It’s July! Donatella, Our Lady of Scented Excess,1 having honorably discharged her duties as Stonewall ambassador, is turning her attention, however briefly, back to our little corner of the internets. She is wondering just how many bottles you might have acquired in the 2nd quarter (April, May and June) of 2019. Do tell all!
My purchases...
I paid $50 to the Arielle Shoshana kickstarter, so I got a travel spray of Saturday, and I should get a travel spray of Sunday when it comes out in October(ish). Added to my first quarter, I've now spent $145 this 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.
In order of purchase:
Lights, Roads, 50ml
Hope, Agonist, 50ml
Rosa Pop, Guerlain, 100ml
Nahema, Guerlain, 100ml
Pour un Homme, Caron, 200ml
Shalimar EDT, Guerlain, 90ml
L’heure Bleue EDP, Guerlain, 75ml
Selfie, Olfactive Studio, 100ml
Smelling pretty great, even if I do say so myself!
I’ll say it with you: you smell great!
I think ‘Selfie” is the MOST clever name for a perfume. I am on my way to read more about it. Congrats Bob!!
Nice choices!
Excellent choices!
I only bought one bottle: a roll-on of Diptyque Eau de Lavande which I have since mislaid. I haven’t got a clue where I left it. I only bought it at half price and it wasn’t expensive to begin with. But this is a serious perfumista sin.
Have been too busy this quarter to do any serious perfume buying. Also I can’t make up my mind which one on my long wish list I would like to purchase first. Decisions, decisions
Reminds me I have the roller ball of Geranium Odorata that I tend to forget about. Hope you find it!
That geranium one is nice.
Oh, that is infuriating! I hope it turns up.
Not being able to decide what to buy next saves me tons of money.
I bought 50 ml bottle of Chanel Paris-Deauville when I was in Paris at the beginning of June.
The perfect place to buy it!
And I love they introduced smaller bottle!
Since I put the label “hobby” on my perfume habits, I’m no longer embarrassed by the amount of time and money spent on it. Latest discovery is Atkinsons with its beautiful Jasmine in tangerine and sexy Scilly neroli ???
The hobby designation helps me too! People spend so much on gardening or cars or whatever, and perfume is a daily joy.
Absolutely!
Seconded!
Me three!
It sure is!!
Have just mentally reclassified perfume as “hobby” instead of “indulgence”. Thanks for the tip.?
Helps to ease your mind, doesn’t it? And what a wonderfull hobby it is!!!
I didn’t buy anything all quarter until the last two weeks of June.
Lolita Lempicka EDP 50ml $42.92
Guerlain Cologne du 68 100ml 95% full from eBay $98
Hendley Perfumes Amora, Blond, and Untitled 9ml travel sprays 15% off $77.40
Total was $218.32
At first read, I thought it was,
Today: $218
?
Oh my goodness, nice job on the Guerlain!
I haven’t been here for ages… but I have not neglected my scents, with 2 new entries I am very happy with: arcana rosa (artisan), and orris tattoo (parle moi de parfum, maybe my new favourite brand)
Hi Bee! One of these days I will manage to try the Parle Moi line — I have heard good things.
This quarter I stuck to my budget and mostly made tiny purchases: lots of samples
some vintage treasures heading in and out on eBay (hello Azuree bath set!)
a mini of no. 22 parfum
my old beloved Body Shop Ananya oil
and one big mistake, a blind buy of Hiram Green Shangri La in the mini size, which I assumed I’d love because I love Dilettante so much. If anyone loves this and wants to swap, hit me up at my user name + doublemint at gmail!
Azuree bath set and no22! Divine.
I also love Dilettante and find Shangri La vile! I got rid of my sample quickly.
Shangri La has become one of my all time ever favorites, admittedly, it took awhile.
More for you!
Huh, I don’t think I remember the notes for Shanghai La being too out there. What did the two of you find so off putting?
And lillyjo, what about it do you enjoy?
I didn’t find it offputting at all. I think it’s very nice, just didn’t excite me enough to compete with all my other darlings.
I enjoy the vintage feel. It’s pretty sultry smelling to me, and I like that.
I had trouble with Shangri La until I fell in love with it. I had a similar reaction to HdP’s 1969. So much so that I just inspired myself to try a comparison wear. They smell nothing alike–funny how my memory of them is so similar!
Thanks all for letting me know! It’s going on my ever growing “to try” list.
A coffret of three Norell 7.5ml minis (current production, not vintage): Norell parfum, Elixir edp, and Blushing edp.
A 12ml decant of Azemour Les Orangers.
Oops – that’s Norell “New York” parfum, not just plain Norell.
I think when they put the city on the bottle, it’s still just the name….like, it’s Norell, and Balenciaga is just Balenciaga even though they put Paris on the bottle?
I think they put the New York on the newer formulation that came out a few years back.
That is true, I just saw it as an affectation…
Yes, I don’t think it’s a replica of the original Norell. I don’t remember that one too well, although my mother wore it briefly during the ’80s, but I think it was more definitely a “green” scent – the actual color was green, too. This New York is pale golden, nearly clear, not a forest-y green chypre although it has chypre leanings.
Plus, all three of these have “Norell” in the same big font on the label, with the other name in a much smaller font below.
Right…like every Chanel label, for instance, it will say “Paris” in a smaller font below. But Paris is not part of the perfume name.
I haven’t been as disciplined as during the first quarter, but had a really stressful couple of weeks and one can only have so much self control. Bought; 1. 100ml Fils de Dieu $120 2. Hermes Caleche Eau Delicate $50 3. John Galliano $30 4. Musc Nomade $80 5. TBS Red Musk $8 Total: $288
Caleche Eau Delicate! I haven’t seen that one mentioned for awhile. It’s lovely.
Ditto!
Fils de Dieu is so good in the summer. And all year around, actually.
One… Guerlain AA Ginger Piccante. It’s a great fresh ginger scent with rose in the mix. I don’t usually like rose but this works really well.
I wanna try this and the coconut as well.
Oh, sounds delicious!
Sounds really good!
I purchased a roll-on of MCMC Maine perfume oil…and received a bottle of Santa Maria Novella Rosa as a gift!
Nice gift J!
3 for me because May is my bday month ?
30ml (2nd) bottle of PdN Neroli Intense
SL Gris Clair
VC&A California Reverie
All discounted so not too much of an economic blow, and I love all of them!
Loving what you purchased is what is most important
Yes! And I try to make sure that’s the case, at least at the time of purchase. I have been known to get tired even of things I’ve loved, though.
Hi Elisa P,
California Reverie is really a perfect jasmine perfume! I am glad to see it get the love here. It was the first bottle I gave to my daughter and she gets many compliments when she wears it. I love it too.
Did you buy a newer bottle of Gris Clair or vintage? I wonder how the supposed reformulations affected this one if at all. Do you have some thoughts?
It’s not vintage since it has the relatively newer SL logo on it, but it’s not in the totally new packaging (for a lot more money). I don’t really have anything to compare it to except a decant I got in a swap and it smells the same as that. Sorry this was probably no help, lol!
Nice gift for your daughter! I really love CR and it’s easy to wear.
I know I’m not alone, but I get zero jasmine from California Reverie. I get oranges, mostly.
I mostly get orange blossom, but I can detect a little jasmine in the mix.
Hmmm. May is my birthday month as well and I didn’t buy anything. This give me food for thought. *ponders list*
I did some serious retail therapy this quarter.
All full bottles:
Dame Monsoon
Dame Earth Mother
Lush Amelie Mae
ELDO’s You or Someone Like You
Andree Putman L’Original
A Lab on Fire – California Snow
No regrets.
Donatella does not want you to have regrets
Hey, retail therapy *works*.
I missed Q1, so am reporting 6 months of purchases:
Q1
Chergui $49.95 (reform bottle which I’m not crazy about)
Q2
Used bottle of Chanel No 5 L’eau $27
TF samples, Soleil Blanc & Eau de SB $9.95
Used bottle of Prada Iris Absolu $28
Mini spray Diptyque Oyedo $23.50
Total damage: $138.44
That’s about what I was spending weekly in 2015.
Funny story about the Prada Iris: I bought it on ebay and suspected that based on the seller’s store, she was fellow perfumista selling off some unwanted bottles. When she sent me the shipping confirmation, it showed her full name and email address and I realized it was an NSTer I’d swapped and done splits with in the past. We had a nice little email exchange and caught up
Those Diptyque travel sprays are so tempting
That is a cute story!
And where did you get the mini spray of Oyedo?
EBay. There were a few from different sellers, IIRC.
I posted before I read your purchases. I spent less in 6 months than you did, which is a serious achievement
There’s gotta be some kind of trophy for that, right? ?
Thank you!
And yes, absolutely.
Hehehe, cute! Every time I buy a perfume on eBay, I wonder if the seller will be someone I know from NST!
Now I wonder if the Chergui bottle I got (and then swapped) was a newer reform, because it didn’t smell the way others describe it- and I didn’t really like it.
In April, I stuck to my plan of restraint. I bought 2 FBs and I paid for them with sales of perfumes I no longer wear. The damage was:
1. Miller Harris Wander Through the Parks
2. Chris Rusak Timbre
And #2 there even counts as a charitable contribution, since I bought it direct from an independent perfumer. Marvel at the restraint!
Ah, but May. I always say, if you’re going to do a belly flop off the wagon, you might as well roll around in the mud awhile.
I bought myself a gift at Arielle Shoshanna when I visited DC (surely that is a souvenir which doesn’t count):
3. ELdO You Or Someone Like You
Then there was the 4711 Incident (170 mls each!!):
4. 4711 Pink Pepper & Grapefruit
5. 4711 Myrrh & Kumquat
6. 4711 Lime & Nutmeg
7. 4711 Mandarine & Cardamom
Then I discovered that Lush UK will ship perfumes anywhere, and with the lower UK prices and the current exchange rate, it was actually cheaper to buy from the UK than to buy locally (go figure).
8. Lush Grass
9. Lush Pansy
10. Lush Junk
Then a bit of random indulgence during Memorial Day sales:
11. Caswell Massey Yellowstone Mammoth
12. C.O.Bigelow Lemon Leaf
13. Profumum Roma Santalum
14. Miller Harris Lost in the City
Thankfully that was the end of May! Whew! I told myself that restraint would be my motto for June.
Motto schmotto.
There was the Smell Bent Garage Sale:
15. Smell Bent Mirror Ball
16. Smell Bent Ice Station Zebra
17. Smell Bent Ice Station Pineapple
18. Smell Bent Bad Girls
19. Smell Bent Bad Guy
20. Smell Bent St Tropez Dispenser
21. Smell Bent St Tropez Gold
22. Smell Bent Siberian She Wolf
And some more random indulgence:
23. Estee Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude
24. Jo Loves Jo
Toss in a few mini’s along the way (Starck Peau d’Ailleurs, L’Occitane Herbae, House of Matriarch Bonsai, House of Matriarch WitchMusk, Dior Purple Oud) and there you have it.
Now I did sell 6 FB’s and 6 mini’s, and y’all helped me split off half the 4711’s, so let’s call that a net of +16 FBs and -1 mini’s.
So if you overlook a few moments of indulgence (4711’s, Lush, Smell Bent) I *DID* stick to my target of 2 (ish) FBs a month! Go me! Well ok, maybe it’s hard to overlook quite that much indulgence…mmph. Restraint now? (yeah right)
Enjoy them Pixel, no need to feel guilty and you still have 2 quarters to apply the ‘plan of restraint’ I like your expression.
Go You!
Donatella says congratulations on sticking to your target!
It is 8:45 PM and I am sitting at my desk waiting for a call from someone in India–who is now a quarter of an hour late–so decided to peruse the damage poll. Thanks for the laughs!
Interesting how You or Someone Like You is gaining momentum…
I specifically went through the damage polls tonight to find your post. Because I always love your posts. Thank you for living up to the expectation
You smell great. (Also, I’ve been meaning to try out those 5 mL Smell Bents. What am I waiting for? I think to clear out some of my current samples/decants/travel sprays.)
Nice haul! I have the Smell Bent Ice Station Pineapple too, it’s fun. Where are you buying your Miller Harris bottles from?
I was very good in April as I bought nothing but got carried away in May and June, the good news is I almost managed to stop buying BUBs and that I loved everything I purchased except for the utilitarian Emporio Armani
Jasmins Marzipane travel spray £17.50 my second favorite blind buy
Vintage Coty L’Aimant BUB EDT 100ml £6.05
Vintage Penhaligons Hammam Bouquet EDT 45/50ml £10.50
Fendi Asja EDT 75ml £38
Vintage L’Interdit EDT 60ml £19
Emporio Armani Diamonds Violet EDT 30ml £11 (to use at the library)
Tweed Lentheric PdT 50ml £2.50
Blazer Helena Rubinstein parfum 20ml £15 (my second favorite buy)
Terry de Gunzburg Rouge Nocturne 100ml £42 (reader I succombed I had wanted it forever it seems, and found it at a good price)
Weil de Weil PdT 59ml £24.99 this is a gem of a green chypre
10 Corso Como EDP 50ml £19.99 (the surprise was that without knowing it I got a vintage bottle, my favorite blind buy)
Houbigant Essence Rare 80/100ml £36 (my favorite buy)
Guerlain l’Heure Bleue BUB EDT 93ml £26.10
Vintage Trussardi Donna 1st version EDT 100ml £31 this too is a favorite buy
Vintage Givenchy l’Interdit extrait 15ml £14.50 my latest purchase, haven’t received it yet
You got some beautiful perfumes there, and those prices! Great find on the Fendi!
Thank you Lillyjo, my purchases did bring me joy this quarter more than last one with all my ridiculous BUBs buys, really what was I thinking. Our eBay UK has really great prices and with a few rules applied, very safe but I wish I were in the US to share some Asja with you
lillyjo – if you are dying for some Asja, let me know. Click on my username for my contact info.
Aurora, PLEASE tell me about Houbigant Essences Rare?? I have had my eye on that one since the release. I want to hear everything!!!
I find it one of the most perfect floral, it is seamless and airy too, the lily of the valley note is unlike any I’ve smelled before, the iris makes it powdery but it is just a touch, I could only compare to Tom Ford Fleur de Chine, they are different perfumes but both have an elegance and timelessness about them that is indeed rare nowadays.
I wish I could send you a decant but we are not allowed to send perfume from the UK
What a description! Adding to the must smell list!
Wow that sounds intoxicating, thank you for the description. And thanks very much for the thought – I will get a sample sometime no doubt. I was really just excited to see someone here who’d actually experienced it. And that bottle is gorgeous.! Congratulations and enjoy it!
And forgot to say, lasting power very good and sillage above average for quite some time.
OMG Rouge Nocturne at £42… I would have been hyperventilating as I ran to the cash register!
And a vintage 10 CC… you won the lottery this month!
It might be all downhill from there
but more seriously I will add much less to my collection next quarter.
Lots of vintage goodies on your list! ?
Yes, the classics are still favorite, I do recommend Weil de Weil, an old school chypre, scent intact, Jalapeno.
Wow, what treasures at such great prices! Good finds!
Thank you for approving, Koyel, for some purchases I waited a very long time, others were because of great deals, hopefully I will slow down as I managed to misplace 2 bottles of Oscar so it shows the collection has reached saturation methink.
Bon Parfumeur 402 Vanilla Toffee Sandalwood
Bon Parfumeur 501 Praline Licorice Patchouli
Profumi di Firenze Vaniglia del Madagascar
Kyse Bonbons à la Vanille
Kyse Delizia di Marshmallow
Vanilla Quest 2019 is in full swing, folks! ?
I was wondering about your vanilla quest the other day. I tried a bunch this winter and didn’t like any of them.
Any successes?
What’s your goal for Vanilla Quest, She-ra?
Never heard of Bon Parfumeur, we will have to meet up this fall so I can sniff.
As always, I love reading the lists that have been put up so far, and I can’t wait to read the rest
Now that I am no longer on a no-buy, I have gotten back to purchasing, but only veeeeeeery cautiously. So cautiously that I have been dithering for days over a $20 partial bottle of Clinique Wrappings on eBay (it would be a blind buy; I figure $20 isn’t much for a hajusuuri-sized sample).
So all I have is:
1. 10 mL Arielle Shoshana Saturday + 10 mL Sunday (via Kickstarter), $50
2. 5 mL decant HG Lustre, $17
I have decided to count decants as whole purchases to shame myself into not buying a ton of decants again. But in any case, just two things for me this quarter, so I’ve still been pretty good
This is so judicious! Good for you. I mayyy be able to save you some money on Wrappings – I tried it in a dept store this year and found it good-not-great. But I know there are others that love it.
Heh, everyone else seems to LOVE it though! But thank you for complimenting my judiciousness. *preen preen* I’m pretty proud of myself. My cat possibly being allergic to my perfume really put a damper on my purchasing.
Congrats!
I’ve always counted decants. Most years I’ve spent way more on decants than on bottles. It’s still real $!
I think last year, I didn’t want to count decants because I was spending such incredibly absurd sums on bottles. Now I have tons of decants evaporating briskly away, and I realize that that’s REAL MONEY disappearing!
I bought a few. I started ebaying. Does binge-eBay purchasing count?
I’m cringing. I’ve slowed down.
The last package is MIA. One seller out of …
My favorite purchase was Commodity Book. It reminds me of my parents.
Oh, I hope that package turns up!
My only purchase this quarter was Neela Vermeire’s Ashoka. It was on my list for Paris, but I didn’t find it where I expected to. Neela Vermeire’s website lists Jovoy as a stockist, but they didn’t have the line, so I decides that buying Ashoka from Luckyscent was about completing my holiday shopping list, rather than undue extravagance after I’d already spent so much on holiday
As always, looking to reading everyone’s confessions!
But of course it is about completing your list! Glad you got some anyway.
Oh no! When I went to Jovoy a year ago, they had the full NVC line; it’s a bummer that they have stopped carrying it.
One mini 15 ml bottle, a 50 ml bottle and a 10 ml decant ..$76.
Seriously, you are not going to tell us of WHAT?
LOL
Ditto. Inquiring minds *need* to know!
Last Sunday I ordered bottles of Encre Noir and Guerlain Vetiver. I ordered from a discounter and both bottle plus shipping were less than $50.00
Nice!!
Well played!
I have been relatively good this quarter:
1. A BUB of Guerlain L’instant – from the discounter’s. I was worried the old bottle style would be hard to find.
2. A set of L’occitane Terre de Lumiere – mini bottle and body wash and cream.
3. A 75 ml bottle of Coromandel that I split 30 ml of
Oops forgot one: cheap thrill Heliotrope Blanc. This has become my bedtime scent
OH BOY – this is realllllly like confession….I did a partial one just last week.
Why didn’t Donatella stay at the Lake with Robin??
1)Kickstarter for Arielle Shoshana as well and can’t wait to try ‘Sunday’
2)Ormonde Jayne Rose Gold (for a dear family member) ‘ouch’ I know…..
3)Guerlain Nahema: for my dearest and adorable Aunt Sylvia
4)Guerlain Terracotta: for my housesitter who worked very hard looking after our house and it was a great deal on fragrancenet.
5)Hiram Green Shangrai La: A closeout special.
6)Annick Goutal Grand Amour: a 30ml deal online at a steal I adore this.
7)Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio: I haven’t opened yet, but I am so excited.
8)Tabac Blond: for our daughter as a thank-you gift for a marvelous trip. I wish I could sniff this on her!!!
9)Kilian Love & Tears because I gifted a FB of Kabeah Nuit de Jasmin and have nothing left for me to wear. I have wanted to try this for years and it seems like a very wearable daily jasmine fragrance.
I am not counting all the fabulous decants from the last split meet right? I love Memo Tiger’s Nest, and Grandiflora Magnolia Michel as well. I am holding onto Olibanum by Profumum until this fall.
10) I bought some Patchouli decants for my niece: DSH Vintage Patchouli and L’Artisan Patchouli Patch plus VC&A’s Moonlight Patchouli (Wow, that one is stunning!) We had a time!
Opps and then there’s MEM by Bogue: that’s a long story, a real craving I couldn’t satisfy after 2 decants but I waited a LONG time.
Yikes, double digits.
No walk of shame but no more for me…..until ‘Le Cri’ returns ?
I will live vicariously through you all.
You know gifts don’t count, right? So it’s not so bad.
NOW I do, thanks!
You need to rework your whole list!
I count everrrrything – bottles, minis, decants, samples, splits, and even the cost of shipping out swaps and freebies.
But not gifts!!
If there was shopping at the lake I’m sure she would have stopped by! Unfortunately, there is nothing much to buy, unless she wanted an ice cream cone or a tub of worms from the convenience store
Lol at tub of worms!
An earthy animalic with hints of marine notes, peat, dirt and fresh rain.: tub of worms’
I believe you meant to say “La Cuve aux Vers”, or some such.
It sounds much fancier that way, doesn’t it, Annie? lol
I found a term that could be thrown into your description in the 2018 Perfume Guide: “Geosmin.”
Luca Turin says, “This is the famed molecule of petrichor, the smell of earth after rain…”
I also missed Q1, so am reporting 6 months of purchases:
Zip, zilch, nada
I badly fractured my wrist in late Feb, so have been sidelined with surgery (plates and screws) and PT.
My goal is to have a zero FB purchase year – so far, I have exceeded that.
Pain meds helped
Hi Hannahmom, it’s great to see you here, but I am so sorry for your wrist injury! That has to be very painful and even more inconvenient. Are you doing any rehab?
Yes – I am 6 weeks into physio. The tell me I’ll have to be in Physio till the end of the year. Pain is manageable though, so I’ll take it
hannahmom, sorry to hear about your wrist. Hopefully, you’ll recover as quickly as possible.
Wishing you a complete recovery from the nasty fracture.
Huge congrats on sticking to your goal despite the wrist, that’s amazing! I would have caved the day I broke my wrist.
And every night when the pain meds kicked in …
LOL!
Best of luck with all the PT to come.
I’m so sorry about your wrist! I hope it heals well.
Oh no, sorry about your wrist. Good luck with the physio!
When I had a dislocated shoulder (4 times), my physio went on for a year after surgery. It was a pain to go at the time, but worth it now.
Oof! Sorry about your wrist
Wishing you a quick recovery!
Wow, I am truly impressed. But kinda bummed out because I usually love reading your confessions
Hope the PT goes well. Sounds excruciating and wish your perfume distraction was something less unpleasant!
Congrats! But sorry it was a shattered wrist that helped you meet your goal ? Wishing you a full recovery!
I bought nothing in April or June, but the Chicago Basenotes meetup was in May. Just try not to buy anything when surrounded by people who love perfume, know perfumes that you don’t and make them sound incredible, and stick blotters under your nose, urging you to “Smell this!” I’m lucky to have escaped as lightly as I did. I do love everything I bought, I but I would have spread the purchases out a bit had I not been in Chicago. I’d call them Chicago souvenirs except I saw nothing of Chicago except restaurants and perfume spots.
May’s damage:
100ml split of Dior Cuir Cannage $176
15ml Hermes Cedre Sambac $46
125ml Parfums de Marly Oajan $174
50ml Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu $162
45ml travel set Parfums de Marly Delina $101
50ml Parfumerie Generale Louanges Profanes $65
Total $724 and happy memories.
Donatella and I are BFFs again.
Ohhhh PG Louanges Profanes is YUMMMY, Good One Foxbins! You don’t hear much about that one but it IS ADDICTIVE.
The 100 ml Dior split is cracking me up! LOL
Enjoy. Sounds like a fun trip!
Zero, zilch, zip, nada for the entire quarter.
However, I am once again in “hunting mode” for a couple of things, and am now actively keeping an eye out for bargains on said things. We shall see…
You’ve been so restrained that you deserve great bargains coming your way.
That’s very kind of you to say so Aurora. Here’s hoping that a great deal does show up!
A set of Ormonde Jayne travel sprays and the Arielle Shoshana Kickstarter was it for me! But now I know I hear the new AA is a pleasant fresh ginger…
Hi Rayleighblue, I loved that decant of heirloom!!!
Yay, I’m glad! The strong tomato leaf note isn’t for everyone (I’ve tested it on a few friends and my mom, none of them fell in love) but I find it cheerful. If you’re in need of more email me!
I was really happy to hear that the AS Sunday Kickstarter was fully funded!
Me too!
What, a ginger AA? I have been on a bit of a ginger kick, with a nice decant of JM Ginger Biscuit (which I keep calling “Ginger Cookie” in an unBritish way) and SL 5 O’Clock au Gingembre. I am sure it will do no harm at all to stroll past the Guerlain Counter…
It’s the new Guerlain Aqua Allegoria that’s out this summer!
I don’t think I bought anything this quarter. I am not on a “no buy” but I was so busy at work that all I have energy for is to wear perfumes I already have. But it’s kind of a pleasant realization that from the budget I set for my hobby for the year I still can buy almost any perfume if I like anything enough to do that… as soon as I have time to look for anything new
LOL, we are twins with being busy and it’s actually a money saver!
Forgive me, Donatella, for I have indulged. In an insomnia fueled fit of existential angst, I may have gone a little crazy for Chanel. One 50ml No. 19 EDP. And I finally caved on the les Exclusifs sample set, which I’ve been salivating over since it was the daily lemming. Total expenditure somewhere around $370.
In my defense, not only did I have to have dental surgery this quarter, but also had a spell of serious illness. So. I totally deserve it. But I hearby promise to behave myself until I catch up on my savings goals for the year, which hopefully will be by my birthday in November, so I can treat myself to a bottle of my favorite Exclusif, if I can decide by then which it is.
What fun, an Exclusifs sample set, and hoping you are quite recovered from the illness, NovemberRose.
Thanks, Aurora! I’m doing really well. And yeah, it is fun. ?
Ugh, dental surgery is not at all fun. Been there twice.
It really sucks. Here’s hoping that neither of us ever have to do it again.
I feel you on dental surgery. I will probably have to have two crowns fitted this month (my first crowns ever). I am so not looking forward to it.
I hope you get your favorite Exclusif and tell us what it is when you decide.
Good luck with your crowns!
No need to defend yourself! Excellent purchases. I’ve swooned over that Exclusifs set since it was released, too. Congrats!
Will also say that I’ve cut my own spending way back but I’m always willing to shell out some serious dough for Chanels because I know I’ll wear them for years to come.
I feel exactly the same way about Chanel.
All prices are converted form another currency, so they are approximate.
Partials:
Yardley Lily of the Valley 87 ml (out of 125), old formula
Decants:
Guerlain Neroli Outrenoir 7 ml
Kenzo Parfum d’Ete 2002 6 ml
Robert Piguet Rose Perfection 7 ml
Le Labo City Exclusive Baie Rose 26 Chicago 8 ml
Tom Ford Noir de Noir 7 ml
BOIS1920 Oltremare 20 ml
Naomi Goodsir Or du Serail 7 ml
Robert Piguet Fracas 20 ml
Diptyque Tam Dao 10 ml
4711 Acqua Colonia Lavender & Thyme 10 ml
Humiecki & Graef Eau Radieuse 7 ml
Mugler Angel Muse 8 ml
The most expensive scent I bought in this quarter is BOIS 1920 – 24.2 EUR.
The least expensive scent I bought in this quarter is 4711 Acqua Colonia Lavender & Thyme – 2.8 EUR
The scent with the highest price per ml is Le Labo City Exclusive Baie Rose 26 Chicago – 2.1 EUR/ml
The scent with the lowest price per ml is Yardley Lily of the Valley – 0.11 EUR/ml
Total spent in this quarter: around 150 EUR
8ml of Vanille Insensee – $15 with shipping on eBay. I’ve finished some samples and this partial manu mini is perfect for travel which is when I reach for this one.
eBay perfume is my weakness, y’all.
Things I THOUGHT about buying but didn’t:
– a BUB of Jardin sur le Nil (which I will likely ask for, for Xmas)
– a small bottle of VCA Orchidee Vanille
I thiiink there were just two bottles, the Mugler Supra Floral and a back-up of Encens Mythique, which if it isn’t reformulated/renamed is certainly in a less-pretty bottle. Did buy a mini, so 2.5, and the rest were swaps, so it does seem pretty scented around here.
I was pretty restrained myself this quarter. I got a couple bottles from Yves Rocher to bump up my order to qualify for free shipping and a couple freebies.
1. My Green Summer – $19.00
2. Cuir Vetiver – $35.00
Haven’t been on any trips lately so my purchases are a bit lower than usual as i usually buy bottles then. I’ve also eyed up the Chanel Exclusifs on-line, but with so many comments about longevity, I haven’t decided yet. Plus, it would be a blind-buy. Starting to slowly learn.
Am I missing something? Did the Exclusifs get reformulated AGAIN?
No, I think it’s the ongoing edt/edp debate.
Gotcha.
I feel fortunate to have never smelled the EDTs. I can’t lament them, and will be thoroughly pleased with my future EDP.
Me too!
Not counting samples, of which I got dozens…
I wrote out a confession to Donatella late last week, and can’t find it now, of course. I have things written down on various notepads, and printouts of orders and such, and quite a lot typed up in Word documents. However, it’s late. I’ll fill in more if I find the confession I wrote.
I had fun in the swapmeet and splitmeet, I know that. I got some lovely decants, and a couple of partial bottles. (Thanks, folks!)
For my birthday in April, I got myself Stella McCartney Stella EdT.
I think I got the tester bottle (in an unmarked box) of Guerlain AA Pamplelune EdT from FragranceNet. I’d liked the decant I got, so it wasn’t a blind buy.
It’s turned out that I got several travel sprays and a couple of full bottles of perfumes after trying samples of them that Jepster had sent back in the first freebiemeet I participated in. Most of that was last year or last quarter, though.
I got a couple of full small or smallish bottles of perfumes after trying LuckyScent samples. They were on sale. I mentioned here in May about getting 4160 Tuesdays Tokyo Spring Blossom. A couple of weeks ago I got Carthusia Fiori di Capri.
In early May, I got some cheap fun stuff from FragranceX. That’s when I got the 1 oz. bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea EdP. I also got Demeter Honeysuckle and Demeter Chocolate Chip Cookie, 1 oz. each. They had larger bottles of many other kinds, but I didn’t think I necessarily needed 4 oz. or more of the colognes.
I think it’s probably within the last three months that I got Pacifica French Lilac and Island Vanilla perfumes at Whole Foods.
I believe I reported here that I was relatively good at the King of Prussia Mall. At LUSH, I got the solid perfume of Cardamom Coffee, and washcards of Amelie Mae and Vanilliary. I’m not counting the washcards, though I may end up getting a small bottle or solid perfume of Vanilliary in some future quarter. However, I later ordered travel sprays of AERIN Lilac Path and Linen Rose, as I posted about a week or two ago.
I believe Rayleighblue was the enabler who sent me samples of Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit and Berdoues Assam of India and Peng Lai. (Thank you!) I think it was earlier in June that I got the Peng Lai travel spray and a Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit rollerball from Sephora, also an enabler for me. lol. I also got two discovery sets — sample collections of Berdoues and 7 Virtues fragrances. I guess I won’t count them because they’re samples.
I got an Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee travel spray in the Sephora store near me sometime in June.
That’s all I want to think about right now. Good night, folks.
Glad to enable and glad you liked them! Peng Lai and Hesperides never fail to make me smile.
Yes, I like those fragrances.
Some splitmeet, I’d like to participate in a split of Assam of India. Although I’ll have probably gotten a travel spray of it by then. And you got me into the 7 Virtues fragrances as well with all those samples and little decants. 
I find the Middle East Peace cologne refreshing in warm weather. Thanks again!
Easy fix on the Assam of India, email me!
What do you think of the washcards? Does the scent linger, or get washed away?
With the washcards, I found that the scent lingered on me for a few hours, and lingered by the tub for at least a day. I think it was a couple of days each that I still smelled “Dirty” and “Breath of God” when I went into the bathroom where I’d showered using those particular washcards.
When the washcard got wet, it released a strong fragrance of whatever perfume or cologne was in it. With the humidity of the shower, I felt like I was getting a big dose of the scent, certainly enough to tell if I liked it. I remember my reaction being, “Wow, strong!” with “Dirty.” I’m not sure how close the washcard’s scent is to the liquid perfume, but I think the washcard for “Breath of God” wasn’t too far from the solid perfume. The washcard was definitely stronger on contact, once it got wet.
Similar experience with the Cardamom Coffee washcard, a couple hours of wear on skin and more in the actual bathroom. One card can easily do 2 washes if cracked in half and the fragrance does better if you don’t shower at almost scalding temps.
A rough count tells me it’s 29 bottles… I really should stop.
But I sold a few bottles as well. That should be subtracted from the count right?
Yes, you can subtract them. What are your favorites that you bought this quarter?
My favourites would be Cartier L’Heure Perdue (tried a sample, loved it and finally got a good deal for a full bottle), Bois des Îles and No. 22 EDT in a splash bottle (perhaps rather old).
My least favourite is perhaps a bottle of Fendi Theorema that I blind bought. So far I’ve tried only once but I find it to be a rather ordinary and quiet transparent orange amber. I don’t hate it but it’s disappointing. I still don’t get why all the praise yet. I need to try it again.
My response to Theorema is the same, so you’re not alone
But do share (more)! Readers want to know about the other 25 bottles!
Yeah, we wanna know!
Hmmmmm. I think this is it. I guess I’ve been making out for lost time.
Guerlain Songe d’un Bois d’Été, 75 ml.
Guerlain Rose Nacrée du Dèsert, 75 ml.
The Different Company Adjatay, 100 ml.
The Different Company Oud for Love, 50 ml.
Lush Breath of God, 30 ml.
Masque Milano Times Square, 30 ml.
Memo Paris Shams Oud, 75 ml.
Memo Paris African Leather, 75 ml.
Comme des Garçons Serpentine, 50 ml.
Comme des Garçons Daphne, 50 ml.
Beaufort London Vi et Armis, 50 ml.
Cire Trudon Olim, 100 ml.
Escentric Molecules Molecule 04 30 ml.
Lubin Korrigan, 100 ml.
Papillon Anubis, 50 ml.
Bogue Profumo MEM, 50 ml.
Insitut Très Bien Cologne à la Française, 100 ml.
Insitut Très Bien Très Russe, 60 ml.
Jo Malone Birch and Black Pepper, 30 ml.
Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Mâle, 75 ml.
Jean Paul Gaultier Kokorico, 50 ml.
Arquiste Nanban, 100 ml.
Evidently I have to actually wander into my room to look at my bottles, as I completely forgot about one purchase this quarter.
So, 2 bottles made their way home:
– a backup bottle of Jour d’Hermes, 100 ml, $55.43. But not a backup anymore, my first bottle is empty. Totally forgot about this one when I voted, whoops!
-Guerlain Eau du Fleurs de Cedrat, 100 ml, $32.90. Blind buy, which I almost never do, but I got into weird perfume math world where I was comparing decant prices to bottle prices, trying to decide if a decant was even worth it if I’m going to end up with a bottle that doesn’t cost the earth, etc. etc.
I’m thinking about blind buying that Guerlain. How’s it working out for you? I’m always ISO a true lemon frag but am not always a cologne fan.
And how do you like the Guerlain? It’s on my list but I haven’t tried it.
I participated in the Arielle Shoshana kickstarter as well (so exciting!), but I think that’s it for April, May, June despite the fact that May contains my birthday.
However, I do have a list going… And they are all available at a discounter…still waffling…because next month there might be something else on the list…Donatella, don’t give up on me!
Seems like it’s been a long quarter, doesnt it?
I bought some samples on ebay (basically free)
Got a cute little mini of dolce and Gabbana something or other with my sephora points (actually free)
A set of sanrio demeter minis, 6 for $20 ($20/6 = free)
Bath and body works french lavender and watermelon lemonade $3.50 each (under $10….free)
H&m lipstick $7.50 (ditto)
And finally an ounce of juicy couture parfum for $20…I think we can call that free as well
Late to this.
I bought the Brazilian Lime, Fig Leave and Black tea fragrance from Beauty Pie. A really easy, lovely scent for summer.
Scented body products – Rose Jasmine oil from The Organic Pharmacy and Prim Botanicals Body Oil (both on sale at Anthropologie). Both are marvelously scented and would be wonderful on it’s own OR layered.
I bought only 4 (usually i would buy way more). Unfortunately this year i’m starting to feel the influencers influenza effect and alot of houses have turned me for collaborating and gifting full bottles like free food samples. Its a good thing, it helps me to streamline and money saved ?
I’m also late, but I always have a list ready for Ms. Donatella!
Here we go…..
1. Paris Hilton South Beach $10.34
2. Jessica Simpson Fancy $11.03
3. Escada Fiesta Carioca $25.52
4. Vera Wang Look $21.38
5. Ex Idolo Love and Crime $120 (Splurge of the quarter!)
6. Escada Rockin’ Rio $20 (blind buy…didn’t like it…gave to coworker)
7. Lush I’m Home solid perfume $11.95
8. Lush Amelie Mae solid perfume $11.95
9. BBW Wild Blueberry & Thyme body mist $6
10. BBW Lovely Dreamer body mist $6
11. BBW Moonlight Path body mist $6
12. BBW Bali Black Coconut Sands $6
13. Philosophy Pure Grace Summer $20
14. Hermes Eau de Merveilles Edt 15ml $19.50
15. Hermes Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate EdC 15ml $24.99
16. Yves Rocher My Green Summer EdT $19.00
17. Lush Goddess solid perfume $11.95
18. Nirvana Amethyst $27.29
19. Oscar de la Renta Espirit d’Oscar $22.39
20. Bvlgari Au the Bleu $37.09
ANALYSIS: Favorite (most used) scent is My Green Summer. Excellent scent at a great price.
I have sensibly dropped LuxuryScentBox and Scent Twist subscriptions. I mean, for real, I don’t even have time to try the stuff I already have! I did keep my Scentbird and Indigo monthly subscriptions.
My hubby and I have recently gotten very serious about paying down some debt so we can start to envision what retirement might look like down the road, so I have got to be happy with what I already have. I’ll always splurge every now and again, but my goal is much less perfume and much more discipline!
Two bottles for me–
Sexual Healing $95
Velvet Gardenia $218 (lightly sprayed new edition)
Nary a one this quarter, but yesterday I finally unpacked my perfume collection after six months in cardbord boxes, so now I’m feeling inspired!
Yay! Enjoy having your collection back!
Oh Donatella, i have been bad, but i dont regret anything….
I bought full bottles of
SJP Lovely Sheer
SJP Covet
Fille en Aiguilles, slightly used
Miller Harris Lumiere Dorée
Les Nereides Oriental Lumpur
Vintage Shiseido Zen Cologne
a small vintage extrait of Arpege for cheap
but only two decants!!!
just Sandflowers and Vanille Insensée
All included i spent 230Euros in 3 months, this is not really bad. Thankfully my new buys are not delivered so i dont have to report them now!
Nope. Na ah. Nyet. Not itemizing either here or in my head! The answer would be too horrifying. I only fell down the rabbit hole this year. And now I have bottles and bottles and bottles and samples and samples and samples, and for petessake, a SPREADSHEET. To apply a dollar amount would likely make me ill. But, I am slowing down. #progress
The first year’s always the worst
You’ll appreciate that spreadsheet when you’re ready to tally!