July...it must be time for another damage poll! Donatella Versace, Our Lady of Perfumed Self-indulgence,1 wants to know what you bought in the 2nd quarter (April, May and June) of 2014.
Update: the poll is now closed!
My purchases...
I bought nothing. I actually meant to buy at least two items, both on mark down, but both disappeared while I was dithering. I did manage to snag a jar of Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Whipped Body Creme ($45), but body products are beneath Donatella's notice. You can buy all the body products you want, she couldn't care less.
As always, report your purchases in the comments if you dare! And as always, we don't include samples or gifts, and you can count miniatures, decants and bottle-splits howsoever you like (I usually count them as half bottles). Samples don't generally count at all, even though some of us spend considerable sums obtaining them.
1. Why does Donatella host (against her will, mind you) the damage polls? There is no real reason other than the picture of her perfume collection, which shows that she indulges regularly at the perfume counter. The image, by the way, is originally from Allure magazine and appears here courtesy of Blogdorf Goodman.
Crazy that it felt like the end of Q1 took forever to arrive and I bought zillions of things, and then the end of Q2 ran up so fast. I bought a L’Artisan Parfumeur Discovery Set for $63.60 (and triple points!) from Sephora and 100 ML bottle of Jardins d’Ecrivains Wilde for $88 from Parfum1. That’s $151.60 for, let’s call it, two bottles.
I also acquired minis of Prada Candy and Tocca Cleopatra with Sephora codes and a few other things in of trades. And bought a ton of samples and a bottle of Boyfriend dry oil, so very glad those don’t count! And finally I decided my Olfactif subscription was more temptation I could handle and canceled it.
The spring always goes quicker than the winter. You got some lovely things though!
My first time to ‘fess up. I bought a bottle of Shalimar PI yesterday after panicking about the discontinuation. Also, had a discount at Sephora and got J’adore Voile de Parfum. Also, Shanghai Lily when NM had their fragrance event. We are moving to Arkansas in a little over 2 weeks. Contemplating getting Agonist Isis from this little boutique in McKinney, TX before we move. I will be pretty well limited to Dillard’s, Belk, and (I think) Sephora for any in-store sniffing after we move. May have to come back to the Dallas area from time to time to have a sniffa.
Glad you got some SPI before it’s gone! And good luck with the move.
Thanks, Robin. We will be in an extended stay hotel for at least a month, waiting for our new house (we are just crazy enough to build). I am taking my perfume with me so that it doesn’t sit in a hot storage unit. If I have to sacrifice some clothing for space, it will be worth it.
I also purchased Guerlain Shalimar PI (and L’Eau) from a discounter yesterday. But since it was after midnight, I’m not confessing anything… and I’ll prob. forget by next quarter. So it doesn’t really count, right?
I think that makes it functionally free, too. . .
Ha…Donatella is listening and will expect it on the 3rd quarter damage list!
Hmm? What’s that Robin?! My wifi connection seems to be cutting out. . . .
Donatella does not require wifi access to see what you’ve bought 😯
She is truly omniscient!
…whistling a tune and looking away innocently…
I got bottles of SL Fille en Aiguilles and Prada Oeillet. Not that these count, but I also got a couple of the new Aedes candles – Phoenicis and Cellarius (haven’t opened yet, still have to get through the tons of other candles I’ve already got burning around the house). Don’t suppose anyone’s sniffed the new Cire Trudon Byron candle? Would love some thoughts.
I haven’t, but would love to hear about your L’Artisan candles when you burn them!
I have not been spending on perfume for a while, but once I’ve started, back in March I simply cannot stop. Mostly it was because the list of all the bottles that I need-to-buy was growing bigger and bigger and putting pressure on me, but also it was all due to a couple of very good deals on ebay… I blame ebay:)
I bought vintage Tabac Blond, only half of 15ml bottle remained and it was opened with top notes being not too clear but still worth it… also Portrait of a Lady, and Fate by Amouage… all on ebay, all not at a full price, but still I’ve spent a lot…. I mean once you already have quite a collection of bottles you can afford to add to it sensibly and in terms of a total amount spent I could not make it look sensible no matter how hard I tried 🙂
On the bright side, I sold some bottles from my collections, I feel that if I do not use them often enough (at least twice a year:)) it means I have to get rid of them…
Wow, although that sounds like a perfectly sensible rule, I would be very hard pressed to get rid of *anything* that I used, even if it was less than twice a year! My rule for clothes has been that I can’t have worn in in at least a year, but it is amazing how many clothes (and perfumes!) I can wear! 😀
I know, sometimes I regret getting rid of something, but usually it works, and I do not even remember that I’ve had it sometime ago.. though, I agree, it is amazing how many I can wear, as I number of bottles I have is in triple digits… there… I’ve said it….
Amouage is always a worthwhile fragrance “investment” if you can find it discounted….. Now I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll find Beloved deeply discounted somewhere….
Beloved is stunning, but I have not seen it on ebay for some time now.
I’m not holding my breath for an ebay score on that one. I think a bottle falling out of the sky off a fed ex plane is more likely to happen than me winning a bid-off for Beloved….
It was on one of the discounters for a while earlier this year, but as it was originally more expensive than most Amouages, it was still a hefty investment.
Well, hope springs eternal! What I need to do is be a very very good girl and only buy that one bottle next year…. I am sure all year round I spend the same as it costs.
Another thought is that Beloved reminds me of some vintage perfumes, such as Jacomo Parfum Rare and Balenciaga Cialenga. They are a lot less expensive than Amouage, and very good in their own right.
I got a really good deal on Beloved at Fragrancenet around November last year, but Amouage is hit or miss on that web site, they are out of stock a lot of the time. Good luck!
With the summer heat in mind, I bought a 100ml bottle of Grand Neroli and 50 ml of Un Jardin sur le Nil. It must be some kind of punishment that this summer is unusually cool so far. Also, because it was cheap, Jacomo #08, which I’m saving for winter. I had a real tussle with myself when the Artisan sale went online, but I kept changing my mind and in the end my favourites sold out and my wallet won!
I know samples don’t count, but I’ve just ordered some direct from Oriza K. Legrand and got a lovely reply from Hugo,the perfumer himself answering a query. I’m so looking forward to receiving them.
Ha, send them to me and maybe my weather will cool off 😉
I finally had to face the facts: I have more bottles than I could use up in three lifetimes, a whole box of things I know I’ll never wear again (and should really swap), and samples I had forgotten I even had, dozens upon dozens of them. So I haven’t bought a single thing, this quarter or the last, not so much as a sample order from the usual suspects.
But I’m going to Italy and France next March and anything is possible. The Serge Lutens boutique is in Paris and I’m only human.
Not only may you be weak in the presence of the Serge boutique– really, you have an obligation to the rest of us who aren’t there with you, to explore and splurge and report back so that we can get the vicarious thrills! 😉
I was there a few years ago and it was SPECTACULAR: gorgeous environment, knowledgeable staff, and oh, the smell! I managed to limit myself to two bell jars (Fumerie Turque and Fourreau Noir) but it was so hard! I am probably going to have to get La Myrrhe next time: it’s amazing.
*sigh* Sounds lovely!
I try very hard to forget how much I enjoyed Fourreau Noir! Enjoy your upcoming trip!
I have to say last time I was there the staff was rude.. maybe I got spoiled by people in London, who… well at least pretend to be interested in perfume and me buying it.. The person who was helping me there did not smile or utter a single word.. not ‘hi, how are you’, nor ‘would you like to try something else’, and looked at us as if she could not wait for us to go and then I kind of felt guilty for buying only one bottle and not five..as if that would make a difference..probably she had cramps that day, who knows.. but when I buy on line they always send nice cards, saying ‘thank you for being different with us’ or something like that… call me sentimental but I like this little things especially when I am spending so much for the n’th bottle of perfume, which is a luxury rather than a necessity… but I still want boxeuses and sarrasins and el attain… online or not, I am going to get them one day:)
That’s how I felt last year – I just really couldn’t buy anything at all. This year is slow for me, which is good. If I were going to Italy I’d try and hunt down a place that had the I Profumi di Firenze so I could sniff and test my heart out! I may not like any of them, but so many of them list iris and other exotic formulas…. Bon voyage!
Ah I’m going to Paris in August! Gonna have to write down all the great perfume places so I don’t miss out on anything – the Lutens is noted. I hope you have a wonderful time in France and Italy next year!
Hi Robin and NSTers. I only bought one thing, the small bottle of Chanel No. 5 extrait. I’d asked you all to help me decide whether to buy the bottle or the refillable spray. I am glad I bought the bottle. It’s so iconic. Also the box is lovely. I decanted some into a vial which I carry in my purse.
Perfection!
Always a good choice!!!! The bottle is beautiful and you will enjoy it when it is empty too.
Ann, I hadn’t even thought that far ahead! But I will empty it indeed.
I found an empty very vintage bottle (maybe 1920s?) on ebay a few years ago, and it sits on my dresser. It was one of the early stopper bottles. I love it! Think ahead! In like 5 years you will finish if off. Or if not, you can always buy empty ones on ebay….
I bought two things, a discounted bottle of Burberry Brit EDT, and a bottle of Cinnabar by Estee Lauder. Saving my pennies for more! My to buy list is growing longer by the day.
My list is bigger than my wallet, always has been 🙂
This quarter marked the beginning of true fragrance fiend-dom. I’d been into this stuff for years, but after a trip to Madrid (my first time out of the country in years!) and the exploration of scents that were to be found there, I just leaned in to the whole thing.
One or two purchases may technically date from late March, but I can’t recall specifically, and I didn’t participate in the Q1 poll anyway, so I’m lumping them in here:
Serge Lutens Gris Clair
Serge Lutens Chergui
Diptyque Tam Dao
Chopard Casmir
Van Cleef and Arpels Bois d’Iris
Bvlgari Eau Parfumee The Vert
And a buncha samples. I’ve slowed considerably now, but you got to start somewhere, eh?
I’m also taking a perfume class, which has been great fun.
Such a delicious time.
Perfume class! Where? What sorts of things do you learn?
I’m taking a class at the School of Visual Arts here in New York. It’s taught by a lovely perfumer, but it’s only a six week course, so it’s really only very introductory – we all wish it was longer. Originally I had thought it was going to be more of an academic assessment of perfumes, but much of our time has been spent in class experimenting with mixing various things. It’s been a fantastic learning experience.
I’m curious about the perfume class also. Do tell..
I think I’ve been making up for lost time this past quarter…
I (finally) sprung for Guerlain’s Muguet after much hemming and hawing (and debating with myself during the past 3 years) and sampling sampling sampling.
I also picked up a couple backup bottles of favorites based on rumors of discontinuation: Citizen Queen, L’Eau A La Folie, as well as limited editions Ananas Fizz, Jour de Fete, and (speed round purchase) Terracotta. Finally, Chypre Palatin which I’ve loved from the first sniff.
Yikes. Most of these I had discount coupons or at least a GWP, so I don’t feel soooo bad. It looks dreadful in print, though.
You did the right thing in my opinion and sprung for the Muguet. Its such a true beauty and after three years there was no doubt you really wanted it. I can definitely relate. I had sampled Knize Ten and Divine last year and just couldn’t bring myself to buy them because of the prices, but after trying them multiple times I decided to go for it in May. Love your other picks too by the way!
🙂 I appreciate the validation. It’s sometimes hard to ‘justify’ but at least you guys understand!
Well, I don’t understand! It’s Lily-of-the-Valley made to look smell and cost hi-falutin’ once a year 😉
…now slinking away and going into deep hiding protecting my perfumista card….
(Seriously happy you found something you love!)
These all sounds perfect. If I had access to the Muguet, I would also spring for it, I think.
If you’re in the U. S., I know the Guerlain boutique in Vegas has some bottles. Just sayin… 😉
I’m tempted to buy Terracotta unsniffed.
I only got two this quarter, and as I didn’t get anything in the first quarter I’ve so far only bought 2 bottles this year.
I got:
Chanel Eau Première, sort of on a whim. I’ve been wearing it quite a bit.
Parfums MDCI: La Promesse de l’Aube. I happened upon a discounted refill on the site of a Dutch e-tailer. I’m wearing it again today and I adore every single bit of it. Sometimes it’s worth spending a lot of money on just one bottle.
Promesse is a big score!
It is, it’s heartbreakingly beautiful. I was actually going to get the sample set including MDCI. I happened upon this bottle and went for it.
2nd this. It’s a beautiful, well-done line.
Good work on the MDCI!
I’m chuffed to bits about it. It’s so utterly lovely.
I bought 2 coffrets at the duty free shop in Chile…. Not for me, for my sister in law and mother in law (they had birthdays on consecutive days!)
A coffret of Aqua Allegorias for my mother in law
A coffret of Eau D’ Issey for my sister in law.
Both loved them! 😀
I must admit I was tempted to keep the Aqua Allegorias for myself! LOL
The last quarter will be a tough one for me… there are three “Openings” in my 10-Full Bottle wardrobe, you know, I have a 10 fb self imposed limit…
But there are 3 bottles getting empty: Narciso Rodriguez Musc Collection for men is already GONE, Salvatore Ferragamo (the original discontinued bordeaux box) also in its last breaths, and at last but not least my Route du The by Barneys won’t make it through august, in my estimation…
So, 3 openings…. so much to think before I go to the US in late October or November! 😉
So, how often do you find that you replace with something new and how often do you buy another bottle of a favorite? I would think it would be terribly difficult to not want to have a new experience, but if you’ve drained a bottle, that means it’s a scent you find very wearable!
Dear Marjorie: I often change 2 per year or so… maybe 3.
The thing is I got REALLY big bottles of some favourites (Odeur 73 – a 200ml bottle!) that are really hard to finish… If I had bought them myself, I would have chosen smaller bottles (like I do most of the time.. I try to get 30ml or 50 ml bottles at most)
I am tempted to start a “second line” of 10 extra bottles, comprised of cheap thrills, citrus colognes and old favourites that are nowadays in the discount bin… but I think those would be hard to finish too.
In the meantime I have a collection of decants that, though not huge, keeps me entertained… let’s say I have a rotation between 15 and 20 decants around and I use them 😉
But I do think long and hard before getting a FB, specially since I live in Argentina and most frags are hard to come by here.. I really try to make the best out of my yearly US trip 😀
Oh, decants make for a good solution to the wanting-something-new-to-play-with dilemma! And I can only imagine how difficult it must be to select which scents you will purchase when you have the freedom to do so! You must be like a kid in a candy store. 🙂
A perfumista kid in Sephora south beach… with an international credit card.. LOL 😉 AND remember I get to go through the Duty Free shop on my way back!
Hard to contain myself hehehehe
Gosh, can it be true?! Only one bottle this quarter, maybe one and half, and both were Goodwill finds. I bought a nearly full bottle of Tabu and a mini of Gres Cabaret parfum. $25 all told. I’m certain that’s a first for me!!
Clothes purchases, on the other hand, have been more, ahem, voluminous. (Not that my clothes are especially large. . . oh, shoot, you know what I mean!)
Did you spiff up your summer wardrobe? I went a little crazy in tax-free Oregon, and bought two summer dresses, two tops and a pair of jeans…
Yes, summer clothes are part of it.
I’ve lost a lot of weight in the past 4 years, and replacing my wardrobe seems to be an endless process. With this week’s purchases alone, I am able to “retire” my old XL tank tops, some teeshirts, a few blouses, and some functional clothes (will be SO grateful when I don’t need to be sized for bras every 6 months!). I have stayed the same size for a year or so now, so I’m feeling relatively confident that I’ve found my new size, more or less (although hopefully not much more!). Then again, I said that about a year and a half ago, and then suddenly dropped a size in about 6 weeks!
So glad you were able to find some fun clothes while you were in town! We do have some pretty good shopping to be had, if you’re inclined to do so. 🙂
I think part of my frag purchasing slow down last year was because I realized I very seriously needed to get some new clothes! I’d been spending most of my funds on frags for a few years, and well, I smelled great but was in tatters!
Clothes and perfume hold the same line on my budget spreadsheet–which perhaps isn’t fair to the fact that one MUST wear clothes, I suppose! So does that mean I elevate perfume above it’s station or downplay the importance of my wardrobe? . . . 😀
In any case, I both look pretty cute AND smell pretty nicely these days! 😉
You must be smellingly stunning!
I got 100 ml of Le Temps d’une Fete – so it’s only one bottle. But: my husband brought me Chergui from the Paris duty free. I know that technically that’s a gift, but I kind of told him to get me that, so…
Other than that, I have been very good (partly because I splurged in Q1). I spent all Q2 resisting Un Air de First and Shalimar PI. I don’t know whether I can avoid the latter now. Also now that the weather is hot, I am craving classic style eaux, which of course I do not need.
I think a lot of Shalimar PI will be sold in the next few weeks!
I think it’s two this quarter – a bottle of La Petite Robe Noire Couture (from the boutique in Paris – that is my justification and the opening reminds me of raspberry macaroons) and unsniffed Teracotta Le Parfum (which I like).
I had meant to acquire Bronze Goddess but when I got to the shop I had left my wallet on my desk – clearly it was not meant for that day!
I am glad body things do not count as I seem to have acquired some sort of bizarre shower gel obsession, and also should mention a sample of Roja Dove Gadenia extrait. Simply beautiful but really rather expensive and unjustifiable for a full bottle. Given how much I ponder and am tempted I am rather surprised the actual number of pruchases is this little, but I do have a pretty decent (or indencent according to your point of view) number of bottles already and struggle to justify more!
Do you know if you can buy LPRNC anywhere else but in Paris? I was just hoping to smell it, I’ve seen Luka Turin has given it a good rating and I have to say that my nose agrees with his opinion 8 times out of 10, so I tend to smell what he recommends… and raspberry macaroons sound nice…
Sorry not to have replied before – wasn’t checking. It is available form escentual in the UK if that’s any help? Raspberry macarrons sounds nice. I also got a compliment on this one from my husband, which is not an everyday thing!
Oh dear, I think this is my first confession (forgive me, Robyn, for I have spent).
Frederic Malle Iris Poudre
Armani Prive Rose Alexandrie
Madonna Truth or Dare Fragrance set
Chloe Roses De Chloe
Kilian Beyond Love (this may have happened in the 1st Qtr but I may as well get it off my chest now!)
Whew! I’m going to do a few Hail Serge’s and check my dwindling retirement account.
Donatella is VERY forgiving…
I just realized looking at that Donatella picture that my collection might actually be about that big… :-/
I feel like a naughty kid who knows they’re in trouble but still refuses to ‘fess up. I bought LOADS. But I guess it’s what I collect, and I like to collect ltd ed and discontinued.. future investment maybe? Lol
Ok I’ll confess some…
Guerlain Terracotta le Parfum (ltd ed)
Calyx
TF Violet Blonde (disc)
Hermes Jardin Sur le Toit ($40)
Givenchy Oblique Rewind,
Fendi Theorema (both disc)
L’artisan L’eau du Navigateur ($68/100ml)
Caron Les Belles Plus Lavandes $39
Hermes Hiris $59
ELdO Divin’ Enfant
PdN Sacrebleu Intense
5x HdP minis
Vivienne Westwood Let It Rock $19
Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights $9
LUSH Imogen Rose solid $9
Oh, but several of those are well-under $100, which means that they might as well have been free!
You’re right. It’s a long list but most of them were so cheap they were free! 🙂
Hi Perthgirl,
About 8-10 months ago I finished my bottle of L’eau du Navigateur. It is an unusual choice, sort of 80s in sillage and staying power… but unique… for me, some days it came off as garbage and coffee grinds, and other days as the hold of a ship full of exotic and interesting smells. What drew you to it?
I think when I initially read about it, it was the pirate ship cargo notes (and the whole piratey thing)- coffee, rum, spices etc that I found intriguing and a nice sounding variation to the cozy spices I usually go for. Then of course it’s by L’Artisan, who make damn good perfumes and there’s not many I’ve tried (of the main range) that I don’t like. I have several. And the comments and reviews were good (not that there’s much on it out there) And the price was very good. 🙂
Somedays it does strike me as a bit too masculine initially but it does settle.
Nice win on the Sur le Toit! I remember how totally insane that photo looked about 4 years back, and now well… It strikes me as quite moderate. Welcome to the dark side!
Glad to be here! 😉
I bought 7 bought–all in the month of June–ouch!
Frederic Malle Magnolia
Stephen Jones Wysteria
Aedes de Venustas Oelliet Bengale
Dyptique DoSon EdP
Dyptique Lavande
Dyptique Oelliet (the new Carnation one)
DelRae Wit
Which one is coming out as the winner of the pack?
Diptyque has a carnation fragrance?!?! How is it?
wit… i completely forgot that I wanted to try it… such a shame that I cannot find DelRae in London anymore..
Wowzer! I need to try the Diptyque Oeillet!
Wow! All great stuff.
Nothing at all this quarter. This means that my super-affordable £14 Tam Dao EDT from Q1 is still my only buy this year so far.
Wow, nice! You’re doing better than me, I think my first quarter was close to $100 because of that dratted Panthere.
I only bought 1 perfume and that was the recently mentioned Parfum d’Empire Azemour at half the price (reduction to bye-bye the old bottles)
That’s one of the things I tried to buy on mark down.
Me too, that is Parfum d’Empire Azemour, and FM’s En Passant. And lots of samples and small decants…. I’m in a pretty good place right now with my perfumes, in part because I have several really fun samples to work through as well…
Everybody got Azemour but me!
I haven’t bought anything in ages, but there was that Luckyscent sale code, and we all know that’s as rare as a unicorn sighting, so I am now the happy owner of a bottle of Manoumalia. It is mine, all mine!
Thanks to information given here (that sounds better than “enablers”, doesn’t it?) I gave Parfum1 a spin with their lovely 20% coupon and now have Bollywood or Bust and Eau de Protection. As just mentioned, I now also have a full bottle of Ferre and and gave Bendelirious a spin too, from the Perfume House. I have a space restriction of two mirror trays, but have just taken out the minibottles and now could add a couple of bottles to the collection, if need be.
For this quarter, I purchased two bottles of perfume. I bought a load of samples (including a shot box of 10 fragrances from Jo Loves), but since that doesn’t count, I digress.
I purchased a bottle of Sensuous Noir by Estee Lauder for $60.00.
I also purchased Orange Sanguine by Atelier for $175.00.
So, for the second quarter, I have spent a total of $235.00 for full bottles. OMG! – I just realized that so far for the year, I have spent about $800.00 on fragrances! Ouch! Help!
Hi, my name is scentfromabove and I am a perfume-aholic!
I bought more frags this quarter than in the past year (last year I didn’t do any QTR reporting, but I did only buy Bois des Iles parfum and Amouage Memoir woman the whole year. Restraint is a good thing sometimes.) It was time to get into it again and I’m happy to be here now. Woo-hoo!!
Chanel No 5 edt (impulse counter purchase when I was looking for the old formula of the hard soap.)
Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon (finally after 5 years debating I succumbed!)
Molinard Habanita edp (it’s vetiver love time for me and much cheaper than Sycomore which I crave now)
AG Mandragore edt (because the one I have is almost gone)
And I got a gift box of Cartier Baiser Vole edp from my hubbie for our 6 year anniversary. Nice! Totally unexpected.
Habanita is so lovely, and congratulations on your anniversary! I love Baiser Voile but can’t make up my mind which!
Thanks! I’ve never smelled the other versions of BV, so I can’t comment. I say if you like them all, then just look for a good deal and go for it!
I love the Goutal, it’s great in warm weather or on days when you do want to wear perfume but feel a little unwell.
Mandragore does cheer me up, even perks me up when I am tired. I also wear the Mandragore Pourpre in wintertime as one of my “chill out” fragrances. They both have aromatherapy qualities IMHO.
While I am not a wholehearted believer in aromatherapy I agree that Mandragore has a calming and uplifting effect. I have tried MP but am not as familiar with it. Will try again!
I love No. 5 edt. Bois des idles is one of the few perfumes left on my FB list. I prefer the edt over the extrait. I got a sample of the extrait and I enjoy applying it once the edt starts fading. The sample is tucked in a small bag along with No. 5 extrait and Chamade extrait. I love having them with me in my purse! I feel ready for anything knowing they’re close by!
You sound like a frag hag after my own heart: I always carry a vial of Chamade and a vial of No 5 Sensual Elixir in my handbag, though only the BdI in fall/winter. Ha! Great minds. I’ll admit that I layer the edt with the extrait too! They behave a little differently. I already had some edt from a few years ago (after they got the smaller LE bottle.) I had heard that the extrait was going bye-bye, so I splurged and bought it. I got suckered by marketing, obviously. But they do wear differently. The extrait is very quiet, and I find the edt more “lively”, if that makes any sense.
Only one bottle, and it came in yesterday! A beautiful 200ml. splash bottle of Eau Sauvage. Perfect for summer!
I found out last night that I’m only responsible for half of my half of the rent and I immediately thought about what perfume to get! I’m thinking either an Hermessence gift set (Paprika Brasil, Epice Marine, Vanille Galante and Osmanthe Yunnan are my frontrunners) or just to get a full bottle of Epice Marine. Either way, Donatella isn’t going to hear for a long time!
I did some damage, although I didn’t really buy much last year. Seeing the list is good for me, this is not a sustainable rate!
1. Hermes Un Jardin sur le Toit
2. Terre d’Hermes
3. Narcisco Rodriguez For Her EDT
4. Tocca Trio – Small bottles of Stella, Florence, and Cleopatra
5. Serge Lutens Sa Majeste La Rose
6. Chanel Cristalle
For the first time since joining NST, nary a one!!! The baby on the way has interfered with my perfume budget. And by interfered, I mean brought it to a screeching halt. That’s okay, IIRC Baby Magic and No More Tangles smell quite nice.
Congrats on baby on the way, which is a great reason to give up buying for a while. I used to have a mantra I would say to myself when I had my baby and was tempted: You can’t eat Ce Soir ou Jamais.
The baby powder from Burts Bees has a neat aldehydic – violet thing going on….. Best wishes!
Thank you so much. It is our first and we couldn’t be more excited (and a little nervous). I’m convinced that people who “nest” are actually just afraid to leave the house for fear of spending any money, but all sacrifices were/are easy to make, including no more perfume for awhile. I will give that powder a try though.
My sense of smell became very sensitive when I was preggers and didn’t really enjoy wearing fragrance, except perhaps a few modest squirts of Chantilly, which is so soft and powdery it’s like almost wearing nothing. I don’t think it was until baby was about 6 mos and after breastfeeding was done that I began to wear my frags again. That’s the nice thing about the whole fragrance hobby – you can get back into the bottles you already have, find tons of samples and swaps if you are inclined, mooch off friends and family, and then when the time is right, you can get some gift money for birthdays and holidays to get some new stuff. You will also likely find that you may be highly and happily distracted from fragrances for quite a while, and the smell of the pink J&J liquid baby bath (highly aldehydic & rosey) and baby powders will become sentimental favorites. Most of the good fragrances will be around and waiting for you when you are ready to get back to it. Good luck!
Also, tip: the diaper genie is a big waste of money. Eventually the plastic container begins to smell like you know what, and you can’t get it out. Don’t even bother with it.
I have had difficulty with most scents – hasn’t stopped me from wanting more though. 🙂 Most days I am fragrance free, except for a few times when I wanted to participate in the Friday poll and occasionally when I am able to wear Eau de Marveilles. That seems to be the only one I can handle on a somewhat regular basis. I try to wear it to my doctors’ appointments because it calms and reassures me. I’ve started to put a time capsule together for baby boy or girl. It’s mostly sonogram photos and pregnancy notes, but I plan on getting a small bottle of EdM for him or her to have in the future (especially since it might be subject to reformulation soon). Who knows if it will keep, but it can’t hurt to try.
Thanks for the tip about the Diaper Genie! I’ve read some good reviews and some horror stories, mostly about the smell and them getting stuck. Mr. Lucy made me register for one, but we didn’t get it at the shower and I’m fine with that. I’m pretty sure tying the diapers up in the millions of plastic grocery bags I have around the house will work. That’s what we do for our two cats. We will just have to remember to take the trash out to the garage more often.
I’ve always thought that Serge Lutens Louve smells quite a bit like J&J No More Tears baby shampoo. (Which I wore long into adulthood until reading that the American formulation still contains formaldehyde.)
Ugh, formaldehyde? Really? I didn’t know that. Oh to have been a fly on the wall when that decision was made…
Chemist 1: We need something to preserve the formula.
Chemist 2: I know, let’s put some embalming fluid in it!
Ewwww.
I wasn’t sure if you meant the Louve or the shampoo had formaldehyde, (because surely no one in their right mind would put that in a children’s product!), so I just googled it. Johnson & Johnson reformulated the shampoo this past January and removed the formaldehyde and a few other nasty things. I can’t believe it took them so long.
Thank you for the tip. Even though it appears the shampoo is safe(r) to use, the truth is that I read labels with very little understanding of what the ingredients are or how they work. Somehow I made it all the way through college without ever taking a chemistry class and now I wish I had.
This quarter I actually only bought one bottle-unprecedented!
The FB was Vero Profumo Rubj Voile d’Extrait.
Lately I’ve smelled some interesting samples, we’ll see about next quarter…
Oh lordy I feel like I went crazy this quarter..
Cartier Baiser Vole edt (I’ve since swapped it) 100ml – $60
Ferragamo pour Femme 50ml – $20
Coco Chanel EDP 35ml – $68
Arquiste Boutonniere No.7 (slightly used bottle) – $100
CdG Kyoto – $85
Lolita Lempicka Eau de Minuit 100ml – $30
Histoires de Parfums Travel sprays (Vert Pivoine and 1826) – $10
One more I forgot .. I guess it only kind of counts since it’s a mini
FM Iris Poudre 5ml manufacturer’s mini – $33
Oops.. one more. I was thinking this one was last quarter for some reason, but it wasn’t..
Reem Acra EDP 90ml (gift set with lotion and shower gel) – $40
Geez I’m a mess. I also totally forgot the Cuir de Lancome I got on eBay, which i just received this morning.
I was a bit naughty this quarter –
1. Coco EDP 50
2. Bottega Venetta 50ml
3. Lolita lempika 30ml ($30)
4. Terracotta Le Parfum
5. Byredo 1996 50ml
6. Resina
The first 2 were on my Buy list, and I got 25% off on Strawberrynet, the others were just spur of the moment.
Hm… I really don’t keep track much anymore, but it was pretty much 2-4 this quarter, plus probably a couple handfuls of decants. Not bad.
Diptyque Geranium Odorata
DSH White Lilac Body Wash (even if body prods don’t count)
Aedes Oeillet Sauvage 3x10ml set (just yesterday as they just became available)
I’ll note that one of the most wonderful decants I acquired this quarter is David Jourquin Cuir Altesse. Really exquisite.
Actually I prefer to not include what I spent on samples as that is a frightening number.
Besides PdN’s 30ml which I got for $28, I purchased a decant of Field Notes from Paris and Paestum Rose.
Checking out some of what others purchased is making my “click to purchase” finger twitch.
My purchases:
CDG Man 2
Guerlain Vetiver
Kenzo Jungle Homme
2 purchases:
CDG Black $100
No5 Eau Premiere ‘Classic bottle’ $70 (tester – ebay)
Have you ever tested the current Eau Premier against the classic?
Hello AnnS!
Yes I have. The original is more powdery, while the current has more of the sparkling aldehydes, florals and woods from No 5 EDT. Both are powdery and long-lasting and I like them both, but they are slightly different. What are your impressions?
I’ve been very good. Purchased one bottle of vintage Coriandre eau de toilette for under $50…..
My halo is practically pinching me! 🙂
After being thisclose to buying MCMC’s Love, I had a sudden change of heart and bought the new Nuxe Le Parfum as a replacement for Lush’s now discontinued and sorely missed Alkamaar soap (that logic made sense at the time). I’m still thinking about Love though…
La Petite Robe Noire Mon Eau pour le Voyage and two Marshall’s specials: G of the Sea and Sunflowers.
Hmmmmmmmmmm…….
Dunhill Edition, 100 ml, $35
Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille, edt, 100 ml, $72 (backup)
L’Artisan Parfumeur Bois Farine, 100 ml, $68 (backup)
L’Artisan Parfumeur Jour de Fête, 100ml, $100
Serge Lutens Vitriol D’Œillet $59
Serge Lutens L’Eau Froide, 100 ml, $66
Serge Lutens Laine de Verre, 100 ml, $105 (on the Serge website!)
Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, 75 ml, $248
Etat Libre d’Orange La Fin du Mond, 50 ml, $80
Christian Dior Eau Sauvage Fraîcheur Cuir, 100 ml
Hermès Eau de Mandarine Ambrée, 100 ml
Frédéric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie, 50 ml, $200
Bentley for Men Intense, 100 ml, $69
Naomi Goodsir Bois d’Ascèse, 50 ml, $150
Plus a bunch of presents, to boot.
Oh Furriner, I’m glad you’re here! Everytime I see your post I feel way less frivolous. I edited my post too! You give me the confidence to ‘fess up properly next time 🙂
(and you do always buy fabulous stuff!)
No fear here, Perthgirl! As Furriner knows, we applaud excess! 😀
Lol! That’s hilarious only because I see you’re right 😉 much relieved 🙂
Furriner – Is Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille the one with all of the patchouli? I’ve been interested in trying it myself but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Yes, it is. I thought it was being discontinued, so I got a backup bottle. I guess it isn’t being discontinued, though. Fragrancenet has it (oddly, not under Annick Goutal) and Beauty Encounter has both the edt and the edp.
Here I thought I’d really toned down the actual buying, til I made a list. Eek!
This quarter I brought home
Eau des Merveilles (backup, sudden terror at thinking it will be reformulated)
Parfum des Merveilles…needed it!
La Panthere
Queen Latifah (cheap!)
Flora Nymphea (Guerlain at Winners? Sold!)
I don’t really count:
Narciso Rodriguez for Her (free! with points)
Only a purse spray…Karma (I didn’t have any Lush, had to)
I really thought I was saving money for what I expect to be a bonanza on my first trip to Paris. I’m going to have to sell a kidney!
Is Hermès reformulating some of their scents?
Gee, I don’t know anything concrete but since pretty much everything either has or will be reformulated, the chances are good…
Only 1 this qtr. – one of the Guerlain tester cubes of Jicky extrait. My justification (ha!) is that it is a little older than the one I have and I have promised myself that I’m going to sell my other bottle.
Well-played!
Thank you!
I bought Parfum d’Empire Equistrius while it was still available in the 50 ml size, after dithering about it for years. Next was a bottle of Wit by Parfums DelRae, which I love, and a then a bottle of PdN Week End for no good reason at all other than a coupon at Parfum.1.
The best purchases were travel sprays of FM En Passant and Diptyque’s L’Ombre Dan L’Eau, which I stand a chance of actually using up during my lifetime!
Wit is so pretty!
Well, color me Robin! I too dithered about Equistrius and did NOT get it bought in time!! Now I’m unhappy because of course I want it more than ever now but don’t need (who does?) 100 mls. Congrats to your fore thinking!
Glad to see another Equistrius fan. I got my large bottle of it a couple of years ago on ebay. Still like it and wear it quite often. I envy you your Wit. I’ve yet to try it, but I will!
Oh dear, the hour of reckoning cometh. Don’t tell my boyfriend, but I bought:
Penhaligon Sartorial (mini)
L’Artisan Fou d’Absinthe (just the 15 ml one, via ebay)
Shalimar (vintage)
Joy (likewise)
Chamade (likewise, and mini)
Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee (mini)
Apres l’Ondee (full sized! bring it on! bathe in it!)
Forgive me, Donatella, for I have overindulged again. Maybe I’ll be better next quarter. Besides the fact that I’m weak and have no discipline in all things perfume, I blame Sniffapalooza in May and ummm, the Henri Bendel sales and any other sales online or otherwise plus a few enablers on NST and a few other blogs.
FBs: (>15mL)
Annick Goutal Duel
Atelier Cologne Blanche Immortelle (still in shrinkwrap, for split)
Bottega Venetta Essence Aromatique – Sniffapalooza!
By Killian Apple Brandy
Caron N’aimez que Moi – research
Caron Parfum Sacre – HB Sale!
CB I Hate Perfume Russian CaravanTea – Sniffapalooza!
ELDO Bendelirious
Histoires de Parfums 1725 – HB Sale!
Maria Candida Gentile Noir Tropical
Robert Piguet Visa – Sniffapalooza!
So Oud Ouris Parfum Nektar – HB Sale!
Sonoma Scent Studio Yin and Ylang – this was a gift from Michelyn Camen and Laurie Erickson at SniffapaloozaThierry Mugler Angel Eau Sucre
Thierry Mugler Angel Liqueur de Parfum
VC&A Orchidee Vanille – Sniffapalooza!
Partial bottles (from Basenotes splits in which I requested the bottle. I’m tempted to not count these but since I have at least half of the total volume, I guess I have to):
Aedes de Venustas Oeillet Bengale
Ann Gerard Rose Cut
CdG Stephen Jones Wisteria Hyteria
Stephane Humbert Lucas 777 Khol de Bahrein
I have decided not to list decants, vintage buys (since they are really really tiny) and sample sets although I have to say that the 4160Tuesdays Sampler is fattening my lemmings. Grrrrrr
Until next quarter….
Donatella would be so proud of you! Very curious about Khol de Bahrein. Love the name, for one thing.
Wow! You put a lot of work into all those gorgeous finds!!!
After looking around Twisted Lily’s site, I ended up getting a bottle of Séville à l’Aube with the gift card, and using up the rest on samples. I’ve been enjoying it a lot.
Only one – A backup bottle (1.7 oz.) of Eau des Merveilles edt, same fear as Gi. Less than $20 with my Walgreens points!
Less than $20? I’m green with envy. Here, we only can get it at Hermes and they don’t have points (unfortunately).
Let’s see, Cartier Baiser Vole EDT and Essence, the first at Marshall’s and the second with my Nordstrm Note. The little spray tube of Lust and at the last minute the Shalimar Parfum Initial and the ludicrously discounted David Yurman Extract. All together less than 300.00 greenbacks! By the By, once the Nordstom SA realized she and my daughter were both named Pearl she gave us the purse sprays of Panthere, Baiser Vole EDP and Cartier Declaration D’Un Soir, in the lovely little Cartier boxes with accompanying body products and showed us how to pop the tops off and reload! Sweet!
I’m doing a short-term work assignment that turned out to be three times as much work as I had wanted, so I have allowed myself to venture back onto ebay and other sales sites. I have been VERY bad (although Donatella would no doubt consider it very good). For example, I’d been telling myself for years that mere samples of Amouage Homage Attar would suffice. This went out the window when I heard it was being discontinued. (For all I know, it’s a rumor, but Luckyscent does show it as sold out.) I tracked some down, and I must say it was worth every Benjamin that it took to make it mine. 🙂
There is nothing worse than the cold sweat panic of either finding out for certain or hearing a viscious rumor that one of your HG frags is being discontinued, esp. if you’ve been waiting to get it. Congrats and I am sure you won’t regret it.
I bought a 10ml decant of Amouage Fate. it’s lovely but I’m glad I didn’t splash out on a full bottle – I like it but it’s not an all-consuming passion. Also got an almost full bottle Amouage Homage attar, that’s a whole different story! total love. And now that I’ve found it’s been discontinued, I feel even luckier!
Otherwise I’ve been perfectly good and only “shopped” from my bottle cabinet… With the hot weather, it’s time to put Guerlain Terracotta back into rotation!
Bad.bad.bad.me. So these were about 50% (or so) off the usual retail South African price (some bought off ebay while I was overseas):
Santal Majuscule, Filles en Aiguilles, Etro’s Gomma (100ml), Heritage EDP (50ml), Kiehl’s Musk, Crabtree & Evelyn’s Lavender (100ml) and Dior’s Mitzah (125ml). I still can’t believe I own the last!!!
I paid full price for L’Occitane’s Ambre, Heeley’s Iris Nuit and a travel refill set of Tam Dao.
Factors to consider during sentencing: I sold two bottles I did not love and also two of the Tam Dao refills (leaving myself one which is enough).
Perhaps you could be sentenced to community service in the form of wearing these perfumes in public during the appropriate seasons so that others may learn from your great taste! Enjoy, Merlin!
Yes…I have been a bit indulgent this quarter as well. Two bottles of L’Eau D’Ambree by Prada as it was cheap (and lovely). I bought one bottle then snuck back and bought the last one as well as I was scared that it was discontinued. It probably isn’t!
I visited the Hermes store and bought the box of four 15ml bottles of Hermessences, I chose two of the Ambre Narguille and two of the Rose Ikebana…I only count this as one purchase. Was given a couple of samples and found the SA to be very pleasant.
No more for a couple of months..well, maybe.
I was in Madrid for work and I took the chance to do some cabinet filling shopping – all functional products, I must say, nothing particularly fancy. And that was:
-Acqua di Parma colonia 50 ml
-Prada Infusion d’Homme box (100 ml plus shampoo or something :))
– Gucci pour Homme II 100ml
for a total of less than 150 EUR.
I went to a notorious chain of shopping malls which I believe it is against the regulation to mention here 🙂 where you can always find good bargains.
Ramadan Kareem 🙂
Mabruuk, lupo!
Wow, reading what you bought I realize I am pretty reasonable. But it’s true I had been working for the last 5 years in the perfume department in a big department store in Paris where could get plenty for free!!!
Nonetheless, I always have to buy new or hard to find fragrances. I bought 2, La Panthère (20% off on Marionnaud’s website) and the discontinued Youth Dew Amber Nude on eBay from a spanish seller(2 bottles actually).
Now, I mostly wear Kai and bought many body products on sales.
Right now, I am sastified. Don’t know yet what I’d like to buy in the near future.
You may be reasonable compared to some of us, but not reasonable in a larger context!
Good point Merlin.
Besides it is good not being reasonable at some point.
I read when we can supply for the superfluous things, we can supply for everything. Sorry if it’s not well put. I hope you understand the meaning.
Think I get what you mean 😉
Late to the party… I’m on vacation (yay! the first family one since 2010) in Montana and have limited internet…
I bought a partial bottle of Ralph Lauren Safari for $19, after deciding to give it another shot (I didn’t like the mini parfum I bought several years ago because it was too sweet). I love it. And then I went and bought another one on ebay. It’s both green and warm, which is not my usual thing – I usually like the cool ones.
Also bought decants of Cuir Cannage, Chanel 1932 extrait, and ByRedo Flowerhead, all of which I like very much. Total? $160. Not great, but it was the 1932 that killed me. I don’t really like it as much as I thought I did, though it’s far nicer when I layer it with the edt.
Atélier Cologne Silver Iris and Gold Leather
Bottega Veneta edp
Terracotta le Parfum
Mon Parfum Chéri edt
Tonka Impériale
That was a lot of damage this quarter, but I am going on a no-buy until October. However, I expect the fall quarter to be very damaging, with all the new releases!
Greg Lauren for Barney’s New York
Irene Neuwirth for Barney’s New York
Victor & Rolf Bonbon
Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb Extreme
Guerlain Terracotta
Thierry Mugler Angel Sucre
Victoria’s Secret Lemon Escape edt (does this one count?)
Marron Chic
Jardins D’Armide
Javanica
Terracotta Le Parfum –2 bottles
Haie Fleurie (partial bottle)
Haie Fleurie du Hameau (partial bottle)
Grand total $622