It’s getting obscene — that is, the amount of perfume I have. Not only will I never be able to wear it all in my lifetime, the fragrances I truly enjoy are getting lost in the crowd. The other day I stumbled over a bottle of Ormonde Woman and stared at it as if I’d never seen it before. I love Ormonde Woman! But I’d forgotten it was even an option for me.
This is craziness. After all, I’m ruthless about pruning unflattering dresses from my closet. I won’t stand for a coffee mug that is just okay to drink from each morning. If a pillowcase's texture against my cheek isn’t pure soft cotton, off it goes to Goodwill. So, why do I have so much perfume I consider “nice” or “kind of interesting” or “fine”?
The worst part is that I actually want to buy a few new bottles. My decant of Chanel Cuir de Russie ran dry, and it will be a sad winter without it. Ann Gérard Rose Cut beckons. Plus, I need to start saving now for when my Tom Ford Private Collection Tobacco Oud decant empties.
What’s a girl to do? Weed out her collection, that’s what. It’s going to take courage.1 I’m going to have let go of some discontinued or hard-to-find fragrances. If a perfume’s not getting use, rarity alone isn’t a good enough reason to keep it. For instance, I have a number of rose chypres that I rarely wear. Do I really need Ungaro Diva? Sure, it’s discontinued, and it’s by Jacques Polge, but I already have Agent Provocateur (which I should probably give away, too), Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum, and decants of Gucci L’Arte di Gucci and Lancôme Magie Noire. I like Diva — maybe even a lot — but not more than I like fifty other bottles in my collection.
Also, I believe that if someone loves something more than you do, that person should have it (within reason, of course). My bottle of Diva, for example, would make a lot more joy in the world if it went to someone who used to wear Diva and laments that she can’t find it anymore.
So, here’s my plan: I’m going to reduce my perfume collection by five bottles a season until each remaining bottle is something I either love, fascinates me too much to let go, or is an important part of my personal history. I can make small decants to keep for reference, if it seems important. I don’t know if I have the energy to sell the bottles, but I’ll find them homes with people who will cherish them.
Whew! I admit I’m a little nervous thinking about letting go of some of my perfume, but I know I’ll be happier in the end. Next up, going through my book shelves…
Have you ever thinned out your perfume collection? How did you go about it? Do you regret it now?
1. I know, I know: #firstworldproblem
Yes, I have done this for years, after I realised that I basically kept it all in a cupboard, accumulating and barely wearing it. I keep it (drastically – too much so for most of you, I”m sure) to no more than 12 at any one time, and if I want something new, sell something I haven’t worn much. It works perfectly for me and keeps me focused on what I love and wear – which changes up a lot anyway, so it’s an ideal solution. I think I only have 8 or 9 at the moment, but they all get used frequently.
I admire your discipline! And you bring up an excellent point: the fewer bottles of perfume you have, the more quickly they’re used up, and the sooner you can try something new.
And, there isn’t as much time for them to go bad…
An excellent point.
I need to do this too! I just find that I don’t want to give a bottle away to someone who may or may not like it — I want to place it in a “happy home.” And sometimes those are tricky to find. I’m hoping to give some bottles away in an upcoming freebie meet…
Yes, I definitely want to find “happy homes” for my bottles, too, and not just give them to people who would take a bottle of perfume because it’s free. Otherwise, I’m not sure they’d enjoy it more than I do, so what’s the point in that?
Totally. Reminds me of oversubscribed seminars in college where prof would ask everyone to write a paragraph describing their interest in the course, and then select the 12 most ardent devotees of ancient Greek ostrakon for seats in the class. Maybe the giveaway bottles should be essay contest prizes 😉
See below! It’s as if you read my mind!
Yes, my criteria exactly! I want them to want it more than me!
This!
I only have a small-ish collection of about 21 bottles, but I too am on project downsize. Ideally, I want to have a collection below 10 bottles. I can’t help but feel that many perfumes in my collection, as much as I like them, don’t really suit me that much. It’s only since finding a perfume that suits me down to a T (the new Narciso EDP) that I’ve been wanting to cultivate a very small collection that I can truly call my own. (Of course, I’ll still have the occasional fling on the side!)
Best of luck with your downsizing, Angela! I’m with you all the way.
Thanks for your encouragement! There’s something really wonderful about the thought of opening my perfume cabinet and knowing that every bottle in there is true love.
I don’t have a big collection by perfumista standards and I’m still collecting at a rate I’ll probably regret later. (Just expanded this weekend in fact! But if Marshall’s has three fragrances that are all on your buy list all on the same day, that’s the hand of fate, right? Who am I to argue with destiny?) But I already have an excess of very cheap and freebie things that are taking storage and sightline space from the things I really love. It’s amazing how fast it starts to crowd.
It really is amazing how the collection can grow! Each bottle seems like such a good idea at the time, too. But maybe it turns out that you don’t wear a particular fragrance much, or you have something similar that you like better…well, you know how it is.
I too need to clear out and for the first time in two years listed some things to swap on Makeupalley. The problem is that I don’t want to swap just to swap – that’s partly how I got here. And swapping feels like work most of the time. I’m going to participate in the next nst swap meet, then everything is going to Goodwill, as I have gifted out to as many people as possible, no one else is interested. And that’s just perfume. Nail polish is a whole other problem to clear out because yes, I want more perfume and I want more nail polish. Insert eyeroll here.
My new year’s resolution was a no-buy on nail polish, which I’ve stuck to — except that last year, while I was buying so much nail polish, I hardly bought any perfume — so I really did was see-saw.
There’s a delicate Chanel shade in the fall collection that I really want….but I do have an OPI that is danged close in color already.
I know what you mean about swapping. What I’d love to do is be firm with myself with what I want (Cuir de Russie, for example) then firm about offering up bottles of what I need to clear from my collection–multiple bottles in trade, if that’s what it takes. Then, at least, I know I’d end up with perfume I loved.
I know – I don’t always want to swap b/c then I’m getting something back. I try to only swap when what’s coming back is something I really, really want.
Exactly!
Yep. Sometimes instead of selling them on Ebay I give them to my local charity shop. I usually make a point of doing it around Christmas too just because I think it would be nice for someone to find a really great perfume for a song especially as I know I’m lucky to be able to afford what is basically a hobby that gets more and more expensive by the year.
That’s a nice idea! I’ve heard of people donating to women’s shelters, too.
Wish I could do that. Unfortunately my local women’s shelter will not accept “used” makeup/body care products. I can see not wanting somebody else’s lip gloss, but spray bottles of perfume are a different beast.
I agree with you. After all, it would be difficult to contaminate a spray bottle of perfume, I’d think. Oh well! Their loss.
Nooooooooooooooo!
What ever happened to ”He Who Dies With The Most Toys, Wins”?
I think you just caught a bad case of the flu.
Really?
Getting rid of Diva?
That’s sheer nonsense! LOL
Does that mean that I’ll have to do the same at some point? I keep wearing the ones I only like to save the rare/favorite ones. The other day I wore Cereus 14 which I bought about 6 years ago and realized it was only my second time wearing it. (I also realized that I don’t actually like it)
I’m just so afraid that after I give it away, it will be the very one that I start craving for.
That’s my big fear! That I’ll give something away and then want to smell it again! But if I have a small decant as a backup, I should be fine. Right? Right? Ugh.
I to subscribe to the Egyptian rule – I’m taking it all with me! But then I thought they couldn’t build a pyramid big enough.
I think I can probably be pickled in all the hundreds of ounces of fragrance that I own. Is that taking it with me? 😉
Now, there’s an idea! What a deliciously fragrant memorial service you’d have!
😉 Didn’t they transport Nelson back to England in brandy? A vat of Coco would work for me!!!
Sounds nice! There’s an old story about a minister’s son who died on the Oregon Trail being embalmed in Golden Rule whiskey for the rest of the trip.
At least a pyramid would keep out all the perfume-damaging light…
I’m never sure if this quote is meant to critique the mindset of frenzied accumulation or whether it is being used to endorse it!
Sorry, was referring to the ‘ ”He Who Dies With The Most Toys, Wins”?’
Oh, I know! It’s such an odd quote. The follow-up statement should be, “wins what?”.
This is a variation of what I do every fall in my home. If haven’t worn/used the item in the past year, off it goes. If is doesn’t fit, off it goes. You get the picture.
I have a small freestanding perfume cabinet and I was looking at it the other day realizing that too many bottles are just not esthetically pleasing. I would like a small collection of those rare perfumes that are really “me” and already know a few I could pass along and not miss.
The problem is, what to do with them?? I don’t have any friends that are into perfume and I don’t want to just throw them out… we should start a “salvage scent” post so we can match unwanted bottles with people who happen to really like that particular scent…I like the idea of that, but the details it would entail puts a hitch in my giddy-up: how to go about doing that in a fair and efficient manner? anyone have any ideas?
Yes–a swap, but a “special” swap. Maybe we could run it like a college application and make people write essays about why they, for instance, long for my bottle of PdN Mimosaique. Then again, that’s just plain mean. If I had any energy, I’d simply sell them and use the money to replenish Cuir de Russie or buy something I truly long for–or, hey, groceries.
Haha great minds!
(But yes, recouping $$–I too need to figure out how to do this…)
I know there are places out there where perfume lovers have their own, secret, online flea markets. I’m just not sure where they are.
Angela, I can help you find those online places or buyers who are card-carrying perfumistas. Write me at nina at wanderingmind dot com. You and I swapped once, so we’ve had contact before. —Nina Z
Yes, recouping. I hate the ebay fees! I did OK last winter with a few bottles I sold, but the fees. Oy. I don’t need to make a killing on a bottle, but I don’t want to get fee’d to death either.
Just the idea of the hassle of signing up, then photos, then estimating shipping, blah blah blah, overwhelms me.
And what if something happens in the mail, what if the buyer is unhappy for any reason, etc. etc.? I def have at least one unused bottle whose sale price would fund a whole new bottle, even with fees… but I’m just stymied at the thought.
“Stymied” is a good word for it.
“Free shipping” is a good way to deal with that, but it is a lot of work.
I started downsizing and put a few on eBay but as I live in London I just put ‘for collection only’, as there are lots of potential buyers – saves the shipping cost and it’s cash on collection so no paypal fees. Managed to recoup my investment 100% on a couple of Tom Ford 250ml decanters I bought last year during a 15% off day in Harvey Nichols so I’m now £600 richer to spend on other things!
Congratulations, and well done!
I’ll be in touch…
I’d love to do that too. And I have toned the hoarding down a bit the last years. I’m trying to get myself together and sell a bunch of bottles on ebay, but I dread to pack them. Hate that.
I’ve been SO much better at not buying perfume than I used to be. I don’t even know if I’ve purchased a bottle this year, if you don’t count Goodwill bottles and drugstore bottles for reviews (which actually adds up to a lot of bottles!). Ebay seems like a whole can of worms to me.
Angela – your post really hits home. Last year I finally had it, and really started to cull my collection. Especially my samples and decants. You can’t believe how hard it was to get rid of nearly two, completely stuffed full quart size ziplock bags of samples, and really nice samples too! And I tried to give them away three times, but there were no takers. The samples were about 5 years worth of good stuff I didn’t care about and wanted to get rid of before they went bad. Thank god I was finally able to get rid of them in a Swapmania swap for some No 5. Not that I really needed more No 5, but at least it is something I really like. I used to want to create a sample library, but no more. If I am even lukewarm about it, I don’t care at all and I don’t want to keep it. There is plenty else I am passionate about!
I have about 10 bottles of fragrance that I am struggling to get rid of. I don’t want to create an advert for myself here, but they are rare, nice, older formulations, etc, of a few fragrances that I never wear. I tried selling them on ebay. Sometimes I’m successful, and sometimes not. I try to be fair with pricing. I don’t really want to just swap them away…. Really I have about 25 bottles that I’d love to get rid of in total. But it can be hard to actually get rid of a fragrance, even nice ones.
I try very hard not to get new FB unless the fragrance is rare and compelling. Last year I did really well and only bought 3 bottles all year. This year I’m doing a little worse at about 5 bottles, but still sticking to the rare and loved. When I think about fragrance purely as fashion, I don’t feel as guilty about the ones I neglect, because I have plenty of shoes, clothes, jewelry, etc, that I neglect as well. When I think of fragrance as a consumable commodity, I shock myself. My husband lost his full time job last year, so I have to be very careful considering how I spend my fragrance funds. It’s forced me to be more selective which is a good thing, and I turn back to the many bottles I have when I need to indulge. Shopping my own collection, etc.
Every word you wrote hits home with me! Maybe selling them is the best way. (I usually throw away the packaging, which makes resale tougher, I know.) Then you can do what you want with the money, whether it’s buying new perfume or saving for a vacation.
I don’t mind giving many of my bottles away, but I’d really, really want to know that it was love for the recipient.
Yes, love has a lot to do with it. That’s why we bought it in the first place, right? It’s like placing kittens with a good home. (And you should see my fragrance package/box storage! I do keep the boxes. I am nuts! 😉 )
Comparing it to placing kittens really hits home! (I know non-perfumistas would think it was crazy, but still…)
I keep most of my boxes, too (folded. in the attic. I’m not THAT crazy)…
I probably should have kept mine, but too late now…
Well, I will speak on behalf of the “good home” the samples went to…I have passed a bunch on to 2 other perfume fiends, and have found some loves from the bags (as well as learning that the 2 other fiends have found loves as well). It is exactly what one could have wished for. Many continued thanks. Perfume people are the best.
That’s fabulous! It’s so nice to hear the follow-up.
Good news is that DIVA has not been discontinued according to my Account Executive. It is however only carried at Neiman Marcus. As for purging for me it is had especially working in fragrance and receiving so many from training classes ;@)
Hey–that’s great! Plus, it makes it easier for me to offload my bottle without as much pain.
Oh, if I received free bottles, I’d have acres of perfume. Robin–NST’s editor–has a policy of not accepting free bottles and of putting the bottles she receives anyway in reader giveaways. Although it’s sad not to get, say, a free Hermes, it’s also a gigantic blessing.
I started to use my “lesser” bottles – really inexpensive drug store or TJ Maxx finds, or ones I got in swap I don’t care about as just plain old air freshening spray, or to help fend off the deer that try to get into my garden.
I use some to spritz my sheets, too, but it has to be just right–you don’t want to sleep smelling just anything.
Well they come with the job so I’m sure I pay for them in the long run lol ;@)
Oh yes, there is that…
I don’t suppose I’ll ever get to the point where I have to cull, because I promised my husband I would never have more than 30 bottles. I want to be able to wear the things I love at least once a month. Now that I have 21 bottles, I find myself slowing down and carefully considering what I buy. The last bottle I got was La Fille de Berlin, and that was last July. For nearly a year now, I’ve been planning on getting by Killian Rose Oud, and I should be finally pulling the trigger on the travel size version of it as a Xmas gift to myself. When I consider new scents now, I put them in a death match with other scents on my FBW list, or other bottles in my collection. For example, before I get Rose Oud, it’s going to have to fight it out with the new Rozy Voile d’Extract.
It’s like the Iron Chef, except with perfume! I admire your plan. It’s good to start early, too, with a limit so you don’t get stuck having to cull the herd later.
30 bottles sounds like a good size.
Brilliant policy.
I don’t have a huge collection and am a relative newbie but I say; sell the things you don’t truly love. I am starting a paypal fund just for things like that; sold some things this morning and will be spending that on some new scents. But let the rest of us know when you do sell the old stuff…!
I’m not 100% sure where to sell it, if I don’t go the ebay route. I know there are perfume marketplaces out there. I just have to find them. But your idea is terrific. Then I can buy my Cuir de Russie, etc., and feel frugal about it.
I’d love to try an alternate place to sell my less loved perfumes too! I’d even tried Craigslist but that didn’t work out so well…little interest and the responses I did receive were along the lines of “would you take $5 for the lot and deliver to my house?” Um, no.
Oh, that’s discouraging. I remember that there used to be a yahoo group or something like that where perfumistas sold bottles to other perfumistas, but I haven’t heard of it in a while. Do people still sell bottles on Basenotes? That might be an option, too.
Thinning out no…but if there’s something I haven’t used much, I did sell it..only to buy one in its place. Don’t have a big collection though..like some of you who have posted.
Do you have a favorite place to like to sell your perfume?
Not really..I have nearly always lost money selling perfume no matter where I sell it, ppl just don’t want to buy them for what they are worth or even less sometimes..so I usually have to sell at a decent sized discount.
Which is probably why I won’t be selling any fumes much anymore. I’d rather keep them than lose money.
Well, as long as you get use out of them every once in a while, then there’s still joy in those bottles.
I sold a bunch of my less-used bottles last year for AIDS day and donated the money, which ended up being several hundred dollars. (Thank you to my perfumista friends who bought!) I’m happy to report that I haven’t missed anything that sold, it all went to good homes, and by great good luck, when I suddenly missed and felt the need for ELdO Rien, I found out I hadn’t actually sold it. But if I didn’t initially notice that I still had it, I probably still have too much! Have cut down radically on the buying the last two years, luckily, and will probably do another sell off some time later this year.
I’m glad to hear that you haven’t missed the bottles. That’s heartening. Did you sell them through ebay? Or do you have another canny way to sell them?
The December sell-off I did through a Facebook fragrance lovers group. It was handy, since I knew most of the participants.
That sounds like a great place for it. You’re dealing with people you know, and people you know will really enjoy the perfume.
My collection is not that large–I’m not at a point where I feel a need to sell/donate/trade full bottles. But I’ve noticed in a lot of the comments that the anticipation of culling/selling seems like more of a barrier than the actual culling/selling.
I have this experience in my non-perfume life. When I think about getting rid of clothes/purses/shoes/etc, I immediately start worrying about how I’ll feel once I do it. I usually imagine that I’ll regret it. But in reality, whenever I’ve finally gotten in gear to do a purge, afterwards I feel great. I haven’t regretted anything. Sometimes it helps to take a picture of the thing I got rid of.
So if you can psych yourself up to it, then keeping a small decant should be fine, and you will probably be much happier once the bottles are gone.
I completely agree, cleaning out stuff can be so liberating.
You guys are terrifically encouraging–thanks.
Thank you for that! I’m sure you’re right. In so many things in life, it’s the fear of the event rather than the actual event that’s the scariest.
I do think perfume collecting is insatiable and therefore there is need to prune/weed/whatever you want to call it so that the fragrances you “truly enjoy” are not lost in the crowd.
Even when I think I’ve found the perfect scent and I don’t need to look any further it’s only a matter of time before I’m back in the stores or on STC ordering a few more samples 😉
I recently did some pruning and organizing myself. It feels good and I also actually know all the stuff I have for a change. I don’t have much compared to some who have been perfume lovers for years and years, but for me it was time. The trigger was this big ugly plastic box that my husband put on top of my dresser to hold all the sample & decants that were piling up. When I saw that I knew it was time.
I’ve definitely reached that point! Five bottles a season isn’t that overwhelming, after all. Maybe tonight’s the night to pull those bottles. Next challenge: figure out what to do with them.
Sometimes being really well organized is just as important as cleaning out. If you are really well organized and know what you have, which makes it easier to use, then that sense of being overwhelmed is gone. Clean it up or get rid of it, right? I dream of a better storage cupboard for my frags….. and better storage for my daughter’s toys … and my shoes too!
It’s true that organizing things better would let me see what I’ve been missing–like my Ormonde Woman. I hear you on the shoe organizing!
OMG, this has been eating at me too for a long time. I DO NOT need any more fragrance, yet why do I purchase more, and on top of it, a decant is just not the same to me as a full bottle, even though I will never ever use it up.
It is a sickness…
I do like to try new things to keep my nose/brain interested, and every once in a while I put on something that I haven’t worn in “ages”, and then I think, how can I do without it?
You’re not helping! (insert smiley face here) I know exactly how you feel. And yet, if I have a decant, I can always smell it.
Oh goodness, everything that everyone has written has really resonated with me, right down to the idea of selling bottles just feeling far too overwhelming and daunting even though it likely isn’t since “ordinary people do it all the time” LOL. My problem is that I tend to fall in love with a perfume and then buy it, only to use it rarely or fall out of love with it. I really need to stop doing that, although I’m not sure how. I also have concerns about just pawning it off on random people who just like free things, because I want their first sniff of my perfume to make their heart quicken the way it did mine. Comparing it to kittens is very apt!
Yes yes yes! It must be love! (And I do love my actual kittens, too, one of whom smells of Tolu this afternoon.)
I’m in the process of doing this myself. I have too many bottles – but what’s really driving me nuts is that I have all these decants of things that I bought unsniffed thinking I’d love them, and don’t. Hard to sell those. And I really, really do not want to swap.
I had gotten started on the cull project when the new dog ATE THREE BOXES. ATE THEM. (Bad dog!) So I set it aside until he’s settled in somewhat, but I will be getting back to that and offering them first on my blog and then on ebay. Fees or no fees, I have to get them out of the house. My local Goodwill does not accept perfume, and neither does the local women’s shelter.
Mals, I’m finding the same problem – unable to sell and also unable to donate! Very frustrating!!!! Just thought, I should post on craigslist. Maybe that will bring some buyers. Ready to sell in batches of random bottles, like 8 bottles for $100 or something like that…
There must be somewhere else to sell them! Although craigslist would probably work fine.
Hahaha this is dangerous. Immediately I’m off to search for perfume to BUY on Craigslist 😉
I’ve been there!
Ack! The dog didn’t eat the perfume, did he? Just the boxes? Silly pooch!
I love your determination, though. Maybe we should start a support group.
My tons of samples and decants have become part of my problem too. Once I get to bottle status, 90% of the time, I wanted it, or wanted a backup, etc. But all the samples and decants I got just to *try* something is where I got into a lot of trouble a few years ago. They are much harder to unload. What we really need, in the interest of science of course, is to collect all these unwanted samples and decants and create a newbie library!
I love that idea!
Oh my yes!
OMG, did your dog swallow the perfume? Is he OK?
JUST the boxes.
Everything came out all right in the end. (ba-dum bum. Sorry. 🙂 )
Oh, Angela… I too have been thinking this very same thing for the last few years. I’ve realized that I was happier with my perfume collection when it was much smaller. I cherished my perfumes. I wore and enjoyed the fragrances because I truly loved them rather than feeling like I *had* to wear something just because it was new, or I hadn’t worn it in months, or it was expensive.
I’ve just done a major ebay project for my mother (her husband, who died recently, was a rabid Western movie collector) and now that I’ve finished it, I’m getting ready to seriously purge my fragrance collection. Yes, even the back-up bottles of vintage Vol de Nuit extrait.
And other than one bad experience (new buyer, I was her first purchase), I’ve had wonderful luck on ebay, and honestly, it’s not that hard at all. My main piece of advice is to do a search of the sold listings to make sure that you’re pricing competitively. Good luck!
Good for you for taking care of your mother’s husbands things! It sounds like it set you up well for ebay. But let’s get back to the important thing: really?? You’re giving up vintage Vol de Nuit extrait??!!
Yep! AND… the Chamade extrait among others. For some strange reason, I just don’t love some of these loooong-time favorites like I used to. I’ve (kiddingly) blamed Laurie Erickson at SSS for this phenomenon because since testing for her for the last few years, my tastes have gradually moved away from the heavier, vintage scents to lighter, more natural ones. The times they are a changin’. 🙂
Well, what can a girl do? At least the wonderful SSS fragrances are a fraction of the cost of a vintage Guerlain.
I did OK on ebay too – just a few bottles so far – but I never realized how much work it is just to have a successful transaction. It’s much easier to be a buyer! I have some Guerlains I want to unload too.
What is your seller name, Ann? With all of that said (above), I at least have to look at what you’re selling!
Yes, please do let us know, and you too Rappleyea! Would be so nice to buy from trusted sources!
I don’t really have anything good up on ebay right now – I’ve been too distracted at work to post sales. I’d rather you just contact me off ebay if you are interested to know what I’m selling. That way I can avoid the hassles and charge a little less b/c I’m not trying to cover fees, etc. You can contact me at anneroosie at hotmail dot com if you want to know what I have to sell, etc.
I was with you till you said “backup bottles of Vol de Nuit.” Those they will have to pry from my cold dead hands.
You and me both!
I had accumulated way too many bottles, and some weren’t really things that I liked – so I listed them as giveaways at a previous NST swapmeet, and all of them found new and loving homes. The packing and mailing was a pain (plus, I lied to the nice person in the Post Office when he asked if my boxes were liquid or perfume? “No” I said, with my fingers crossed behind my back), but it felt great to clear out a good portion of the cabinet. Almost like losing weight! An additional plus was that I can more easily organize the bottles I have left in the available space.
You are a generous person! Although it sounds like they were a pain to mail–and probably expensive to mail, too–it sounds like they found good homes.
Mailing isn’t too expensive unless things get heavy or you want a lot of insurance. I always use insurance and tracking numbers with rare/fine frags, just to protect me and the buyer. It takes a lot of organization. And I the white lie too.
That sounds smart on the insurance and tracking. You know, another thing I could do is make a bunch of 10-ml decants, then sell the decants at cost. Many of them would be bargains since I found the bottles inexpensively. Still, that’s even more organization and hassle.
Hi Angela! I commend you! I am in a similar boat, but am finding it very difficult to get rid of unwanted bottles. Some bottles get snatched up quickly, but others don’t budge. I really don’t want to go through the hassle of giving free bottles to perfumistas, cause finding boxes that fit and taking time to package up and send is really a pain, not to mention expensive. The other thing, I’d love to give bottles away, but it seems that every charity I’ve approached has said they don’t take “used cosmetics” which includes perfume! Stupid rule cause spray bottles do not get contaminated.
So, I’m essentially “stuck” with all these bottles I don’t really want! Will try to find local friends to take them; and hey, I haven’t tried craigslist yet. I suppose I could offer them there on our local site…
Bottom line, learned lesson – don’t purchase a bottle unless you’re certain you want to keep it; or you know you can sell it!
Too bad your local charities won’t take your perfume! My Goodwill is terrific about taking it (and selling it, which has come back to bite me, of course). Good luck finding good homes for your remaining bottles!
This is something more and more on my mind as I try to simplify where and when I can. Last winter, I went through my cabinet and took out all the ‘meh’ and ‘kind of like but never wear’ bottles and wrapped and packed each. I don’t know what I’ll do with them because I don’t know if any have much resale value. I’ve considered just posting them as a lot on Ebay in case there are any up and coming perfume lovers who want to boost their collection for a reasonable price.
And Angela, my heart is breaking! How did I miss that Diva is discontinued? That was one of my favorite perfumes in the late ’90s and early ’00s! Can you still find it online to buy? It always smelled so sophisticated to me and I remember feeling like a million bucks when I wore a discreet spray to one of my first job interviews. 😉
If only I could bring myself to use up or give away hard won discontinued perfumes. I know in my head they won’t smell beautiful stored away in a bottle, but the idea of not having them sets my pulse to racing. Though I do have a huge bottle of Kingdom that I really need to move on as I fear it won’t hold up too much longer.
Where I need to work the hardest is on using up samples and decants. I have a tray full of decants, a few little bags/boxes from decant sites and about a million samples from my more active swapping days.
Very timely post and thank you for the ideas.
One of the commenters above who works in perfume said that Diva is still made (hurray!) but the only brick and mortar store that sells it is Neiman Marcus. But you can still buy, at least.
As for the rest–culling the collection, etc–I feel your pain 100%!
I admire all your reduction plans. There is a 3 year old child inside me the wails, Noooooo! Mine! I know intellectually that I have too much fragrance. I have some older bottles that have spoiled whilst I was not paying attention. It’s just hard to contemplate letting them go.
Like many have said, if I were sure it were to a good home, where a perfumista would treasure it. . .maybe, but it would be difficult. I can be fierce about decluttering clothes, books, jewelry, but perfume is a weak spot. I will put this on my back burner, and look through my FB. I know there are perfumes that rarely get skin time. I will try to make a preliminary list. Perhaps do my box trick–pack it in a box with an end date, usually 6 months to a year way, and if I don’t miss it by then, let it go, unopened. But this is tough!! Hope your perfume curation projects go well 🙂
It’s definitely tough! But don’t they say that admitting the truth is the first step? Five bottles. That’s all I have to do this season. Five little bottles.
I inadvertently learned your “box trick” after a move. I had a couple of boxes still to unpack that ended up sitting in the garage for a couple of years! I realized then that whatever was in them I certainly didn’t need or want if I hadn’t missed it in all that time.
That’s probably a good trick for a lot of things, really.
Guess I can declutter the entire contents of my attic then. 😉
Weeell, don’t chunk blindly! (I know you wouldn’t) I made choices to stick things in the box for a trial period. I got rid of my landline and all it’s accompanying instruments that way 🙂
For the people who can’t give stuff to charity, and who don’t want all the mailing hassle, where do you live? Are you somewhere that has enough density that you could organize a meet up for perfumistas–then you could be sure that someone was getting something and loving it, not just enjoying the freebie, or you could sell with none of that pesky shipping nonsense/boxes/etc. What about having a yard sale and advertising it to fumies on local Craigslist?
I love your ideas! Certainly, doing a perfume meet-up at someone’s house with refreshments might be very nice!
Yeah, Angie. . . .too bad you don’t know anyone nearby who’s into perfume! 😉
Should clarify that I’m just teasing. I am quite content with what I have these days. Hope you find a satisfying way to remove any bottles that have become a burden, with an appropriate rehoming fee to compensate you for your time!
You’d be at the top of my list, should I convene a perfumista fire sale! As you point out, the only problem would be that we’re ALL probably trying to trim the collection a tiny bit. But if we brought newbie friends…
Ooooh! If we each brought a newbie, would that be sort of like one of those cult pyramid schemes? Bringing someone new into the flock. . . 😀
But think of all the wallet-draining pleasure we’d be giving them in introducing them to the whole new world of perfume!
I would *love* that. Unfortunately, I live in a fairly rural area.
Come to Portland! We could have a giant meet-up!
Oh god – I’d love that! I’d have to drive over b/c I don’t think they’d let me on the plane with all the bottles too!
Count me in!
Vancouver isn’t too far away?
missionista, I’ve often thought a meet-up would be the best idea. Haven’t quite had the time or energy to organize one in my area yet, but it would be fun as well as a great way to find good homes for one’s under appreciated bottles.
Noz, work makes me a little bit itinerant but I have the impression that we are often in the same area–if ever you need a buddy to help you organize a meet-up, I’m in!
I’ve weeded out some samples and bottles by giving them to my niece who’s always willing to take some things off my hands. We swap cosmetics too. That lipstick or eye shadow that didn’t quite work, I pass on to her and she does the same for me. Whatever doesn’t work for both of us I give to my brother-in-laws MIL who brings the stuff to a nursing home where she does hair and makeup on the ladies.
I’ve also gotten rid of a few bottles and samples by reading the blogs and noticing someone loves or wants something more than I do. If I have a bottle that could bring someone some happiness and I happen to have their address I’ve been known to just pack it up and send it away and surprise someone. Generally perfume surprises are well received. I know I enjoy them.
I’ve given away a few things to perfume lovers that way, too. It’s great how your family is there and ready to swap!
I have a lot of samples, but very few things grab me and make me want to buy full bottles, or even decants … so I’m not adding full bottles at a rapid rate. I guess I should purge some of the stuff from my youth that I no longer like or that might have “spoiled.”
It’s great that you’ve been so discerning! It will save you so much trouble later on.
Love reading about everyone’s angst as I sit here smuggly. Organizing is a compulsion, and I am at peace with my 25-bottle collection; my samples and decants are categorized, labeled, and lined up like little soldiers. My “to sample” list is composed digitally and illustrated on Evernote across Kindle and Mac platforms.
I have bought and sold on ebay and Basenotes, and swapped on MakeUpAlley and Basenotes. To give away a fragrance to an appreciative recipient, you could check members’ wish lists on MUA and put a smile on someone’s face. In the female forum at BN, we have a thread “Free to a good home.” I send less expensive items with my daughter to her office.
My greatest purge-and-swap experiences have been in person, having met up with BN members in Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Portland, and L.A.
I don’t regret any of my purges. If I can go through all four seasons without wanting to wear a fragrance, then I surely don’t need a bottle of it.
I know you’ll figure out the best avenues for purging, Angela, and then you will educate us with your disarmingly fluent writing style. I look forward to it.
I’m jealous! You are remarkably organized and disciplined. It may be time for me to follow your example and join Basenotes and list a few things to sell. I also love the idea of a perfumista meet-up. I’d certainly price my perfume to sell.
Do you remember a few years ago when you posted the minimalist/maximalist thread? I think from what I’m reading all above is that there is a conflict there, and the maximialist is losing, lol. I am horribly disorganized right now too with bottles stashed all over the place! I wish I was as organized as Quarry…. I need Donatella’s closet.
Yes, as a confessed maximalist, I’m paying the price. I need Donatella’s closet and a wall big enough to put it against.
I have a lot of purging to do, just to get that confession out of the way. I started a few weeks ago by “letting go” of 100+ manufacturer’s samples (no gasping, they were all mainstream or at least, mainstream to me), 20 or so orphan samples and a perfume oil that came in a gorgeous gorgeous bottle and packaging but which sat at the foot of my desk judging me every time I was at my desk (pretty much some part of everyday except when I’m on vacation).
I’ve sold perfumes on eBay and may still do…but it is a lot of work.
I’ve given away quite a bit on Freebiemeet but it also is a lot of work listing them all. I think I will do a short-cut next time and just post them as Lot A, B, etc. and make them a mix of manufacturer’s samples and the more coveted niche perfume samples.
I have found garage sales to be a good way to sell off manufacturer’s samples ($1 each!) with not much work involved since one is already there with other stuff to sell.
Good post, Angela!
These are great ideas, and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone! I’ve never heard of Freebiemeet. I’ll have to look it up.
I’d love to cull my collection…but, living in Canada, shipping rates are ludicrous, not to mention that I can’t say that I’m shipping perfume.
Oh, I know. Once I lost a package that I shipped to Canada, and I’m still sore about it. But there are more than a few perfume lovers up there! Perhaps you live near a few and could swap/sell?
Thank god all the lovely deals I arranged with Canadian perfumistas this summer from the PP Swapmania went OK. Nothing was lost or damaged. I was shocked at the costly shipping though, but it was worth it, and I imagine it was just as costly coming my way. It is completely absurd that technically we can’t ship frags to each other. Hello friendlies!
All I’m saying is, please be sure you want to get rid of it before you take the plunge. I got rid of a bottle of Alien while pregnant. That was dumb. There were other casualties too but I’ve blocked them out.
Currently wearing Chasse aux Papillions with Molecule 01. I think I’m in love. Got my sample pack from Aedes today. Yes I’m new, I hope y’all like me. 🙂
Hi Hollyberry – welcome!
Oh, I’ve heard of women’s sense of smell going haywire during pregnancy! Fortunately, Alien is still in production, and you might stumble over a bottle with your name on it somewhere.
And welcome!
That sounds like a great layering idea – and welcome!
I’v sold several bottles (3 or 4) and given away about 5. These include: Lutens, Guerlain, L’artisan, Cartier, Lolita Lempicka and Jovan. The only one I have second thoughts about is the Musk for her by Jovan 😀
I kept decants of two that are not easy to buy in South Africa. Basically, the decants work to remind me of why I got rid of them.
That was my thought on the decants, too. If I just want to smell something for reference, or to remind myself that it’s not me, there it is.
The thing is that part of the reason I originally bought them was that the reviews were so amazing, and they were always mentioned with such enthusiasm. So, when I see such reviews, or hear recommendations for them now, I still have a – ‘that must be so good!’ moment. Then I think that I must have just not smelled them ‘properly’ or with the right mind frame, when I got rid of them… So with the decant – i.e., the actual smell, I can reassure myself it was the right decision despite the fabulous smell pictures and impressions of others. I still just. basically. do not. have. a good. personal. response. to. it! (Which ultimately is all that matters.)
Oh boy, I definitely know that feeling! I have a few fragrances I’m more in love with mentally than aesthetically.
I would say Facebook is the way to go. I was able to sell lots of things in a Fragrance group just with a list – no pictures or anything to worry about, or ebay fees. I think the group is invite only, but if you look around there are lots of Fragrance groups. Also I’ve bought things on Basenotes and that was relatively easy as well. Good luck!
I think I might try a perfume-lovers fire sale in person, then try Basenotes next. Thank you for the ideas!
I think the 30 btl rule is a great idea but when I first started the need/want urge just overwhelmed me. I’ve only been into perfume collecting for about 2 yrs but I have several perfume purchases that I regret but I haven’t a clue as to how to diverse myself from them. I’m not a “facebooker” so I’m in a quandary as to the best way to send them out to new loving homes. Chanel 18, Houbigant’s Quelques Fleurs Royal and Balmain’s Amber Gris are my three big regrets. Any suggestions on how best to distribute my unloved “lovelys” would be great.
It sounds like we’re in the same boat. In reading through the comments here, though, I came up with some good ideas! Good luck.
I got rid of two large shoeboxes of bottles this summer – gave them to a wife of a friend and they shared them amongst all their friends, relatives and cleaning ladies. I was relieved and they were thrilled. That said, I still have too much perfume. And I made an expensive mistake last week, ordering a bottle of something I thought I loved, only to discover it wasn’t the scent I had previously smelled. (Rosine Rose Kashmirie – listed on ebay under tarac858)
My goal is to cut down to a maximum of 4 new bottles a year, and to keep weeding out the bottles I no longer wear. But my hoarding instinct is strong! LOL
I feel your pain! It’s difficult when there are so many tempting fragrances around.
Hahaha, I was just looking at my perfume collection the other day and I realized that many of the bottles of perfume were given to me by other perfumistas or just friends who were trying to thin their own collections and knew that I loved something they didn’t feel the same way about. Someone even left an unopened bottle of Songes on my doorstep the other day (I call her the Perfume Goddess).
But seriously, if you want help selling some of your bottles, contact me at nina at wanderingmind dot com. Put together a list of what you want to sell with the prices you want (lists without prices tend not to do well) and send it along.
I bet you will find more than one person who takes you up on this!
Purging myself of things I no longer need is my superpower. I love that feeling of wearing or using only those things that I love, that add value to my life. Simplicity! Easy breezy! I’ve swapped away those samples I don’t want, and have been slowly going through the rest, studying how the perfume evolves on my skin, living with them until I’ve drained them completely, making some notes in my perfume log (yes, I have a perfume log), all before moving on to the next perfume.
This is how my 2014 has been. I haven’t bought one bottle or sample of perfume all year. At the moment, I am perfectly content with 15 bottles I have and do not feel the need to add more to my collection (emphasis on the phrase “at the moment”). It’s a process.
Please do keep us updated on your purging progress, Angela! Thoughtful, compelling post, as always.
You’re an inspiration! Everyone’s comments here have made me decide I’m going to dedicate a few hours this weekend to a bigger weeding-out than five bottles, and I’m going to try to sell them. The proceeds will go toward a new bottle of Cuir de Russie for the winter. I’d so much rather have that than bottles of perfume I like but don’t love.
I have the same problem other Canadians here have mentioned – very high postal rates (even when shipping regionally) and an embargo against shipping outside the country. eBay is simply out of the question (not to mention I *think* I’d have to declare any sales as taxable income?).
When I finally hit capacity, by far the best local option is to resell perfumes at consignment shops. I know of two that accept fragrances: one is a relatively swanky shop that tends to offer minis and mainstream FBs, while the other (far less fancy) shop is where occasional treasures are found! In fact it’s the reason I’m inching towards resale, as they’re the folks who sold me three of my vintages (Moschino Couture EdP, Balmain Jolie Madame extrait, and [very oily part-bottle of] Jean d’Albret Casaque parfum).
It sounds like you’ve found a good ecosystem for your old bottles. Plus, it’s nice to think of the people out there who will get to enjoy them!
I have been slowly downsizing since I married but need to do more! I’ve give away hundreds of decants and samples to appreciative coworkers. My favorite are the environmental staff at work who just love them! As I pass them in the hall I love smelling familiar scent on them.
I love it that you can still smell some of your giveaways after they leave home! I did a 10% or so reduction a little over a year ago, but it’s time to have at it again.
It has been almost 18 months since I last visited NST. I have been gradually reducing my perfume collection. I’ve sold/given-away/used-up 30+ full bottles, as well as 250+ samples and decants. Now ever bottle in my collection is either rated 4-star and plus by me or is an important part of my personal history. I also managed to abstain myself from visiting any perfume shops and blogs.
My perfume reduction plan worked! I have less but better quality things to choose, hence I am able to enjoy what I have much much more!
Less is more. Lesson learned.
Have a great holiday!
Congratulations! I’m in awe. It must be wonderful to look at your collection and know you love every single bottle. I’m still too scared to go your route, but I really admire you!
Hello! Longtime reader trying to reduce my collection (hundreds of bottles and samples) and wondering how everyone managed. Any stories or lessons that you can share would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Charley, I doubt much of anyone will see your comment since this article is so old. Your best bet would be to wait for the next weekend open thread (probably next Saturday) and ask your question there, or ask for advice in one of the scent of the day polls we do Mon – Fri.