More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
From Frédéric Malle, the x Liberty collection, with new outer packaging (the bottles are the same!) using Liberty prints and celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Frédéric Malle brand at Liberty London. Shown are Lipstick Rose and Géranium Pour Monsieur. At Liberty of London.
From Robert Piguet, a gold edition of Visa: "Opulence and splendour spotlight this special edition. The signature flacon is elegantly embellished in a lavish golden finish, and comes presented in a satin-lined case complete with golden closure." £185 at Harrods in the UK.
From Kate Spade, Live Colorfully for Holiday 2013: "The charming scent of live colorfully by kate spade new york is packaged in a limited-edition gold bottle topped with a darling bow for the holiday season." $95 for 100 ml at Nordstrom.
From Yves Rocher, Vanille Eau de Toilette Intense in a collector bottle. €10, at Yves Rocher in France.
So the Malle special boxes and fancy Piguet packaging really put a spotlight on something about limited edition fragrance packaging that I just don’t *get*! If scent matters enough to you to pay attention to specialty packaging, isn’t it likely that you keep your scent tucked away, out of the light, where no one is likely to see the pretty packaging? And a box in particular, even if you only wear your scent for special nights out, seems unlikely to be properly appreciated with any regularity. So–what’s the draw?!
I will put in the caveat that I LOVE beautiful things, and I appreciate quality wherever I encounter it, but if I already have a nice bottle of perfume (sans vinyl flowers, etc.), I can’t really imagine going out of my way to get another bottle just because it’s pretty. Or are these for folks who DON’T yet have that bottle of perfume, and this sort of packaging finally puts it on their WANT list?
You know, those Malle boxes are gorgeous, but I don’t get it either. I don’t keep boxes. But there seems to be quite a fuss over those in particular in the media, so apparently it has an appeal to somebody. Or it’s just pretty so people are posting about it 🙂
But also, way more collector bottles come out in the 4th quarter than the rest of the year, so guessing it’s to attract holiday shoppers…much of it probably gifts rather than to buy for yourself.
Repeating the “no way I’d buy it just for the box” comments.
But if it is no more expensive, why not get a pretty box. Especially for a present. If one were thinking of finally plonking for a bottle of say, Vetiver Extraordinaire, why not pick the one in the lovely box even if the box would only last a few weeks or days.
Robin I think you’re right about holiday shopping. I’ll cop to being one of the people who made a holiday purchase this quarter largely for the packaging–my grandmother wanted me to pick out a Christmas gift for her to give me, and Oribe had a gift set of hair products that came in a box I knew she’d like. Mostly she’ll be the one who enjoys it, too, sitting under her tree for the next month! I’m more in it for their newish fragrance product I’d read Le Labo’s Fabrice Penot liked ( http://www.oribe.com/index.php/explore/post/2534/fabrice-penot-co-founder-of-le-labo/ ) But from her POV, the pretty box totally elevates the gift.
The hair refresher thing? Have you tried it before? It does sound tempting.
Yes, that’s the one! I haven’t tried it in the hair refresher form yet–I believe it’ll be the same scent as the rest of their products, and I am a big fan of the dry texturizing spray, so I’m curious to see how it plays in a dedicated fragrance form. Though even in the texturizing spray, it’s by a long distance the biggest crowd-pleaser among all the fragrance products I own! (I wonder if wearing it in my hair is part of that though–maybe if I sprayed perfume in my hair, it would be more diffusive and draw commensurately more attention?)
That’s funny! I will have to check it out, thanks.
There are people who COVET Liberty prints, and I must honestly admit I am thinking about asking for that Geranium Pour Monsieur.
Would you mind explaining it further to me? Would they be displayed somewhere proudly? Is it simply the pleasure of owning a beautiful thing that you know few other people own?
Do you wrap presents in attractive paper? Simply unwrapping something lovely, even for ones self, is a pleasure. And the bottle of Visa would be protected from light by the gold coating making it safer to display.
I appreciate a well-wrapped gift, but no, I fear I rarely wrap presents in paper myself! I’m good with a reused gift bag and some tissue paper stuffed in the top. . . Doesn’t make me sound very classy, huh?! 😉
Ditto. Like a nicely wrapped present, too lazy to make one myself. Clearly, the prevalence of gift bags means we are not alone.
I actually couldn’t find it myself on the Liberty sight, guess its in store only, but if anything this made remember and realize I need to put a bottle of Geranium Pour Monsieur, special box or not, on my list to Santa this year…:)
*site
It might be in-store only, I don’t know. They don’t keep their online shopping site very well organized or updated, at least w/ fragrance.
Don’t get the boxes either! And I think they blah looking, sorry! A change in the bottle would be nice for a little change. The Visa bottle is nice though..too bad that scent didn’t work for me, I was hoping it would!
Oh, I like the boxes! Nothing here I really want today though.
You can keep the boxes and I will keep the perfume inside!:D. Sound good?:).
Ha…no deal. I like the boxes, but would way rather have the perfumes 😉
I just wish the Liberty site had all the boxes to look at.
Isn’t it crazy that they don’t? Or at least, I couldn’t find them there.