Way back in 2007, Angie wrote a great post called Becoming a perfumista, in which she identified four stages of perfumista-hood. Many of you will recognize the symptoms: strong interest (stage one), beginning perfume mania (stage two), full-blown perfume mania (this is stage 3, and for many of us, it's when we drain our bank accounts) and connoisseurship (stage four).
A bit later that same year, while reviewing Gucci by Gucci, I added a stage five, which I called rampant cynicism:
This comes, I think, of already owning enough perfume to scent a small town for the foreseeable future, and then not only looking for more fragrances that you might conceivably love and want to own, but also trying (in vain) to keep track of all the new perfume releases and to smell as many of them as you can possibly manage. You can tell you’ve reached stage five when almost everything you read about a new fragrance makes you either laugh out loud or roll your eyes, depending on your mood.
In other words, it's when you start to get jaded, and I think it's a natural reaction to trying to search out the gems among the ongoing lunacy of 1500+ new fragrance releases a year. Perhaps it's also a natural byproduct of blogging, and especially of blogging about new fragrances? But back in 2007, at least part of me really thought the fragrance industry couldn't possibly keep up the pace, and that things would get back to normal, and my cynicism would fade.1 And I continued to think that for quite a few years, as the economy faltered and sputtered, and it seemed like there simply weren't enough consumers to buy all the product.
Now I know better. Companies are going to go on making too much product for their own good, regardless. Once Japan and Russia were the bright new markets, now it's China and India and Brazil. The mainstream lines may have slowed down, briefly and slightly, but it didn't matter to the overall picture: new niche lines started sprouting up at an absurd pace. Eventually, the pace got so absurd that it changed how most perfumistas think about niche: it's no longer the automatic badge of quality and integrity that it used to be. A quick glance through my archives shows that many of these lines never manage a second or third release. The DIY genre (what I think of as indie) is booming too, and perfume blogs, well, I long ago lost count.
Some perfumistas have thrown up their hands and moved on — many of the women who started out on MakeupAlley's fragrance board at the same time I did have found other interests to pursue. Many of the blogs I once read avidly are now defunct, or have been repurposed to consider other topics. And yes, I'm still jaded, and yes, ad copy still makes me roll my eyes sometimes.
But I'm not as bothered as I was even a year ago. I like to think of myself as now in stage six: a kind of zen perfumista-hood. Frenzy, of one kind or another, has been replaced by calm. There are still perfumes I'd like to buy, but they're few and far between, and I'm not overly worried about when I might get them. If they disappear before I can get my hands on them, so be it. I sample what I can, but I don't worry about that so much any more either: there are very, very few perfumes that I'm willing to jump through hoops for. If I am really looking forward to something, and it turns out to be a bust, I don't worry — another bus will be along shortly. Likewise, when I pull an older bottle out of my cabinet and find that it's spoiled — which is happening now fairly frequently, given that the majority of my collection was acquired in 2004 and 2005 — I toss it with sadness, but then I go on about my day. I'm way past the point where I'm going to worry about replacing bottles.
Do I still enjoy perfume? Absolutely. There are still old favorites that make me catch my breath every time I smell them. I still love reading about perfume, and about other people's reactions to perfume. And every so often, something new can still dazzle me enough to make me pull out my wallet.
How about you? What stage are you in? And while you're at it, tell us the last fragrance that dazzled you. (Mine is still Parfum d’Empire Azemour Les Orangers)
Note: top image is Angkor Wat, Cambodia [cropped] by dms_303 at flickr; some rights reserved.
1. Mind you, what I thought of as "normal" was about 400-500 new fragrances a year. A quick glance through the archives of Women's Wear Daily will illustrate that there was a day when industry insiders thought 100 was crazy, and then 200 was outrageous, and then 300 was just ridiculous, and so on and so forth.
I’m at a calm stage, although I don’t think I’ve quite reached a zen calm. I’m quite capable these days of smell something and saying to myself ‘that’s lovely, but I don’t need it’, and walking away. I’ve learned to be wary of sample sets: they are economical in themselves, but they set up whole new lemmings.
I’m cheered by several very good mainstream releases last year, and pleased that the top selling fragrances each year are usually very good – and that the list does not change much. Most of the 1,500 new releases each year must wash through the market pretty fast and disappear.
Last fragrance that dazzled me: Penhaligon’s Amaranthine. And I have a sample of Azemour LE on the way!
I am cheered by the good mainstream launches too…in some ways, I’m more cheered by mainstream than niche lately.
I’m with you Anne-Marie: contentment!
It’s a nice place to be, although sometimes I still feel guilty for not being more excited about new releases; the Neela Vermeire (sp?) fragrances sound really great, and I’d like to try them, but have zero compulsion to track them down.
On the other hand, I’m still getting excited about ancillary products, like soap! 😉
First, I’m so glad to hear you still love perfume! I was a little worried while reading your thoughts that you were ready to call it a day or some such. Whew – don’t know what I’d do without NST!
I do believe I’m at stage four. Though while at stage three, I didn’t drain the bank account since I have a spouse who keeps me in line. haha But I have been acquiring many fragrances and enjoying every minute of it. I do realize that I have become more selective about which releases give me goosebumps and send me into that *Must Sniff* frenzy. I’m also gaining some self control and not ordering every LuckyScent sample pack that’s offered. I was a real sucker for those! 😉
I do wonder sometimes if it is NST that keeps me interested, and if I’d have moved on otherwise? It’s hard to tell. I really do love blogging.
And we love that you love blogging! 😉
Thanks 🙂
Thank YOU, Robin.
Yep!!
Adding my yep!
I think some acknowledgment needs to be made here that without NST, at least *I* would probably not be the semi-educated perfumista that I am! Not sure I would have felt confident to keep learning more without such a great resource and community to back me up (and enable!). 🙂
I could not agree more and I could not have said it any better! Thank you!
Without all of you, there would be no community! I’m just an organizer / busybody.
I know it helps keep me interested – huge thanks, Robin (and also to all commenters)!
Thank goodness for budget-conscious spouses!
It’s a blessing *and* a curse. LOL
Oh – I forgot to mention fragrances that have dazzled me recently (that I’ve discovered within the past year). They would be Guerlain Cruel Gardenia, SL Jeux de Peau and SL Vitriol d’œillet . Of mainstream, I fell for Bottega Veneta.
I’ve wondered if our dear Robin has been ready to throw in the towel and start a tea blog on more than one occasion, RD! I think I left a comment of concern a few months ago when the topic came up, but I was happily reassured that she still has a passion for the subject. Which is a relief. I still consider this site the ‘ne plus ultra’ perfume resource. 😉
I couldn’t agree more Joe. NST will always be dear to my heart.
Thank you Joe. As I said above, without all of you, there would be no community, and this place would be pretty dull.
I think I’m somewhere between stage three and four — I don’t feel like I have to try everything anymore, and the perfumes that amaze me are getting fewer and farther between.
The problem I seem to be having lately has to do with trusting my own judgment. If I’m not sure that I like a perfume, a negative review can convince me to just forget about it. If I’m leaning towards buying a bottle, but I’m not entirely sure, then a glowing review can push me over the edge 😀
The last perfume that dazzled me: Ambre Narguille.
Oh, do get over that! Or read more reviews, LOL…surely, for everything you love, there is at least ONE good review?
It’s funny, cos this is the story of my 2 worst buys.
1)Dior’s Addict. I tried it, adored it and went home to read reviews. Reviews, at least the ones I trusted we’re unanimously negative. I tried it again and again and still loved it. After a week I bought a small bottle. (deciding to trust my own judgment). I wore it about 3 times more and developed an aversion. I came to the same conclusion as the negative reviewers.
2) I read great reviews on Bronze Goddess. Tried it repeatedly over about 10 days, and loved it. Since more experienced people lauded it, I felt safe about buying it. I also wore it about 3 times and developed an aversion: while most perfumes disappear quickly on my skin, this one suffocated me in coconutty-amber.
I don’t trust my own impressions or reviews any more – if I like it for a couple of months though it seems to be safe!
Oh dear. Sounds like you need to buy decants more than bottles!
I think I’m stuck between 3 and 5 with an occasional stage 6 moment – although I’ve been careful to make sure there’s enough budget remaining to pay the bills and put food on the table.
Sometimes I feel like I’m suffering collector’s burnout, then something comes along that sends me scrambling for price comparisons or dream of big lottery wins if I ever bother to play.
A lot of new releases have fallen flat before my nose, and that includes all categories: mainstream, high-end, niche and indie – some in spite of universal praises. I’ve been exploring among classics old and recent. Some of my “wow” moments of late have been from the F.Malle line: Iris poudre immediately comes to mind and Dans Tes Bras on the other side of the spectrum, also Caron’s Montaigne, and a lightbulb moment for Mitsouko even though we’ve been acquainted for years. Still looking forward to trying the PdE Azemore.
Thanks for this thoughtful post. It’s nice to do an honest self-assessment from time to time.
I am DEFINITELY burned out on the collecting aspect, and even on the collecting samples aspect. One thing I’ve come to realize is that the time it takes to organize, log and store samples is simply no longer worth it: I could be doing more yoga, or reading more books, or something, instead of trying to keep track of 5000 darned fragrance samples, most of which are spoiling fast too.
Indeed!
Hear hear!
WOW! 5000 samples? Feeling like a newbie again, suddenly!
Oh, it was not a real number! Although it might be. I have no idea.
Oh dear. I’m laughing. I’m crying. [in sympathy]
Even the possibility that it *might* be is amazing to me! 🙂
Bear in mind that I’ve been collecting samples now since 2003. That is a long time. And I keep many of them, supposedly so I’ll have them for reference. That isn’t panning out the way I hoped because a) despite my efforts, I can never find the one I want and b) more & more, I just know that something smells just like something else, but I can’t remember what, LOL…it’s too many to keep track of, in other words.
Ha, yeah, speaking of spoiling: I was packing up my collection a few weeks ago for the big move, and realized (heartbroken) that my slightly cherisked Grossmith Shel el Nessim had totally evaporated! Ack! That *rarely* has happened to me so I don’t know. I was annoyed more than anything b/c it was so pretty and I never wore it b/c it was so special. Now it’s all gone forever, and I’m not going to waste any effort trying to get more. I’m done hoarding the special stuff and am trying to wear things gone.
That happened to my export bottle of Chene…there’s about a teaspoon left. I decided it would be safer if I didn’t use the atomizer — now all my export atomizer bottles are fine, and it’s the Chene that is gone. I do have to laugh, it just figures, right?
So sorry about your Grossmith. It really is true though — don’t save things for special occasions!
This is so true in a lot of ways, Robin. Personally, I’d have to go with my perfumista-ness as being a tiny bit of stage 4, mostly stage 5 and perhaps finally some increase in stage 6. There are definite staples of my wardrobe (which is pretty considerable) but I find myself creating the “If I could only have 10 fragrances, what would they be?” in an effort to reign myself in, and each new acquisition is weighed much more carefully than in the past.
There’s got to be a stage 4.5, I think, where one becomes so bored/overwhelmed with the waterfall volume of same-old same-old new perfumes that one seeks refuge in past classics. At least half my current “want” list consists of vintage/from the early 2000’s/past loves at this point, and I am more likely to try vintage-inspired chypres/big white florals etc. over most others save for a good gourmand these days. The sheer amount of niche lines that keep multiplying seem to have forgotten what was once so special about niche, and I do hope that trend dies down and more focus is put back on quality and not quantity.
The last fragrance that really wowed me would either be MG Plum or Clinique Aromatics Elixir. Both of them have something so wonderfully old school and are unapologetically “loud” in the best ways, but are also stunningly beautiful. Though I’ll admit that my sampling has tapered off some in the last couple months.
I like your 4.5! And interesting that my recent favorite (the PdE) is basically a nostalgia scent.
I can recognize myself in your 4.5 . . .
I, too, am glad to hear you aren’t throwing in the towel. It’s refreshing to read that you have found your way “through” the cynicism without giving up entirely. I feel like lately I’ve read a lot of articles and even blog posts that are really negative about the state of the industry, consumers, perfume bloggers, you name it. And while I can respect all of those opinions (and even share some of them), at times it does make me feel a bit depressed. I don’t want my love for perfume to gradually become close-minded cynicism. You’ve given me hope with your report of the possibility of a zen level of interest!
Which brings me to your question about stages. I suppose I am in Stage 3, although fortunately time constraints and a sort of natural ability to maintain a fever pitch with anything have prevented me from doing too much damage to my bank account or my closet storage. 🙂
The last perfume that blew me away was Parfum Sacre.
Oops. That should read “natural INability to maintain a fever pitch” etc.
Parfum Sacre is beautiful!
I am definitely cynical, but hope I’m not yet close minded. I do still find things to love, and from all over — cheap to expensive.
I think I am in between stages 4-6 (depending on the day) . I can still do some signicant impulse buying, but that has calmed down considerably. My perfume buying (even including samples) started to slow way down when I realized at one point that through the years I had spent so much on perfume that, had I saved the money instead, I could have taken a trip to the Galapagos Islands (which is not cheap from NYC or from anywhere I guess). It’s not that I regret the money spent (well, there are some regrets), but after a while it does seem absurd. Maybe if I could afford the perfume and awesome travel my spending habits wouldn’t have changed, but I can’t. At this point, I have more perfume, some true treasures, than I will ever use and I would really like to have some other wonderful life experiences.
Like you Robin, I still love perfume, but now it’s more like an accepted important part of my life rather than an itense obsession, if you know what I mean.
The last perfume that really “got” to me was Prada Candy. It wasn’t dazzling or breathtaking, but it is just so easy and fun I was enchanted!!
What’s funny is that I still impulse buy too! But not, as it used to be, because I want more perfume — more like scratching an itch. In other words, sometimes I just want to buy something. If it wasn’t perfume, it would be a scarf. If that makes sense to anyone but me…
Sigh, I do the same. But my impulse buys in the last year have tended to be less expensive items. The perfumes I like are generally too pricey to fit ok into the impulse buys I do!
It is like an itch! Unfortunately, I can look back on those moments, and there’s too many of them sadly, where scratching that itch resulted in clothes or perfume or jewelry that I don’t wear for one reason or another. Something I try to do now is, if I feel I have an itch I try to think of who’s birthdays coming up and buy them a gift. It satisfys the itch and the gift at the same time.
What a good idea, Sujaan.
Totally makes sense. My scratching recently was buying about 5 shades of the great new Revlon Lip Butters, which was less than perfume. It was a quest, though – I went to 2 Targets, a Rite Aid and a couple of Walgreen’s. But I also know I will be going to the Barney’s Beauty Bag Event. I was a little amazed at myself that I went with some friends on a sniff and didn’t buy anything but lunch. That never happens!
Yes — I used to buy purple eyeshadows! I have a zillion of them. I wear eyeshadow maybe twice a year.
‘Tis because you shopped vicariously through me that day, m’dear. 😉
Kidding! (sorta)
Lol. I went on a lip butter quest too. I’ve only bought two so far but there’s one more that I want but the one in target had been opened so I need to go to another store and hope they have it. I usually turn to lip products or nail polish as my pick me up purchases when I’m not feeling like or don’t have the funds for fragrance.
Well said Tara! I completely agree with your comment about more perfume (after a saturation point) vs. other life experiences.
Great post, Robin!
I’m definitely a stage six-er. I don’t worry very much about the new releases and, if one piques my curiosity, I’m willing to wait until I can sample it in person or until some comes my way at a very reasonable price. I don’t go nuts for vintages and, after a short whinge about reformulations when one of my loves gets messed up, I get on with it because there are so many other fish in the sea.
Even when obvious industry cynicism like, say, the renaming of Miss Dior Cherie to Miss Dior (and I don’t even like the scent!) rears it’s head, all I have to do is spray on one of my favorites to remember why I love perfume so much in the first place: at it’s best, it is my favorite kind of wearable art.
My last dazzler was Parfums de Nicolai Le Temps d’une Fete. I came to the line late in the game because I’ve never been much for the rare or hard-to-find, but now I can’t imagine living without a bottle. It’s perfect for me!
Le Temps d’une Fete has become one of those “me” fragrances, even in a way that the rest of my fume wardrobe, much as I love it, isn’t. I cannot imagine going without it.
And I’d never have found it without all the sampling/exploring in vain. Which is, I suppose, why we keep sampling: what if the next one’s True Love?
One of the reasons I sampled Le Temps is because of your blog posts about it. Is it a stage six thing to do a lot of research before seeking a scent out? 🙂
I liked this statement of yours:
“Which is, I suppose, why we keep sampling: what if the next one’s True Love?”
Yes! I’m always ready to be dazzled again.
I know I’m stage six because the renaming of Miss Dior mostly made me chuckle! For the moment, it’s pretty darned hard to get me outraged.
I guess I’m a mixture of stage 3 and 5.
I still buy a great many FB each year (26 in 2011) but at the same time I am completely jaded when it comes to niche lines. To me, niche now means overpriced, impossible to get locally, flavor of the month.
My new guilty pleasure is to reach into the past to find those things that I loved years ago and could not affort at the time, or things that have been discontinued but can still be found-if you’re lucky.
Strangely enough, I have no wish to become one of those people who can identify all the ingredients in a fragrance. To me, it’s all about loving it or not, how it feels, how I would wear it, what images it brings to my mind… and what I can find at a great price!
You know, I have come full circle. I started out unaware of niche. Then I spent some time as a real niche snob. Now, I’m with you — I’m more cynical about niche than mainstream.
Agreed. It’s the multi-release niche debuts that get to me.
I love being able to pick out notes, and I love identifying new ones – but then I have pretty strong analytical tendencies anyway. I’m always thrilled with those “making of” extras on the DVDs of movies I enjoyed.
But now I don’t want to *buy* anything unless it gives me a certain feeling, one I can’t explain other than calling it a “magic carpet ride.” If a fragrance picks me up and carries me away, I want it. Otherwise I’m content to merely smell.
Sometimes I like to explore a note, like I did with iris, but otherwise I am not particularly good at isolating notes in a fragrance.
Magic carpet! – that’s what I’ve always really wanted from a perfume. And then I want that magic carpet in lotion and bath powder, too.
My point… and I did have one… 🙂 is that you should pick out notes to your heart’s content. If that makes your heart content, great. If not, don’t bother. No biggie. We don’t all have to enjoy perfume in the same ways.
Though I hope that we all enjoy wearing it.
Hi Robin!
Is there a Stage 7? 🙂
If there is, that’s where I am at. After buying, swapping and selling for 8+ years, I am now making my own blends for myself and friends. It has become a hobby that I am thoroughly enjoying. I am learning a lot.
I still like to buy perfumes now and then and the last one to dazzle me was Nuit de Longchamp by Lubin. A vintage scent that they have brought back to life.
I only read NST and I belong to only one perfume group that is on Facebook vs. 3 or 4 different groups/board up to about a year ago.
Long live NST!
~Dawn
Oh, I like that idea — stage 7 is when you move past commercial perfume entirely or mostly. Nice.
Great, thought-provoking post. I would say I’m somewhere in early stage 4, paring down the collection a bit to re-home some of the impulse buys and things I’ve found just don’t work for me as well as I thought they would, but still buying a fair amount, too. It’s scary to hear that you have bottles from 2004-2005 are going bad!
I know that freaked me out too…I better start using those back-up bottles!!
If it reassures you:
I have a few bottles that I bought before 2004 and that are still perfectly fine.
Mind you my Goutals and Calyx live in the fridge. Ideally I would like to get a huge wine cooler so I could keep my entire collection at 8-10 degrees Celsius.
Oh, I have very old bottles that are still fine. It just depends on the scent.
I am sure it does, hence the fridge for a few of them. Still I won’t be able to keep everything I own in good condition. I don’t even have air-conditioning, mind you I live in a temperate zone, kind of. I will see how it goes.
Mind you, I have many that are just fine. And although my house is air conditioned, I may not keep it as cold as some people, I don’t know. But I have definitely lost bottles.
I guess if I had to choose, you could say that I am stuck at Stage 2. Part of that is not having a lot of disposable income- well, none really, though I am starting a new job soon! But the other part is that at heart, I am a minimalist. As fascinated with fragrances as I am, as much as I love smelling and discussing and increasing my ability to do both these things, I don’t want to smell different every day. I like consistency, smelling like ‘me’. I own maybe five full bottles of perfume, and a handful of samples. I only have one bottle that I want to buy right now. I want to keep smelling and keep learning, but I can’t see myself amassing any sort of real collection, now or in the future.
A minimalist perfumista — that actually sounds great to me. I am not much of a minimalist about anything.
I think being newer to perfume, and not being a vintage fanatic, also makes it easy for me to not fall into the pit of cynicism and despair. I “don’t know what I’m missing”, but at the same time I don’t care. Why obsess over the past when there is enough to understand in the present? Yes there is junk out there but there is also tons of great new stuff as well. I’d rather not sit around regretting vintage perfumes I can’t have.
I want to be you when I grow up. 🙂 I’m actually at the stage of going through what I have and paring down or using up. Soon I’ll have a great big pile of things to sell or swap. I was a serial sig scent girl, and I do think I lean that way at heart… I just couldn’t find a new sig scent, and then I found NST. Definitely longing for more simplicity in my life these days… but I’ll still keep far more bottles/decants than I ever imagined owning.
I guess I’m mainly stage 6, except when I read your inputs on raspberry smelling jeans, flankers of flankers of classics and the latest celebrity scents, all which still manage to slightly irritate me (stage 5? it doesn’t have anything to do with you, Robin!). My last buy, and it is on heavy rotation this winter, is bottega veneta
Whereas those raspberry jeans made me smile! As do the Justin Bieber Someday commercials. I must be getting soft in my old age, LOL…
I am not very good at stages I think, I thought I had slowed down but I spent more in December than I did during the rest of the year. So I hop from one stage to another and back again I suppose.
I am beginning to develop a certain knowledge of what I will like and will want to explore. I tend to still stick to certain houses and to certain reviewers. For instance GraindeMusc’s interview with Antoine Lie combined with BoisdeJasmin’s glowing review of Eld’O Rien prompted me to order some samples from that house.
And my next full bottle purchase will be Rien for sure.
The last fragrance that made me swoon and still makes me swoon is Goutal’s Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille
But I have yet to smell Azemour, which I am sure I will at leas like. I like Parfums d’Empire and I love citrus chypres.
That Goutal is so nicely done — not me though. But Goutal gets better all the time, IMHO.
I’m astoundigly amazed by your article. One of the best in perfumery I’ve read the last years. Congrats and thanks for the great reading you have gifted us.
I’m on stage 3, but already jaded of trying to have acsses to some simple pieces I want. Even my interest in reading a lot of reviews has faded about 90%. About 1-2 years ago I used to spent a large amount of my few-free-time reading like a crazy reviews and opinions. How much Saturday nights I stood home reading instead of going out with the college colleagues. Then, I discovered niche, my interest grew but only read isn’t enough anymore for me. Then I’m on a stage that I ask for excuse to call: “What eyes do not see the heart does not feel”.
The cursed last fragrances that almost made my heart go out through my mouth were By Killian Incense Oud, Chatecaille Vetyver, Etro Via Verri, Lorenzo Viloresi Teint de Neige, Montale Highness Rose… All waiting for me!
That’s very sweet, thank you!
I started my perfumista andventure like 6 years ago, when I first discovered Prada Men. Isn’t it interesting, that the 1st fragrance that caught my attention became my signature scent. Of course then I couldn’t afford it, but I revisited it so many times, and 3 years later I had the money to buy it. Buying Prada Men was the real beggining for me.
Now, influenced by fragrances I study cosmetic chemistry, I learn how to make creams, colour cosmetics and simple so-called-perfume.
I still read reviews, but only when I’m planning to buy something
So fun. You remembered me with Burberry Touch. But I can’t have a signature scent; I’m a man of multiple “lovers”: sometimes I want to wear 3 frags at the same time!
I don’t have this much perfume, to wear more than one per day. I also believe that having a signature scent is good for me, maybe for every other perfumista too.
I found a scent that I can’t be more comfortable with, Prada Amber pour Homme is so comfortable for me as nothing else. It reflects who I am, who I want to be and what values matter in my life.
My sister used to tell me I should have a signature scent, that it shows the person’s personality, etc. Then I showed her some interesting stuff and she changed her mind. Now she doesn’t have one. Lol. I’m very eclectic and I think that stop me having a signature scent. I usually use frags according to my mood.
everyone should handle perfume in their own best way, don’t you think. That makes us different as perfumistas
I think I’m somewhere between 5 & 6. There are so very few things that seem worth the effort to even try. Case in point: I just got an email from one of my favorite perfume retailers. I thought about making a sample order, but just scrolling through the sample page seemed to take *forever* and there were just so many perfumes I’d never heard of…I just quit altogether. It all just seems so tiring.
It takes a lot of energy to keep up, it’s true. I can totally see why some people just give up and take up knitting, LOL…
I can see you haven’t yet fallen down that rabbit hole, Robin – knitting, I mean. Talk about “so many yarns [and why did they discontinue my favorite yarn/colorway/fiber blend/gauge], so many great designs [but it’s time to design my own from the ground up, instead of following someone else’s instructions], so many great potential projects, so little time. . .” There’s a reason why knitters frequently use the acronym SABLE: stash acquisition beyond life expectancy. (And shhh: let’s not mention the fear that moths are destroying that oh-so-valuable stash even as we speak).
I don’t knit, but yes, have friends with serious yarn addictions!
I don’t knit, but one of my closest friends has a pretty big business selling hand-loomed articles (she also paints). I helped solve her moth concerns – drop a few drops of Texas or Va. cedar essential oil (not Atlas) on cotton balls and put them in with the yarn. Not toxic for your household and works great!
I hadn’t heard SABLE before, but it’s a good one. I promised myself no more yarn until I made hats out of all the poor orphan half-skeins in my stash. So far this winter I’ve made about a dozen. And the stash looks not a whit smaller.
I am at stage 6 too- no mainstream perfumes for a few years ( though I did receive a bottle of Prada Candy for my last birthday). Anne Marie-first in this list of comments-did put me on to a local perfumer last year and his perfumes are quite lovely, I have a few small bottles of some of them and would replace a couple when they are empty-but thats it, nothing else!
Small bottles -> best part.
I think I have some characteristics of most of the stages? I’m less rash than I used to be when buying though I’m still intensely interested. I’m quite surprised at how many lemmings fade away over time. I’m not yet a connousseur (sp?) as there are still notes I cannot identify. New releases take forever to reach my side of the world, so I don’t get excited until I actually see them. As a result i bypassed the jaded aspect – but the celeb frag industry does make me feel cynical!
Still, perfume plays a big part in my life and I like to wear about 3 a day. I spend quite a bit of time sniffing samples, reading reviews and assessing. Delices des fleurs is the first limited that has had me ruffled as I can’t decide on it. The last perfume that dazzled me was in ineke’s evening edged in gold which I sampled about a month ago. An osmanthus with presence!
Oh, if that’s a requirement of connoisseurship, I’m not one either! I swear, I am getting less, rather than more, good at picking out notes and recognizing lineage. And I care less about it too.
Don’t you think the inability to pick out notes in new releases is due to the aroma-chemicals used? I mean exactly what note IS iso e super?!? It will smell differently depending on what it is paired with.
That could be — it’s certainly harder when they keep throwing new aromachemicals in the mix. But also true that I’m forgetful, and that identifying particular aromachemicals has never been a strong suit, nor is it really what I love about perfume.
I guess aromachemicals do throw a spanner in the works!
Like Mals, I am quite analytical which may be why I like identifying notes. I mean, I dont have to come up with 6 or 7 in a frag I smell, but I do like to be able to tell a rose soliflore from, say, a patchouli. And to be more clear: I actually have no idea how patchouli smells, I cant tell benzoin apart from labdanum, and I still confuse ‘amber’ with vanilla…
I’m not sure my impression of ‘aldehydes’ is correct, etc, etc.
Often I don’t like a flavour or a note, but, once it is identified for me I start managing to appreciate it. I dont know why this is but it seems to be the way my brain works.
I think I’m somewhere in stage 2. My collection isn’t that big (6 full bottles + some samples) and my nose is getting more sensitive, learning to distinguish some fragrance notes. And I’m getting more picky.
At the moment I’m only a student (cosmetic chemistry) who has no time after studies to work at least part-time, so I don’t earn any money. To buy something I need to save money for a few months, so I’m considering that one day I might be on level 4, skipping level 3.
Of course I try to keep up with new perfume and I sample a lot.
Just as well to skip stage 3!
I skipped stage 3 for many years due to lack of income. Now that I can afford it, I am revisiting stage 3. LOL
Luca, but you valorize all you have (it’s clear here on LWPs) and you strain to get them. This is a priceless quality. Keep it!
I take your words as a great compliment, thank you!
You’re right! I really valorise what I already have and I valorise even more if something is worth having in a full bottle form. And yes, when I find a scent that takes my breath away I’ll find my way to get it. It really might be “a priceless quality” as you nicely said.
I probably should be considering myself as a different type of perfumista – thoughtful perfumista.
I am thoroughly settled into Stage 5. It is getting harder and harder to not let my cynicism show through when I’m blogging, because so many things smell the same, and there are only so many possible variations on fruity floral or the aquatic fougere. And even if everything being released was of at least decent quality, there’s just no way any human being could keep up: if there are 1500 new releases a year, then that’s four to five per day, every day of the year.
The standby perfume houses like Chanel and Dior and Guerlain are no longer safe bets. (I wore a droplet of the failed, discontinued, genius Dior-Dior this morning and was reminded of how things used to be.) But there are still some niche houses that can be counted on to make excellent or at least interesting scents — Ormonde Jayne, Serge Lutens, Etat Libre d’Orange — so there’s hope.
The last thing that dazzled me is Serge Lutens’ exclusive Rose de Nuit, which is twenty years old but which I tried for the first time today, and it is wondrous from first to last.
It is a mystery to me why anybody still gets excited over a new Guerlain or Dior. It’s not that they don’t occasionally do something nice, but they don’t deserve the esteem they’re given, IMHO. Chanel, a bit higher up, but not always.
Hear, hear!
They’re coasting on their reputations.
It’s an awfully long coast…
I seem to go back and forth between stage 3 and 4.5 even though I would never call myself a connoisseur, I prefer perfume enthusiast. I slowed down for the last year due to pregnancy and baby, but I have been on a sample and full bottle bender lately. The L’artisan sale made me buy Dzongkha and Passage D’Enfer, I participated in a few splits and ordered the PdE sample set (best 16 Euros I spent in a long time) and a bunch from LS just trying to make up for lost time. Last thing that dazzled me was Cuir Ottoman.
My new resolution is no more vintage hunting and no more back up bottles. Live in the moment. And get a mini of Dune, loved it in highschool and could not afford it back then.
I like it that the sale “made you buy” the bottles! I nearly bought Dzongka several times but backed out of it each time, thinking there might be something else I might want to get.
Live in the moment is very good advice for a perfumista.
Second your comment on the PdE sample set, and I have discovered that I love several that I would never have thought of as “me” especially the Ambre Russe.
I’ll third that about the PdE sample line – I also picked it up after hearing about in the comments section of the Azemour review. I still haven’t gotten around to sampling any of the SL’s, and even though I’ve been reading that PdE is considered somewhat derivative of the Serges, I don’t care! (Sorry, Serge, you should’ve gotten there first ;)Cuir Ottoman is the first leather that’s ever worked on my skin, and it’s beautiful.
Personally I have more hits among the PdEs than among the Serges. I love Cuir de Ottoman but it fades on my skin too quickly, and I also love Osmanthus Interdithe (sp?) but its a bit too light on my skin. I do not have an aversion to any of them while some of the serges I find repulsive.
I’m moving into Stage 6. I live in a (remote and beautiful) place now where I just don’t have access to every release.At first, I was angry about that, now I’m fine. I have my own scent library and make my own quirky perfumes for myself, friends, and family. I try things out now and then, and blog now and then. I rant now and then, too! I love perfumery and always will, but I really don’t know where the scented journey will take me next….
That sounds romantic!
Hee, hee! I think I skipped most of Stage Five and vacillate between Three and Six. Mostly Six these days, but I still get caught up in reviews occasionally. Have almost bought Azemour blind several times, now.
Last perfume that thrilled me? Besides the ones I keep re-discovering in my collection, I think it would have to be De Bachmakov this long, hot summer. Still don’t have a full bottle, though. 🙂
You’re just too nice to be in stage 5!
I’d have to look backwards through the archives, but the TDC might be the last thing that thrilled me before Azemour.
Thanks, as always, Robin, for the thoughtful post. I’ve learned so much here in my one-year perfumista-hood. I like your new stage description very much.
In other models of knowledge acquisition that I’ve studied, the “stages” end up not being sequential. There might be jaunts into each clearly recognizable mode for any number of reasons, including mood, bank account, the market, and age bracket.
Even though I’m a new sniffer, I, too, have my zen moments. Now that I know how much is out there to smell or spend money on, I’m not worried about missing something–I’ll be able to find something I like that is appropriate to the moment’s desire. But I think I have my zen moments about perfume because I have zen moments about everything else. It’s the only benefit I’ve received from getting older!
So for me, it’s a continuum. I rolled my eyes at ad copy from the beginning, but I’m still moved by the occasional well-developed concept or description. I have many bottles to sniff, all on my own good time.
I wonder how I would feel if there were this many fragrances a year when I started? I really don’t know. I wouldn’t have started blogging, that’s for sure.
I am at an optimistic but cautious stage. Every time I try a new fragrance, I brace myself up for possible disappointment, which happens quite often. But I keep searching for perfection.
Sounds like you, Robin, have reached “satori” as the Buddhists call it. What will be will be… go with the flow. Let the river zen take you merrily along the way!
I haven’t reached satori about anything else, so at least I’m there w/ perfume 😉
Love your name LadyMurasaki, have you tried Shiseido’s Murasaki? Beautiful iris, violet leaf, gentle leather on an incense base. Astoundingly beautiful and delicate.
Oh, I like to get good and worked up in a Stage 5 way occasionally – rolling your eyes is exercise! I swear! – but mostly I’m 6. I have to confess, even though I understand such feelings, I’ve always found it a bit funny that perfume friends (or friends in general) are always “saying goodbye to the world” by dramatically giving up their hobby, or fretting that they’re going through a stage of being less enthusiastic about it, or announcing that they’re fed up with an industry or community associated with their interest. I still love perfume, and passionately, but I try to remember it’s not life or death.
Recently, I’ve seen a few people completely freaking out on the subway or in line at the grocery store, shouting inappropriately at someone over some small little thing, and they clearly don’t recognize they’re functionally crazy. I consider this a warning. So I try not to take anything too seriously, and least of all myself and my collection of luxury goods. 🙂
And the last release to really dazzle me was… hmm… I guess Boxeuses?
(still pondering over whether or not I’m functionally crazy. I’m sure my son will vote yes)
Oh, functionally kooky is a different thing. You’re entirely too calm to be anything other than sane. I should know – I’ve tested your patience many times! 🙂
Oh, but I’m much calmer here. Dealing with a teenage son is a different matter entirely! And why is it that he STILL likes to antagonize me in the grocery store, LOL?? And even he will admit that he does. So, if there are moments when I’m functionally crazy, they might well be when you’re behind us in line at the grocery store 🙂
I can go from stage 3 to 6 and back again in the span of a week. For example, I was in a relative state of calm, not really wanting anything, happy to let things come my way. Mona di Orio died and I panicked and bought two bottles that day, and then went in on every split I could find of everything else. So, from 6 to 3 in a day.
Now that I am also reviewing scents, there is a different sort of pressure, as well. I feel like I have to seek out new things to share with the world. I am also sent things to review, which has its own dynamic – I am not allowed to write a bad review, so what if I don’t like it? Diplomacy at its finest. However, I am also finding myself to be very easy to please – is there a stage of being happy to have something good to say about everything? lol
That being said, I have been dazzled by a few things lately. I think Eau de Tommi Sooni II and Myrhhiad were the last two. No, Mona’s Cuir and Carnation. Or maybe Star F*cker. Gah!!! See? I’m too easy!
Tama, it must be hard to be limited to writing positive reviews!
Yes, it turns into a “if you like perfumes that smell like overripe bananas and gasoline, this one’s for you!” lol. However, if something was a serious scrubber, I would most likely be let off the hook. It’s those “meh” ones that are tough.
Why can’t you write a bad review?
I hope you still see this!
The blog I write for has a policy of no bad reviews. In some ways it’s nice, because I read some overly snarky reviews sometimes, but in other ways it is a little constricting.The challenge is to kind of let people know it wasn’t your favorite without discounting that some folks might really like it.
That must be hard.
You forgot Seven Veils. Bwaahahaha. 😉
Seven Veils is still wooing me – I love it, but it was not love at first sniff or seriously transporting. it’s just very me.
I love these discussions, Robin! I’ll put myself in Early Stage Four, with some unbecoming breakouts of mania. I still have a *lot* to learn, so I think I’ll be a Four for a while. I hope to bypass the jaded stage and ultimately relax into zenhood (love that concept!).
The last fragrance to *completely* dazzle me, believe it or not, is Jolie Madame. A wonderful perfume friend introduced me to it several months ago, and it has joined the ranks of the very few fragrances that I feel are completely “me.”
Oh dear, panic moment — I owe you an email! Too late tonight, but making a note for tomorrow.
And I think it’s wonderful that there are still old treasures out there we can be dazzled by — that’s even more fun.
I’m somewhere between stage 4 and stage 5… depending on my mood. Sometimes walking through the perfume department of a department store can sway me… usually towards cynicism as I see perfume sharpshooters standing in line… “A gift for the missus?” My strategy is that I have found one SA in each store that knows as much about perfume as I do… or more.
In the back of my mind, I know what the next Chanel purchase will be… the next Guerlain, the next Estée Lauder… but I don’t impulse shop as much as I used to.
I’ve said this elsewhere… I think most perfumistas (and particularly bloggers) are one bad perfume away from walking! I’m so not surprised when I see neglected blogs. I can see a time when perfume won’t mean as much to me. Sad but probably inevitable.
Yes, my cynicism would be worse if I shopped more! But I rarely do.
I have reached a Zen-like state of acceptance as well. I decided to take a good, long look at my perfume collection. Which ones do I really use? The ones of which I have actually finished bottles and bought new ones? They are: Apres l’Ondee, L’Eau d’Hiver, Goutal’s Heure Exquise, and Chanel No. 5. With honorable mentions to Cristalle and Atelier Cologne Grand Neroli, of which I have finished half-bottles (that’s nothing small for the gigantic 200mL Grand Neroli!) I think in the future I would rather stick with what I know and love, until the unhappy day they are discontinued….
That’s a nice collection. I wonder how few bottles I could live with.
Hi Robin
The stages are interesting, but only tell part of the story. I am a bit of all the stages, except stage 5 as I don’t think I have sniffed enough.
The whole concept of cynicism does worry me. Doesn’t that really mean that the romance is over and it is time to move on?
NSt has been a huge part of rediscovering my history and I will always treasure that.
I guess I don’t give up so easy…I’m still here after the romance part is gone!
I’m just starting to explore all the wonderful fragrances, probably at stage 2. So, please, all you inspiring bloggers and commenters, don’t become jaded and leave me now. I love to garden and years ago dabbled in potpourri so was familiar with the three notes in fragrance. And matching perfumes to the different seasons has been a lot of fun. I’ll probably limit my buying to decants or purse-size bottles but would like to have a few favorites for each season.
So far my picksare Amouage Lyric Woman, Parfum Sacre, Nuit de Noel, Champagne du Bois. Ormonde Jayne Woman and Tolu, PdE’s Azemour and Le Temps d’Une Fete. Looking forward to further exploration!
I don’t think you have to worry about that…there are more new blogs every year.
Those are some lovely fragrances.
Thanks for this, Robin. It helps explain my “perfume pull-back” of late. I would put myself somewhere from stage 4 to 6. I will always adore perfume, but I find I’m a lot more laidback about it than I was even two years ago. Mainly because I just accumulated so many samples, I’m still not through them all, and I have this urge to slow down and appreciate what I have.
Currently I’m dazzled by AG Ninfeo Mio.
A good one to be dazzled by!
Thanks to you, Robin, your fine contributors, and the many very perceptive recurrent commenters, I would say that reading NST had led me to a spread-out indeterminate state from about 3 to 6. You certainly teach a great deal of connoisseurship. Reviews smooth over cynicism because I remember the ones that appeal and forget the rest. And it’s nice to share the knowledge that lots of fragrance is unremarkable or bad-whew, what a relief. And classics endure. OK, they often don’t endure. But they are classics for a reason.
Dazzled? I’ll say I’m dazzled that my wife has taken a shine to two perfumes of the many samples I present to her, and that’s really a fun thing: Le Temps d’une Fete and (yep!) Azuree. You just never know.
Oh, and she has good taste!
Dunno what stage I’m in. Four or five years into it, I’ve accumulated enough perfumes to scent not just a small town but maybe a medium sized city. But I don’t feel jaded or cynical. I do feel that I have more perfumes than I need and worry that many perfumes I truly love don’t get the attention and wearing time from that they deserve.
Nonetheless, I still regularly find perfumes that utterly thrill me. The most recent ones I can think of are several of Mona di Orio’s last series, Oud, Vanille and Tubereuse. I find two of Neela Vermiere’s amazing creations, Mohur and Trayee, almost literally intoxicating. Right now I am enjoying my frequent enthusiasms, but am glad to know that a state of Zen may beckon in the future.
It’s something to look forward to 🙂
4, 5, 6? Somewhere in that range, for me. It’s more that I have too little time than that I’ve lost interest, but I’ve definitely slowed way down. When I started having trouble deciding what scent to wear as I tried to dash out the door for work, it hit me that I have more than I can reasonably manage, at least at this stage in my life. Last big loves? Traversee du Bosphore and de Bachmakov (come on, travel sprays!).
Oh that’s right – Traversee – I was definitely dazzled by that one too!
Ditto on those darned travel sprays!! Where are they?
I think that I am too much of a rebel to want to assign myself a number! I am clearly pretty new at this (1 year-ish), but I do already feel more educated about scent than 95% of the population. I definitely have my moments of mania, especially those first few months, but I am generally a pretty self-contained person. And there was a brief time this fall when I felt content and did not desire anything new.
I have found several scents that I really enjoy lately, but the newest one that totally distracts me when I put it on is probably Une Rose Chypree. I’m sure I’ll buy it eventually. 🙂
Good for you — I don’t think there was any time in the first couple years when there weren’t ten or twenty bottles that I desperately wanted!
Loved this essay, Robin. I think it covers the spectrum of feelings many of us have. The scale is a good one… but very fluid.
I’m not sure which stage I’m at. I think I’m past the frenzied perfumania that I had for a good two years or so. I still probably buy too much, but it’s definitely less of a frenzy. I have moments of cynicism, but the dual states of connoisseurship and zen very much overlap in my attitude about things. I love the following statement you made:
“If they disappear before I can get my hands on them, so be it. I sample what I can, but I don’t worry about that so much any more either: there are very, very few perfumes that I’m willing to jump through hoops for.”
However, sometimes a moment of frenzy will still grab me — unsniffed — for a product for unclear reasons. A perfect storm of factors seems to go into it. For a long time, almost all my blind buying has consisted of decants — usually 5ml, but occasionally a larger quantity if the notes and reviews lead me to believe otherwise (or if availability means that it’s a particularly “good deal”).
But occasionally — more and more often — I see people getting all worked up about some new thing, jumping on a bottle split, and I realize it doesn’t really move me. It’s kind of nice to be able to look on with a bit of indifference and sang-froid.
What a rollercoaster this hobby can be over the long term (and my “long term” has only been going since 2007 or 2008, I think). Thanks for having shared so much of it with me, you and everyone here, writers and readers/commenters.
Oh! And it’s so fun to still be “dazzled”… I’ll say that something still really makes my heart flutter at least once a month or so, it seems. The last to do that may have been during the holidays when I sampled Penhaligon’s Esprit du Roi; I find myself craving a bottle someday, but it does warrant further sampling.
(Come to think of it, I was dazzled on the same day by the extrait of SMN Fieno/Hay, which I sampled at the SMN boutique in Manhattan. Sublime stuff.)
HA…and my ears perked up at Fieno. I really liked the EdC, but an extrait must be lovely. But see, I’ll happily forget all about it, which is fine.
And I totally agree about the bottle splits. It’s wonderful that they exist, but if you have a “collecting” personality, they can add to the frenzy in a bad way. I’m sort of glad I don’t have time for it anymore — I’ve only bought a handful of decants in the past few years.
Well, I should add that you should see the number of split decants I own. If my “collecting personality” kept up the same rate of frenzy that I had been at, I would surely be committed to a facility by my friends.
Oh, I wasn’t clear — so do I! I just collected them earlier than you did, and now I’ve slowed WAY down. So it was MY collector personality I was talking about.
I am feeling your perfume Zen. I am not much of a rampant cynic- eye rolling is not my deal (well a good natured eye roll here and there perhaps). I enjoy perfume and I still like to sniff new stuff but I am not buying much at all lately- and when I do it is stuff I have wanted for a while. I too am a big fan of the occasional purchase on a whim- it is good for my soul. The last perfume that dazzled: Bottega Venetta. (Chanel No. 5 parfum is spectacular too!)
I am definitely susceptible to cynicism anyway, in all fields!
Let me add to the others, that your blogging has been a gift, Robin. Same to the others, who always have something special (and often, very beautiful) to say about their experiences with scent. I love seeing paintings, scenes in my mind after reading different takes on fragrance. If you can’t keep up the pace, I’m sure everyone would understand, but your writing on fragrance would be sorely missed. Who knows? Just when you think you’ve reached an apex and are climbing down from perfumista-hood, some brilliant blend might catch your nose, just you when you least expect it :).
I would have to say I’m at “Stage Six”, as well and I realized it when I could pick up a bottle of “Jean Nate” and find it to be a very good blend, for a citrus/chypre/fougere fragrance — there’s a reason it has popular staying power. I love to fall into fragrance spells, but I can read ad copy and immediately know what kind of blend a fragrance is, based on how various ad copy compares. My nose knows how notes will evolve against other ones, even upon the opening of a scent. And I’m not ashamed, at all, to now wear a department store blend as my signature fragrance (yes, even with all my “education”, I fell for the new “Chloe”), for the simple reason that it feels like “home”, it feels right — it doesn’t project any kind of mad, creative imagery, it’s not necessarily mysterious, but it…fits, somehow. Price doesn’t come into it; if I fell madly in love with a scent, I would pay a high price for it, but I don’t need to accumulate every good scent that’s highly priced; I can hold-out for the one I love vs. an accumulation of all the ones I admire. Instead of lingering after “lost loves” (discontinued), the ones that got away (altered blends) and variety for fun (the dating period of fragrance search), I think I could settle down with a handful of scents and not always think “the grass is greener” in another bottle. It doesn’t mean I won’t appreciate other blends, but I no longer fixate on what I might be missing.
But who knows what The Perfume World holds. A masterpiece might be right around the corner. But I’ll wait for it to come to me, at this point…no more me, chasing it :).
Oh, I don’t expect my pace will change, at least not soon. I can’t believe I used to write 4 or 5 reviews a week, but it’s been years since I did that. Now I write 3 or 4 or 5 a month, and that’s very doable. Now, if my wonderful contributors leave me, then things will change.
I love that idea — that a fragrance feels like home, and who cares what it is! That’s what it’s all about, in the end.
I’m so glad you’re not ready to throw in the towel just yet, Robin. You give excellent, critical reviews, which brings those of us who are ready to live-off tea and saltines in order to shell-out for frag-addiction, back down to Earth.
And no sooner did I declare that I was ready to settle down, when for the first time in a month, “Chloe” felt acrid and incredibly oppressive on me. The fragrance gods were — apparently — unhappy they were losing a devoted follower.
So…back to square one 🙂 (phase two 😉 ?) The magnificent obsession. To be continued…;)
Robin, I’m so glad you mentioned Azemour Les Orangers because I wore it today and thought of you. Actually, I wore it last night after my shower. Then today I wore Cruel Gardenia to work. Partway through the day I wondered what smelled different and realized it was Azemour–from the night before–overtaking the CG! There’s a bit of Eau des Merveilles in this–the beachy aspect of EdM–but I like this one better. I just wish it projected more.
Thanks for keeping NST going. It’s made my world bigger and better.
How interesting…I did not realize the Azemour was that long-lasting!
I loved this post, Robin! In fact, I read it on the train and then came back to re-read at leisure and comment. You’ve outlined so neatly the stages, and when I think of my own experience with perfume, I’ve gone through all of them. I no longer want to smell everything, nor do I feel that it is even necessary. I’ve even learned to live with reformulated fragrances and easily part with the discontinued ones. Life goes on… A funny illustration of my new perfume calm–as we were discussing the moving process, the first thing I asked is how I could transfer my books. I didn’t even think of perfume at all. I just assumed that it will all go into storage.
Does that mean you know where you are going to be moving to?
Nothing is definite yet. I am just preparing myself in advance. 🙂
Gotcha.
Well, I don’t think I’m more cynical now (I was born cynical), although I am REALLY annoyed by the pace of new niche lines. Phooey! I’m not buying as much because I’m sort of running out of space and time as well as $$. It’s hard to be really dazzled after such an intense period of smelling so many of the very best things. I mean, the first Amouage is dazzling. The second is wonderful. The third is just what you’ve come to expect from them, or maybe not. Also, I find I get more enjoyment out of the ones that sort of sneak up on me than from the intial dazzlers. I acquired some older Chanel No. 19 a couple months ago, and it has really been hitting the spot in this unseasonably mild post-solstice winter.
I was probably born cynical too — it didn’t take me long to get there, and I stayed in stage 5 a good long time!
I don’t know that I have really gone the stages in order. I would say I can be a 3, 4, or 5 just depending on my mood, my budget, and what may have piqued my interest lately. I know I can’t possibly smell everything–nobody can–but I still want to smell as much as possible. When I am deeply interested in a subject, I want to know as much as possible about it, and the only way to really know perfume is to smell it. Reading about it is great, but the experience of perfume cannot be transmitted through an audio or video file in the same way as music or paintings can. From time to time, I take a break, generally motivated by budget constraints, but then I am back to happily sampling and comparing. As for new vs. vintage/discontinued–I don’t chase after most vintage scents, but there are a few I have made the effort to acquire, most notably Arpege. It was my first perfume love, as I fell hard for it sniffing (and dabbing on when I could) from the bottle on my mother’s dressing table about 40 years ago. It is one of the few perfumes I have encountered that strikes me as absolutely perfect. There is nothing I would change, nothing that could be added or taken away without making it less good. The scent seems to be hard-wired into my brain, and when I got my hands on a vintage bottle, the first sniff triggered a flood of scent memories. I suspect that whether or not one is hooked on vintage depends on when your perfumistahood started. If I had only developed this interest recently, it would most likely be easy to avoid that rabbit hole, but having grown up smelling (and loving) the vintage scents that my mother had, I cannot just decide to stop liking them. It doesn’t help either that lately I have not come across any new releases that really impressed me. The last perfume that made me swoon was Vega. It is just simply gorgeous, and every time I wear it I like it better. Perhaps it is a good thing that the bottle is large! I want to be able to wear this one for a long time. Fortunately, I have not had any bottles definitely go bad, and I have some dating back to the 1980’s.
Oh, you are lucky! I have lost so many niche scents.
I don’t think of it as stages but rather as an ebb and flow. I am currently in a flow stage which I expect will last a few more months and will probably definitively end once I buy L’ Heure Convoitee since that is blocked off in my mind as the perfume I buy once I’m going to acupuncture school in NY. Even though I’m dazzled right now at all my perfume buying options in NY, I expect to calm down when I know I can go to MIN or Bergdorf’s any time rather than just cramming them into a day trip. Other than L’ heure Convoitee, Intense Tiare and Tsukimi have dazzled me lately, but I’ll be spending my tax refund on the oldest member of my FB want list–Iris Ganache and maybe the 2nd oldest member Ta’if
Ta’if has been on my wishlist for ages too.
I’m stage 3 unfortunately, moving to stage 6 sometimes and back to 3 again. I have been buying perfumes like crazy for the past couple of years and ordering dozens of samples every month. Reading a review or a suggestion like “if you like this, try this” will drive me to order new samples and begin the quest again. And then suddenly, I fall into a zen stage for a couple of months at least, where I don’t buy or try anything and I’m perfectly happy with what I already have.
I’ve been trying lately to prune my collection, give away the perfumes that I don’t wear, finish the ones that are close to the end but still take up space and order decants rather than FBs. I have noticed that I end up buying/trying more when I have free time to read through blogs and perfume sites; the less free time I have, the less I feed my addiction! I also have a big problem resisting any kind of sales: I end up blind buying perfumes that I’ve not tested only cause they seem cheap and have good reviews. Sometimes that works (SL Chene) sometimes it doesn’t (AP Cuir Amethyste). If I manage to curb this impulse, stick with the decants and throw away the fragrances I own but don’t like, I’ll consider it a success:)
Last fragrance that blew me away was Il Profumo Chocolat Amere. I just ordered a second decant (guess what: I got it in sale!) and trying to decide if I’ll buy a FB of this or Ambre Precieux for my birthday in March.
Good luck then…I don’t do much blind buying these days, but I understand the allure!
I’m a little late to this party. I guess I kind of skipped the stage 3 frenzy stage. I do still want to sniff everything I can and get my hands on lots of samples, but I don’t obsessively organize them. Keeping them in one container is about as far as that goes. I won’t buy a bottle of anything unless it lasts more than an hour or two on me or completely wows me. I will occasionally blind buy just for the thrill of it but I like to research those purchases by reading tons of reviews. I am content with my collection but will add to it if my interest in a fragrance is strong and I have the funds.
Like someone said earlier I like those scents that regardless of what the reviews are, I like them and they do something for me. That magic carpet ride. I like things that trigger some kind of scent memory even if I’m not completely sure what that memory is. It’s that feeling I get when I wear them. The most recent ones that do that are Cartier Baiser Vole and Reglisse Noir. And Avignon.
I will buy cheap stuff too. I think that if I like something that costs $10 instead of $100 who cares. Unless I’m walking around with the bottle and it’s price tag around my neck no one is going to know. Honestly, I have actually worn and received compliments on a $3 bottle of, of all things, Love’s Baby Soft. It was baffling to me but perfume is such a personal thing that I’ve come to realize that you should wear and buy what you like and not what the reviews tell you you should like. I keep my obsessing and collecting fun for myself and I am quite happy that way.
Totally agree — yay for cheap stuff.
I’m in a calm stage even though I’m still haven’t sniffed a whole lot of classics, niche and other “must-tries” for each perfumista – mostly because I don’t have an access to all those in stores and because I’m already past stage 3 with said (and sad) consequences for my bank account after massive shopping for samples online 😉
Nothing really dazzled me lately, although I quite liked Eau de Gentiane Blanche. My last big love was Une Rose Chypree that I tried more than a year ago, and I think I’ll get a FB eventually 🙂
Seriously, there are many “must-tries” that I haven’t tried either.
I think I am in a calm state as the stuff that is coming out simply does not interest me as much …too many launches following a trend, wether it is a fairy in the cap of the bottle, an apple shaped bottle, a flower capped bottle, or a perfume note (oud! of course!).
I’ve also found my limit regarding price, as my income is in Argentine pesos, and decided I am not buying anything that costs more than U$S 1,25 per ml. 😀
The one thing I cherish from perfumista-hood is that it surprised me “late” in life (it kicked in when I was about 30) and by that time I honestly didn´t expect to develop -new- obsessions, hehehehehehe.
BUT It got me to know all of you people (and quite a bit more in Facebook too!) very interesting and mostly kind people from all over the world who share the same passion and do not care for your background, your social status, your religion, your gender or sexual preference. They just want to know what perfume you are wearing today and usually have a great sense of humor. So I think I am doing pretty well.
And Robin, I think you nailed it on this article, specially the part on being Zen… “Don´t worry, another bus will come by shortly” can be a mantra, and a way of life! 🙂 Keep on bloggin!
Oh and Razzle-Dazzle… I haven´t been dazzled lately.. I was, nevertheless, pleasantly surprised with Axe Music Star deodorant. It layers nicely with all my perfumes AND keeps me from smelling bad.. and of course it costs peanuts. 🙂
You have always been sensible about limiting your collection, though — I admire that!
I am in stage 3 but on the threshold of stage 4. I have stopped buying and sampling like a someone possessed. Instead I am into keeping lists of new things I want to try and new things I MUST try and then after very, very careful consideration now, I may want a decant or a FB, I used to buy FB’s after only minimally sampling. Now, I let myself really wear the samples for at least a full week of time or more and spacing the time out to make sure if it really fits me.
The last perfume to really dazzle me was almost two years ago now …Chanel 31 Rue Cambon. I just love it and every perfume I try inevitably gets compared to it by me. But now I am remembering Hermes Eau Claire des Merveilles and how it really took me out of my comfort zone with perfume. The whole Hermes line did that really for me, which was great. So, I guess it was a slow dazzler, and now I can’t live without it either.
Love the idea of a “slow dazzler.” Most of my core scents are like that. Most of my core everything, in fact!
I am envious of you both — I wish I was more like that. I’m usually quick & impatient.
Late to this thread, as usual, but wanted to thank Robin and crew for getting me to a semi-permanent stage 4. I have very few full bottles – mostly vintage – and a lot of samples. I feel like a curator rather than a crazed explorer. Longing to try Azemour and need to buy a FB of Opus1; intrigued by many reviews, and have come to trust my instincts by learning the language of perfume as expressed so well by Robin, Angela, Kevin et al. This is one of the few blogs I look at regularly, so please don’t stop!
No worries, we’re not going anywhere! And thanks.
Late to the party, but I think I vacillate between three and six most of the time. I’ve been searching out classic fragrances that I haven’t really explored before and recently got my hands on Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie extrait and adore them. I also fell in love with Neela Vermeire’s fragrances – all three of them. I spent my formative years in India and Malaysia and there is something about them that is just….right. They evoked scent memories of that time and I just can’t resist them. I used up my sample set, then my discovery set, and now I’m working on the full bottles which are absolutely gorgeous in their own right. I’m also thrilled that there are three Duchafour compositions that I can wear!! Apparently she is something of a cumin-phobe like me. I can’t think of anything else I’m really interested in. I haven’t tried Bottege Veneta yet but I figure there’s plenty of time left. I don’t chase after samples of all the new fragrances that come out anymore and I’m much more likely to spend my time and effort tracking down a good sample of vintage Diorissimo than anything else. There is just too much to keep up with now and I’ve found that if I wait a few months the new releases that really matter will float to the top then I give them a chance.
Great news about the Vermeire scents as they are sitting on my vanity waiting for me! Thanks, Julia. 🙂
Vintage Diorissimo is so worth it. It’s one of the few things I don’t want to be without. But at some point, even that will be gone so I need to get over it.
oh, congrats on your Cuir de Russie extrait Julia : ) it is on my long term wishlist too : )
I’ve had a perfume collection of one size or the other since high school, so being a “woman of a certain age”, by now I’m definitely in stage 6. I laugh when I read my to-sample list – some scents have been on there for five years now, and I still haven’t tried them! I figure why bother since I have way more than I can wear as it is.
I will admit to a good deal of anger and cynicism over the years at the cheapening of scents due to corporate greed using IFRA regs as an excuse.
The most recent “dazzler” was SSS Nostalgie. Only in the last year did I discover Chanel’s Cuir de Russie and Solange’s Cosmic – they both dazzled me as well.
I am upset at the cheapening of perfumes as well. Part of the allure of vintage is that perfumes back then really had an impact. I haven’t loved every vintage scent I’ve smelled, but I generally can at least respect them. They have something to say and they say it, plainly and clearly. Perfume was perfume and it didn’t apologize for it.
Exactly! You cannot regulate artistry! And hedione will never smell as good as real jasmine e.o./absolute!
I am calmer about all the IFRA nonsense, too. It’s a perfect metaphor for how the corporate world works. Perfumistas like to think of fragrance as art, but to me it really isn’t — imagine if the world’s painters worked for 5 or 6 big corporations who patented all the good colors, and then took the good ones away nearly at random.
Also late to the party (I hosted book club last night, so yesterday was busy), but wanted to comment anyway.
My perfume path is a bit different than many here: completely skipped stage one, because I was convinced for years perfume didn’t smell good on me, and have never entered stage three impulse-buying and massive sample collecting as I’m simply too frugal to do that. My sampling budget is very modest. I’ve got stage three info rattling around my head, but I’d never be able to participate in something like Swapmania because I adore every decant and the few bottles I own.
At the same time, stage six is a familiar place: for example, I spent several months last year sampling the greens, found my top three, and now I’m satisfied green-wise. It’s a nice feeling.
Three epiphanies in the last few months have helped as well: 1) I enjoy sniffing new things far more than acquiring bottles 2) I LIKE a snail-pace when sampling. For budget reasons I didn’t sample for several months last year, and in the fall did a “catch-up,” doubling my sampling budget. Instead of enjoying the relative bounty, I’ve felt overwhelmed and a bit panicky. It’s been an odd discovery. 3) I get great enjoyment from sharing perfume discoveries with friends, and that keeps my passion alive and kicking – last night I watched a friend’s face light up when she smelled Ormonde Woman for the first time.
Latest perfume discovery: Diptyque Philosykos. Wow. I definitely would like a fig fragrance (maybe Philosykos, maybe something else, I’ll explore the territory before I decide).
You might consider Sonoma Scent Studio’s Fig Tree. Laurie does lovely fragrances and in a variety of sizes/price points. She also has a matching cream and a lotion, and samples are available for those as well. She is my favorite indie perfumer.
Thanks for the rec, Sharon! Incidentally, Fig Tree, To Dream and Nostalgie are going to be February’s samples – I’ll be able to put in my order next Wednesday. Laurie’s my fave indie as well – there’s no other line thus far (also PdE may just be up there with her by the time I’m finished working through it) that has been a better fit for me.
And thinking about my above comment more, I’m more a stage four than a stage six, since cynicism hasn’t set in yet. (Except maybe frustration about IFRA: I just learned about their 2010 heliotropin mandate. Seriously? Stop mucking around with my Apres l’Ondee!)
I’m at six. But I think my personality lent itself to an entirely different purpose than a lot of perfumistas, though I didn’t know it at the time.
DH and I were talking about this the other day. My purpose was not a continuing education, or to build a collection, but rather to find my signature. I had a destination, and I’ve reached it. That’s not to say I didn’t get swept up in something along the way, but nothing, no exploration of a particular note, no awesome new release, compares to the pleasure I get in really inhabiting my true favorites.
There’s only one that has really blown me away in the last year and a half or so, and that’s Bas de Soie. When presented with the opportunity to buy it, though, I opted to get a different formula of my very favorite, so I could wear that one year round. (Funny thing… I discovered Bas de Soie while buying a backup of that favorite. :))
I acquired most of my perfume collection beginning around 2003 (oddly enough, I only had one spoil on me – so far – and that was one with an atomizer). I had always loved perfume and owned small collections even as a girl, but my young adult living arrangements and financial circumstances had prevented me from using precious energy from even thinking about perfume, much less looking into different frags. Once my situation had vastly improved, I made up for that perfume lag with a vengence, shopping around at mainstream stores and fiercely stocking up on stuff that I even remotely liked because I would never want to be in that perfume-less situation again. Then I took a survey of my shopping bags and shopping bags of hoarde a few years ago and decided that I had enough to scent my whole neighborhood, so I stopped buying so much (maybe one or two that I really like plus a backup of each – gotta have those backups:)
Then I found NST, and quickly, and to my dismay, realized that my knowledge of perfumes, based on the very limited exposure of only mainstream/celebuscents, was pretty much a pitiful drop in the sand compared with niche/highend market that’s out there, based on the names and brands that I so often read being bandied about on this blog. So I despaired a little as I came off of my “little” perfume high horse and started reading these articles on a regular basis. However, I now accept the fact that the frags that everyone talks about on this blog are ones I will never be able to find/sample because of my limited exposure, I can just read about them here, and, honestly, reading about them is half the fun, the reviews here almost cause me to smell the scent even as I’m reading about it (altho I have located a Blue Mercury near my hometown, so I found one source, at least). Now, at present, I am content to admire my pretty perfume collection artfully arranged on my dresser, along with all my backup bags in my closet. I even get a kick out of dusting the area where my bottles sit, and even the bottles themselves to make them prettier and shinier, and I am no fan of housecleaning 😉 (I’m still pretty crazy about collecting samples tho; after my past financial scare, i find sampling is quite simply a less expensive way to indulge).
So that’s my story, thanks for listening! 😀
P.S. My (one of them anyway) motto is: once a perfume lover, always, always a perfume lover, even if one slows down or zens out as Robin seems to have done. I don’t think one ever loses one’s love of scent; it’s like food to us.
If stages in perfumistahood really exist, then I think I am suffering from a severe case of Schizophrenia or even Multiple Personality Disorder, whichever is applicable. There are days when I blind buy, there are days when I am so aloof at new releases. There are days when I can control the urge of buying; somedays I drain my wallet because of buying. I am a hopeless case. I need a shrink, noh? =)
A shrink and a financial advisor…and someone to rap you on the knuckles too! LOL, I’m exactly the same.
haha… good to know i am not alone. 😉
I think I’m in the Zen calm stage, even though I have not been a perfumista that long (about 3 years?). I never had the urge to sample all the new fragrances that came out – it was too overwhelming – but was very eager to sample as many of the old classics as possible. In the process, I discovered what I liked, didn’t like, and what worked or not on my skin. I haven’t made a purchase since last fall, and am not lemming after anything. I enjoy my small collection. However, I’m still open to trying a new release, if the notes sound interesting.