Donatella, Our Lady of Scented Mercy,1 resting up after her cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and her appearance at the Met Gala, is ready to hear the confessions of her flock, so please report what you bought in the 2nd quarter (April, May and June) of 2026.
As usual, I bought nothing, and shockingly, I am still not running low on perfume.
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.
Melograno full bottle
You are in LURVE! 😍🥰
Not sure exactly how to count, as my purchases included a set of 5 minis, 15 mL each. Anyway, my purchases this quarter are:
4 mL rollerball of PPC Love-in-a-Mist (which is being discontinued), $40.
Caswell-Massey Cologne sampler with 15 mL bottles of White Rose, Casma, Helio, Lavender, and Red Jasmine. $48
1 oz. vintage Shulton Desert Flower Edt, $16
Total damage $104, so not bad, especially as this followed 2 1/2 years of buying nothing for myself. Next quarter’s total will be just a little bit higher ;).
As usual, I am not counting bottles purchased for my husband. I picked up the LiaM when I was buying him a new bottle of Heart of Darkness, and I have bought a couple other bottles for him to enter the rotation whenever something else runs out.
Well done!
Do tell what you bought the husband!!
I got mine 2 small bottles of vintage Grey Flannel, which he developed a sudden yen for after not wearing it for years.
OK, gonna make this a significant other confession. I got him:
– Tom Ford Grey Vetiver – a nice summer one.
– the original Dunhill For Men
– a low bottle of the original Michael Kors for Men
– a low bottle of vintage Eau Sauvage
And a dear friend and local NSTer gifted him vintage Dior Homme, which we both love.
He also really liked my Vetyver from Honore Payane, which is totally unisex. I offered to give it to him and the man with fewer than 10 bottles said, thanks, but I think I have enough. Hahahaha.
In addition to the Heart of Darkness, to replace the current bottle which is nearly empty, I recently got him a replacement bottle of Diptyque Tempo, and in reserve I have AA Calling All Angels and Caswell-Massey Number Six EdP. The EdP is supposed to be closer to the original formulation then the EdT.
My husband also has fewer than 10 bottles at a time. He likes to give all his fragrances equal time, so he lines them up in the cabinet and wears them in strict rotation, so he prefers to have exactly seven in use at one time, so there is one for each day of the week.
Ooh, thanks for the detes. Calling All Angels is amazing and I like CM Number 6 too, in fact the entire men’s line. That’s an interesting approach your husband takes and a schedule I could never keep to. I am much more a creature of impulse.
If I wore my perfumes one per day, it would take me much more than a week to go through all of them. Many weeks, in fact.
Ha, someone has to exercise moderation 🙂
Let’s see, I don’t remember costs and dates and all that detailed stuff but I did buy some stuff this quarter, none of which I really needed, but there it is.
Sarah Horowitz Perfect Vanilla. It was part of a pre-Mothers Day gift pack which included shower gel, moisturizer and a bottle of perfume. ( a quick mini review: the body products are wonderful as far as function and performance goes, but the scent of them and of the perfume is so fleeting as to be ridiculous. I realize it’s supposed to be a light scent, but it’s really just nonexistent to my nose, and I don’t have scent eating skin. Disappointed.)
CSP Vanille Banana
CSP Amour de Cacao
Fzotic Deixis travel spray
A jar of citrus tallow for my dry crusties.
Two bottles of room spray from BBW- Amalfi Lemon and Sage Vetiver (can’t remember the exact name) one for the cab of my truck and other for my camper.
2 BBW 3 wick candles in First Blossoms of Spring and Amalfi Lemon, both an absolute delight!
That’s all folks!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Deixis. I read about his inspiration for the fragrance and liked it.
On first spray it immediately brought to mind SSS Winter Woods. I haven’t tried them side by side, but that’s where my mind went. Also, I haven’t really explored it in any depth because for me it’s definitely a cool/cold weather perfume and I’ve really been leaning hard into summer scents these past couple of months. So, I can say in a vague way that I like it but haven’t really done a deep dive. It does lean more to the masculine side if that’s something that matters to you. Hope that helps!
Thanks. A couple of my favorites (Mx. in particular) also lean “masculine” IMO, so not an issue.
I hope you won’t mind me adding in a bit on Deixis. It has a lighter feel than the notes list would suggest, but isn’t a lightweight scent at all. There’s something contemplative about it as well.
Thx!
I wonder if you got a bum bottle of the perfume, Deva. The ones I’ve owned (I have one in the back of my cabinet that I should bring out more) have all had decent longevity, and I have perfume-eating skin.
Three purchases last quarter — Lost Alice, the newer version of IA Every Storm a Serenade, and a BUB of SMN Eva. Plus several things acquired in a swap, but Donatella looks at that word with a blank stare.
Yay for Lost Alice – I don’t see it mentioned much, other than you and me.
“blank stare.” Too funny, SheriG.
Dear Lady Donatella:
Guerlain – La Petite Robe Noire Parfum
MAC – Crème D’Nude
Tom Ford – Lost Cherry (bub)
Viktor&Rolf – Bonbon Caramel Crunch
Xerjoff – Coro
Xerjoff – Gibeon x 2
That’s a good list!
Thanks!
Good call on the TF Lost Cherry, since cherry and almond scents are probably getting reformulated or d/c’ed in the near future.
Yes! That’s the main reason why I bought it. 100ml should be enough to last me hopefully…a decade?
Cherry and almond always makes me think of People of the Labyrinth Luctor et Emergo. It was a gorgeous cherry almond scent, perhaps one of the first. I only ever owned a partial bottle but it made quite an impression on me and the rest of MakeUpAlley where it was quite popular. Interesting laboratory flask bottle too IIRC. Hmm, maybe i need to put this on my wishlist! I don’t even know if it’s still made.
Only one bottle but it was (ahem) rather pricey–Ormaie Yvonne Extrait, $340 for 50 ml (but since I’d bought several samples on Scent Split–no affiliation–I got a very nice discount code). I do really love it and have been wearing it a lot since I got it.
Glad you treated yourself! Wear it in good health Calypso 🙂
Better that than 4 $100 perfumes you will never wear. Well-chosen, Calypso!
Shalimar Millisime Rose-$155
Iris Poudre-BUB-$140
nice!
How’s your Shalimar stable holding up?
Millesime Rose is now in this non-rose person’s top 5.
Two of your fave notes, Kris. I know you will get a lot of pleasure out of them!
– Manufacturer travel spray of Abel The Apartment
– Fragrancenet-made travel spray decant of Initio Musk Therapy (and I need to mention that the travel spray atomizer that they use is one of the best I’ve ever had!)
– samples, of course
Amberjack ( which is a NZ soy candle brand but also does diffusers and perfume oils, as well as candles): Banana Toast perfume oil …good, fun perfume
Plain Jane: a very light alcohol-based perfume, clean scent…nice for the gym. Quite fleeting.
Abel Double Scoop….an impulsive buy, smells like vanilla/ caramel icecream but with a herbal rosemary opening. Strong vanilla drydown ( similar to Bois de Vanille). Lasts for hours.
Caved on a small decant of Hermes Musc Pallida EDP because although I suspected I would like it a lot, I didn’t want to risk a blind boy. Turns out that I love it a LOT, so a full bottle may have to be reported in the next quarter 🙂
Always wise and prudent to try first with a decant. I admire your restraint, pfsh!
Greetings from California! My purchases are as follows:
1. A 10ml travel spray of BDK Gris Charnel Extrait.
2. A gift set of 30ml of Patou Joy that includes a 6.8 ounce tube of lotion
3. A sample set of Amouage extraits
I probably bought more but too lazy to double check.
Did you find the Patou Joy on Evil Bay?
Fragrancenet.com still has a little bit of Joy left but not a lot
Thank you!
Shocking myself with just one reportable perfume purchase this quarter:
LVNEA The Language of Flowers II: Strange Flowers Limited Edition Perfume Set 6 x 4ml $148
However, I did buy a bottle of CdG Amazingreen for my partner for his birthday. I also bought the Rhubarb Thief sample set from Heretic along with two room sprays in their Edward Gorey collab line (The Evil Garden and The Haunted Tea-Cosy Room). The room sprays I got during their 30% off sale.
I saw a FB ad for those Edward Gorey room sprays and was tempted. We have so many of his books and a giant poster of his A-Z alphabet book. Lots of praise here for the LVNEA line and that makes me curious too.
From the two I’ve smelled, I’d definitely recommend The Haunted Tea-Cosy Room. I’m looking forward to using it in the fall.
LVNEA is a good brand. I can recommend their sample set.
I have to correct myself. One of the room sprays is called The Haunted Tea-Cosy without the word Room at the end. For some reason that’s what the receipt in my email showed. But the box for the actual product that sits in my closet, says otherwise. 😉
This quarter includes my trip to Paris and Rome, so I’ve got a few things to confess. I bought seven bottles during the quarter, so Donatella should be pleased with me:
Ambre Lumière – Molinard (100 ml)
Iris, Coffee – Cherigan (100 ml)
Mandarine Mandarin- Serge Lutens (bell jar)
Rahele – Neela Vermeire (60 ml)
Arte Profumi – Myrrhe Extreme (50 ml) and Jubilé Rose (30 ml)
When I got home, I bought Cocoa Kimiya from Atelier des Ors, but I’m counting that as a holiday purchase, I tried it in Paris and already knew I could get it online for half the price.
And I have no idea how much that all cost me – I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of extravagance, I don’t intend to spoil that with a dose of reality 🙂 .
Good plan. Reality is sometimes overrated.
Slow quarter in here
Dolce & Gabbana Devotion EDP 3.3 oz
Xerjoff 40 Knots 3.3 oz
Banana Republic Linen Vetiver 2.5 oz
Tommy Girl New York 3.3 oz
Banana Republic Velvet Pomegranate 2.5 oz
Michael Malul West Loop 3.3. Oz
Michael Malul South Slope 3.3 oz
Love the Devotion, really nice on skin, the Michael Malul start with great fireworks but get flat quickly, but no regrets.
At the tail of an April vacation I was in Montréal so I went to a perfumery I’d been researching online and bought the Nobile 1942 Le Petit Chocolatier set, 3 30-mL bottles. I’d been wanting it for years, so high time! $115.
On June 15th I received a few items from Amazon, one of which was a bottle of Dana Tabu — not at all vintage, and I didn’t expect it to be, but still very good. $40.
On June 26th I received a shipment of 5 fragrances from Fragrancebuy.ca: Paloma Picasso Minotaure, Ted Lapidus Pour Homme, Chopard Wish, Demeter Chocolate Milk, and Sarah Jessica Parker Stash, the reason for the order in the first place. The whole thing came to $150 before tax, which is ridiculously low. I think the Lapidus has gone wrong; the Chopard smells great but has discoloured, as blue gourmands will do (the vanilla apparently turns them an ugly greenish brown — I had some Angel Eau de Star that turned the same sickly colour); and the Picasso, which I think dates from around 2023, doesn’t smell anything like what I remember it from the nineties, not that I really expected it to, though I was hoping: it’s not bad, a summer citrus cologne. The Demeter is a delight and of course the Stash is glorious cedary goodness.
Total damage, a hair over $300 for nine bottles. My biggest quarter in years. I regret nothing.
I love my ugly greenish-brown bottle of Wish-the color does not mean the scent is off! Good catch!
I don’t mind a murky-looking bottle of vanilla perfume as long as it still smells great. Wonder why someone decided that vanilla gourmands should be blue anyway?
Poking around in old emails to remember what I have purchased, since last quarter my first report was incomplete. I think I have everything for Q2.
Here goes!
1. Dame Perfumery Earth Mother EdP, 50mL & Earth Mother perfume oil, 10mL — $45.50
2. Tom Ford Lost Cherry travel Spray, 10mL — $83.77
Total for the quarter = $129.27
My Dear Donatella,
2 10ml Voluspa Neroli Sunbath (I bought one, used it up, then bought a second- moth from pharmacy picking up medications)
1 10ml Caswell-Massey VI – for July 4th – it’s supposed to be George Washington’s favorite.
1 400ml SdJ Body Badalada scent Cheirosa 62.
I bought 2 Bath and Bodyworks fragrances.
1. Vera Bradley peach blossom & nectar 8ml travel spray
2. Pink Obsessed 8oz body mist. It’s supposed to be a dupe for Valentino Born in Roma.
I also bought the matching lotions for both.
A quiet quarter for you on perfume purchases. But you had some major expenses recently, right?
Yeah, car, teeth and dog!
I bought nothing this quarter. I was hoping to smell the Malaysian perfumer Josh Lee’s scents on my trip, but I couldn’t find them in any of the spots Google told me to look. I do promise, Donatella, to make a stop at Fumerie sometime before the next poll. There are a few things I want to smell.
There is almost always something on my list that I must get my nose on. In fact, I would be a little sad if there was nothing I was curious about!
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca 15 ml
Juliette Has a Gun Midnight Oud 9 ml
Maison Rebatchi Bois D`enfant 5 ml
Caron Yatagan 10 ml
Aedes de Venustas Grenadille d`Afrique 8 ml
Total damage: the equivalent of $75-80.
Oh, Yatagan is GOOD!
I thought I was done with it when I finished my previous decant, but later I realized I missed it and happily sprayed it again when my new decant arrived.
Ex Nihilo – Fleur Narcotique – this was a long time want for me. I am not big into florals (though still seeking a good rose) but I find this one more of a molecular abstract floral with lots of peony. Very good lasting power and I can catch the Quentin Bisch artistry, similar to Guidance and Delina.
Carner Barcelona Botafumeiro – I tested this out in Italy but did not want to haul it back, ordered online when I returned. Not the longest lasting perfume but still lovely. I wish I could try the Carner line near me, never have seen it in the USA, at least not in person.
Noyz Unmute – This one sneaked in. I kept smelling it at Ulta and decide to go for it. I am a sucker for woody vanillas.
I bought nothing at all. I’d been churning through the (nearly full) 200 ml of Chanel 28 La Pausa I bought from an NSTer, thinking that my perfume itch had been scratched and that I really did not want (let alone need) anything else. I decanted some 28LP and some Roisin Dubh for my trip, and grabbed some as-yet-untested sample vials.
Today, I tried Imaginary Authors Cape Heartache (sample vial). I kind of love it. The itch is back.
(Hi from Adelaide, South Australia, where Mr. Skal and I are visiting our three-year-old grandson!)
Have a great visit!
A site I had been checking out for discontinued Tom Ford perfumes recently had a 25% off event, I immediately purchased a 50ml bottle of Champaca Absolute (I knew the scent) £69.99 and four 10ml of scents I had never tried: Vert d’encens, Plum Japonais, Patchouli Absolu and Black violet, £70.
I’ve never tried any of those TF.
That’s exciting you were able to get them!
Thank you Lillyjo, yes, I feel grateful that I was able to get decants of these rare scents, so far I’ve tried Vert d’encens which is unique and really beautiful, all the TF inventory on the site was all gone very quickly, so no way to get a full bottle of Vd’E. So many TF disappeared before our being able to try and buy them🥺
Do let us know about Plum Japonais: I always suspected that was one of the greats! I think you got a good deal.
Will report. Yes, it seemed quite reasonable for Tom Ford decants of discontinued scents.
I remember hearing about the TF Vert series. It was gone in the blink of an eye. Never even had the chance to sniff them.
ITA, I think these green scents were out of sync with the market at the time. I think Vert Bohème was like Cristalle it was reported.
How exciting! Enjoy them, I went thru a few bottles of the Plum Japonais, Moss Brecjes, Purple Patchouli, and Black violet, they are all quite good. TF’s initial Private Collection releases were so amazing. I wish the Moss Breches was still in production.
The only one I have left from years ago is Noir de Noir. The newer releases sound interesting but somehow don’t quite work on me.
I agree, earlier releases were more unique. So glad you can tell me about PJ and VN. I must admit while not aligned with TF’s prices and gimmicks, I adore every bottle I have.
Wow, those are some great prices, I think!! Congrats and enjoy. I’ve never tried those either, Aurora!
Thank you Denise, it’s the 25% off that decided me to act, a good thing too because 48h later they were pretty much all gone.
Diptyque Philosykos 50ml
Le Galion Tilleul 100ml
You can never go wrong with Philosykos or with *any* Tilleul scent IMHO. Let us know how the tilleul is and congrats on your new purchases, xxdfarre.
Nothing. I think this is a first since falling down the rabbit hole in 2012 or so. I’m watching for a new Guerlain Millesime after the wonderful Rose. Otherwise, I’ve not had a chance to go sniffing. Like Robin, I am in no danger of running out of perfume. 😸
Me either
Not going sniffing has never stopped me from acquiring perfumes, MossyBerry, but I like your reasoning as it seems to work for you. I have a lot of older releases on my various wishlists.
Made my first online perfume purchase in a good while, of Montale Tonka Arabians and a back-up bottle of ELO Rien. Together they were the same price as store price of the former. The Rien has been reformulated, but I don’t need to have it last a full 24 hours or last through a shower…
ELdO Rien = 👍👍
I’m a little late to the party. My damage isn’t too bad. I purchased:
-La Fede Opera Noir L’Or by Khadlaj Perfumes, $25 for 3.4 oz
-1/2 oz bottles of Santal perfume oil and Oud perfume oil, $23 each ($46 total) from a local SF perfumery called SF Life.
$71 isn’t too bad! I’m rather pleased with myself.
I bought the Opera Noir on a whim, I love oud, rose, incense, and patchouli – this hit all the right spots.
I don’t get much narcissus and cyclamen, nor do I get any fruity or sweet notes (caramel). I get a beautiful musky rose with some darker velvety texture interplaying with the incense, oud, and patchouli, it’s beautifully balanced.
For comparison, I have TM Noir de Noir (original formulation) but this one is so silky smooth, NdN has a cold note.
Sillage is moderate, and longevity is excellent.
I meant TF (for Tom Ford), that’s what I get for typing without my glasses!
1. ELdO Jasmin et Cigarette – 50ml (almost finished w/ 30ml bottle so technically a BUB)
2. * Tauer L’Oudh – partial bottle
* I did sell a few bottles to subsidize these
I never should have confessed that…now I’m just getting the “blank stare”😬