An expanded version of a poll we did in 2008:
What is the perfume you most regret buying? or
What is the perfume you most regret not buying? or
Name a beloved fragrance in your collection that has 'turned' (gone bad) and can't be replaced.
I am traveling today, and might not be able to chime in until tomorrow, sorry!
Note: image is 1/3 green, 2/3 brown [cropped] by delphaber at flickr; some rights reserved.
Gosh FINALLY, I have been refreshing and refreshing the main page 😛 Impatient today to interact with NSTers. 😀
I mostly regret not buying bigger bottles of Miss Dior Cherie when my bottle ran out. I have had to go through hoops to get a tiny bottle of the original one (they reformulated in 2008/11, and renamed recently, all of it is now watery yuckiness. Too clean, no juicy realistic raspberry, and lasts 2 seconds).
Today I’m wearing Tauer’s Une Rose Vermeille. It is the raspberry that has made me go “yeah it’s ok” to “Ok, maybe a full bottle should go on my wishlist”. Quite happy I kept my Tauer samples, as I despised them all at first!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend. It’s warm and, as my landlady said when I asked her how she is, “The weather is good so I’m good.” 🙂
*hugs to you all*
I’m with you with refreshing and waiting for the LWP to start!
And I’ve got a sample of Une Rose Vermeille and my thought about it is “it’s alright, but it’s not ok for me”
I also said “it’s alright” (even said it on my Twitter), but the raspberry keeps getting me to sniff my arm.
I’m going to sample Glam Rose when someone sends me my samples back (that Rosine sample pass we’re both sort of on, I sent my samples to Mumsy if she promised to send them back). It has raspberry, violet and rose too. If it smells similar, then I’m sticking to the Rosine one. I’m a huge Rosine fan lol 😛
I’ve seen your impressions in our thread. My male Rosine sample pack wasn’t that impressive. From the 6 vials I got there only 2: Rosissimo and Rose d’Homme were really nice. I liked Rosissimo better but still I’d rather buy something else.
I need to finally buy the one perfume that is sitting longer on my list.
Also, I really liked your aldehydes post – I think your blog is going to blow up soon; it’s so unique!
Well thank you! That would be awesome if more people visited! That would be an uplifting moment!
I love the LWP, too!
Speaking of regrets and rasberries… The original version of PdN Violette in Love was pitch perfect: lime, rasberry, musk and violette. I should have bought a small bottle. Unfortunately, I’ve heard it’s been reformulated. But maybe you should give it a go, if you are a rasberry lover…
I like too much one of the Miss Dior Cherie, just don’t know wich one. I haven’t tried the one with yellow juice. Dior made a big confusion in my head with the name changes in Miss Dior line.
Ha! This is too funny. I have two 2007 mini bottles of Miss Dior Cherie that for the life of me I’ve not been able to swap or give away. They’re yours if you want them.
Shoot me an e-mail at cgrasher@gmail.com
-Colleen
Discontinuation makes my heart grow fonder! Guess that’s my otaku/collector gene. Thought I found a 2008 version MDC this week, but alas it was 2011 – before the Cherie was dropped but after the reformulation. Hard to find a Cherie at all among all the new Miss Diors, and I really don’t care buying mainstream stuff from the ‘bay.
Did find a MDC L’Eau still at a dept. store – haven’t opened it yet, maybe it will be a collector’s item! 😉
Hey, but I was earlier than usual today!! But sorry to keep people waiting all the time 🙂
I’m a repeated offender when it comes to blind buys, which means the chances of regretting something are rather high 🙂
my last regret is probably Burberry’s – Burberry for Women.
my regret when it comes to not buying would be some old YSL Opium and not buying enough of Shiseido’s Feminite du Bois
It’s odd; I stopped blind buying. Maybe try my technique – make a future date to go to a store/place where they sell pretty expensive or exclusive perfumes (for me it is Paris in September!), and then every time you want to blind buy, remember that that money could be going towards your piggy bank.
Not a single blind buy has been done since I started this.
absolutely. And I have to get more frugal, instead of buying several cheaper bottles, I have to save the money and buy one I really love (whether cheap or expensive).
Still, most of my blind buys were a success, and I guess the surprise of buying unsniffed makes it alluring.
Happy weekend everyone! Today I’m back to my basics with Prada Amber Pour Homme. Would have to buy a new bottle shortly, the current one is almost empty.
I try to be very careful with my perfume choices because my student budget isn’t really big. The only one I regret buying is a bottle of Pour un Homme de Caron. I bought it blind last year after many recommendations here when I participated in Monday Mail. I really liked it for 5 months and then suddenly I started liking it.
How is the Amber? I love giving my bf samples to try (I have infected him!), and the word “amber” kept calling, but some said it was weak.
Ouch, a Caron regret 🙁 Did you sell it? I tend to keep only what I ADORE.
Prada Amber Pour Homme was my very first high-end perfume I bought. To me it’s absolutely amazing, I love it’s clean, soapy and elegant smell. Can’t imagine my collection without it, that’s why I wrote I need to buy a new bottle soon.
No I didn’t sell it yet but I think I should. There’s still 90-100ml in 120ml bottle left. I’m just afraid no-one would buy a used bottle when I place it on allegro (Polish servise, similar to ebay)
Hi! I would try selling it if I were you. You haven’t used that much and if you can at least get some money for it that’s better than nothing. If people are willing to buy decants they will buy partial bottles you know.
Thanks for your suggestion Poodle. I think I’ll give it a try to sell soon. Hope you had a good week and enjoy the weekend
It seems like a good idea to sell it, but I would put aside a decant for the future in case you go back to liking it, since you enjoyed it for 5 months. Maybe it’ll be a good “sometimes” scent for you. This happened to me recently with Hermes Un Jardin Apres la Mousson; I loved it, liked it a lot less and regretted buying it, and then liked it a lot more again!
Thanks for the tip! Will do like you said. If I’m lucky to sell it, I’ll keep few ml in my drawer to go back to it once in a while to see if something changed.
Lucasai, I adore scoring a bargain with someone’s used bottle. Highly encourage you to sell your unloved Caron 🙂
Thanks for encouraging me!
I regret not buying six bottles of Le Temps d’une Fete before it was reformulated. The new stuff is still good, but thinner. I regret not saving up my pennies to buy Victoria’s Secret Victoria (way back in the day), instead of buying three bottles of drugstore stuff. Although if I HAD bought a bottle, it probably would have degenerated too quickly to have used up the thing… I have three small bottles via ebay, and every one of them is ruined, completely unwearable even after the topnotes burn off.
I regret buying that $8 bottle of Britney Spears Circus Fantasy at TJ Maxx. I regret numerous unsniffed split portions of something new I felt I had to smell – that is, I regret not waiting to sample them instead.
I have lots of (small) regrets when it comes to splits that were unsniffed– although, for the cost of a sample, I’m not sure it would have been worth buying a sample. Maybe I should learn and only buy 5ml unsniffed decants. At least unsniffed decants are cheaper than FBs!
I was thinking of you Mals as I was tossing up between a FB of Le Temps or a large decant. (Shipping on Nicolais is very expensive where I live, which makes decants an economical choice.) I went for a 15 ml decant from one of the decant services and it turns out to be identical to the 5 mls I bought in October last year, so I guess I must have caught some of the pre-reformulated stuff. But once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Most regrettable purchase? That’s an easy one for me: Malle’s Musc Ravageur. Ugh. What a stinker. Classic example of ‘don’t believe the hype.’ Should’ve saved a few more pennies and gone for Carnal Flower instead…that one is pretty glorious.
I agree with your assessment. I only did a 5ml swap for Musc so no harm, no foul. But Carnal Flower is glorious!
It does not work on me either, although I know many people adore it.
Those people stink. Literally. lol!
Try the bath oil in the Musc Ravegeur–i hate the perfume, but love the oil–wore it the other day feeling very dangerous, and someone said “oh, that’s so lovely, it smells warm and cozy”. I almost fell over!
Now Vero Profumo’s Rubj–THAT is a dangerous perfume, kind of a knee-knocker, actually. Have the Eau de Parfum but hear the extrait is to die for. Lucky Scent not selling samples of this–very mean of them! EDP has a little too much cumin in it for me (okay actually a lot–i want to order a side of naan immediately after i put it on) , but after about an hour is so divine, the cumin dries down and is more like a double–take..after a whiff of the orange blossom–kind of like a lovely bride coming down the aisle all purity and smiles, only to reveal a plunging backless dress that descends into a wink at the bottom…oh mama!
I mostly regret wearing RL Romance so often in my late teens! I found my old bottle at my parents’ house and gave it a sniff, and it smells like… soap. I guess I fell for the ads! My old Elizabeth Arden Green Tea from the same era also seems horrible to me now. It’s no classic, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that the top notes had gone off and it was once at least marginally better. I gave away (to someone who probably didn’t even like it) my bottle of Organza Indecence, sadly. It was not quite me, but it was lovely and is now so expensive and difficult to find.
Today will be Un Jardin en la Mediterranee.
Nice choice for today!
Yep, 95 and humid here on the East Coast, so that did the trick.
In 2004, I was lucky enough to spend a day perfume-shopping in Paris. At Hermes, I bought a mixed set of Hermessences, and then sniffed Doblis. It cost a fortune, but I still regret not buying it, since it was so lovely. The Hermessences…. I ended up swapping them all away. 🙁
I need too much to put my hands on the Hermessences! Never tried any! 🙁
Me neither!
Those Hermessences … ! I finally made my way to a Hermes boutique, found them, sooooo nice! But after that, … I never got one. Never “had to have” them. The best little line of fragrances I’ve never just had to own.
I regret not buying out the entire stock of Germaine Monteil’s Champagne when I found some in a shop in Hong Kong in the mid-80s. I regret not buying a lifetime supply of a.) Magie Noire before it was reformulated, and b.) the 1964 version of Shiseido’s Zen.
So far, I haven’t (recently) purchased anything I’ve regretted — but that’s only because I’ve managed to heed the advice of experienced NSTers to sample first, THEN buy!
Magie noire is a good one. I regret my long gone bottle too.
I regret THROWING OUT my 1980s bottle in some house move. Bloody hell …
Bloody hell — me too! The Magie Noire, Feminite de Bois, and Dioressence, all dumped in a house move. If only I knew then what I know now.
You too? Dioressence? I weep with you.
*weeps* (as designated mourner)
I regret buying AG Petite Cherie almost without sniffing it, I was travelling and wanted to come home with *something*. Now it’s languishing unused in my cupboard. Nowadays I tell myself that the cost of a few bargains equals an Amouage and try to think two or three times before reaching for my wallet.
Also I regret not stocking up prereformulation Mitsouko some years back, but in those days I didn’t know what reformulation was…
People say wonderful things about this Goutal. Do you think it was due to skin reaction
Not only I love Petite Cherie (EdP version) but it’s one of the perfumes that gets me compliments almost every time I wear it and it’s very surprising taking into the account that it isn’t a loud perfume.
Is Petite Cherie the one that’s heavy on the pear? Pear is a bit of a love it/hate it note I think.
Yes, it’s the pear one! There isn’t anything wrong with it as such, it simply isn’t me!
I don’t like Petite Cherie either. Strange; although I have firm favourites such as Songes, Le Chevrefeuille and Un Matin d’Orange, some AG fragrances smell odd to me.
I bought a 5 ml decant of Mon Parfum Chérie, par Camille, and it’s way too fruity for me. Really love Songes and Le Chevrefeuille.
I did something similar, though my mistake may have been less expensive. I wanted an olfactory souvenir from Greece and bought ‘Paeonia, Vanilla and Pear’, by Korres at the airport. It smelled sweet, fresh and pretty at the time. Now it smells utterly generic : (
Just recently, I blind purchased a Tester bottle of Jacomo Silences. I love green! I love #19! I love galbanum! I was so excited and ready to love this…. and it smells exactly like a high quality bug spray (mosquito repelant). Seriously, you guys, we’re talking Deep Woods Off. With Deet, or maybe that Avon Skin So Soft.
I don’t know if I got a bad bottle or if it’s supposed to smell this way! The good news is that it was less than $20. The bad news is, well, I’m out $20.
My other regret – throwing out a new boxed unopened bottle of Oscar from the 1980s or early 1990s while on a cleaning binge. I think I also tossed a bottle of Sun Moon Stars (Lagerfield) that I bought just for the bottle. Total scrubber. That was all before I knew better and I’ve mended my ways.
Sorry that Silences didn’t work for you, as we share the same love of green scents. On me, it smells like a smoky version of #19 edt. Maybe you did get a bad bottle! Have you tried Bandit? It was too smoky for me, but gets lots of love from green lovers…
I really like aspects of Bandit, but in the end, find it a bit harsh on my skin. I perfer my leathers a bit softer.
Talk about cleaning binges….I tossed about 15 bottles of perfume before I found out about swapping. I didn’t care for them anymore, but there were some highly coveted scents in that paper grocery bag….
I know, right? If I had known then what I know now….
I buy very few (by perfumista standards, anyway) bottles and never, ever unsniffed so no real regrets there.
I do regret waiting and not buying sooner on a couple of occasions after realising that prices had gone up in the meantime. Most recently, it happened with Sycomore and FM L’Eau d’Hiver. The price hikes weren’t huge but, somehow, the fact still really bugs me.
Oh and I regret getting rid of AdP Profumo mini. A few months after the fact, a small sample came my way again so I gave it another try and realised just what a fool I’d been to give away the mini *sigh*
Oh! How could you, it was just a mini! D8
Or was it a trade?
It was a little freebie (!!!) extra with a gift and I gave it away during one of my de-cluttering phases. Fool!
It’s rather spendy and I find that I crave it a few times a year so a mini would have been absolutely perfect for my needs. Lesson learned – I now try things several times before finally letting them go.
I can’t get enough of minis – so cute! But I bet some day I will need to declutter them too. 🙁 Anyway sorry you gave your AdP away, at least it was a small amount of juice.
I must admit to occasional blind buying, but only for eBay bargains (half-used bottles) or discounted frags. Some duds were Cashmere Musk, excuse me, *Mist*; SPJ’s Lovely; and Alfred Sung Sha. On the plus side I was pleasantly surprised by Caleche (obtained as part of a lot), an $8 bottle of YSL Cinema, and the 30 ml bottle of L’Eau a la Folie, which I’m currently in love with 🙂
Hi, Farouche! I’m sharing your love of L’Eau a la Folie – my bottle arrived yesterday, and I can detect similarities between it and Cristalle, Diorella and even a little towards Femme. Its soft peach undertones keep me sniffing away at it. Just wish it were a bit more powerful – or maybe that’s my stupid nose? And after all, it is an Eau, so I suppose it’s not going to be very strong. But it is lovely.
I am thirding the love for PdN L’Eau a la Folie. I bought 30mLs unsniffed. It starts strong citrusy at the beginning and fades quickly, but it has a lingering peek-a-boo scent even after 8 hours.
Glad I’m not alone in my love for L’Eau a la Folie. Agree in the wish for it to last longer, though.
Just want to say that I wore my L’Eau a la Folie to bed last night, and this morning I have a rather attractive dusty peachiness surrounding me. Weak, but it is detectable, so those base notes must be quite tenacious. Last night my husband asked me if I had just had a bath – not quite the reaction I was expecting, but he said I smelt nice! I am still loving it. Now if we could just get Patricia to work on an extrait ……
Oooh…that would be just yummy 🙂
I regret not buying Frapin 1270 when it came in a 50 ml container.
I also regret giving away a bottle of “VIctoria” by Victoria’s Secret. Does anyone else remember that one? It was long, long ago. I only wore it for a short time and thought it was a shame to keep it in the back of the cupboard. Not my style any more, but I wish I had the bottle for reference. [I purchased a mini, but it had turned.] Likewise, I gave away my dregs of Sung (original formulation) around that same closet-purging time. I didn’t know about reformulation then. I just though I could buy a new bottle one day if the spirit moved me.
Hi Cheryl, I have acquired a large bottle and several minis of “Victoria” in various lots and would be happy to share. If interested send me an email at pattor at rcn dot com.
Oooh, thank you , Farouche!
Victoria was really nice. That was before they started pumping out all those nasty fruit syrup things.
I agree completely!
Oh, it WAS. I’ve since bought three separate bottles on ebay, but they’ve all gone off.
Oh, so sad! The one mini I purchased on eBay had totally gone off. 🙁
I bought a couple of bottles online of Sortilege that had turned and were so reduced that I could put them on pancakes. My only recent regret is a bottle of Un Air de First I just HAD to have. I swear I smelled a clean cotton note at the store. I got it home and that same note gets stuck in my throat like cotton packing. I have had many more WONDERFUL surprises. I ordered DK Wenge and Labdanum blind, and love them.
What a shame about the Sortilege! I’m usually too chicken to buy vintage.
I can’t say I have any real regrets, mostly because I’m still relatively new to all this and don’t have many full bottles of anything. I have a few little bottles that I bought at resale shops unsniffed and ended up not liking them all that much. So now they’re just sitting in a drawer not being used. Of those, Givenchy Organza is the one I regret most because it was the most expensive (somewhere around $20 for what I would guess is about a 5ml bottle). It’s ok but not all that interesting, and there is something in it that makes my nose feel prickly. The one time I wore it, I ended up trying to wash it off because the sensation in my nose was so annoying. Oscar de la Renta Volupte and Elizabeth Arden Red Door were others. So if anybody likes and/or wants any of these, let me know and you can have them.
One other sort-of regret I have involves not buying a particular book when I found it in a shop, and said shop hasn’t had it again since. I found Mandy Aftel’s book “Essence and Alchemy” in a shop not too far from me one day, and I didn’t buy it right then. But then I thought about it all week after, so I went back to get it the next weekend and it was gone. I know I can get it online, so it’s not a big deal or anything, but I do kind of kick myself a little for not just getting it when it was right there in front of me.
Hi, I would like OdR Volupte if it is still available. However, I am in Slovakia. Does it matter? Please answer to alica at cleis dot net. Thx
Hermesfan,
It’s all yours. I just sent you an email. 🙂
My regrets are many. Too many to list. All those bottles I gave /threw away when we moved …. I now find myself trawling eBay to replace them at extortionate prices. What was I thinking?
And will I never learn not to buy full bottles unsniffed? Especially, lately, all those of the cheap/popular type, bought because I like the list of notes they contain, only to discover that they all smell exactly the same. I am beginning to think that there is a huge factory somewhere in which this juice is made; it is put it into lots of different bottles with different labels, and then sent out to the shops where the customers are fooled into thinking there are more new perfumes on the counter. Except that there are not. It is the same old juice, and it’s not even nice!
I think you’re on to something there! Factory juice!
So true!
Jillie, I’ve had the same experience as you with moving and giving perfume away, missing them, finding they’ve been discontinued or reformulated, and have trying to chase them down on ebay, not always successfully. It is great to finally be reunited with an old love, though, isn’t it?
You are so right, nozknoz. One of my old loves was the original Samsara (can you believe it, I gave half a giant bottle of the edp away?!). When I yearned for it recently, I discovered it had been drastically reformulated. You will appreciate my joy at getting a couple of the old edps and a parfum on the Bay. Now I must make sure I use them before they turn!
Ah, hope you enjoy that Samsara, Jillie – you earned it by hunting it down on ebay!
I’ve probably had a few more regrets in my life, but most recently I discarded a bottle of Armani Idole, Prada Infusion d’Iris and Dior Escale a Portofino. It’s strange with all of these that I did try them all on first before purchasing, but once I got them home, they changed. Is that possible? Now I can’t stand them!
I’m trying out many samples now and I’m taking the time to figure out if I truly like a fragrance or not before purchasing!
Eep! I hope you mean gave away and not threw away by discarded! I am wishing for your cast off Prada.
Oh no! Well, in any case, it’s gone! I’ve only just discovered that there was such a thing as a perfumista!
Sorry for the bad news!
Ha ha, it IS possible! I recently purchased Ange ou Demon Le secret Poesie d’un Parfum d’Hiver by Givenchy, it smelled wonderful at store, I think I mostly bought it because of some nostalgia – the smell reminded me of some other fragrance I loved many years ago. I put this Poesie on once or twice at home and got this sickening feeling in my throat so it was a total scrubber.. Strange, such things usually don’t happen to me..
Crazy, huh?
An SA told me to step out of the area, outside even, in order to get the best sense of the scent. It really makes a difference!
Ha ha, I went home from that store, it took me 20 minutes, then after some hour at home I returned to the store and bought the perfume! I think I continued to like it for a day or too, and then… I don’t know what happened, but I couldn’t tolerate this smell anymore.
🙂
I regret not buying Dior’s Cologne Blanche in Barcelona back in 07….
I try not to think much in terms of regret, anyway 😉
I am getting more philosophical about my perfume regrets too…
I love how many of these regrets are NOT-buying regrets! True perfumistas all. My biggest regret is a buying one: Tom Ford Black Orchid. I actually think it is a wonderful fragrance, but so sillagey and not-me – and one that I often find myself smelling on others and being annoyed by. What was I thinking?
My biggest regrets in life tend to be nots–not buying, not doing, not seeing, etc., while I had the chance. I try not to regret the things I do, as long as I don’t harm anyone. If I buy something that ends up unused or wasted, it is not the end of the world. If I hadn’t bought that bottle of perfume, I would most likely have spent the money on something else, and it would still be gone. Besides, in the case of perfume at least, there is always the possibility I can swap it away for something else.
That’s a great perspective to have!
I agree.
So true!
As for Black Orchid, it turns very patchouli on me, but I’m pushing myself to learn to love it. The sample smelled so different!
Black Orchid is a weird one for me, too. I don’t regret buying it, because I wore it quite happily for a while (and I still think the bottle is awesome). But after I read the description of it in The Guide as being cucumber plus chocolate, that’s all I can smell in it now — and I *never* noticed either cucumber or chocolate in it before. Amazing how suggestible our noses can be.
Still love Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, though of course it’s been discontinued.
Just wanted to say, don’t force it, It is perfectly okay to not like Black Orchid.
8D
Ah, great topic. I have lived most of my perfume life through swapping on MUA, but that causes regrets, too – I’ve purchased Cashmere Mist twice and swapped it away both times, and of course now I want another bottle….I regret almost everything I bought because it was a “great deal”: that Queen Latifah giftset on post holiday clearance for $10; the 3.4oz bottle of Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise for $5 at CVS (that I later payed $16 to mail to Spain for a swap of an unsniffed fragrance I hated). I swapped away a bottle of Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur which I wish I had kept. I regret not buying every bottle of Black Cashmere I could find when it was still available for cheap at discounters, and not buying a bottle of PG Iris Taizo when it was $85 at Luckyscent; who knew the price would jump to $135 with no warning? But for being a perfume lover on a perpetual shoestring, I’ve acquired some real loves over the years, and so far have only had some decants and samples turn bad.
I did that several times in my swapping days…swapped something away, wanted it again, got it, swapped it away again, kept thinking about it….
Gah, yes! This! What IS that? It defies logic – either we like something or we don’t, right? I’ve done the same thing with Gucci Rush: bought it, swapped it away, bought it AGAIN, returned it to the store, still think about it and spray testers from time to time. Just get out of my brain, infernal perfume!
I regret passing up a vintage Lancôme Magie Noire Huile. What was I thinking?
Oh! I share your pain over that one…
Me too.
I think I’m going to cry, seriously.
What is the perfume you most regret buying? Animale Animale.
What is the perfume you most regret not buying? Gucci Nobile and Ice Men.
Name a beloved fragrance in your collection that has ‘turned’ (gone bad) and can’t be replaced. None.
Never heard of Animale Animale before but, judging by the name, that sounds like a brave purchase if it was a blind buy!
It’s overly sweet. Some say it’s an A*Men’s twin but I get few similarities. The pineapple notes are cloying. The female Animale is good. Haven’t tried the female Animale Animale yet.
Fantastic LWP topic, Robin!
Biggest regret: 100 mL bottle of AG Myrrhe Ardente. Loved it at Needless Markup, I mean, Neiman Marcus. After a few days I realized it was giving me a headache.
Second biggest regret: Letting my then boyfriend, now husband discard (put in the TRASH) a bottle of the original men’s Fendi. He was clearing space in the bathroom cabinets for me to move in, so I can’t fault him.
Third biggest regret: Not stocking up on No. 19 EDP in the 1990s, when it still had some serious galbanum.
I’m with you on Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente! Luckily I got a sample first before purchasing. I tried to love this AG scent but It doesn’t pass my test.
But thank God I’ve got my Nuit Etoilee and need to buy Eau d’Hadrien.
My lifelong regret is my big bottle of Jolie Madame, which I rationed so much (should have drunk it while I could!), and in the end turned. The current version is no match, to be polite.
I also regret having bought EA Green Tea and Camelia. Alright, it was cheap, but for something I hate and will never use it ended up being expensive.
Oh, agree that’s the worst …you ration, then it goes bad. It’s like you can’t win.
I most regret buying Dunhill Desire.
I most regret not buying Rose 31.
Turned bad: vintage Vanderbilt.
By the way, I’d like to have news about Julia. I miss her comments.
Me, too. Hope someone can tell us how she’s doing…
Regret NOT buying = Original formulation of PdN Week-end a Deauville. When I heard that it was being reformulated, I should have bought a couple back up bottles. Why of why didn’t I do that??? I love love love it! (This has consequently been my biggest lesson: never listen when they say that it’s being reformulated and going to be ‘newer and better’. When has a reformulation EVER been better??)
Regret NOT buying = a couple ebay stills
Regret NOT buying = I wish that I had bought a few vintage (or really, any pre-2008 formulation) of Chanel Cuir de Russie.
Regret buying? Not much. I rarely buy a full bottle that I’m not 100% in love with. I’ve bought a few unsniffed decants that I didn’t like (Chanel Poudre, I’m looking at YOU! What a let down!) but those are so cheap/small that they don’t hurt much. My 2nd bottle of Jardin sur le Toit might be by biggest bottle regret. I should have bought Jardin sur le Nil, or saved up for a big bottle of Rose Ikebana.
Can you help with my regrets? If you have an original formulation of Weekend a Deauville OR an older bottle of CdR, hit me up! I’m looking to buy!! 🙂
I missed the news about Deauville. It wasn’t even that old!
RE: stuff I bought, I won’t admit to my regrets – they know who they are!
*
Regret NOT buying Missoni (Roucel’s version) in the parfum. Also, Kenzo Jungle Le Tigre at a reasonable price. Guerlain Arsene Lupin Dandy before they removed the “Dandy” from the name for copyright reasons.
Regret not scooping up some stuff before 2010’s reformulations. The redone Givenchy III comes to mind.
I regret not having become a perfumista before so much great stuff was (openly) reformulated or discontinued. Given my love of vintage stuff, I guess I regret not having been around in the 1930s and 1940s (from a perfume perspective, at least).
LOL @ “regret not having been around in the 1930s and 1940s” ! I love that.
It’s also really sad that, for the lines that have tried earnestly to maintain their heritage, the IFRA (and sometimes LVHM!) are making it almost impossible.
Not that IFRA’s meddling doesn’t annoy me, but I get especially peeved when a brand’s owners take it upon themselves to eviscerate gorgeous fragrances. Do they think we’re not going to notice or care? (Or that the folks who will notice and care are too few to really matter? Which we probably are, but still.) Either way, it’s just insulting.
My biggest regret is giving away a bottle from an niche perfumery in Ireland. We travelled way out to the Burren Perfumery in the north-west corner of County Clare, on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, took a tour of where they actually distill/make perfume and it was amazing. I so wish I had kept the bottle I took home with me but it was before I had learned that I really need to try perfumes a few times before making up my mind. It wasn’t for naught – at least I learned from the experience – now I revisit perfumes several time, usually with weeks or month between before I make up my mind.
Oh, hope you can replace that some day!
I never buy unless sniffed, so no regrettable purchases for me. I do lament the loss of my grandmother’s original Chanel No5. The content leaked in the process of moving around the world several times. There’s a tiny bit left but the scent is almost gone.
I forgot to add that I regret not buying Bed of Roses by JAR. I hear it has been discontinued. Had I known about it when I was in Paris in June, I would have bought it. At the time, I liked both BoR and Bolt of Lightning, but was not sure if I liked them enough to buy. The scent of BoR has been haunting me ever since. I was going to buy it when I visit Paris at the end of the year.
Its great that you still like everything you have bought. There are fragrances that I was more than 100% certain of and which I now cant stand. Problem is a) I’m not very constant, perhaps my taste changes? and b) I’m sometimes too easily enthusiastic. Anyway, I’v been a lot better this year as I now usually wait a good while before buying.
I usuall test a fragrance several times before making a decision. I spend at least a month. If a fragrance haunts me, I know it’s something I really love and want to have. Having said that, there have been instant purchases such as Songes, Carnal Flower and Tubereuse Criminelle.
Here’s a question for you knowledgeable NSTers! There’s a Serge Lutens that *always* oxidizes once opened b/c the high concentration of orange blossom and vanilla it contains just do this naturally. I keep mine in the dark and at room temp and it still turns, becoming orange-ish and sweeter, more buttery, less subtle, maybe within a year. Definitely changes the scent character of the juice. Questions are:
1.) I have some scientific-grade glass vials (~15 ml) with threaded caps. If I transfer some of my new bottle of Lutens into a few of these vials, will life of those decants be extended b/c of a better seal? That is, would this protect the juice from oxidation better than the normal spray cap I use with my rectangle bottle? Or is it like, once the bottle’s been opened, it’s exposed?
2.) Likewise is the bead-shaped Lutens splash cap a better seal than the Lutens sprayer? I had a sense the sprayer was on pretty tight.
I sound like a question on a math test. But can someone help? Many thanks!
Hello Lys! Sorry to hear about your Serge Lutens! They’re too expensive to allow them turn.
Here’s my, chemist advice.
You could try keeping your big bottle in the fridge, maybe the room temperature is too high? If this won’t work do transfer them into the glass vials you mentioned. That would be great if the vials were made of dark glass (vanilla and neroli smelling compounds sometimes tend to undergo the oxidation because of the lighting). If your vials are not dark you might wrap them in an aluminium foil to lower the exposition to light.
Thanks Lucasai. My sample vials are clear glass alas but maybe I can get my hands on darkened ones, that’s a good idea in general. My Lutens are kept in the dark nearly all the time, and not kept on my dresser, so I feel like light is a less likely culprit. Temp may or may not be an issue – I live in a temperate climate and room temp is kept around 68 – 74 degrees. Also, when you buy this SL it’s fine regardless of its manufacture date but once it’s unsealed it starts to turn. Nonetheless your fridge suggestion is duly noted!
What about air exposure? – I’m really paranoid about this variable b/c I kept an unopened bottle with the opened one, same temps, same light, and the opened one predictably changed! Could the transfer vials help with the air exposure variable? And how much or little air exposure in a bottle can initiate oxidation?
(I feel like this question is so self-serving! Sorry to be long-winded!)
Yes, I think that if your vials have screw-on caps or tight corks the juice will be more safe. Honestly I don’t think that the air exposure is guilty here. Even in an almost empty bottle here’s not much air inside of it.
Hope that you’ll find a way to solve the Lutens problem
LOL thanks again! Usually I don’t even care about this stuff, but, with this one, I just know that when I open my new bottle there will be trouble!
I’d blame the light, too.
That foil wrap is such a great tip, Lucas, and I would never have thought of it!
Yes, Lucas, I agree with nozknoz – brilliant idea about the foil. Why didn’t I think of that?! I buy a certain olive oil which comes wrapped in gold foil to protect it from the light, and it never occurred to me that this would work with even more precious perfume!
Yep. Simple and perfect idea, of the kind “how didn’t I think of that before?” Will do this today. At some (stupid) point in my life I “forgot” about photoeletric effect and discarded all my perfume boxes, in order to have the nice bottles displayed. Now, my old bottles are all tossed inside a drawer, and the foil will be a great addition, since I don’t trust very much the darkness of that drawer (there seem to be slits on the wood). Thank’s for the great tip, Lucas. And have a nice sunday, you all!
Glad I could help! 🙂 Lovely Sunday to you all!
I remember reading somewhere that the spray atomizer actually prevent evaporation better than the screw-on cap. Might that also mean that less air would get in as well? I like Lucas’ idea of the foil. Another idea would be to wrap the bottles with painter’s tape, like the kind people often use to keep decants from leaking in the mail. Good luck, Lys. Loosing perfume to oxidation just sucks.
Thanks for the advice Perfumista! BTW my open Lutens now smells like the tester did that I originally used to decide on my purchase – it was oxidized too but I didn’t know it. So it’s not a total loss, a lot of people would like it as it is now but for me it’s lost all it’s intended subtlety and smells like a different fragrance.
I have a bottle of Songes that turned into a dark amber juice. I was told it that it was natural; somethng to do with the natural extract of jasmine in the formula. The scent hasn’t changed, thankfully.
Good the juice stayed fine! It’s even interesting when your perfume changes colors. At least it’s interesting when the perfume doesn’t turn. Any other case is a disaster.
My Prada Amber Pour Homme turned from light purple to more pink-ish and then back to light purple. The juice is still fabulous (and so small left, a new bottle is a must)
I had 2 small travel bottles of some Frederic Malle scent (I think it was En Passant?) turn a truly alarming shade of orange. I remember they still smelled fine, but they were too ugly to use so I finally discarded them.
I suppose it’s off-putting when the colour is so visibly altered. I had to call the AG store and the SA assured me that it hadn’t turned.
I regret throwing out a few things in the past but in my defense it was before I knew that there were people put there who would have gladly taken them off my hands. I have bought many unsniffed perfumes at discounters based on the hype and thankfully none have been awful enough to call a regret. I regret losing out on a good deal because I tend to want to think about things for too long and then when I decide to buy its either no longer available or the price has gone up.
Hah, just like me. I regret not keeping my bottle of the vintage Dior Homme. The person that took it doesn’t even known he has a gem in hands.
Dior Homme! That’s probably my most burning regret: not buying a bottle when I first fell in love with it circa 2009. I can still walk into my Sephora and smell the old version, which – maddeningly – the store keeps on hand as a tester, while selling the new juice. (I once had this same problem with another Dior, Fahrenheit. Fell in love with the vintage juice thanks to an old tester at a department store; sprung for a full bottle of the neutered current version, none the wiser until I got home and sprayed it.)
That said, I regret these and other perfume-related decisions and mishaps for only a short while before moving on. Brilliant as it is, not owning the original Dior Homme doesn’t keep me up at night, and there’s still so much out there I haven’t sniffed. My new favorite could be around the corner.
Hah! Same here: vintage testers, new juice to be sold. But I believe I can still find a vintage bottle here. If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll search some for you.
It’s so hilarious/sad to call anything from 2005 “vintage”, isn’t it? Thanks, Dior!
That’d be sweet of you to track down an old bottle, if you can. (Don’t go out of your way, or I’ll feel like a nuisance, lol.) Email me at dpdasilva [at] gmail [dot] [com] if you manage to find one. 🙂
Poodle, I’ve also lost out on some good stuff because of overthinking. It can be hard to balance an appropriate level of prudence with not being afraid to just go for stuff that might not come around again.
Wow, how to choose? I could write pages on this topic! One example: when I first started looking for perfume on ebay a few years ago, I came across a seller offering several perfumes from an estate. There were Nina Ricci Coeur Joie and Farouche in the most beautiful Lalique bottles, Vol de Nuit in the propeller bottle, and more – all unopened and in their original boxes. I had no idea how unusual this was, and, of course the prices have only gone up since then. I should have set high snipes on all of them!
Hi nozknoz! How have you been doing lately?
Looks like many of us have this factor too. They once found something interesting online for a great price, they didn’t buy it and now they regret they did not. Sorry this also applies to you. I think this problem doesn’t apply to me yet. I’m just happy that sometimes I’m lucky to find a great price online for something I’m actually looking for. That way I got my bottle of Iris Nobile two weeks ago at 40% it’s boutique price.
That’s a great deal!
I’m fine, Lucas – just completed a major task at work over the last month and very happy not to be crazy busy during the August dog days.
Discounted Iris Nobile – what a great find!
Congratulation on finishing your job task!
Unopened Vol de Nuit in the propeller bottle?! I feel your pain, Nozknoz.
In a pristine zebra print box, Emily!
Noooooo! (Says the person who just flaked out and lost an eBay auction for a similarly fabulous bottle of vintage Cabochard parfum.)
Oh, no – Cabochard! That’s another one that’s harder and harder to find.
It’s always a dilemma, of course, at the time: the little devil on the left shoulder is telling me to bid higher, and the prissy angel on the right is saying, but what if it’s turned and you’ve wasted all that money! So I guess we should console ourselves with being sure we didn’t get snookered!
That’s a good perspective. I just flat-out forgot when the auction was ending, and got involved in a cooking project. It sounded like a pristine bottle, but of course you never know. I’ll console myself in the meantime with my homemade lasagna.
I have many buying regrets, but most can be swapped – they are like currency. The one I never wear, and really don’t love and no one wants in a swap is YSL’s Cinema.
Non-buying regret is Attrape Coeur. This is mainly Guerlain’s fault for being so incredibly stingy with samples. Had I the chance, and I tried MANY times, for just a little 1-2ml sample, I could have bought. I can’t purchase something from a dab in the store and at those prices, they shouldn’t expect me too.
If I sound just a little bitter, well…I am. The Guerlain counter at Saks in Beverly Hills is awful. They are stingy. They don’t keep everything out. They cannot be bothered. I hope someone at Guerlain reads this. They should either move their line to NM or get someone in that Saks to train. Big profit margin in this department – be generous with samples. The Guerlain at BG’s in NY is an entirely different story.
I regret not buying Attrape Coeur too – I bet a few more people here have that regret! – although it really wasn’t me, too mature, but now it’s gone and that makes me want it. 🙂
Sorry to hear abt your Saks.
Has Guerlain at BG’s ever sent you sample exclusives thru the mail? I got some Parissienes at my Neimans trunk show this past winter and they gave me BG’s info b/c they didn’t have a few of the newer ones (like Voyage 04 London). But I’ve been intimidated to call b/c I’ve never bought thru BG and I feel like they’d think I was just asking for free stuff with no intent to buy!
I’d love to hear you think they’re receptive to these types of requests!
I’ve never asked BG to send me anything in the mail, so can’t say. I was in NY for three weeks two summers ago – BG was right next to my hotel so I went in almost every day for a squirt of one thing or another 🙂 They also made me some samples, which Saks will not do.
Gee, re-reading this, it’s not very helpful. Since you were given the number, I’d use it. It may very well be that Guerlain representatives are Guerlain employees. I know that woman at Barney’s Malle section doesn’t actually work for Barney’s, she works for Malle. Give it a try and tell them how you got their contact number. Good luck
No, it is helpful. I’ll follow up with them – stores near me don’t carry the exclusives, and I should probably build a relationship with one that does in order to keep on top of new releases and goodies.
Also, was there an SA there you can recommend?
Good to know they’ll do samples. I went to a Guerlain event once and there were many reps running around. The reps were not very nice unless you were there to purchase. The BG staff are nicer!
That’s too bad, maybe they were busy, busy. Try BG – you never know
Lys, I can’t respond to your comment for some reason — but I’m sorry I don’t remember the name of the woman who was helping me (it was two summers ago). Just give them a ring and tell them you were given the number by a NM rep – Good luck!
Lys,
I don’t know if you’ll be back to see this, but I can say that I’ve found the SAs at both the NY BG and in Vegas at the Palazzo to be extremely generous in responding to requests for samples. Even without purchasing – just on the hope that I *might* purchase – they’ve sent samples. So don’t hesitate to call them.
Yes, I got your comment. Thanks!
Hey, I love Cinema! Would you by chance like some Tom Ford White Patchouli? We can chat – fragrantwitch@gmail.com
Thanks for the lovely offer – patch is a challenge for me, but I’ll drop you a line!
I love your idea that regrets are like currency for swaps!
Right? I had original Donna Karan (in the kling-on bottle) Cashmere, a ton of stuff that just didn’t rock my world anymore – but now I know they could have paved the way for more of the stuff that does rock my world…
Unfortunately, I actually threw those goodies out in a cleaning binge before I knew they could be swapped. I don’t think I made that entirely clear:)
All these people who are owning up to throwing out perfectly good perfumes!!!! disposable society has gone mad… for the love of god, don’t you have a local charity store?? I need a sit down, let’s agree to keep these dark secrets to ourselves
I bet a lot of people mean they gave it to Goodwill when they say they threw it out.
I like Cinema too! I might have something you want to swap for. If you still have it, drop me a line at elisagabbert at gmail.com
There aren’t any perfumes I regret not buying. I may one day regret not buying a back-up of M7. But, I buy TOO many things so I’v decided not to invest in back-ups of anything. There will always be more wonderful things and I like variety.
I do regret throwing out this beautiful wooden case of classical mini perfumes. I had kept it more than a decade and still had no interest or understanding of perfume, so…
Although I have never blind bought a full bottle, I still have several bottles I regret buying. I gave away Cartier delices eau fruitee – way too sweet, and Burberry the Beat Elixir which really got on my nerves. I still have Bal a Versailles – a bit of a bargain buy but one which is just too dirty on me. And Dior Addict – screech. And, there are a few others I own that I’m a little on the wall about.
The good news: nothing I own has turned (at least not that I know of!)
I’ve decided not to hoard things too, for the same reason.
Regret buying – my 2nd bottle of Burberry Brit Sheer. I loved this last year and used up one bottle. The 2nd one is unopened because I discovered other fragrances I liked/loved much better. Although I am buying fewer unsniffed, I am definitely not as disciplined as ladymurasaki.
Regret not buying – so far, none.
Perfume I loved and has turned – none.
I replaced a few bottles that I shouldn’t have…I didn’t think through how many more fragrances I had & how rarely *anything* gets used.
I don’t have any regrets for either buying or not buying anything. What I do regret is not learning about the existence of the niche perfumes world earlier than I did: I could have smelled even better! 🙂
Ha…me too!
Both inexpensive – but regrets only because I wish I wasn’t so impulsive. I bought these after reading comments on this site – the fisrt is Bill Blass Nude – which is just weird, and the other is December Poison by Poison Apothecary – the description sounds so wonderful – figs, amber – but it actually makes me feel nauseated when I put it on! Generally though, since discovering the niche world I am a lot more careful about what I buy.
When I regret about an inexpensive bottle I think: “Hm, this money could’ve gone to a better and more expensive bottle. It’s …% of that bottle.”
Ha, I also bought Bill Blass Nude after reading a review on NST. It was less than $20, and it wasn’t bad … but I’ve since realized that pears aren’t generally my thing in perfume. They tend to remind me of ’90s shampoo, for some reason. But given how many wonderful scents NST has inspired me to buy, I think I can live with my Nude.
Cherry,
Do you still have the December Poison? I would gladly take it off your hands if you do. I like amber and fig, so I’m curious about it. If you have it, my email is countsjc at gmail.com.
Giving away a 1980 bottle of Cristalle…
Other than that, no real regrets…
Oh, bummer. If it’s any consolation, citrus notes rarely hold up well over time.
ok, a regret for buying some samples of Fico d’Amalfi on eBay. Tested in Holt Renfrew in TO and thought I liked it…
Given the amount of blind buys I did before I knew any better, I really have surprisingly few regrets. And some of the fragrances I thought were duds have really grown on me.
Oddly enough, my biggest regret isn’t a blind buy. A couple of years ago, right when it came out, I picked up a 100 mL bottle of Prada Infusion de Fleurs d’Oranger at duty free. When I sprayed the tester, I thought it was the most glorious thing I’d ever smelled. Also, it was touted as a limited edition, the box was gorgeous, and I didn’t have to pay tax. But had I waited 30 minutes, I would have realized that the smell eventually turned to baby aspirin. Yaar. Still love the box, though.
I also have no idea why I blind-bought AA Jasminora, but at least my mom wants to take it off my hands.
LOL my mom took Jasminora off my hands! Doesn’t work at all on me BTW, but on her it smells great.
It’s just okay on me — though, based on reviews I’ve read, I must be totally anosmic to the white musk that’s allegedly in the drydown. There are just so many jasmines in my collection that I prefer over this one.
I actually think it’s very well done but bought it without trying it on amber-amping skin – there’s some amber in the drydown too. But can’t blame you for buying it if you like jasmines.
What really burns me up is that I a) paid full price; b) ordered it blind even though Sephora eventually got testers; and c) didn’t return it despite Sephora’s generous return policy — I guess I was thinking that I’d come to love it, or something (and like I said, it wasn’t bad, just not spectacular). Not my finest perfume moment, on all counts.
I almost did that with that Prada too. I walked around a bit though and got the baby aspirin smell and did not buy it. I was a little sad because those opening notes seemed so promising. I always wait after spraying because some things are gone in 30 minutes on me.
I have epic scent-glue skin — even when it comes to certain top notes — but with the Prada, the nice opening part seemed to vanish faster and faster every time I wore the fragrance. Maybe once I’d noticed the baby aspirin, my nose started “looking” for it straight away? Who knows.
Whatever happened to Daisy – I haven’t seen her post here in ages (not that I come by that often that much anymore, either, but I do check in once a week or so for reading)…
she commented in the last quarterly damage poll. I miss he comments too, she’s got such a good humour
She is well & mostly hanging out on Facebook.
Chinatown: smells like every Chinese grocery store I’ve been in – a touch of damp, a touch of five spice, a touch of foodstuffs past their sell by date.
Paloma: old lady
Neroli Portofino: LOVED it last summer, this summer – dryer sheet.
Quel Amour: chemical lifesaver note
Sorry, meant to write that I regret buying them.
Also…
Un Jardin Sur Le Toit: too young and sweet for me. My daughter will like It though.
Bois Naufrage: my tester had a lovely fig note that was missing from the full bottle – reformulated?
How fun. I like Chinatown and Sur Le Toit too much.
Do you still have the Chinatown? I might want to take it off your hands…. drop me a note at elisagabbert at gmail.com if so
I can’t get enough of minis – so cute! But I bet some day I will need to declutter them too. 🙁 Anyway sorry you gave your AdP away, at least it was a small amount of juice.
Obviously meant as a reply not a post!
Excellent topic!
I regret not buying as much original Chaos as I possibly could when I first fell in love with it. Rent, what rent?
Also, I regret throwing out the bag of spray samples of Nu that I had gotten from the shop that I worked it. What was I thinking?? If I’d known better I would hae decanted them into a spray bottle- I probably had 25 ml!
Fragrance I wish I didn’t have- TF White Patchouli. Sample smelled good and then I swapped for it at Swapmania. Sprayed it and immediate awfulness. Lovely on others I am sure, ghastly on me.
I love TF White Patchouli. I think it’s strong though, so I only wear it in cooler weather.
I wore TF White Patchouli for a good year or so — still have a bit left in the bottle, but my collection is much larger now, so it doesn’t find its way into the rotation that often. I’ve started to prefer more robust, earthy patchouli, but I do still appreciate this one for what it is.
Regret buying, Creed’s Love in White…what was I thinking?
Ouch, that’s an expensive one too. You can surely unload it though?
Regret having sold Boucheron Trouble in a garage sale. I loved it at first, then didn’t, but I think now that my nose is more developed, I think I would love it again. Regret my Kenzo Parfum d’Ete (original) seemed to turn.
Was on vacation and smelled Delices de Cartier in EDT in the duty free. Got several chances to test it and liked it pretty well. My husband seemed to like it, too. Was wanting to know if anyone had smelled both EDT and EDP (and maybe parfum) and how they compare.
I do like that one, just be cautious because it is on the sweet side. As far as I can ascertain perfumistas do not highly regard it! I meant to buy it and accidentally got delices fruitee which is even sweeter and has none of the depth. At the time I didn’t have the concept of ‘flanker’. (Can’t remember the difference between the EDT and EDP)
Another one – bought AG Mon parfum cherie unsniffed – was truly disappointed – it smells like cough mixture to me – but when I wear it people comment on my lovely perfume!
Did you get the EDP or the EDT? I have a sample of the EDP and I like it very much but there is a lot of seriously dirty patchouli in there, to my nose at least.
EDP – wish I got the patchouli – wouldn’t mind that.
I made sure I sniffed. I think I stated somewhere above, but some AG fragrances are totally off-putting to me. While I have my firm favourites such as Songes, etc., Petite Cherie and Mon Parfum Cherie smell oddly like air freshner.
The fruit in there is too much for me. But I’ve been revisiting it lately, for some reason…
I never buy anything on impulse and I buy perfume very rarely so I don’t regret buying or not buying anything. What I do regret is not keeping a couple of mls of every single perfume I’ve ever worn (since, er, 1967). They were all wonderful and I would now have a great collection and I could being back lots of memories just by sniffing those scents.
So did you just discard them over the years as you moved house and so on? I have done that few times, which now causes me great regret. I’m glad I kept my Chanel No 19 EDT from c. 1983 or 84.
No, I used them up. I’ve never discarded anything. I’ve only ever used one perfume at a time so there’s never been any leftovers.
I also always eat up my greens. 🙂
🙂
Biggest purchase regret:
A lot of vintage perfume samples from ebay. I didn’t realize at the time that it was likely that most had turned (they had, and smelled awful).
Beloved fragrance that turned and can’t be replaced:
Tova
Oh yeah, and my biggest regret about NOT buying:
Not buying certain perceived low-end or drugstore-type fragrances because I was embarrassed/worried about what other perfumistas would think of me.
After thinking about such fragrances for a LONG time, one day I looked them up on fragrantica. To my surprise they were not being bashed (unless they had been reformulated). I learned that I should have trusted my nose and my instincts, and also that I should do as these others had done and just wear the fragrance proudly regardless of its price.
I regret my fear and I regret not acting sooner because one of the fragrances was reformulated and is gone.
Don’t feel too badly! Just recently, I just purchased Wild Jasmine from Lucy B which is an Australian line and it’s in a big chain drugstore. It’s pretty and unoffensive and it seems to be popular!
The well-established French line Roger & Gallet is also at the drugstore, but as I understand it, the scents don’t last very long. I still like to stop and sniff when I’m there!
I used to be like that about the so called low end stuff but now my feelings have changed. If you like it that’s all that matters. Some of my cheapest scents have gotten me the most compliments. You need to like what you wear and not worry about bad reviews. There are plenty of perfumes that get a lot of love on the blogs that I will not wear. Your perfume should make you happy.
so true, so true
I regret buying Quelques Fleurs (it turned to poison on my skin); I wished I had bought 2 bottles of the vintage Dioressence from my friend’s contact in France instead of 1; and I treasure my vintage Cartier in its gold refillable bottle from 1986 even though it smells quite strong now. P. S. I love this blog. It is my new best friend at all the perfume counters.
Oh my! Do I detect another poodle and perfume lover?
So glad!
My biggest regret is thankfully very inexpensive: Tocade. I used to really enjoy the sweet rose and vanilla, but my nose has shifted or whatever – now all I get is nail polish remover. Poor baby needs a new home.
My biggest regret I didn’t buy is a tie for two: Mariella Burani when it was still widely available b/c it’s just such a great all around fragrance and was so reasonably priced, but there is no way I’m paying what it’s going for now; and mostly, an overlooked vintage Vol de Nuit parfum at a Nordstrom in 2010 that was so beat up from people taking it in and out of the box… I was being too stingy with wanting it, and now I realize it was worth every penny at it’s “normal” cost as a vintage bottle. ;-(
Oh, all the Vol de Nuit regrets in these comments are just killing me. So this was a bottle of older stock at Nordies that nobody had bought because it looked too beat up, and the SAs didn’t notice that it was still hanging around?
Hi Emily – I don’t know if you’ll see this, but yes, I think this was before SA’s would have been alerted to vintage wonders. This was in the Nordstrom Pioneer Square in downtown PDX. They’d remodeled the first floor and IMHO, the fragrance shelves were very poorly designed and organized. It must have been something that was in a drawer or whatever for a long time – very beat up. Normal, non-fragrance nuts do not like to spend $300 on a beat up box of anything. In my defense, I did buy a vintage bottle of the EDT refill, that was similarly abused. And it smells fantastic. At least I have that!
Hello, I’ve been reading this wonderful blog for a long time, but just now decided to overcome my hesitation (= newbie intimidation factor) to answer this interesting question.
For myself, I try never to regret anything–at least, anything that hasn’t resulted in harm to another human being –because I’ll no doubt do the same (or different) silly things again anyway.
That said, there is a perfume-related dilemma that kind of breaks my heart. I wish I knew the names and histories of three tiny flacons of Parisian perfume in my vintage collection. I’ve picked them up here & there. These are very small graceful bottles full of the most exquisite fragrance. I’ve only been able to find out the basics: one is by Helene Dale and is labeled with the number 7, the second is labeled Chant des Iles, Paris,” and the last isn’t labeled at all, but has “Paris” embossed on the bottom. All three bottles have either silver filigree or brass stoppers.
As I understand it, the bottles are by Castillere, and these fragrances were produced around 1940. What makes me so sad is that I don’t think I can ever replace them, but the fragrances are just gorgeous. If I knew more about perfumes I could explain or describe them. Well, maybe once I’ve learned more I’ll be able to. At the moment I can just say that they are all different but all smell spicy, warm, dry, not too floral, maybe a bit reminiscent of an old bottle of Coty Chypre I once found.
Oh, and if I have a regret, that would be it — the top notes of that bottle of chypre are ruined, though once those have gone off, the fragrance is still gorgeous.
Hi and welcome!
I don’t have any info about your three vintage bottles, unfortunately — but you have some original Coty Chypre?! That’s terrific. And I wouldn’t dwell too much on those degraded top notes; that’s really common with vintage fragrances (though of course it’d be fantastic to smell Chypre in its full glory).
Another hi & welcome! sorry I can’t help you either, but hope you’ll feel comfortable now to keep commenting.
What is the perfume you most regret buying?
I sold them both on EBay afterwards, so cannot regret them TOO much! But it was Jicky EdP (should have got the EdT) and the Lutens absinthe one that was eventually discontinued, cannot remember its name?! Someone help me?! I loved them both when smelling in stores, but they didn’t translate into my daily life somehow and I didn’t enjoy wearing them.
What is the perfume you most regret not buying? or
Fleur D’Oranger 2011 from L’Artisan. Somehow the release bypassed my attention and when I realised it had come out, it had SOLD OUT! And apparently they ain’t doing it again.
Name a beloved fragrance in your collection that has ‘turned’ (gone bad) and can’t be replaced.
Luckily this hasn’t happened yet. But I bought Bandit vintage on eBay once and it arrived having already turned which was a massive disappointment – luckily the seller refunded me.
The Lutens you are referring to is I think Douce Amère. ( One of my favourite SL’s actually).
I like the Jicky EdT best too.
Am I the only one surprised by the lack of turned bottle regrets?
Well… hm. I think I just regard it as a manageable risk. Haven’t had it happen too often, except with vintage, and I knew it could happen going in.
It happened to 4 frags of my collection, they’ve never been my favorites, 3 of them are rather low-end, and I only have a little regret about one of the 4: vintage CK Escape splash bottle from the year of it’s issue – it’s more than half-bottle full, I haven’t used it for years and suddenly wanted to remember how it smelled.. Now the top notes are just awful, but the base is ok.
I’m surprised. But maybe people just aren’t reporting them, or maybe people take better care than I do 🙂
I regret buying AG Ce Soir Ou Jamais. I got it on a trip to Paris while I was studying abroad before I got into perfume. It starts to turn sour on me after a couple of hours. If only had I known about Attrape Coeur back then…
I also regret buying Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum at the beginning of my perfumistahood. It is much too sweet for my taste now but I keep going back and forth on whether I should sell it.
Buying regrets: Too many, and with the passage of time none of them sting any more. Well…maybe the Diorella that I blind-bought (!) (not cheap!), based solely on rave reviews and strong word of mouth on the blogs and fora, not to mention unanimous praise from the likes of Turin, Sanchez, and Burr. Should have gone with Eau Sauvage, which I really wanted all along. *Grumble, eye-roll, shot of whiskey.*
I’ve never had a bottle or sample turn on me – in fact, they seem to get more layered and interesting with age. Or perhaps my nose is becoming keener and more aware…with age. *Sigh, second shot of whiskey.*
How I wish I had bought more Crown Ess Bouquet from Crown Perfumery (many years ago) when they had a stand-alone shop in the Burlington Arcade – & before Clive Christian bought the company & then proceeded to discontinue all the original Crown recipes!!
I found four ( 4 ) creations by Le Labo’s creators at ANTHRO, scooped them right up. 62$/2.0 oz. Not too shabby. The orient one is great. Didn’t get the blanc. Smelled
Ike all white florals, too clean for me. Wanted to share.
Oud Immortal is to DIE for by BYREDO, Labdanum by Le Labo is too, and Mon Número by L’ Artisan just for Barney’s, cannot be found supposedly in France is scrungy, love it.
So many regrets, so little fragrance…:)
Regrets about buying: 1) Hermes Pamplemousse Rose, 2) Cartier Declaration Essence (instant headache), 3) Clive Christian 1872 for Men (after loving a decant of it splurged on a full bottle, it smells different and suddenly I have this sensation where I can taste it in the back of my mouth, yuk). My partner has been wearing it lately and I never thought it was that strong until he started applying it, a lot less than I ever did. 4) 50ml bottles of L’ADP Poivre Piquant, Piment Brulant (the small coffret of them with Safran Troublant was really enough!). 5) Terre d’Hermes Pure Parfum (the EDT is the best, which I already owned)
Turned bad: I had a decant of my full bottle of TFPB Noir de Noir go bad, I had to scrub it off. Bought the bottle at SFA NYC in 2008/2009 (can’t remember exactly), and now I am scared to try a spritz from my full bottle!
More regrets about buying: AG Sables (decided that immortelle isn’t for me), AG Hadrien Absolu (can’t get the Pledge smell out of my head), AG Duel (something sharp that doesn’t please my nose). BN9 New Haarlem (the coffee note is a bit too pronounced and of course lingers way too long, but I ended up giving this to my sister who loves it).
Everything by Jo Malone that I’ve ever bought except for Vanilla and Anise (LBM, Pomegranate Noir, Wild Fig and Cassis). Decided that the JM fragrances are better used as room sprays than something to apply on my skin.
I bet your Noir de Noir (I love that fragrance!!) is fine — the TF bottles are opaque, aren’t they?
I keep the NdN in a medicine cabinet, it never is exposed to light. It probably is fine, but I’m still scared to find out just the same.
Finally got around to applying TFPB NdN last night from my full bottle, something is definitely wrong. The top notes smell completely rancid, but luckily after 5-10 minutes that dissipates and everything seems ok. I remember loving the opening but now it is ruined.
The local SFA in St Louis does not stock any of the PB scents except Neroli Portofino, so I cannot compare a new bottle to what I have in my vintage 2008 example.
Yikes!?!?
I don’t have too many regrets since I only buy full bottles if they’re cheap or if I love them. Things I don’t end up loving usually find new homes.
I regret not buying Gucci II EDP before they reformulated it into generic pink dreck. It used to have the most extraordinary sage note.
i regret sooo much not buying annick goutal eau du fier when i had the chance!! granted, it wasn’t cheap but it definitely wasn’t as expensive as the exorbitant prices that i saw on ebay! get real people! it will never sell. as for eau du fier, it’s the proverbial expression ‘kicking myself in the b***s’, am that annoyed. the one that i regret the most buying are actually three, all blind buys (never again): mugler pure havane and pure malt, what a load of built up nonsense (and pretense) and dior homme intense, PREFORMULATION (i.e. another load of bulls**t). luckily, managed to find buyers for all three and sold them at a profit (because of the undeserved hype).
AG EdF is another one I would love to try, I could get a decant from TPC but haven’t yet.
I have the Mugler A*Men (love it but seldom wear it), and also the Les Gout de Parfum (the coffee note is more pronounced, and oddly i don’t detect any red pepper). The LGdP is reserved for winter time, I wouldn’t dare wear it now with the awful heat and humidity.
Your comment made me laugh out loud, because if I had b@!!s I also would have kicked them because I missed out on two things I had bid on and on watch on ebay. I had to make do with cursing out loud.
RELLERIC, send duel, sables, hadrien absolu my way (or sell them to me at a good price), i’m a huge fan of annick goutal.
completely agree with you re. jo malone, one of the most overrated, overpriced, overhyped perfume houses. i still can’t go over it that all their sa’s (wherever you go in london, EVERYWHERE), DO NOT give samples of their perfumes! why??? the longevity is abysmal (i.e. non existent), why oh why do people insist buying jo malone at such outrageous prices is beyond me.
Hehe… I will probably hang onto all of the AGs because who knows, I may love them later on. I also have Mandragore, Myhrre Ardent (my favorite), Ambre Fetiche and Musc Nomade.
As for JM, the Pomegrante Noir and Lime Basil and Mandarin smell very very very strong to me, even in very small doses. The LBM was my first JM purchase, I wear it in early spring but that is about it. I gave the Wild Fig and Cassis to my sister, and have decided that fig is not something I ever care to wear, to me it is very dense and thick and completely overpowering. I respect fig but cannot wear it if it is featured in a fragrance.
We could make a swap/deal place in here, huh? 😉 I’d love to buy some regrets.
Vincent, I think that’s a great idea. After all, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. My own purchase regret is Theo Fennell Scent, which just doesn’t seem to suit my chemistry at all, though when I spray it on a paper tester it smells lovely. It was one of those crazy, unsniffed purchases that I make from time to time. Luckily this is the only time it hasn’t quite worked out. As for the ones that got away, EL Aliage and Fidji parfum, which I had on watch on ebay, and then totally forgot about, within a day of each other. It wasn’t meant to happen, obviously : (
Deeply regret buying Eternity because the fresh top note fooled me. It is a horroble headache-inducing white floral that is totally unwearable.
I regret not buying a vintage Visa (circa 1945 or so) by Robert Piguet in an antique store’s closing out sale. I don’t know if it had any juice in it but it had the box. Too bad I was just a budding perfumista and didn’t know any better—yet!
I once bought a Burberry Weekend from an ex-friend for $30. It was off and I could get it for less at Winners now.
I most regret an impulse, unsniffed purchase of Miss Dior… oh, my foolish middle-age 😀
My biggest regret is not being “into” perfume while I was studying in Paris! Even though I wouldn’t have been able to afford bottles of perfume (especially with the unfavorable euro exchange rate!), I wish I’d at least done a sniffing tour. Ah well, at least I had more money for chocolate and pastries :).
i am a hoarder for sure. and a big repeat buyer. i fall in love when i like a scent, and it becomes part of who i am. and maybe i’m scared of losing the past or something because i always buy more than one when i love something. i’ve bought fracas 7 or 8 times, creed’s tubereuse indiana 5 or 6 times, and i have 20 bottles of l’artisan tubereuse since it got discontinued. last winter i went through 4 frederic malle un gardenia la nuit candles and another 4 cire trudon mademoiselle de la valierres. i guess i’m a little crazy but at least i’m consistent!
hmm, i wonder if there’s anything i regret. there are certainly things i never wear (youth dew) but i still like to have them and smell them once in a while.