Donatella, Our Lady of Creative Perfume Math,1 is busy busy busy, as always. She just finished her Hollywood show (and launched a new Versace Foundation and Council of Fashion Designers scholarship program for LGBTQ fashion students plus partied at Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars Bash while she was in LA) and now she's working on her Icons campaign with Anne Hathaway, but nothing can keep her from her quarterly visit to hear the confessions of her flock. She'd very much like to know what you bought in the 1st quarter (January, February and March) of 2023.
Note that if you have javascript disabled, you won't be able to vote in the poll, but you can still record your purchases in the comments.
My purchases...
Once again, nada. Donatella doesn't even bother to pay attention to me anymore. (She could care less that I did buy finally buy a Savon Stories solid lotion in Ottoman Rose, which is as strongly scented as most solid perfumes, but some of you might care so I'm mentioning it anyway. It is worth a shot next time Beautyhabit has a coupon code.)
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 went nuts this quarter for perfume. I bought:
1. Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea
2. Bath and Body Works Gingham
3. Travel spray of Gris Charnel
4. Chanel no 5 edp
5. Chanel no 5 edt
6. Hedonist Absolute
7. Andy Tauer Au Couer du Desert
8. Prada Infusion d’Iris
9. Worth Courtesan
I forgot to add Nasomatto Narcotic V to my list.
Narcotic V is such a good jasmine and white floral, excellent choice!
Congratulations on your great purchases!
“Hedonist Absolute” – a perfect description for some of us and moi absolutely😬
Very nice choice on that Tauer!
I didn’t buy anything. In fact, I was given a free sample when I bought some shampoo and was annoyed at gaining more perfume. (I was annoyed because I really liked it but I definitely do not need need another iris/ musk fragrance.)
Well now you have to tell us what the sample was!
It was Naked from The Maker.
Thank you!
LOL! Yeah, don’t leave us all hanging like that!
Sorry! It was Naked from The Maker. A cousin to diptyque’s Fleur de Peau and glossier’s you.
Ah. Not sure I would want to admit that my perfume is “Naked”… 🤫
I have only bought a gift set of Hermès Eau des Merveilles (50 ml + 7.5 ml miniature + 40 ml body lotion) because it was 30% off. I had tested it several times before but never got it, and this was too good a deal to pass up.
I also bought the Hermès Un Jardin sur la Lagune body lotion (200 ml) which was 40% off. I never cared much for the fragrance itself but I must confess that I am quite enjoying the body lotion.
How is the EdM lotion? I adore the Sur le Nil lotion.
It has less of the woody notes of the fragrances and is instead salty-creamy. It doesn’t quite feel like sunscreen but rather sunscreen-lathered skin that has been warmed by the sun.
A terribly belated thank you! That sounds sort of tempting.
I bought one bottle. I was at a duty-free and tested SL La Religieuse and liked it, so I bought it at a discounter’s when I got home. Duty-free price was $180, discounter was $60. So I feel like I have a $120 “credit” in my perfume budget. Such creative accounting…
Terrific perfume math! Would you mind saying which discounter? That’s quite a deal!
Fragrancenet, with a 37% off coupon for a tester, and the only difference I see between a tester and a non-tester is that the tester comes in a plain brown box, not the SL box.
1. Nobile 1942 La Danza Delle Libellule, 75ml.
2. Dame Perfumery Soliflore Mimosa, 100ml.
3. Calvin Klein Truth, 100ml.
4 Perris Montecarlo Mimosa Tanneron, 50ml. (❤️)
My purchases this quarter were done in the middle of the night due to very bad stress. I am glad my last Dame Perfumery order was refunded, since it never arrived.
A lovely list. Sorry that you had some sleep-deprived nights but I hope it alleviated the stress. I take melatonin occasionally after several bad nights, it might be a placebo effect but it seems to help calm me down.
Thank you, Aurora! And thank you again for your recommendation on the Mimosa Tanneron. I love it!
Melatonin has helped me a lot with the stress at night time. I usually take it when my mother is not at home. Otherwise, I can’t because I have to be pretty alert to help her in the middle of the night. Those nights, I usually take chamomile tea to relax a bit.
I love you number 1. I own a FB and can’t wait to wear it this Spring.
It is a great scent! I usually associate it with the Fall season, but I am ready to wear in Spring also!
Hey, that is not such a long list for stress induced shopping! I say you did well.
Thank you for your support, Robin! 😀
I still have a partial bottle of CK Truth (don’t remember if it is 30 or 50mL). It’s been a while since I’ve reached for it, but I do enjoy when I wear it.
My old bottle of Truth is almost finished. I just hope that if it has been reformulated, the new version is not so bad.
You are about to run that experiment. Good luck!
My wallet was very busy this season 🙈🙈🙈
Chanels:
Cuir de Russie EDP, Cuir de Russie parfum, Coromandel EDP and a backup bottle of 1957. Thanks to generous NSTers who sent me decants so I could fully test them before pulling the trigger. Absolutely no regrets here!
I also picked up partial No. 5 EDT and EDCs bottles secondhand for a song on Mercari. I’m liking the EDT much more, may swap away the vintage No. 5 EDC.
Les Indemodables Vanille Havane: I finally thunked my large sample and pulled the trigger!
Hermes Un Jardin A Cythere: A rare blind buy, putting all my faith into my Nagel fangirl-dom. Fortunately no regrets, and it has been fun sharing it with the NST family.
Overall, a good buying quarter! Again I am reminded that sampling makes for much more satisfying full bottle buys.
Yay for sampling, an excellent rule.
truly! beats the short-term thrill of blind buying.
Sounds like you are quite happy with the things you purchased.
Indeed! I fared much better than the last quarter.
Also a Nagel fan gal! 😃
woo! love her stuff. what did you think of the new Jardin, have you sniffed it?
Dearest Donatella,
I did indulge this quarter! Well perhaps. Let’s discuss.
First we have some definite, for sure, no question about it, purchases:
• Eau d’Italie Jardin du Poete. It’s been on my list for ages and I found it at a great price at Costco, so how could I pass it up? (D: Costco is the sort of store that would give you the shudders, please ignore)
• Edward Bess Kiss My Soul. Had to buy an XL sample since I couldn’t find any way to sniff it. Good news, I like it!
• Fragonard Narcisse. Pretty bottle, pretty scent, pretty cheap.
Also bought some travel sprays, which I am listing even though we all know D cannot see bottles this small:
• Ormonde Jayne Montabaco series
• Apotheker Tepe sampler
• Rebecca Minkoff
Now we must have a serious discussion about lemmings. Do they count if they don’t work for you and you plan to re-home them? I say not.
• Jean Patou L’Heure Attendue (might keep this one)
• Jean Patou Adieu Sagesse
• Jean Patou Chaldee
• Jean Patou Vacances
• Jean Patou Deux Amours
• Jean Patou Que Sais-Je?
So that adds up to 3. Maybe 4. Pretty restrained, actually. Considering it’s been a miserable winter here, power outages at least 15 days this quarter, I think I deserved some treats.
You have definitely deserved treats after all the scary weather you’ve had for months!
I too think l’Heure Attendue might be the best Heritage but I did end up liking the others I got.
I agree. And I’ll be bidding “Adieu” to Adieu Sagesse.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one trying all the Patous! My favorite so far has been Chaldee, which makes my eyes roll back in my head. I haven’t tried L’Heure Attendue yet….
I’m curious to try the Edward Bess line but it’s true, there are no samples! 🥲
Samples are sometimes available for some of his scents on his website. Looks like at the moment, only for Genre (which is pretty good, btw)
What was the Deux Amours like?
Citrus (neroli, bergamot) white florals (jasmine, tuberose) sandalwood. Vintage-y. I thought it wasn’t bad, just not “me”.
Similar to the Adieu Sagesse? It sounds lovely.
Not at all similar, to my nose. On me, Adieu Sagesse was coconut, clove, rhubarb, and BWF. Not Good At All.
I bought one this quarter, and only one: Cachouli by Strangers Parfumerie. It’s just $80 so was almost free!
Did you make a Thomas de Monaco purchase recently? Thought you were considering it, and don’t recall whether or not you took the plunge.
That is “free” I wouldn’t count it! lol
I bought two perfumes, in two deeply different experiences. First, I bought a bottle of Capsule’s Covey, from what I thought was a Canada-only site. Turns out that the bottle was coming from Brighton, England, NOT Brighton, Ontario, and I had to pay $50 duty.
The second bottle was from a local FB group, where I met a perfume pal for a nice chat and picked up a bottle of OJ Muscat for less than half price.
Oh no, ouch on the $50!! I am so sorry.
I feel like I have already used up my annual fragrance budget this quarter… (Though most are great deals — Keep telling myself this is an investment *facepalm*)
My happiest findings are the discontinued Beaufort “Come Hell or High Water” Travel Set (~$60); 30 ml Jacomo Anthracite (~$45) and 50 ml Eau de Caron (~$45).
My favourite might be Khamsin by Pour Toujours (btw. the 100ml of this fabulous fragrance only charges ~$60), followed by Tubereuse Organique by the Zoo and Striking by Rich Mess (both signed by Christophe Laudamiel).
I have also ordered dozens within some group buying, which are supposed to come to me in the following months…
Hey, those do all sound like great deals!
This has been a quiet quarter. I just bought a partial bottle of Paloma Picasso at a thrift store and one sample.
That’s a good find. What a classic.
Two perfumes , both CDG
Ganja . This is the first perfume that my husband has ever liked enough to spray on himself. A mulch, earthy green with a nice base. Nice heavy bottle and magnetic cap.
Daphne, got it yesterday so not really “ first quarter”
Also a Lush body spray, Let the good times roll…it’s meant to smell of popcorn but there is strong white musk that makes me wheeze and feel ( breathe) uncomfortable so I don’t wear it as it’s too painful.
Yay you got Daphne!
Boo on the Lush spray! I’m sorry it attacked you.
https://youtu.be/NJwTcvO5Jbc
What a great song reminder. Thank you!
🎶Let them brush your rock and roll hair🎶 is one of my all time favorite lines.🤘
Wonderful you could share your hobby with your husband. So happy you got Daphné. It’s a good thing the lush you are allergic to is a travel spray… still frustrating.
Gosh, I would think Lush would let you return the spray if it actually makes you wheeze.
Whoo hoo, you picked up the Daphne!
I’ve had a bit of a wild ride this quarter, if I’m honest. I’m gonna do my best but may not be exhaustive.
(Not including anything that is mid-shipping)
1. Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee EdP in the blue bottle (barely used and pretty thrifty!)
2. CdG EdP: the blobby one. (Bought for a song as I’m pretty sure it’s discontinued. My coworker liked it so much she asked me to get her one too.)
3. Jacques Fath Lilas Exquisite (this line is so discounted here and I couldn’t resist)
4. Amouage Opus X (Discontinued. I can easily see myself wearing this entire bottle if I’m not careful!)
5. Kilian Back in Black (Bought on sale!)
6. Serge Lutens Sarrasins (A back-up bottle. Someone listed it on a resale site for just over $100 sealed and I couldn’t resist. I don’t know what’s going on at Lutens but so many of them seem to be disappearing)
7. L’Artisan Parfumeur Safran Troublant (Can’t believe this one is gone too!)
8. A Drop d’Issey (Nicer than I expected, honestly. A bit functional up top but in a lovely way.)
9. IUNX Eau Azteque (Pear and ambrette. Perfect for summer)
10 Le Galion L’Ame Perdue (Another deal. I’ve gotten quite a few compliments on it already, which surprised me.)
I’m not doing totals today but I’m confident I got everything for less than retail. Small victories. 🤠
Impressive, enjoy.
Thank you!
I thought Back to Black was discontinued.
How is Amouge opus x?
It’s on the Kilian site at the moment, luckily!
The Opus X is as complex as you might expect. Rosy from top to bottom though it gets strange and spicy in the heart. It’s pretty addictive.
Where did you get the iunx? I regret forever not getting a full bottle of talc!
I found it second hand. I wish I could find Talc too. Such a fabulous fragrance. 🙁
The one and only time I saw talc on ebay it was a partially used bottle for $700. Probably still a bargain :/
I saw that too. Crazy. 🥲
I forgot about this brand, now I want to track some things down and revisit!
I also acquired a decant of Safran Troublant (it’s less than 10ml so it doesn’t count!!) and am equally perplexed as to why it got discontinued. So lovely and easy to wear!
Maybe a raw material is no longer available?
It’s a mystery to me. 🥲
Those colorful AG bottles were so lovely!
Very true!
Ah! How is the Fath Lilas Exquisite. I keep resisting it, butI am looking for an excuse not to!
It’s really gorgeous. It reminds me of the top half of Bas de Soie with the hyacinth note (definitely a plush for me). I enjoy every part of it, especially a cool green thread running through. I must say though, I’ve never smelled lilac in person so I’m not sure I can speak to it’s veracity, if that’s what you’re going for!
Early this year I’ve put myself on a low-buy but the end result is that I spend on more expensive perfumes it seems but I got some cheapies too, so there’s that.
Vanilla Diorama 250ml £180, I decided to get the largest bottle as it was the best deal, it’s become my bed scent, orange and vanilla, it’s also my first Dior Maison privée or whatever it’s called, no regret at all
Cartier Insouciance 100ml £55 I became obsessed when I tried it at the duty-free, it is fleeting and I will probably use it all this summer
Merchant of Venice Mystic Incense 100ml £52.35, a sweet incense different from any of my other ones
Mauboussin Histoire d’eau 75ml £7 BUB it’s probably my most worn leather
Cacharel Noa 100ml £12 BUB my little 30ml is almost finished.
what a great mix – they all sound so good.
Thank you Kanuka, being restrained helped me to get only the perfumes I really wanted, I find.
Glad that we both stuck to our Low Buy quarters!
We’re twins on the low buy, yay.
I voted “none” and then just this minute remembered that bottle of Stash Privé I bought a week or so ago! Don’t think it counts though because it was a whopping $7.99 (do you see Donatella sneering at me?!) Anyway, My Lady of the Abundant Perfumes That are Very Expensive has shunned me. Oh well, can’t please everyone…
Pretty sure she does not know numbers go that low 😉
1. Delina, I had the Exclusif but I need the original.
2. Amyris Pour Homme
3. Fragrant Oils from Morocco -one orange blossom one oud
Which Delina do you prefer?
Both 😛
Just a few lil things-a bottle of Ellen tracy bronze, a rollerball of love chloe, and a bottle of poopoo pidou!
Hey, good to see you!
😀 i didn’t think anyone would notice me enough to notice my absence!
Oh, I would not mind having a bottle of Poopoo Pidou!
I’ve just wanted it for so long and the feeling hadn’t gone away, so I went for it! 🙂
I was recently looking for this second hand and couldn’t find anything!!
I bought a bunch of samples, but no bottles. Of all the samples, my favorites are- Irisss, which is tooo expensive to get a bottle of, vintage Dune, which is gone, gone,gone- why oh why did I not buy quarts of this when it first came out?, and Snowy Owl, which smells great on me, if I do say so myself, and seems to repel everyone I let sniff the sample vial I have. I should buy some of this as soon as possible!
Snowy Owl sounds like a win/win
🙂
Yay for vintage Dune – it’s a beauty.
This quarter I bought more than I’ve done for some time (years?):
Dior Grand Bal 40 ml (about to be discontinued)
Dior Oud Isphahan 40 ml-a favorite! It was a pleasant suprise that Dior actually makes smaller bottles, I’ve been hesitant to splurge on 75 or 200 ml
Mona di Orio Suede de Suede-made by a swedish perfumer and inspired by the north of Sweden where I live 🙂 Another favorite
FM Carnal Flower 10 ml
Prada Candy 30 ml (cost almost nothing because of water damage to the packaging-the store had a sprinkler malfunction…)
Grand Bal is beautiful.
Ooooh, FM Carnal Flower! Do enjoy it, Eva S.
I love Suede de Suede, too! and cloudberries grow here in NS, and in Newfoundland, too:) Hope you enjoy your purchases.
I am doing things a little differently than usual. I will spill the perfumed beans first, then hit the poll.
For 1st quarter 2023, I have stuck to my Very Low Buy!
1. Jean Patou L’Heure Attendue EdP, 100mL — $104.48.
And that was it, back in January! I was sorely tempted by the cute cute cute little bottle ULTA has of Coco EdP, but have not broken my Lenten No Buy. w00t w00t!
I am going to keep Lenten in mind for next year. I am almost sure it will help me avoid any type of unnecessary purchases.
I’m not quite out of the woods yet, but almost there!
You’ll make it!
Good job Jalapeno!
Thanks! It’s a nice feeling.
Congratulations on the low buy, you did really well, better than me with my 3 and BUBs, have you opened l’Heure Attendue yet?😀
Not yet! But there are some perfumes from Third Quarter 2022 that I haven’t opened either…
Good choice – I’ve been very impressed with the Patous.
I feel like I’ve been buying a lot, but it’s really just two sample sets (Miller Harris and Les Indemodables) and my three-weeks-and-counting-delayed order from Dame (Ginger Lily soliflore). Nothing truly exciting in the samples, and who knows what will become of the Dame? I guess I’d better stick to my buy list for the next purchase!
Did you get the email explaining and apologizing for the shipping delays? It seems as if the sale has been overwhelming with orders.
I never got an answer from Dame, so I disputed the charges, and the credit card company refunded the money. I hope Mr. Dame finds a way to solve the delays and communication issues at some point.
I have been supporting the recycling economy in the form of intensive vintage green chypre research. No regrets yet.
Which chypres? Please tell!
I’ll offer some highlights:
-original Shiseido Koto parfum, a favorite
-finally scored Métal
-Niki de Saint Phalle
NdSP is fantastic. It’s one of my favorite perfumes to wear on Halloween.
it does have an occult aspect, to be sure
Your research! I can get behind that! 😀
1. 75 ml Alexander McQueen Luminous Orchid. I am still unsure of it.
2. 15 ml Cristalle edt. 😍
3. I received the following in the Cristalle Lot: D&G mini splash of 18 La Lune and Prada Candy mini splash set in Candy, Kiss, Florale and Sugar Pop. I like them all.
Not a bad haul!
I love sugar pop, it reminds me of exclamation!
This was a sample-heavy quarter for me, but those don’t count. Full bottles (ranging from 30ml – 100ml) were:
-Slumberhouse: Baque
-Fragonard: Narcisse
-Fragonard: Jasmin Perle de The
-Agent Provocateur: Agent Provocateur
-Banana Republic: Gardenia & Cardamom
-Guerlain: Rosa Rossa Harvest
-Salle Privée: Skins x Salle Privée
-Salle Privée: Concorde
-Salle Privée: Kham-Sin
-Maria Candida Gentile: Cinabre
-Maria Candida Gentile: Hanbury
-Maria Candida Gentile: Noir Tropical
-Oriza L. Legrand: Royal Oeillet
The last eight were purchased while on vacation (as “souvenirs”) using a favorable dollar-to-euro rate, so no regrets. But the VAT agent at the airport who stamped my receipts literally said to me: “You spent all THAT on perfume!?” while his eyes popped open wide. 🤣🤷
The Agent Provocateur – very sexy stuff. Wear with caution! 😉
The original Agent Provocateur is one of the few perfumes I have a BUB of.
Your love of it what is convinced me to blind buy it. Cheap as chips so it was worth the gamble, and hooboy, was it a good bet! 🙂
Enabler’s loot! Yay!
It is insanely good for how crazy inexpensive it is.
Some great choices, I love and have Royal Oeillet.
It is beautiful, and I never would have tried it on my own. The boutique owner where I got the Maria Candida Gentiles recommend I try it after he saw my MCG selections. I had always thought I didn’t like carnation notes, but this one is so lovely.
Regime des Fleurs Gold Leaves 100ml bottle 85% full – ebay
Nobile 1942 Patchouli Nobile 75ml
Guerlain Black Perfecto EDP Eau Florale 15ml
Hermes Un Jardin a Cythere 15ml
Serge Lutens Arabie 50ml 90% full – eBay
I’m feeling pretty good with this batch. No regrets here!
That Guerlain has to be one of the cutest bottles ever…
Agree!
Just some samples for me. Donatella is hoping that I will do better next quarter!
I bought
– MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver 30 ml
– MFK Gentle Fluidity Gold 30 ml
– Goldfield and Banks Silky Woods
I had planned to buy the Silver but when I could not find a medium sized bottle of it I went with the small bottle and since I had also liked the Gold I went ahead and got a small bottle of each. I am glad I did that – I rarely use up bottles and I like both.
I have been on a serious dry vanilla kick lately and just had to have the G&B Silky Woods.
I have been striving for 2-3 bottle limit each year so maybe this is it for 2023.
Lovely to have both silver and gold.
Finally purchased a FB of Hermes Pamplemousse Rose at full price! Sadly my husband is not a fan but, I love it and this will be used quite a bit this spring and summer.
Thanks all from me!
A beauty!
Great purchases, everyone! I continue to acquire in 2023. These are all ebay/mercari purchases, so I didn’t pay full price for anything.
Most of these are repurchases of bottles I used up back in the day or regrettably swapped away. Nostalgia is powerful, no?
I feel a purging phase may be coming later in the year, though…
10 Corso Como – the 50ml size that doesn’t seem very available anymore
vintage Miss Dior – unsniffed, soooo good, no regrets
diptyque Eau de Lierre edt
diptyque Tam Dao edt
diptyque Volutes edp
Pierre Guillaume Fareb – original white bottle
Jil Sander #4 – unsniffed, based on basenotes reviews, love it
I actually purchased nothing in February and March, so all this damage was done in January. Maybe Donatella will be impressed by that?! Probably not!
– Jovoy discovery set
– Aedes Copal Azur (in the old bottle)
– SL Dans le Bleu Qui Petille (second hand bottle)
Lucky you, finding the Aedes in the old bottle!
Ooh for the old bottle!
Be sure report on the SL – that one sounded good to this non-aquatic fan. Also, it’s appearing at the discounters.
I bought two perfumes and two discovery sets this quarter:
1. Timbuktu, L’Artisan Parfumeur. I’ve been wanting this for years and finally purchased it in hopes that hubby will help me use it up.
2. L’Eau Papier, Diptyque
Am loving this soft and interesting take on paper.
3. BDK Parfums Travel Discovery Set.
4. Mizensir: 3 discovery sets. The Classic, The Woody, and The Floral.
I slowed down this quarter to increase my Paris perfume shopping budget🌹🇫🇷
But I still managed to buy a few bottles:
1. NEZ 1+1 Adorem (maybe more than one bottle since it’s an amazing incense fragrance for the price)
2. Graniflora Madagascan Jasmine
3. Patou L’Heure Attendue
4. Patou Adieu Sagesse (swapmeet anyone???)
5. La Boticá Flor de Selva – A beautiful, woody, resinous perfume from Dawn Marie West. Just not for me. I fell into the SA vortex, and there might have been wine involved… (swapmeet/splitmeet anyone???)
6. Coco EDP – Ah, Coco! What a great discovery.
7. There might have been a couple of other bargains on resale sites…
Just got a note from Donatella asking what “slow down” buying means.
Lol!
Madagascan Jasmine is incredible! Glad to see someone else mention it!
Glad you like it too!
I got the Adorem too, after Persolaise’s recommendation, but its not for me!
I enjoyed Adorem as well, very wearable frankincense!
Coco edp is one of my rare full-retail, no regrets buys.
Oh geez I just tallied and didn’t realize I bought so much!
1. Penhaligon’s Tralala (2nd hand)
2. DSH Electric Summer
3. Miller Harris L’Air de Rien
4. Bunny Rouge Embers (2nd hand)
5. Onskad 80′
6. Nez Adorem
7. 4160 Tuesdays Complicated Shadows (back-up bottle, but disappointed that it smells weaker than my first)
I’m not counting the two in the mail, Tonatto Profumi Dama and Corps Volatils Magnified Narcissus, plus swap bottles like Donna Karan Black Cashmere.
The Narcissus fragrance sounds beautiful.
Bought after reading a comparison to Roberto Greco Porter Sa Peau, which is the best narcissus.
L’Air de Rien was a good find!
A busy quarter and Donatella might give me a meaningful look ’cause I bought more, but from different places: as in, at first that made me *feel,* “oh I did not spend that much” at FragranceNet, or at Ebay, or at SL.com, or ShopFrance. At least no credit cards were harmed in the making of this list. The highlights:
1. La Vie Est Belle Iris Absolu 30ml – I loved it!
2. Babycat 125ml – It’s not my usual style; jury is still out.
3. Un Air de Samsara 50ml
4. Mugler FOMO: Angel Muse edp 30mls
5. ” ” : Angel Muse edt 50ml
6. ” ” : Eau de Star 50ml*
7. Ecrin de Fumee – I have not worn it yet; the notes sounded so good and a quick spritz was promising.
Patou FOMO:
8. Que Sais-je?
9. Deux Amours
10. Sublime, but a travel spray
11, 12 & 13. A bit disappointed in three purchases of vintage-ish Guerlain extraits, 8ml each, in the refill cartridges for that (long?-) discontinued “cigarette” purse spray which I have: Shalimar, L’Heure Bleue and Samsara. None were especially good deals, though I was glad to get the Samsara. All were full and/or sealed but none gave me the wow factor – perhaps they have faded with time. I will put one in my purse and carry it around, waiting for the right moment to spray.
I twice-surprised myself with Eau de Star, *my most fun purchase! I actually sampled it before buying (first surprise); and though its total weirdness, Angel with watermelon, sounds “blep” to me, EdS pulled a Mugler and haunted me until resistance was futile.
Oooh what did you think of Babycat?
The Guerlain vintages are always a gamble IMO. I’ve had great deals on like-new bottles but also ones that have turned. I’ve also realized that I may not like the vintage oakmossy and animalic characteristics as much.
Eau de Star sounds interesting! I enjoy Angel, will havbe to look this up.
It was very good, but not an instant crush. Swapmeet is coming – a Babycat decant has your name on it! RE: your thought on the Guerlains: though oakmoss is “me,” in my perfume journey I’ve learned that it sometimes does not work!