Goodbye, 2014! Confess your sins now, start 2015 with a clean slate! Donatella Versace, Our Lady of Scented Excess,1 wants to know what you bought in the 4th quarter (October, November and December) of 2014.
Update: the poll is now closed!
My purchases...
I bought absolutely nothing that counts.* My total for the year: $128, about the same as what I spent last year.
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.
*I did buy a few scented body products, including a Bliss Vanilla & Bergamot gift set with Body Butter and "Soapy Suds", which was recommended here in the comments.
After a strict no-buy for the first 11 months of the year, I broke down and bought two bottles in December! JhaG Lady Vengeance and L’AP Safran Troublant! It doesn’t count here, but I also found SSS Rose Volupte under the Christmas tree.
I should probably vow to stop buying rose fragrances in 2015. How many does one gal need?!
Well… if you need roses, you need them.
I’m in the unfortunate position of needing roses, tuberoses, and greens. I need lots.
(Not really. Trying to restrain my inner toddler distracted by all the shinies.)
LOL!
Hehe. I know that “inner toddler” feeling all to well!
I always crave roses in the middle of winter! My fav winter rose is AG Ce Soir ou Jamais. But L’Arte di Gucci and Nahema work too. I really need to test Rose Volupte pronto.
That’s so interesting, Ann. I love Nahema, but in the summer when the rose/peach can really bloom in the heat.
I really need to try Ce Soir Ou Jamais! It’s on my wishlist. I wouldn’t mind sniffing all the AG perfumes, really.
Rose Volupte is definitely worth a sample! It’s strictly a cold weather scent for me, but I love it so. It feels so indulgent, and so rich that it’s almost syrupy!
You need a LOT of roses. Not less than six. Probably more like ten. Roses and vanillas are indispensable.
Yes.
No nonsense, in these parts
LOL! I should have known everyone here would be an enabler!
I love all sorts of fragrances, but there’s something so darn comfortable about roses.
If it’s roses then you need AT LEAST 12. After all – you want the luxury of dozen roses don’t you?
Love Lady Vengeance! I debated all of December whether I should get it. Didn’t get it and now I am kinda regretting it.
I was VERY bad and got Lady Vengeance unsniffed. :O I loved Midnight Oud so much that I plopped it right in my cart without much hesitation when I spotted a good sale. Thank goodness it’s a total keeper! I’ve been wearing it a lot… it’s such a comfy, no brainer, wear-anytime, anywhere kind of scent for me, which is exactly what I was looking for.
Gosh you did good though–just those three represent a very well-curated year of purchases!
3 for this quarter, a total of 8 bottles for the year (not including thrift shop finds of various sizes). This quarter includes Ta’if (a back-up, even though I *just* got it as a gift. I know, ridiculous, but I couldn’t ignore the amazing OJ deal, and doing the math according to Kevin’s classic article, I will likely drain it in the next year and a half or so). I also bought another bottle of Zeta, and of course, my preciousssssssss, the bottle of Attrape Coeur/Guet-Apens.
I note that only 1 or 2 of this year’s purchases count as new, all the rest are back-ups or refills of drained bottles. I feel like this signifies a real change in my purchasing behavior! I suspect I will buy even fewer this year, as there’s only a few scents that may require repurchase any time soon. Or maybe I’m fooling myself!
No, I don’t think you’re fooling yourself! You know what you like now. You don’t want to be without it. I suspect like me, however, you are still open to trying new things and perhaps finding a new love in the future!
Thanks for the reassurance!
I am always open to new things, but not really going out of my way to seek them out, either. Which has also been a change.
I do like knowing that I have *plenty* of the scents I love. Unless it’s a real powerhouse, I’m a multi-spritz, revel-in-the-loveliness, kinda girl! I don’t want to have to restrain myself. Well, that’s the justification for all the back-ups I’ve been telling myself, anyway!
You are an inspiration, as Kevin’s math always tells me it’s going to take me like four decades to finish a bottle.
Nevertheless I bought two more last night. But it doesn’t count for this poll!!
(And also, so glad you got to take advantage of the OJ sale, in the end. There really wasn’t anything I needed, but I am sorta kicking myself that I didn’t just splurge. 30% off AND free shipping–for us Yanks it’s basically half-price!)
Yup, that was my excuse–*cough*–justification! I still haven’t mentioned it to Mr. Spicebomb, though! (Maybe I’m a bad girlfriend?)
I spent very little this year in the first 2 quarters and then made up for it in the last two.
I got 4 bottles:
Moon Bloom
Fracas EDP
Jean Louis Scherrer EDP ( the original)
Eau Soleil
The Scherrer is a very nice one!
I can’t exactly remember, but here’s what i do recall:
Rose Jam x 2, So White x 1 shower gels.
Burberry Body Intense
Safran Troublant
Bvlgari Black (patrial FB)
Cartier Declaration (mini)
CK Reveal (mini)
Vanille Incensee (mini)
Not terrible.
Ha, now I know who to beg for Rose Jam when I run out
I would share with you Robin, because your love was my inspiration.
We both can blame Jessica!
Where do you find a vanille incensee mini?
I think you can find them at Sephora.
Thanks!
I have one to swap/freebie/whatever…do you still have my email address?
I’ll go and look…… I’ve still got lots to swap too!
I found mine on ebay, sane with the Reveal mini. And z declaration.
My only purchase this quarter was the large bottle of Chanel No 19 Poudre. It was during the NM Scent Event, so I got a really cute evening bag and lot of fragrance samples. I have a great SA at the NM in Dallas that I can call from Arkansas (since we moved away from the Dallas area) and she will make me up samples, so she sent along several things I had been dying to try.
Hey, you were very restrained.
I know this is very late, but my goodness, who is your sales rep?
I spent $600 dollars with a SA at NM, over the phone because I am also now in Arkansas, and she didn’t send so much as a sample. Nothing, not even a note.
I was so shocked.
I don’t feel like this counts as too much damage. At least, I don’t feel bad about it, which is what matters.
-L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer FB
-Couvent des Minimes Eau de Missions FB
-Breath of God travel spray and solid
-Pharrell Williams Girl travel spray
-Bvlgari Black mini
-CB Do Not Ask Me Why perfume absolute sample (but I’m listing it because it’s not priced like a sample)
Everything else was 3ml or less, so I won’t count them, though it’s actually the samples that end up eating up all my money anyway.
That really is what matters.
So… I blew it! After being quite good the rest of the year and swearing to only get my PHI Une Rose Kandahar in November and then be done for the quarter, I went on a minor spree. The local Thierry Mugler counter called me and talked me into one of their few bottles of re-issued A*Men Pure Coffee, I fell in love with a small bottle of Narcisco (it’s so cute!!) and then an old 30 ml of Gucci Envy leaped into my bag at my favourite local discounter. And I’m not counting the Quand Vient la Pluie decant I got in October as a bottle, even though it was expensive. New Year’s Resolution – a quiet 2015 Q1.
I wouldn’t mind one of these jumping bottles! Only mine would have to be little Cartiers and Bottega Venetas.
You know, perfumes are like the Velveteen Rabbit, they want to become used up and real in being loved. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself!
I think you’re right!
I would love if some BV body products came jumping into my bathroom!
Gosh, but you got lovely things. I am tempted by the Narciso, and I would love a bottle of the A*Men Coffee. Looks like I am going to live without Phi unless I figure out a split soon.
FWIW, PHI was still in stock at The Perfume House last week. I don’t know what can be ordered online, but I do know you can call them and they will ship. . .
Thank you! I really want the travel size, but don’t want the whole trio.
I don’t know if they still have some at Aus Liebe Zum Duft, R, where I got mine, but should tell you that, once the exchange and shipping was calculated, it oddly came out to much less than it was supposed to do, I think. Bonus! It was definitely cheaper than if I’d ordered from N. America.
Thanks E! I am trying to avoid the large bottle. I have made a sort-of resolution to not buy more than 30 ml of anything, ever. Don’t know that I’ll stick to it forever, but really even 30 is more than I need. 10 ml ought to be my max!
Completely understand. An SA was trying very hard to sell me on 50 ml of BV Knot the other day, but I just refuse now when there’s a smaller size available (whether I can get it locally or not.) I think she thought I was very grumpy and cheap. Perhaps I am. And if you only need 10 ml of PHI, I think I might know someone who can send it to you
I am definitely grumpy & cheap! And thank you but really (!) don’t waste yours…I will find a split for the travel sizes eventually!
Run, don’t walk, and go get yourself a FB of PHI!!
Let’s see – Shalimar extrait, Byredo Bal d’Afrique roll-on oil. I know I must have bough other stuff but I have champagne brain right now and can’t remember!
How convenient
My happiest purchase was 50 ml of Prada Infusion d’Iris absolue, cheap on line. I’d used up the 10 ml decant and so this was an easy purchase to justify.
Bois des Isles, 5 ml decant. Again.
Pacifica Mediterranean Fig 10 ml roll-on. Cheap thrill! I love the soap. I keep this little roll on in my purse, to apply to the back of my hands when I need a lift.
I forgot to report that the previous quarter I only got one thing: a 30 ml split of Dior New Look 1947. Love.
Not a bad year for my wallet. Like last year I averaged $30 a month. However, I’ve been buying fewer and fewer samples over the years, so if I’d been factoring those in all along, I’d notice a bigger decrease in spending.
In 2015 I decided to set aside the cash each month intentionally
I am going to purchase a FB of Bois des Isles at the end of the year! Also, my 100 ml bottle of Nuit de Tubereuse is nearly empty, so that will be another FB purchase. NdT is one I can’t live without.
Good for you, being intentional and not susceptible to the OMG THERE”S A 20% OFF SALE AT PARFUM 1 attacks.
those attacks are brutal. I had a few of those.
Yeah, a 25% percent off coupon to FragranceNet struck my house last night. My bank account is expected to survive the mauling, but remains in critical condition!
I’m a victim of the Parfum 1 coupon attack.
Not even a one in the last quarter which rounds my bottle purchases to 4 perfumes in 2014. The last one was Le Galion Iris in late September.
Good job!
This was probably my least-expensive quarter ever: two 5ml decants, for $28.92. That’s it. That’s all. One was an unsniffed split (Houbigant Iris de Champs, a pretty green floraly iris… I always think I like iris, based on my love for Chanel No. 19, more than I really do, so 5ml is going to do me). The other was a bit of Musc Ravageur, because. Well. Musc Ravageur. I’m hoping to dab it on The CEO.
I didn’t even buy any body products, except for a $6 bottle of shea/argan body wash with a frankincense/myrrh scent. It really smells more like benzoin, which I love, than incense. And I *did* buy a couple of candles for the house… I don’t think they count, and in any case they weren’t super-expensive ones. I got a light floral one by Lollia for spring, and a couple of my favorite Slatkin Winter candles from B&BW too.
However, I then went and totally freaking blew my 2015 budget just yesterday, on a 100ml bottle of Iris Poudre. I’ve killed two 10ml decants of it in the past two years, and of course the Lauder purchase might change things, so I figured I’d better snap up a bottle: $277. Gah. (Better than the 50ml for $205.)
Iris Poudre is worth every $$!Nice!
I’m sure I’ll use that one up.
You’ll be glad you bought that IP. It does kind of make you sweat to shell out that kind of money though, doesn’t it?!
Congrats on the Iris Poudre – definitely worth blowing a budget for!!
When Malle comes in stock at Our Lady, I fear for my budget. . . what lovelies that I’ve never tested will beckon me?! And the fear of reformulation does loom, even with the reassurances for integrity that I’ve heard through the grapevine.
If your bottle of perfume lasts 2 years that’s just 38 cents a day. Math is our friend.
Two bottles for me (after nothing for Qs 2 and 3) – Chanel No 5 EDT 50 ml for £32 and Séville à l’Aube 50 ml for £49.60.
Together with my Tam Dao 50ml EDT for £14 from Q1, these make it 3 bottles with a total spend of £95.60 for the year! Better than last year.
I also bought a Diptyque candle and got a Magnolia Nobile gift set as a present so they don’t count!
Which candle, and is it wonderful?
Epice, the red one from the Christmas collection. It’s nice, I like it better than the orange one I bought last year. Although my favourite is still Perdigone from a couple of years back – that smoky plum was delicious!
I was soo close to buying one of those candles. The glass holders are so beautiful!
Well I voted…lol.But that’s how far I’m prepared to go!My new gravatar tells you I made at least 1 purchase this quarter…lol.
Such a pretty bottle, too.
Donatella sees all
That’s what I was afraid of!!Lol!
I so want to try Sunshine! It sounds wonderful and yes… I need to make another sample order…NOW!
Im with you Johanob! I counted them… then promptly decided that this quarter is best left in the pages of my perfume notebook
2 bottles for me this quarter – finally pulled the trigger on Cuir Beluga after using up several decants of it.. And a back up bottle in the old packaging of Eau Premiere – I got the super size 5 oz bottle. It came without a cap so I have a couple of months before I drain my current bottle and come up with a creative solution
I need to make sure to get a back up of the original Eau Premiere this year too…..
I heard mumbling that Eau Premiere has been reformulated, but no idea how to tell if I’m looking at old or new packaging. What’s the difference? That is probably my most worn fragrance, and I would be sincerely bummed to be without it. (Any word on the new??) Thanks for any guidance.
the opening bergamot top note has been messed with/tamped down. The far drydowns of both are pretty similar, but the opening of the reform is pretty disheartening. Maybe check ebay for the older cylindrical bottles. Got a backup some time ago, as soon as I heard they were introducing a new bottle.
Thanks for the info!! I’ve heard such disaster stories from eBay that I’ve never bought there. I will keep my eyes out, though…does the outside box help?
oops, meant the neroli that’s been subdued. Don’t know about the box, but the orig EP came in the cylindrical bottle (currently pictured w scent description on Fragrantica). Reform is packaged in Chanel’s classic bottle.
Yes, it is reformulated.. the drydown is pretty much unchanged but the opening is not as crisp and lively, now that you mention it, it is the neroli notes.
The old bottle is a square cylinder and has been pulled out of all retailers, I did not find it at any of the popular discounters either. Ebay is your best bet, that’s where I found mine.
Holy cats! What happened to me? It must have been the siren song of all those holiday sales. I’ve been in the “nary a one” or “one” category for ages now, but here’s this quarter’s damage:
Full bottles:
Fendi Theorema
SSS Tabac Aurea
SSS Rose Volupte
Decants:
Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente
Caron Parfum Sacre
Lush Rose Jam
PG Indochine
SSS Forest Walk
Juniper Ridge Backpacker’s Cologne
PdE Corsica Furiosa
Masque Russian Tea
Serge Lutens Fille de Berlin
Smell Bent Five
Smell Bent Never Never Land
I Profumi di Firenze Miele Rosa – anyone know where I can find a FB of this?
Can’t help with sourcing your Miele Rosa, but I enjoyed testing that one… it smelled like morning-after sheets to me (where one party had been wearing a rose fragrance, or rose lotion). Naughty but beautiful.
How is the Lush Rose Jam? Does it smell just like the shower gel?
To my nose it’s very close – maybe slightly more lemony?
Thanks, good to know. Feel like I’m late on the Rose Jam bandwagon. Didn’t even realize there is a perfume. Will have to check it out as soon as it’s available next year.
I’m right there with you! I find the Lush store overwhelming, but I’ve heard so many nice things about Rose Jam that I scurried over to buy some today. No sign of the perfume, but the shower gel is available on their website now, buy one get one free!
I know where you can find a barely used bottle of Miele Rosa purchased in 2009 or 2010.
…. if you are interested just email me at anneroosie at hotmail dot com …..
Email coming your way.
You 2 are BAD ENABLERS!!Lol!This is why I love the perfume community sooo much!!
…oops, I tripped.
HEEYYYY, where’d this new bottle come from??
It’s an old bottle. I acted too quickly in buying a FB after I drained a large sample back when I was in massive super impulse purchase mode a few years ago. I got a bunch of samples from the house of ipdf and then decided I just MUST have a bottle of Miele Rose. How can anyone have too many roses, right? And an *Italian* rose no less!
I have the “old” ipdf bottle that still has the removable ball-screw cap (which is still on it btw!). What happened to me is that it is just so magnificently powerful that I can only wear a small dab on my wrists (the honey, oh, the honey!!) and so after all these years there is hardly any used up. I rarely reach for it, so that is obviously a sign. Sometimes I layer it with No 19 to bring it back to earth. It is really gorgeous and massive! But I hardly wear it.
This quarter I’ve not been a good girl! Here goes:
Hermes travel set with Espice Marine, Cuir d’Ange, Paprika Brazil and Santal Massoia
EL Tuberose Gardenia 30 ml
Tauer Phi Rose de Kandahar 50 ml
SHL 777 Oumma 50 ml (ouch!)
No regrets though, love them all
Those SHL 777s do strike fear into the credit cards even as they delight the nose. Congratulations!
Yes! SHL 777 or RENT FOR A MONTH in my case!
Yeah, seriously ouch but soooo good. I’m very envious
This quarter, besides one pack of samples, I bought only 1 full bottle of fragrance–Hiram Green Shangri la. There are at least two more I am craving, but they will have to wait as I am maxed out from buying Christmas gifts.
I really need to try Shangri La. I keep seeing it on lists everywhere as being fantastic.
All of my purchases this quarter (other than Rose Jam shower gel – and wishing I bought more) were from discounters so practically feel like I didn’t spend any money at all!
Cacharel Noa
Sensuous nude
Balenciaga Paris (back up, cute small bottle)
Si Lolita Lempicka (mini)
Burberry Brit Rhythm for Her (blind buy – happy with purchase)
Adam Levine for Her (blind buy for pennies)
Oh Dear. 8 bottles. It was all going so well until TK Maxx had an influx of L’Artisan items and that was me done for. I’d bought just one bottle at the beginning of November (Tea for Two from the L’Artisan website – it just had to be done) and then it all went pear shaped…
2x100ml Jour De Fete
1x100ml Drole De Rose
1x50ml Poivre Piquant
2x50ml Nuit De Tubereuse Gift Sets
and the 6x15ml minis set from last year (they come in the same box so that counts as one!).
However, on positive note I saved double what I spent.
My local TJ Max never has anything but the usual stuff you find in every department store… It just isn’t fair!
My TJ Maxx never has anything like that either but I keep hoping.
What a score! Most of my purchased this quarter are from TJ Maxx as well, but have never seen any L’Artisian!
Mmm poivre piquant! Still on my list! And it makes perfect sense- Jour de Fete is a bit cheaper AND ltd ed, so 2 will serve you well and prevent later regrets
Well done!
Wow you have a really awesome T.J. Maxx. I am so jealous of your purchases!
I was really good in the 4th quarter! I got three bottles that were partially gifts and partially paid for by me for both my birthday in Nov and for Xmas, so I’m counting them:
Gueralin Bois d’Armenie, L’AP Mimosa pour Moi, and Diptyque Essence Insensee. It’s kind of funny that I got two mimosa fragrances – the MpM was kind of a last minute surprise w/ a good sale.
Mimosa is such a fun and summery note in perfume. I’ve never smelled the Artisan, but it’s supposed to be good. I’m glad you were such a good perfumista
Being good makes those few bottles even more special!
*takes note of the mimosa frags*
I was in the same boat regarding xmas money for purchases. I never would’ve considered buying the FBs I did otherwise.
Yes, I am on super limited restricted fragrance funds, so unless there is some sort of participation, there are no new bottles. Not that I need any…..
Hmmmm. Confession is good for the soul?
10mL of Pharrell’s Girl
Lumiere Blanche
20mL Terrasse a St. Germain
20mL Aqua Sextius
L’Heure Convoitee
Masque Montechristo
(And 2 perfume gifts–Iris Poudre for my mom for Christmas and an Atelier Cologne 3×7.5mL set for my best friend’s BDay in November)
I would say I smell great, but my sniffer is off, with a cold. Wow, I went nuts!!
How is Convoitee? No easy way to test that one.
I’d cadged a couple samples from my friendly neighborhood Cartier SA at Saks. It is strawberries, carnations, iris and all girly red sparkles on me. It really makes me smile, with its over the top prettiness. I can’t believe I fell for a fragrance with a dominant fruity (strawberry) note. It’s very out of character for me.
This has been a slow time of the year fragrance wise. I confessed to 5, but I will probably remember another one or two later…
I bought:
A*Men Pure Wood
A*Men Pure Havane
Crystal Noir
Burberry Brit for men
Armani Eau de Nuit
I was very good this quarter. I bought only one FB, and that was a small one–a 30 ml bottle of Jo Malone Orange Blossom ($60), purchased at the flagship Nordstrom in Seattle during our vacation in October. I wanted to buy the new Wood Sage & Sea Salt, but they only had it in the 100 ml size, and I don’t need 100 ml of anything. I did want to get something, though, as a memento of our trip, and the OB is very nice.
My only other fragrance purchase this quarter was a 100 ml bottle of PdN New York for my husband for Christmas, but that doesn’t count.
OK, these last couple of quarters I’ve been able to show some restraint. Only five bottles this quarter:
Comme des Garçons 2 Man, 100 ml
Donna Karan Fuel for Men, 100 ml
Serge Lutens Five O’Clock au Gingembre, 50 ml
Gucci Pour Homme II, 100 ml
Amouage Gold Man, 30 ml travel set.
Gucci Pour Homme II–that is the square blue bottle and gold cap, right? I have considered nabbing that one several times. That bergamot, cardamom, pepper and tea scent is amazing!! There is a man who comes into my office who wears this and we’ve all commented on how great he smells. Good haul.
I love Gold Man – I have a fairly large decant of it. It is just the most elaborate fragrance! I wear it for very special occasions. It would be a good choice for todays go big challenge.
As I recall, this is a downright frugal list compared to previous polls! I hope all is well with you (and you weren’t bodysnatched by aliens)!
I Purchased 5 fragrances for myself in the 4th quarter. They were:
1. Tuberose Angelica – $120
2. Santal Blush – $210
3. Nectarine Blossom and Honey -$120
4. Wild Fig And Casis -$60
5. A decant of Amour Nocturne -$45
And a few gift sets for family – $300
So, I spent close to $1000. OMG!
Rotten, again. I’m putting the stink-eye on the enablers — you know who you are. I probably forgot something but who’s counting (besides Donatella).
– April Aromatics San Francisco Rose
– Assorted samples from DSH and STC
– Bvlgari Man in Black
– Dana Tabu
– Guerlain London
– Hanae Mori HiM EDP
– Hermes Kelly Caleche Parfum
– Hermes Voyage d’Hermes Parfum
– I Love New York For All
– Jessica Simpson Fancy
– Jo Malone Intense Coffret
– Le Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions
– Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Precieux
– New Orleans Vacation perfumes – a bunch of small volume purchases plus a bespoke perfume from Bourbon French
– Origins Ginger Essence
– Pacifica Spanish Amber
– Papillon Angelique
– Parfumerie Generale Felanilla
– Parfums DelRae Wit
– Soivohle (3 x 11 mL – Lilacs & Heliotrope, Dogstar, Leather Krem)
Ooooh, bespoke from Bourbon French? Please tell us more!
Not seeing anything there I could be blamed for – will have to try harder next quarter.
I think I’m safe from the stink eye too but I think you might give it to me for saying I’m happy you bought more than I did this quarter. It makes me feel like I showed a smidge of restraint.
I Love New York For All is so far the only Bond no. 9 I have liked!
I was trying very hard to get through the year without buying a single bottle but in November I was felled by the one-two punch of Angel Liqueur de Parfum 2013 and SL Rahät Loukoum in the Vapo Tout Noir. I had to have them! And then last week I got a ridiculous thing, Yves Rocher Poire Caramel, 100 mL for $5. I regret nothing.
(perks up) Pear Caramel? $5? Sounds good.
OTOH, I might rather *eat* that. (Wanders into kitchen to find out if there are still any Christmas caramels.)
The Poire Caramel is Yves Rocher’s limited-edition Christmas scent for this past year and therefore on clearance, basically a Demeter kind of thing, light and breezy and a bit synthetic, but seriously, so much fun for the price that how could you go wrong? They also did a Blackberries but it was pure synthetic to my nose, not good at all except maybe as a room freshener. (A few years ago they did Orange Chocolat which was PERFECT, like a really stripped-down Theorema, not as great as that obviously but still fun.)
I didn’t think I bought much this quarter but looking in my perfume cabinet I see:
10ml of Eau de Magnolia from the split I hosted
A bottle of Moon Bloom
A 10 ml decant of Bohemian Black
A bottle of Ambre Precieux
A 30 ml decant of Vanille44 and 10 ml of Iris Poudre
About 30ml of vintage Carolina Herrera
Maybe $500 or thereabouts?
I so want Ambre Precioux! It’s on my list! I spent that much in FB purchases easily this year.
I find Ambre Precieux really easy to wear. Not too spicy or smoky or resin-y on me, but just right.
I was fairly restrained until this quarter, when I went perfume-crazy. I bought high-end (2! Amouages), and bargain (Casmir, Burberry Brit Rhythm for Her, and Encre Noir from the discounters), and everything in between.
Paying all the bills in January should slow me down…at least for awhile!
Curious, which Amouages did you buy?
Lyric Woman and Beloved.
Lovely choices. You should enjoy them!
Love both of those – totally worth it!
Yes, I think so, too! I had wanted Lyric for years, but Beloved was totally an impulse buy.
I also bought practically every amber under the sun. Will never again need another…amber…perfume!
One can never have too many ambers
Which ambers did you get?
Austenfan, I bought FBs of Ambre Sultan, Ambre 114, and Ambre Precieux. Plus a mini bottle of AG Ambre Fetiche. Since I already owned Prada L’Eau Ambree, L’Ambre des Merveilles, and Atelier Ambre Nue, that’s a whole lotta Amber!
I counted my perfumes this quarter as gifts to myself for the holidays, and have just gathered them around me at the table. Hello, my pretties! They were:
Cartier Zeste de Soleil
Kenzo Flower Oriental
Jour d’Hermes Absolu
Atelier Orange Sanguine set (*with* embossing on the leather case)
set of 4 teensy Hermes to try out
Not cheap, but at good prices overall. I might feel chagrin during the January bill-paying, or not.
Oh, you *did* find the Zeste de Soleil, then? I’m assuming you didn’t settle for a vat of it?
Have we already remarked on being scent twins?? Love Orange Sanguine, just ordered the Cartier, eying the Absolu…and would def have gone for that Hermes pack if I didn’t already have bottles or decants of three of them!
…I guess that means I really need to try the Kenzo!
I generally only buy minis, and the few full bottles that I buy are usually cheap thrills from ebay, ross, or fragrancenet. On the other hand I haven’t been keeping track of what I bought last year at all, so I’ve decided to keep a spreadsheet of purchases. I did order a mini of Natori a couple of days ago, and two 3.3 oz. bottles of Rose Jam shower gel last week when Lush was was having a buy one get one free sale.
Natori is wonderful!
For good or ill, whenever I began participating in these polls a few years back, I began an accounting sheet as well. It is labeled “damages” and I track month purchased, scent, and cost. I wouldn’t say it’s changed my shopping habits much, if at all, but it is kinda nice to have the record laid out like that, easier to discern than relying on my memory!
I still have one of those as well.
I stopped using it to track teh samples I’d tried, but I still track my spending. Very helpful.
Great deal on the Lush shower gel!
OMG, Priscilla E. After reading your post I went straight to the Lush site and ordered my own BOGO Rose Jam! Thanks for mentioning it.
Holy cow. Do I need 2 more bottles? Thinking about it.
Ack! I just caved on that 2 for 1 offer. Clearly I have no self-control when confronted with the power of enabling.
You know you do
Not sure if all of these were in the last quarter, but close enough.
All the FB’s I got at a discount (except Zelda) so that makes me feel a bit better, but still….
Full Bottles
-Couvent des Minimes Eau de Missions
-Bvlgari Omnia
-En Voyage Zelda
-AG Ninfeo Mio
-Hermes Hiris
Decants
-Pd’E Corsica Furiosa
-PG Felanilla
-Amouage Fate Woman
Some small decants not worth mentioning, but that make me want a FB (looking at you De Profundis!)
Yikes, don’t know how much money that adds up to but way more than I needed to spend! lol
I also got Hiris (a back up bottle) this quarter
Why did Hermes changed their packaging on this one? It went from gorgeous, to nice, to nothing special …
I know! That’s one of the reasons I bought a bottle in the old packaging- it’s so much more beautamous! It was another successful blind buy for me and I got it a good price but shipping took forevah- It came from Israel!
But totally worth the wait
I was forced to check 0, nada, goose egg! You all are going to revoke my perfumista card.
I promise I *tried* to buy a bottle (YSL Yvresse) but two weeks after paying, I was informed that it was out of stock and my money was refunded.
No, we will all admire you, we who are much more weak-willed!
Sorry about the Yvresse. That’s a bummer. I hate when vendors do that.
It’s more a case of weak-pursed than weak-willed!
Ive been trying to find a back-up of Yvresse for forever.. what finally worked was adding my name to the FragranceX waiting list. Theyve emailed a couple of times to say ‘1 in stock!’ which of course i missed out on, but a few days ago they had 21 in stock and i managed to nab one
cost a bit more than the $60 ones i shouldve grabbed here a few months ago when i saw them, but im SO happy to have a back-up.
Thank you so much, perthgirl!!
I’m surprised at how many bottles I got, but then at least 4 of them were backup bottles.
I’m pretty pleased with how my spending went (far less than in previous quarters) except for getting way too excited at Sniffapalooza and later on at Twisted Lily. It’s all paid for, but I gotta stick to my budgets for those kinds of things. I get too excited when I get to sniff perfumes in person at an actual store.
Still haven’t bought the purse refills of Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere I’ve been meaning to get, but otherwise, I got what I wanted and I have no complaints.
I wanted to get travel atomizer refills of No. 5 EDT with my Lord & Taylor coupon on Black Friday. The ignorant SAs had NEVER HEARD of the refills for the EDT. Hello, I got the EDT refill from the exact store location 3 years ago! Bah hambug!
Those SAs probably weren’t even born then.
Oof, I am realizing I got, let’s call it four bottles last quarter, not even counting things I pawned off on people needing suggestions for things to give me for Christmas! Marni (swapped away my decant to justify pulling the trigger on that pretty bottle!), a Lust solid, Dior Tendre Poison, sealed, from a thrift store, and the L’Artisan travel set. The one redeeming virtue here is that I used a number of store credits I had on hand, so the new cash outlay only about $80, under my $30/month spending target…but that’s cooking the books a bit, since I could have spent the credits on more practical items! More realistically, $125.
I never have good luck at thrift stores. Maybe I should be glad about that?!
You know, I am not sure I necessarily have good luck either, but I sorta can’t stop myself from going in, so maybe it’s sheer volume of visits, bound to yield something eventually? I would not necessarily recommend this strategy
LOL–got it!
The thrift stores around here smell like used bookstores and/or unwashed clothing.
Did not buy much, mostly decants and minis, and three modestly priced vintage perfumes: Rochas Audace, Coriandre, and Krazy Krizia. Also, I found a Guerlain cobalt Baccarat bow-tie bottle for a great price and hoovered that up. I needed it to keep my gold Coque d’Or bottle company.
Pretty bottle!!
I bought four bottles this quarter, bringing my FB total for the year to 5.
I bought Eau de Merveilles around my birthday (actually, that might be in this last quarter, but I’ve got happy hour sangria and an Blackout Manhattan muddling my head right now).
I then bought Samsara – my first ever blind buy – love eeet!
And then there were the WOOHOO I GOT A BONUS! buys: Journey Woman (on sale!); Nuit Rouge by Antonio Alessandria and Cuir de Russie.
I got a bottle of Coco for xmas from the fiancé’s fam. Overall, I’m a happy camper
Holy crap did I do damage with samples this year. Especially buying the Amouage Woman and Library Collection sample sets (yikes! together they cost the amount of a niche FB!) So yeah… taking it easy on samples in 2015… maybe…
I have those Amouage sample sets, too. but mine are lasting a long time. I usually only need two of those tiny spritzes for the fragrance to last all day.
What’s in a Blackout Manhattan?
Rye, Averno, Pimms, orange bitters and black walnut bitters. It’s a cocktail at a favorite restaurant in the neighborhood.
That sounds fantastic! Id happily drink that..
I bought too much this quarter. I am not even going to go look at the bottles to list them here. I know there are people who spent more than I did but I spent more than I should have. No regrets. I love them all.
I’m going to try to get through this quarter without buying anything. That’s going to be so incredibly hard but we’ve got some home improvement projects starting so I need to behave.
Well, all I can say is good thing there isn’t a home improvements damage poll!
Girlfriend, you’ve got that right! It’s amazing how these things just snowball. You start with one thing and it leads into another, and another… And let’s not even talk about the unpleasant surprises the contractors find along the way that need to be taken care of. Part of me is really dreading the start of this.
I’ve only been a homeowner a few years now, and I knew, at least intellectually, that there would be costs along the way, but I have been quite surprised at how they can build one on top of another like they do! Without my home-related expenses, my spending over the past few years has been surprisingly stable. With the house, though. . . let’s say it’s good we’ve finally settled our contract with the school district!
Good luck with all your projects. I hope that at least some of them are deeply satisfying at their completion!
It’s crazy the costs! Right after we moved into our house, we lost a huge butternut tree in a storm, which cost 2k to chop down and remove! Plus anything you want to do to improve. We just gutted and renovated our bathroom ourselves and it was still 5k or so, I can’t even imagine how much it would have cost had we hired contractors…
Wow. Congrats on the bathroom remodel! I hope it didn’t take too many years!
I had no idea a tree removal could be so spendy! I don’t have any trees on my property–well, nothing that’s over 10 feet or so, in any case. I’ve planted some saplings that will be pretty some day!
We will be having the kitchen done so trust me, I’ll be venting about it on here at some point I’m sure.
Getting rid of trees is not cheap. Thankfully I’ve found a good tree guy who gives me reasonable prices. We have weak trees.
hahaha! The Money Pit movie should be mandatory watching for all new homeowners. It’s a documentary, not a comedy… We’ve rebuilt nearly our whole house over the past 20 yrs. Perfume spendiness got nuthin on house spendiness….
Hello, i’m new here
I have just gotten into perfume so I justify my spending as exploring new territory, lol. But really I am just a sucker for a sale.
Bought this quarter:
30mls Amouage Epic woman, $50
20mls partial bottle VCA Vanille Orchidee, $35
100mls Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay $80
30mls Jo Malone Vanilla and Anise $35
100mls Couvent des minimes Eau de Missions $12
100mls Tommy Girl $12
50mls Aquolina Pink Sugar $7
30mls Lolita Lempicka $20
10mls Eau D’Italie Paestum Rose $20
Andy Tauer sample set $20
Chanel no 19 EDT mini $6
…eek! I’ll be good this next quarter I promise!
Welcome! And looks like you’ve been doing quite well without our help
I wanna go shopping with you. You’ve got some good buys there.
Nice to meet you. You did better than most of the seasoned professionals on here! Where do you find Jo Malone on sale?
Hi, sorry to respond so late but I don’t have notifications turned on! I bought the Jo Malones from a nice lady who was selling them on a makeup forum – she received them as a Xmas gift and didn’t want them, it seems.
Holy crap, where did you get an Amouage for $50!?
Nice list!
It was a partially used tester bottle at a local store!
Bottle numbers-wise there was some bingeing going on . $ wise? Not so much. I think I’ve spent about $110 roughly maybe $125 at the way outside. Slightly miffed that my big deal find in a group lot was a factice rather than a perfume. Oh well , adds to my perfumista cred I guess.. ( 1.18 oz bottle of Hermes Voyage d’Hermes .. Not heartbroken I think I sniffed it and thought it was okay . Was stoked about the deal $1.15 ! I’m going to see if I can resell it on ebay more appropriately listed as a collectible factice .)
For the nity gritty of what I bought, here you go ( I know I love to see what exactly has been good enough to buy for the rest of you!)
At thrift shops
Avon Timeless solid. $1 on one trip,
Jacomo Perfume Rare in a big honking 5oz bottle 4/5 full
Vintage Colors de Benetton
I think there was a few more that I’ve forgotten but that trips lot was about $20.
Ebay
Vintage Oscar de la Renta Ruffles $5
Mitsouko $12
Vintage stopper bottle Sung (love!!!) $10
Two group lots about $46 for 22 bottles (though one ended up being a factice) twenty fragrances ( EA True Love was in both lots)
Magic Rose
Avon sunshine splash
Escape ( passed to mom)
Baby Phat Goddess( may pass to my niece)
Ici ( great cocoa floral!)
Dana Classic Gardinia
Sunflowers backup
CK Secret Obsession ( love ! Great mace /spicey floral)
Backup bottles of Kenneth Cole NY Woman
Si Lolita
Also Flower ( water lily scent in green flower bottle)
Avon rare rubies ( older style bottle)
Ugh cannot recall,…..
Halston ,
JdP Essenzia de Duende( citrusy haven’t fully explored everything yet)
Addidas moves for her ( had this in my teens and gave it away before moving)
Azzaro Chrome mini ( man is this stuff STRONG! A dab is a wallop of scent!)
A backup of Black Pearls and lastly
Shanghai in the glass paperweight bubble bottle.( rosewood and spices yum!)
Then I got six more fragrances for Christmas .but those don’t count . EA green tea cherry blossom , and EA GT lavender( most worn of all new arrivals) , Salvatore Ferragamo pour Homme ( requested ), and a trio of 15 ml Anna Sui purse sprays , Fairy Dance, and two others.
Forgot ! I also bought a 1oz. Agent Provocateur Petal’e Noir at Ross for $10 . Very nice . Recommended!
Whew, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought. The quarter before, another story….
This quarter I got
Elie Saab (free thanks to Shopper’s points)
Narciso (also free, love them Shopper’s points)
Gucci Rush (discounted)
Guerlain Idylle (also a bargain)
Phi Une Rose de Kandahar (had to! glad I did!)
Last but not least Moon Bloom and Shangri La travel sprays (no discount there!)
A fairly restrained quarter for me with all purchases being discounted
Centennial 50ml– $80
Rose for Beacon Free 11ml– $17.50
Samarinda 30ml — $58
Green 100ml — $169
Kalimantan 75ml — $59
I wasn’t intending to buy Green but I suspect it is fading into discontinued land so I got a capless one off ebay….
Here I was, being all smug as usual when I remembered that darned Soivhole sale and then remembered several others. I was unusually bad this quarter.
8 small Soivhole bottles (don’t remember which and don’t have my spreadsheet)
Several FSW things (a couple back up Winter Kitty solids, another Winter Kitty oil, more French Oakmoss, and one of those gorgeous lockets with a Fireside Story solid ’cause they were on clearance)
EL Sensuous Nude (Marshall’s clearance shelf)
I know there are quite a few more but am too tired to remember which. I usually stick to three or four FBs per year so this is a bit much for me.
Oh, I forgot, a bottle of San Francisco Rose and a bottle of Eau D’Ete.
I can’t believe it – I bought 0 bottles in 2014. I’d like to say I’m extremely disciplined but the truth is that I still have a sensitive nose from pregnancy and most fragrances make me nauseous. I did manage to buy a slice of Snowcake soap from Lush and a bottle of Jo Malone Wild Fig and Cassis Bath Oil in this last quarter though. They’re kind of my consolation prizes since I only wore perfume a handful of times all year. If they count then total spending is about $75.
Pregnancy related smell sensitivity saved me from spending a fortune on perfumes in 2014 :). Now that it’s over I am back to being bad, though not as bad as last year or the one before. Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy and labour!!!
Thanks for the good wishes Ajda! I actually had my baby in August but the sensitivity remains. I’m starting to wonder if this little hobby of mine is coming to an end. I just can’t appreciate scents like I used to. Congratulations on your baby too! Isn’t motherhood wonderful? I’m loving every minute of it.
Oh, we have August buddies then! My DD (#3) was born on the 25th.
Wonderful, but it can be quite a bumpy ride :D.
Maybe your love for perfumes will return after a little while longer, just give it time. It took me almost a year with #1 to start appreciating scent again,
Hey Lucy, congrats on 0! One of these days, you will want a fragrance again. I had a lot of trouble with fragrances when I was pregnant, and it’s not unusual. Now is the time to focus on other fleeting and very upcoming pleasant smells. Good luck!!
This quarter I was “good” and only treated myself to a little bottle of Wood Sage & Sea Salt and some silly Vinca Camuto from TJ Maxx – combined, about $50 total (gotta love Nordstrom Notes).
I really want to test the wood sage and sea salt!
The entirety of my perfume obsession has been in the last quarter of 2014 as I only really got into it in October! Since then I’ve made 3 ‘larger’ purchases – a roll on of Philosykos, a bottle of Seville a l’aube (go go Hautelook sale!), and the April Aromatics San Francisco Rose. I also snagged a couple LaVanila rollerballs and a 20ml purse spray of Balenciaga Paris at TJ Maxx, but I’m not really counting those. Or the samples…
I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings my way!
I was doing so well and then I visited Aedes in NY and things went rapidly and I must say deliciously downhill from there:
Tom Ford – Tobacco Oud
Tom Ford – Shanghai Lilly
ADV- Oeillet Bengale
Agonist- Dark Saphir
Aesop – Marrakech Intense
Nicolai -Cuir Cuba and Amber Oud
A refill of SG Chene
A refill of diptique Volutes
A refill of L’artisan passage de enfer
Arquiste for J Crew # 57
Jo Malone – wood sage & sea salt
CdG – Black
And by some miracle, Guerlain Encens Mythique D’orient @ JFK terminal 3?
Wow this was fun to read! It makes me want to go perfume shopping with a lot of people, but my wallet is probably very glad that I can’t actually do this. I will say that I bought way too many things but they were, for the most part, things that have been sitting on my to buy list for a very long time and I am super excited to finally own them. Here we go:
Chergui
Bvlgari Black
decants of Sous le Toit de Paris
Plus a giant stash of scented candles which I will give to anyone who I think will appreciate them
P.S. I won’t count the decant of Lumiere Blanche because I bought it on January first.
Oops, and then there was the 10 Corso Como I bought “by accident” on ebay. I did end up being very glad I got that one too though.
*perks ears*
Scented candles? Which ones? Are you gifting them for the holidays?
Just CDG Avignon for me which I got for about 60 USD during the black Friday sales.
I had two impulse buys in the CdG store in Melbourne. Pharrell Girl travel spray and FB of Daphne (love). I bought two 5 ml FM minis Cassie and Therese, but my daughter managed to drop the Therese which shattered on the tiles. The bathroom smelled divine for a few days!
Just one for me this quarter, Prada Man.
I had this a few years ago and got bored of it, but recently I’ve been missing it since a work colleague started wearing it.
Other than that a few Christmas gifts, Womanity aqua chic, love Chloe, the original Chloe and Chanel Coco Mdmlle.
Oooh, and I know these don’t count but am so happy that I ventured a little further down the hole, a selection of Maison FK samples. Really like, Pluriel and Amyris.
I giggle everytime a post starts with “I was doing so well,and then…”Lol!!I was also doing VERY well for 3 months,and then December came…and a friend visited Dubai….and 1 phoned me wile standing in Harrods…lol!!
I know… some great rationalizations!
Well, if you are going to do it, that’s the way to do it!!
*wHile standing in Harrods.Lol.But dear friends,you get the idea…lol.
I *think* I bought 3 FBs: Ambre Sultan, Safran Troublant and Bois Farine. I will count 3 decants of Frederic Malles as 1 bottle, so 4 all together. I plan on not spending more than 50€ a month in 2015.We’ll see how that goes :).
1. Violet Blonde – Tom Ford
2. Musc Nomade (small bottle) Annick Goutal
1 has had lots of wear and am impatiently waiting for 2 to arrive in the mail….
Minor rant; went to see Favelas at the cinema last night, through the entire film my nostrils were assaulted by Eternity, which a lady a few seats away had generously applied. Unbearable. Irony is; I used to wear it years ago! Think this lady has been wearing it for many years and can no longer smell it! Favelas reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire a bit.
I’ve been a bad, bad girl…. newbie excuse, I was starting from zero. OK, one bottle of Lauren from the 80’s and one bottle of Very Valentino from… I have no idea when. or why. But then down the rabbit hole I went…. ooh! shiny! …and all those sales…. only listing FBs here. We will not discuss The Sample Situation.
CBIHP Ambrosius and Musk Reinvention
Fendi Theorema
Teo Cabanel Meloe
Houbigant Apercu
Diptyque Philosykos
Serge Lutens Cedre, Ambre Sultan, Feminite du Bois
Donna Karan Black Cashmere, Gold
Comme des Garcons Wonderwood
Etro Sandalo
Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude
YSL Nu
Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee
Armani Prive Ambre Soie (cough)
I promise to chill out in Q1. (though my fingers may be crossed behind my back….)
I thought I was kinda good this quarter, until I really started looking and realized what all I had actually bought. A few of these I thought I had bought in Q3, but apparently not.
Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions 100ml – $38
EL Sensuous Noir 30ml – $30
Oscar de la Renta Oscar 30ml – $15
Donna Karan Gold 30ml – $14
Cacharel Anais Anais 50ml – $25
CK Obsession 15ml – $8
And I got a bottle of SL Fleurs d’Oranger for Christmas.
Just screeching in here at the last minute. Thanks everyone for the ideas on what to get for Q1 LOL
This quarter I bought:
100 ml tester Amouage Lyric Woman $150
PHI $160
Bvlgari au the vert $33
Les Nereides Royal Opopomax $83 including shipping from Italy
L’air DDM, a gift from husband