sonia Rykiel because the bottle is cute – not so fond of the scent (not my style), samples of Trussardi Skin (don’t like), Moschino Funny (don’t like), Bond No. 9 Bleecker Street (don’t like – should’ve listened to Luca) Bond No. 9 Little Italy (ok), Eau de Rochas (love).
I bought Hugo Boss “boss bottles” for my dad for his birthday, he love it. I got £5 off at Boots aswell 🙂
Ok. Please note that I am modestly posting at the end, a day late when no one is likely to read me. . .
Actually, compared to my newbie exuberance of last quarter, I was very good! Perhaps, saintly!
New Bronze Goddess $55
Slightly used ebay: L’Eau D’Hiver $107, vintage Egoiste $39
See! Really good! I’m trying to save for my first house, so that’s inspiring some restraint! (Of course, there’s a couple discovery sets in my near future, which I KNOW is tempting fate, but I really, REALLY want to try a bunch of OJ and Tauer scents!)
I’m just getting started on the reading Marjorie! 🙂
You had a good quarter, and I am totally jealous of that L’Eau D’Hiver! AND the Egoiste! Those were both steals, and it would have been a crime to pass them up 😉
Yes, I am totally glorying in the L’Eau D’Hiver. The Egoiste’s top notes have soured, but the dry down is still lovely. Now, I can’t decide if I “need” a new one, just for comparison, mind you!
Since I keep a spreadsheet, I know the dollar damage for Q3:
$311.67
But I’m having a hard time figuring out exactly *what* I spent it on…
There were some OJ Champaca purse sprays,
Oh, there was a bottle of Alahine EDP,
a split of Jeaux de Peau…
Here’s the problem: If I spent over $300 on perfume in this quarter, and don’t know what I spent it on, then I have too many perfumes! How can I enjoy what I don’t even know I have?? After my Aftelier sample set arrives, LOL, I am going to have to put myself on a buying embargo.
Hey, Dee!
So, you decided to go for the Alahine? Good for you, as I know that it is true love!
Good luck with your embargo! I told myself that it was totally silly to want to buy so much perfume (after all, most people seem to think that ONE bottle is enough! Ha!), but I have found that I must create a realistic limit of one bottle a month. It requires WAY more self-control than I would have thought possible a year ago!
Oh, and now I think about it, another solution to not knowing what you bought would just be more complete bookkeeping! Then you can avoid that pesky feeling of excess! : )
Marjorie,
You hit the nail on the head! That “Pesky Feeling of Excess”. I was so excited as this quarter I used the “diary” feature of MAU to keep track of ALL fragrance expenses (including decant supplies and postage)…& “Donatella” (aka. Don-wanna-tella, not I) was a very BAD girl!
No confession here though, only shock and horror ..but I know Our Lady of Scented Indulgence is of compassion. I do feel better knowing what I actually spend though…Both my wallet and I are liking your bottle a month idea;) and good luck on the house!
: )
I think the limit of one bottle per month sounds perfect: that it forces you to deliberate between scents and the rationale for which you want the most is kind of fun and interesting anyway. Right now I am at one bottle per season (every 3 months), though, and that definitely seems like too much deliberation and waiting!
I agree, Meg! I have found the prioritizing quite interesting, which is an unexpected benefit of my current frugality. I’d like to think that I could do 1 bottle a season, but I fear that I would experience an unpleasant level of withdrawal! I DO try to not buy a really expensive bottle every month, which assuages some of my concern about the expense. (Insert playful enabling for more frequent, “inexpensive” bottles here! LOL!)
I’ve been trying to find cheap thrills via discontinued gift sets, total spent about 40 USD, but time will tell if I have wasted my money! (In any case I’ve got shower and shave covered for the next 6 months as a bonus) So far I like Zirh Ikon (the insanely low price and Kevin’s not-scathing review triggered my “buy” button) But I think the random Pecksniff’s miscellaneous oriental I picked up at TK Maxx might have been a mistake. I’ve got an awful lot of it and it’s awful strong…
Sometimes its best not to look for bargains and just buy what you love.
Morgan,
I feel your bargain-seeking pain! How many times have I scoured Marshall’s or TJ Maxx really hoping to find something *good* and settled for something mediocre?! Thank goodness they’ll take returns, even if the shrink-wrap is broken! (I’ve made more than one walk-of-return-shame the day after over-excited discount shopping!)
I have been on a major L’Artisan jag lately, as I mentioned in a previous post! I treated myself to 50ml each of Bois Farine and Passage D’Enfer. And that is ALL!!
I staved off the temptation to buy OJ Champaca because I want a full bottle and not the travel set, so perhaps that can wait until next years Spring/Summer damage polls………
Ok here goes, I’m not adding them up this time so I can ignore the problem a bit longer. And THIS is BETTER than last quarter.
Tom Ford Lavender Palm
Chanel Cuir De Russie
Chanel Coromandel
Chanel Sycomore
Another bottle of MMM Untitled (swapped too much the first time)
MMM Untitled L’EAU
Frederic Malle L’Eau D’Hiver
Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee
L’Artisan Nuits De Tuberose
L’Artisan Dzongkha
L’Artisan Premier Figuier
CB I Hate Perfume To See A Flower
CB I Hate Perfume White Ginger Flower Accord
CB I Hate Perfume Revelation
Ineke After My Own Heart
Ineke Evenings Edged in Gold
L’Aromarine Les Fleurs Blanches
L’Aromarine Vanille
Serge Lutens Nuit De Cellophane
Creed Virgin Island Water
Vintage Shalimar edp
D.S. & Durga Cowboy Grass for the BF
TF Black Orchid (another)
Ha! And I thought *I* was hiding at the bottom of the list! Better hope Daisy doesn’t see you! She TOTALLY called me out last time! 🙂
(Love ‘ya, Daisy!)
*awe*
this quarter has been the most expensive for me in quite some time…
Sycomore 50ml $110
Bois des Iles 50ml $110
Balenciaga Paris 50ml $130
Vintage 90s Coco gift set $90 ebay
total of $440 AUD….but I consider I’ve saved money on the Chanels (can’t get them for under $200 in the Chanel boutiques here) as I bought them on our recent trip to Hawaii & with the aussie dollar being so good n all 😀
12 FB!
I`ll only admit to it here.
Really, I was good this last quarter. 100 ml tester bottle of Angel and 2 vintage 53 ml bottles of Emeraude cologne. All of Ebay for a total of just under $100, including S&H. My b-day is coming though and I badly want Tauer’s Orange Star and 31 Rue Cambon. The only thing holding me back from the Chanel at this point is the fact that it comes in a freakin’ 200 ml bottle. Maybe the 31 now and the Tauer for Christmas?
Or maybe someone would know,..my sister is going to Spain in late August and will probably make a side trip to Paris. Would it be cheaper to buy it there? Or could she maybe find it in Spain?
Only one temptation: a bottle of Paloma Picasso EDP 100ml!
Finally fell for Serge Lutens Bois de Violette & so very glad I did!! 🙂