It’s July, and Donatella, Our Lady of Scented Excess,1 is having a busy summer (reading on the sofa, but still) so is running a wee bit late, but she would never forget to discharge her duties to her flock. She is wondering just how many bottles you might have acquired in the 2nd quarter (April, May and June) of 2020. Confession time!
My purchases...
I finally spent money on perfume yesterday (the Green Spell Indiegogo) but that won't count until next time! So I'm still at zero for the 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.
More than I anticipated…
Contradiction Men, Calvin Klein, 100ml
Truth Men, Calvin Klein, 100ml
Bentley for Men Absolute, 100ml
Bentley for Men Intense, 100ml
Gallivant sample set, 8x2ml
Bois d’Amande, Van Cleef & Arpels, 75ml
Brooklyn, Gallivant, 30ml
Cornubia, Penhaligon’s, 100ml
Savoy Steam, Penhaligon’s, 100ml
Back ups:
Dior Homme, 100ml (For obvious reasons. That, and I don’t trust Dior.)
Ombre Mercure, Terry de Gunzberg, 50ml (Good deal on eBay.)
Dzing! L’Artisan, 100ml (In the sale. I’ve almost emptied my current bottle and need a backup for the backup once I open that one. Obviously.)
Premier Figuier, L’Artisan, Body Lotion 300ml (L’Artisan sent out an email offering one for the cost of the postage. I usually miss these things but happened to be sat at the computer when it dropped in and pounced on it!)
Timbuktu, L’Artisan, Body Lotion 300ml (In the sale – had to be done.)
Obviously you need a backup for your backup. Well done!
you showed remarkable constraint this time, i remember much longer lists from you
Twins on the Dzing! from their summer sale. 50%off was too much temptation.
“That, and I don’t trust Dior.”👍🏻 ♥️
Yeah, that’s pretty funny.
It’s extremely important that no one run out of Dzing!
How is the Bois d’Amande from VCA?
I can’t get the poll to register my vote. Is anyone else having this problem?
I can’t see the poll…
Usually happens to me, but it comes on later.
This is browser settings, usually — if you have javascript disabled, that will do it. I voted in Firefox with no problem, last time some people had trouble with Chrome.
I’m not seeing buttons on the poll, and I use Opera as my default browser. I will probably take a look in Firefox.
Firefox did work for me.
Thanks. I think a lot of browsers disable javascript.
I kind of had this issue in both Chrome and Safari. I believe the buttons are there and just not visible. I was able to vote from Safari by just blindly clicking where I thought the button would be.
I have no idea what browser I have, but I was able to vote by using your suggestion. Thanks!
I did at first, idkwh – then you have to click on the text rather than the button to make it fill in.
A very successful April for me.
1. Miniature of vintage Dior Dune
2. Full bottle of Etro Messe de Minuit for a great price
3. Full vintage bottle of Caron unit de Noel
The latter two have been on my holy grail forever.
That’s it unless you count the aftershave I bought my husband (I don’t think it counts because I never borrow it!) — guerlain l’homme ideal cologne.
Doesn’t it feel great when a yearned-for perfume is finally yours!
It does, life is great when you get what you want and help others get it too as Belinda Blumenthal would say.
So happy with it and I can’t wait to wear it and MdM in winter.
Wow on Caron Nuit de Noel!
It was very lucky. I haven’t seen it in ages and thought I’d lost the chance so when I saw it on eBay I had to get it.
Very nice selection!
Thank you. I’m really pleased with them all.
Oh my stars, vintage Dune? Ahhhh.
I have a bottle of vintage Nuit de Noel ~ it’s exquisite.
I love vintage dune. Maybe I should try the modern too, but as Bob wisely says, there’s plenty of reasons to not trust Dior.
I bought La Fille de Berlin, and then three bottles (discontinued fragrances) from the Smell Bent garage sell. I also bought minis and decants last quarter.
Ah, I would not mind a little bottle of La Fille.
So here I thought we were all supposed to be social-distancing, and yet I’ve caught Donatella snooping through my perfume cabinet again! Hmph! I suppose I will have to confess (considering she already knows…)
There were some mini’s. I know, the failure to go big just annoys Donatella, but what can I say.
1. Mugler Cologne Blow It Up
2. Shiseido Nombre Noir
3. Soivohle Kaffir & Green Fig
4. Soivohle Cedar & Gin Berry
5. Soivohle Sage Leaf & Fir
6. Soivohle Ginger Bigarade
7. Soivohle Fig Black Tea
8. Soivohle Jasmine Summer
9. Soivohle Woodfire & Rain
10. Soivohle Ginger Piquante
(yes, the Soivohle summer clearance event trapped me)
And then the full sized ones. Though even some of those aren’t all that big. Sorry D.
1. Jo Malone Wisteria & Lavender
2. Anthousa Fig & Vetiver
3. Le Galion L’Ame Perdue (but I split most of that…)
4. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Azur
5. Smell Bent Resinous
6. Smell Bent Day One
7. Smell Bent Merida
(yes, the Smell Bent garage sale trapped me)
I swapped, sold, or gave away 3 FB’s and 2 mini’s, which wasn’t much, but even so this was a pretty mild quarter for me. OK so I have some other stuff ordered, but it’s not here yet, so it doesn’t count, right? Right.
You were very well behaved Pixel, Donatella probably hates you now. Good for you, for getting L’Ame perdue. It’s a gem.
Ha, very funny!
😍 true it is delicious.
Pixel, I was disappointed with the JM Wisteria and Lavender. It is a beautiful scent, but lasted all but 10 minutes on me. I used my points at Nordstrom to get it and only got a 50ml bottle. Even though I didn’t have to shell out a lot for it, it feels like it.
JM’s don’t usually last long on me, either (except for the ‘Intense’ series) though I got more time than you did… a few hours.
Errrr, oops, forgot to mention what I received in swaps. Does Donatella notice those? I think not. But still…
8. Lostmarc’h L’Eau de l’Hermine
9. Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale
10. Molinard de Molinard
Donatella does not notice those, but the rest of us like to hear about them
I see some very familiar names on your list! What do you think about the new Soivohle perfumes, which are numbers 3 – 5?
I had to check when I got À ce Soir, but that was at the end of March.
This quarter I got Angelys Pear, which is a nice summer scent, and I got BUB’s of Cap Néroli, Néroli Intense and Eau des Sports, plus I finally purchased Après l’Ondée, as apparently it has been discontinued and it’s the one classical Guerlain I didn’t own yet.
I also bought the complete sample set of Parle Moi de Parfum. It’s interesting but on the whole I’m not smitten. I do enjoy trying lots of different things from one house though.
I had no idea Après l’Ondée has been discontinued! My old bottle is almost gone…
Completely agree w/ your last paragraph.
Did you like any of the Parle Mois?
I liked Guimauve de Nöel b/c vanilla but the rest I wasn’t fairly meh on. Did you have any favorites? I do love discovery sets though and like to try different fragrances from the same house as well. For Science! and enjoyment.
I thoroughly enjoy Totally white (?). It has a great lilac note.
Just tried Totally White for the first time today and wow…super realistic lilac to my nose.
I bought some perfume scent strips off Amazon and am sniffing Milky Musk, Tomboy Neroli, Orris Tattoo, Woody Perfecto, Cedar Woodpecker and Totally White today.
I am wondering if this house uses iso e b/c there is a certain note that seems similar across these fragrances that I can’t quite put my finger on. I am not against iso e or anything just trying to figure out the commonality.
Apres l’ondee isn’t discontinued! Oh no. I better buy it then! I strongly suspect they’ve discontinued nahema as well.
What’s next? Mitsouko?!
I think this is the first quarter that I didn’t go crazy with purchasing fragrances. I am going to use Covid as the reason why I didn’t purchase as much. Only good thing about Covid is that it gave my wallet a break. Here’s what I bought:
– a 100 ml bottle of Honeysuckle and Davana by Jo Malone
– monthly subscription with FragranceNet where you get 8ml of a fragrance of your choice each month (if that counts)
– Bronze Goddess whipped body crème (if that counts)
Excited to read how everyone else did!!
Oooh, does the Honeysuckle and Davana smell like true honeysuckle? I haven’t been able to find a fragrance that matches my childhood scent memory of walking home from school surrounding by blooming (and invasive, I now realize) honeysuckle.
The best honeysuckle scents I’ve sniffed are Demeter Honeysuckle and Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille.
Thanks!
Le Chevrefeuille is the bomb. It’s so joyously, literally, perfectly honesuckle.
Fun! What’s on your list for FragranceNet? I have been on the subscription for a few months and have to pick my July fragrance soon. So far I have gotten Nahema, VCA Orchide Vanille, NR Fleur Musc, California Reverie 🧐
I bought a small bottle of Baikal Leather Intense from Scentrique (to-the-door dropoff!), a big shopping error of Guerlain Teazzura, which happily I swapped for a bottle of Meteorites, and then ordered just under the wire a bottle of Jo Malone’s bluebell and Jenny Glow’s version of Jo Malone’s rose.
I like “shopping error” — assuming that is a euphemism for you bought unsniffed and hated it? Or was it really that you bought it by mistake?
I *thought* I had sniffed it before, but it must have just been on paper, because when I tried it on myself it smelled like the fibres from an industrial carpet – eek!
I smelled Teazzura recently and thought it was much heavier than it should have been, it smelt a bit foodie and cozy and of cloves – not a like for me either.
Not a drop. Zero dollars. I’m trying *very* hard to use up my (literally 100+) samples and enjoy what I already have.
Not that I haven’t been shopping: I bought an unexpected fountain pen a couple of months ago, and this past weekend after pondering it for ages I replaced my slow and aging computer with a Macbook Pro. And god knows I’ve been window-shopping for scents online. I’ve just managed to not buy any.
I did not set out to use up what I have, but that is how it has mostly worked out the last few years.
Likewise, though, it has not stopped other sorts of spending. Most of my excess money this last quarter went to Benjamin Moore, LOL…
Not a drop twin
And anything I bought last quarter was gifted away or stolen LOL 🤣
Weil Suki 100ml £8
Myrurgia Embrujo de Sevilla 30ml £17 (my favorite buy, was still sealed, smells wonderful)
Miss Dior Cherie edp 30ml £12.95
Parfum d’Orsay Arome 3 100ml £30
Jean Patou Que Sais-Je? 100ml £34.99
Thierry Mugler Innocent 75ml £35.99
L’Occitane Eau des Baux 100ml £31
Caron Fleurs de Rocaille edt 125ml £56 (second favorite purchase)
Yves Rocher Fleur de Noel coffret £9.99 (this is a great limited ed)
BUBS:
Chanel No 5 edt 100ml splash £28
Missoni Gianduia 75ml £28
Yardley Iris 125ml £7.65
Cacharel Noa 30ml £9.25
Decant:
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille 10ml £6.99
Aurora these prices kill me every time! You made some fabulous purchases!
I thought I had been reasonable this quarter, but I had forgotten the BUBS. I thought of you when I purchased Innocent as you are the Mugler queen😉
I had innocent years ago, and would mix it with original Angel dusting powder. It was wonderful! I think about getting innocent again sometimes.
I had forgotten how fruity it is at first and the drydown is very tonkaish, mixing it with Angel body powder sounds great indeed, I say get a bottle 😉 while it’s still made.
Thanks for the description on TM Innocent. I’ve never come across that one.
nice list, and some really good prices
Thank you Tannina, the Embrujo was a great deal, I’ve seen empty bottles sold for around the same price, because the perfumer was Jean Carles (according to Basenotes).
I think Mugler recently had a sale, I didn’t purchase anything (whew!)
As always, you did an incredible job seeking out great deals! What a lovely list.
Thank you Koyel, but I should quit buying back-ups, seriously, I don’t have the space.
Would you recommend Weil? I see them online all the time but I don’t know anything about them.
I do like Suki, a sweet incense, very much and Bambou is great for summer, I’m not familiar with the couple of flankers it has or other Weil perfumes though.
Nicolai Odalisque (30 ml but will probably need the bigger bottle, which is something I never say)
Cartier Carat (blind but successful TJ Maxx find!)
Wow, I never have a success at TJ Maxx, good for you!
I bought only two fragrances, but one is the most I’ve ever spent on a bottle of perfume (by far!) and the other is up there.
Amouage Lyric Woman, 100 ml
Viktoria Minya Hedonist, 45 ml
I bought them this week, so they are still en route to me – I’m so excited!
Short story time: For a couple of years, at least, I didn’t think much about perfume and bought no new bottles. Recently, I pulled out my old boxes of samples (lots of samples) and absolutely fell in love with these two. Before I allowed myself to spend so much on new perfume$$$$, I decided to sell others from my collection on Mercari, including my precious (but no longer worn) bottle of Burberry Brit Gold. The proceeds then went directly to Twisted Lily and Luckyscent.
Maybe I should check Mercari for perfume more often – I find that on Poshmark, the prices that people want for fragrance are often quite high, compared to ebay. Not sure why.
I had not heard of Mercari until a couple of weeks ago, when fragrance YouTuber Karina Waldron mentioned it. I was surprised by how quickly and easily I managed to sell so many bottles (some of the funds are still pending while the packages are in transit). There seems to be a fair amount of perfume fans on there. Much more enjoyable to use than eBay.
I haven’t bought anything myself, but the prices seem decent. About 8 out of 10 buyers made me an offer, instead of paying my listed price, so I would definitely make an offer on anything I wanted to buy there.
Mercari is huge with the fragrance YouTube community. You can watch them do hauls, and then a week later they are reselling on Mercari.
Ooooh, juicy tidbit!
I shall check out Mercari…I last sold some perfume on Ebay a few years ago and really should part w/ some more. I wonder what cut Mercari takes vs. EvilBay….will research…thanks!
Mercari takes 10%. I think that might be a bit more than eBay? I can’t remember. But the experience was easier and the app provides notifications to update on shipping, tracking, reviews and all that stuff.
I treated myself to a bottle of Lyric after I gave birth to my son — figured if I’d ever earned such a splurge it was then…
YES!
I was really good this time, because i sold decants from my perfumes and managed to buy new perfumes for that money.
The only fail (and i don’t count this was a bottle of supposedly vintage Climat, which was a fake and smells horrible on me).
New bottles in my collection
4160Tuesdays – What i did on my holidays 50ml, slightly used, missing maybe 10 spritzes, 40euro
Untitled L´Eau for a sharing, i kept 30ml, approx 25euro
Agent provocateur used bottle, the cute 30ml, 9euro
Cabotine EdP 100ml for whopping 8euro
And i bought decants of Florabotanica and of Reve d´Ossian.
I swapped a lot of decants, but this doesn’t count because there was no money involved.
I think i was very strict with my budget this time
Well done for reaching your budget goal.
Selling decants to raise funds, while still getting to keep your bottles – good idea!
Love these quarterly confessions – I always feel reassured when I see people more addicted to perfume than me!
After nothing at all to confess last quarter, I got busy this time and got three FBs. The first was Arte Profumi Velvet Rouge, I’d been thinking about it for a while, then Luckyscent had $50 off. It was still expensive, but I felt that was fate telling me I should buy it.
Then there was a sale locally, with 30% of Arquiste’s Anima Dulcis. I’ve thought about it for years, it never quite made it on to my buy list, but with that discount I thought I should support local business.
Then I discovered some new arrivals at an Australian online perfumerie (LKNU), the Etat Libre d’Orange line, including Spice Must Flow. I had tried a sample brought back from Paris by a friend, and quite liked it. I wouldn’t have bought it if it wasn’t inspired by the Dune books, I figure that’s my equivalent to a celebrity scent.
So I have great reasons for all of them!
Congrats on your purchases, I love Anima Dulcis (got a decant in the swapmeet).
Great choices! I love Anima Dulcis as well.
I haven’t purchased a NB in ages, although I suspect participating more regularly to this community will change that. My sample volume is already rising again. . .
Any winners in the sample pile?
Maybe Arielle Shoshana Sunday? It’s weird, which I usually like, and I like the milky note a lot, but I can’t decide if it’s too foody for me to reach for or not. Usually, I don’t want to smell literally like a meal. For example, I like Femme, but rarely wear it because sometimes I feel like I just smell like tacos.
Oh, that’s hilarious! I also don’t generally want to smell like a meal but sometimes PMS hits and I’m like, “Santal Mysore, rub your curry all over me!”
One bottle – Bucoliques de Provence, and I split 40% off. This ties in with last quarter, where I bought one bottle as well – of Haute Provence. I wonder what lavender scent will make its way towards me in the 3rd quarter!
Otherwise lots of swaps and a couple of splits.
I sense a theme in your purchases! I love both Bucoliques and Haute Provence.
Oh, I got a split of Bucoliques, too. I think it would make a beautiful signature fragrance for someone who wants a unique and soft, close to the skin scent.
I was VERY good Ms Donatella. The only money spent was on Killian Love Don’t Be Shy travel spray at Sephora. I like it, don’t love it, it’s very sweet. BUT the hubster has been very prone to neck sniffing while I wear it! He loves it.
Neck sniffing is a plus! I had that travel spray in my cart, but then closed the tab before checking out, as usual. Such a great price, it was hard to resist.
I think this is the first time that I have nothing to report since I started participating.
Have you been shopping your collection or giving perfume a break as a whole?
Hi all! I only purchased two bottles, Nude by Bill BLass for .42 cents (not a typo) and a bottle of Jessica McClintock for $24.
I’m more focused on paying off debt, reducing my collection and staying out of trouble!
Nude is such fun! And what a find at that price! (Although I find the name baffling–I don’t associate apples with nakedness, but maybe it’s just me?)
Maybe Adam and Eve , nude…eats apple…the rest is history
LOL!
Kanuka, that’s a great point!
Yay to 42 cents and staying out of trouble!
what a bargain – I keep reading about nude, and have often been tempted to buy it since you can get it for quite cheap though not that cheap!
I found it on Ebay, it was originally $4.99 but then I found a coupon and the rest is history!
It’s not as crisp yellow floral as I remember. But still not bad for a safe for work scent, under $1.00.
What I would really like to find is New West – I loved that back in the day!
New West was fabulous.
FYI, if you like New West, the Olay Ultra Moisture Shea Butter rinse off body lotion smells just like it….
Ditto this
Need to wear Nude more often. Got at my first NST meet up as a freebie because everyone agreed it smelled good on me. What a great bargain you got!
I’ve been bad, but blame it on Covid stress. As well, I haven’t bought anything else: no clothes or shoes, restaurant dinners or weekends away. You get the picture…
Serge Lutens unboxed testers x 4:
La Fille de Berlin
Tubereuse Criminelle
Santal Blanc
Daim Blonde
+ Shalimar Eau de Cologne
And really, perfume should count as a mental health aid
By that logic, I should be able to justify it’s purchase from my flexible spending account! (Translation for you Canadians and others who don’t need to worry about medical insurance–an FSA is tax-free money you set aside from your paycheck specifically for medical expenses. Results in about 30% more buying power for a typical person, but then you have to spend it all that year, or the money goes *poof*.)
Not anymore…can be carried over to the next year.
Really? For all of them? Is that a recent change? I checked mine just the other day and it said I had until Sept. 30th to spend it down. . .
Wow, we ran out of nested comments! Up to $500 is carried over to the following year to use for the following year’s expenses. The change occurred for the 2019 Plan Year. It’s an IRS rule.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll look into it!
Fantastic choices! I haven’t had any Daim Blond in years. Maybe I should look into getting some. Hmm.
I hope the perfume purchases have helped with the stress
Shalimar
Shalimar
Shalimar….
That ones been in and out of my shopping cart! Have resisted temptation so far on that special edition bottle…
Where have you found the special edition bottle?
on the guerlain website (in Germany)
https://www.guerlain.com/de/de-de/p/shalimar-eau-de-parfum—limitierte-auflage-P014045.html
Which version(s)? Did you find some Shalimar while vintage shopping?
I watched a review of Le Lion de Chanel that said it smells just like vintage Shalimar EDT. I have a circa ’82 bottle, so that should save me some money.
I bought a hodgepodge of items in the 2nd quarter:
1. Still going hot & somewhat heavy w/ Solstice Scents: FB of Postprandial, Blueberry Muffin Batter Whipped Soap, Honeysuckle Green Tea Whipped Soap, Chantilly Cream Burnishing Glace, Lavender Vanilla Burnishing Glace…plus some samples.
Otherwise I may cave and buy a FB b/c that’s how I often roll.
2. From Dame – Several samples including Black Flower Mexican Vanilla and Earth Mother. They only had oil of these 2 but I liked BFMV and would love to swap or pay for a decant if anyone has some please.
3. From Kilian – small bottle of the blah blah Princess one which is a gingery, green tea vanilla that grew on me from a sample plus Macy’s had 15% off which makes it more than ok.
Sorry for BFMV I am looking to obtain some of the EDP that is…not terribly clear w/ all the vanilla excitement running through my veins.😍
Ha, “blah blah X” is how I think of most Kilian perfume names.
She-Ra, I have a decant of Black Flower Mexican Vanilla EDP that I’d be happy to send you if you don’t mind waiting for a week or two. My e-mail is payne underscore cm at the yahoo.
Thank you SO much, Sistine…just sent you an email.
Gucci Tears of Iris and Jo Malone Lavender & Musk Pillow Mist
I didn’t know JM did pillow mists! Although frankly speaking, many of their regular line are as fleeting as a pillow mist…
It came out with their lavender collection earlier in the spring and it quickly sold out. Saw it on the JM site and snapped it up. It’s really nice and relaxing.
Oh 😍 Gucci Tears of Iris, and such a beautiful bottle.
Yes!
Hermes Hiris
Hermessence Travel set with Cuir d’Ange, Vetiver Tonka, Ambre Narguile and Santal Massoia
(My excuse is, that I was eyeing Cuir d’Ange and Santal Massoia for a while, and they were always only available as full bottles. And suddenly they turned up as travel sprays so I went for it)
Frédéric Malle En Passant
Nicolai Vie de Chateau
Nicolai Vanille Tonka
Nicolai Eau de Yuzu (giveaway with the two others, which is what got me into the Nicolai mess in the first place)
L’Artisan Parfumeur Dzing! (Ui that summer sale…)
Guerlain Mitsouko edp (because, Mitsouko)
Guerlain L’Heure Bleu
That’s a lot methinks. Looking back at the list definitely gives me a bit of buyers guilt. Even if I saved a lot on other things, do I really need more perfume? It give me pleasure and I wear it a lot. But still… the guilt.
Perfume gives me great pleasure too and I sometimes feel guilty about how much I spend/what I spend but not really since I came up w/ a perfume “budget” which I alway put in quotes as I like to pretend it’s a concept I don’t fully understand.
I started tracking my purchases the past couple years and last year I came in slightly under budget actually which surprised even me.
If I have a set amount to spend for the year and track it then it feels like a regular expense albeit a fun one and then there’s no reason for guilt b/c it’s an intended choice. I suppose if I went way over budget I might have some feelings of guilt then perhaps too. I keep a spreadsheet and actually look forward to logging stuff but I am kind of strange and like data. I was resistant to the budget concept at first but now I embrace it wholeheartedly.
A perfume budget is a good idea!
3 bottles for me.
1. Mon Guerlain EdT, 30mL (Hajusuuri got an enabler pin for this)
2. Alpha Musk absolute oil parfum from Soivohle, 4mL
3. Fig Black Tea absolute oil parfum from Soivohle, 4mL
Total = $73.85 for this quarter.
Is the Mon Guerlain edt very different from the edp?
Yes. The EdP has much more vanilla, plus a honey note that I don’t smell in the EdT at all. I’ve called it “gourmet vanilla-lavender ice cream with honey” in the past. The EdT is much more about the lavender.
Wow, the edp sounds delicious!
If you like gourmands it is worth a sniff.
Songes …because someone had to fact check Austenfan (turns out it is as good as she says)
CDG Cinnamon … I was cleaning my keyboard and thought I’d clicked ‘shut down’ but turned out to be ‘buy now’, an easy mistake
It can happen, too funny.
I bet you smell grand!
Two funny reasons!
LOL on the « buy now » mistake.
Bottles of CB I Hate Perfume Room with a View and DSH Beach Roses (had already gone through samples of both)…plus a few small sample orders.
I am no longer on my no-buy, but I am on a permanent extremely-judicious-buy! I need to spend less money just as a general principle, but also, I have enough perfume for two lifetimes, and there’s no point buying more things when I have so many spectacular scents.
Nonetheless, I did get three bottles this quarter. One was HG Dilettante, because it was discontinued and I panicked (AND it was on sale!), and another was an extremely successful blind buy of HG Hyde, which I considered because I wanted to get free shipping. Terrible reason but I LOVE Hyde.
That’s only two bottles. There is definitely a third one. I cannot for the life of me remember what it was. This is how you know I have to stop buying perfume. How can I forget what I bought??
I also got a number of decants, but since I split off part of my Dilettante and Hyde, those don’t count.
I’ve still been getting my new fragrance fix, though, mostly in the form of body products (oils, creams, body washes, etc.), but those don’t count either, of course
Ok, I’m off to do a deep dive of my email records to find what this third bottle is. Or maybe I’ll put that off and read all of your wonderful purchases first
Make sure to tell us when you figure it out. I’m so curious now!
I love this poll and can’t wait to go back up and read for my evenings entertainment!
My damage including today’s final arrival:
1)Hermessence Le Jardin De Monsieur Li – it was on a great holiday sale and it replaces 2 bottles I gave away;
2)Mona di Orio Cuir Les Nombres D’Or;
3) Shalimar EdP who can resist forever?
4)Dirty Lemon by Heretic, this one is a gorgeous lemon zest and then some patchouli in the dry down that is somehow so comforting and perfect for the summer heat;
5) a combo of my split meet decants that all count up to 1 (large 🤣) bottle.
I just gotta stop.
Off to look up reviews of Dirty Lemon on Fragrantica…haven’t tried that one but I like and lemon and I also like patchouli. I am not completely vanilla-centric as some believe.
I hope that you like it She-ra.
No purchases, but I did finally start using my 100ml of POAL, which will last me the rest of my life.
Ha! You’ll smell amazing the rest of your life.
Well, the man who ostentatiously started coughing and moved away from me on the bus to open a window may not agree. (And that’s with just 1 spritz!)
Why I’ve been limping along with only a sample vial of this for so long, I’ve no idea. It’s a stunner.
Only a 10ml decant of Hiram Green Vivacious from the splitmeet.
Nothing wrong with getting 10 mLs of something you enjoy!
I am actually very happy not only with Vivacious, but mainly with my almost “no-buy”. So many scents in my collection to enjoy!
So, I’ve always enjoyed reading about fragrance but never really bought any beyond samples. I had few I really loved (Chanel no. 19, Tea for Two, and Clinique Simply) but that was it.
COVID and the discovery of 35% off at fragrance.net apparently has changed that. Now that I’m working at home or everyone is wearing a mask, I feel more comfortable wearing daily fragrances apparently.
CDG Series 1 Leaves Calamus. I’ve always wanted this, and after this purchase the floodgates flew open.
L’artisan:
Bucoliques De Provence
Oeillet Sauvage
Bois Farine
Premier Figuier
Poivre Piquant
Safran Troublant
Batucada
Piment Brulant
Traversee du Bosphore
Rose Privee
Purse spray of L’ete en douce, Timbuktu
Purse Spray Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin and Nuit de Cellophane
Atelier Sample Set
Hermes Jardin sample set
And two Aqua Allegorias are on their way. Mandarine-Basilic and Bergamote Calabria.
I’m feeling pretty done for a while now. I’ll probably be on the look out for a dry, not sweet vanilla in the fall.
Impressive! For the dry, not sweet vanilla, Diptyque Eau Duelle is on Fragrancenet right now.
Thank you for the recommendation!
Oooh, great choices!
A bub of Indochine ( my desert island must have) and a travel size Pharoahs Passion.
If I feel like the furlough winds pass over me I might purchase a travel size Eve.
Indochine is fabulous!
I made my first perfume purchase in ages this quarter, a travel-size Lys Mediterranee. My previous even-tinier bottle was down to the last drop, so this was really just a matter of re-stocking the pantry. I won’t have to confess about my Corsica Furiosa until next quarter, thankfully.
I’m out 16 dollars. 9 bucks for Coty Vanilla musk, and 7 for 4711.
They still make body powder? Coincidentally, I was looking for some online today. My aunt Voula used to let me use Jean Nate after a shower, then we settled in to watch Johnny Carson. The Emeraude powder was good, and though I loathed Tabu perfume, the powder was really nice.
I bought:
Feu Secret
Jubilation 25 Extrait (I had a $100 gift card, No Regrets!)
I split these:
Dilettante
Kyoto
About a bottle’s worth of various decants (Sarrasins, Borneo 1835, Parfum Sacre, Bombay Bling, Heure Bleu, SDV, a few Smell Bents)
I really need to go no-buy, but I also really need backups of Jicky and No. 5 EDT.
Had a blast swapping a bunch of things too!
A modest quarter. I excluded any bottles I’ve split, partial bottles, decants, samples, sample subscriptions and online sniffaton sample packs.
Caron Tabac Noir
Chris Rusak After Every Ounce of Joy Leaves My Body
Chris Rusak Beast Mode
Chris Rusak Timbre EDP
Gucci Guilty Love Pour Homme EDT
Jo Malone Lavender & Coriander
Shalimar Souffle D’Oranger
St. Clair Scents Pharoah’s Passion (travel spray)
St. Clair Scents Song of Aubrac (travel spray)
Tom Ford Noir de Noir (travel spray)
Nice to see you supporting Diane 💙
Nice haul!
Just 2 bottles this time. I was doing pretty good with not buying anything but others here kept mentioning Fils de Dieu; I noticed it a few times on a website that I have bookmarked. It was still on sale the day I looked so I snapped up a bottle. Plus the bottle of vintage le Dix I had my eye on was still available, so I also got that as well.
One emergency perfume purchase: a backup bottle of Hiram Green’s Dilettante, after I found out it was discontinued and since I managed to track down one bottle that was still available on Indigo Perfumery site. Otherwise, it is now gone for good…
Fabulous find.
For my wife: Shalimar edt (50% off), a 4ml of Chanel 22. For myself: Aramis 900 and my guilty pleasure; a big bottle of Joop! Homme.
I bought 11 but sold 18. That should count as a negative number right?
It’s negative in perfume math and regular math!
Wow, that’s what I call “workin’ it”!
I bought 2 in June.
Arianna Grande, Ari and Sofia by Sofia Vergara, $9 dollars each.
I did get some birthday money, and bought a one ounce TF Orchid Soliel. Which I don’t think counts. I also received a gorgeous travel spray of TF Tobacco Vanille for Mothers day.
Nice haul!
I couldn’t resist the celebrity scents at that price. I’ve wanted Sofia for a long time, and the AG is just plain fun!
How sweet about your kids giving you Tobacco Vanille.
My kids still give me handmade art. The TV was from a sweet friend.
I can’t remember which percumes that I bought last quarter but the 2 most recent purchases were the Viktoria Minya Hedonist travel set and Les Annees 25 BIS.
BIS is so pretty.
I was pretty naughty but I blame COVID and work stress for my spending this quarter.
I bought FBs of Cuir Ottoman, Fille en Aiguilles, Iris des Champs, SJP Lovely Anniversary Addition, Pink Iris and one other that I haven’t recieved yet so it’ll be in next quarter. I also bought a decant of Enchanted Forest and a few samples.
I should be done but there are still more on my list.
Oohh.. what is pink iris?
Pink Iris is by Abel Perfumes, a love at first sniff for me. It has Sichuan pepper and basil in top and iris with rose and jasmin in the heart with a musk dry down. It’s really soft and pretty but being an all natural, the longevity isn’t great. I’m really enjoying it this summer. I also really like their Grey Labdanum. Ah well.
Nothing
But did buy samples of the two new St Clair Scents for myself and as a bday gift for a dear friend.
Extra money goes to donations to my furry granddaughter’s first home, a no kill animal shelter.
Decants only:
Amouage Beloved 7 ml
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc 10 ml
Caron Acaciosa 7m
Guerlain Shalimar PI l’Eau 10 ml
James Heeley Iris de Nuit 7 ml
Serge Lutens Daim Blond 10 ml
Tauer Une Rose Chypree 6 ml
Lalique Le Parfum 10 ml
More than I initially realized…. I think these are all since April (top two might be last quarter)
Eau de Cashmere travel spray from Fragrancenet
Mandarin Basilic travel spray from Fragrancenet
Pêche au Yuzu travel spray from Kyse
Jasmins Marzipane 30 ml from Lancôme (back up to my diminishing travel spray and very nicely on sale)
Aedes Oeillet Bengale travel spray set (again on nice sale from Beauty Encounter…had to do it for fear of it being discontinued)
So, the latter two are BUBs.
Oeillet Bengale IS discontinued, good call!
Only one bottle purchase this quarter, and it was in early April. Reminiscence Musk, 100ml.
This is not a typical quarter for me, but it hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be to behave myself. I have lots of samples I’ve gotten through, and with the swapmeet, I’ve had plenty of fun!
This was my lowest perfume spending quarter in who knows how long. I bought just one bottle and then two decants from splitmeet. I’m counting it as just one bottle purchase.
Diptyque Volutes EDP from eBay 90% full for $80
Splitmeet decants: 10ml Le Galion L’Ame Perdue and 5ml Hiram Green Vivacious
How do you like Vivacious? I’m so curious…
I’m still not sure. I’ve worn it twice now, and I don’t love it but am intrigued by it. It has a vintage vibe at times, but it also smells kinda vegetal. I haven’t decided whether I think the violet and carnation pairing is successful here. I may end up swapping my decant, but I’ll give it one more try.
Thanks for your review. I am so curious about. I read several reviews on Fragrantica. Several people referenced L’heure Bleue and mentioned a nod to classical perfumery.
I’m not counting the swapmeet. I don’t think I bought any perfume in the second quarter of 2020.
(Fortunately, Donatella doesn’t count flowering plants and herbs, or books.)
As you’d think, not many purchases this quarter. My hours were reduced at work so the cash flow was not so great. All of these were before April.
Jo Malone, English Oak and Hazelnut, 30 ml.
Comme des Garçons, Stephen Jones Wisteria Hysteria, 55 ml.
Honoré des Prés, Vamp à NY, 50 ml.
Institut Très Bien, Cologne à l’Italienne, 100 ml.
La Via del Profumo, Oud Caravan No. 1, 15.5 ml.
Sarah Baker Perfumes, Jungle Jezebel, 50 ml. (I also got the hand sanitizer!)
I’m sorry about your hours being reduced. I hope they get back to normal soon. As always, you got some great scents!
I bought Narciso Rodriguez Musc after debating for a few weeks. I usually don’t buy unsniffed but I thought by description – muskier version of Narciso – that I would love it. And I do!
I am trying to keep my new buys to 1-2 bottles a year, not counting small samples. I just cannot let “the herd” multiply much more than that – will have no space, let alone limited opportunity to wear each one.
Not much this quarter – Montale Orchid Powder and Amouage Lilac Love. HG Vivacious didn’t work out for me (husband hated it and I was on the fence). I got a couple of splits but don’t count those.
No perfume buying for me. Not that I don’t want to, but don’t have any budget for it. I have putting some money into the house.
I am thinking for a while to buy Iris Nazarena because I have been wowed every time I have tried it and it got stuck into my head.