Donatella Versace, Our Lady of Perfumed Self-indulgence,1 is ready for our first damage poll of 2015, so hope you've been saving those receipts! Do confess: what did you buy in the 1st quarter (January, February and March) of 2015?
[polldaddy poll="8775811"]My purchases...
I bought absolutely nothing that counts.* Maybe 2015 will finally be the year when I don't buy any perfume at all.
As always, report your purchases in the comments if you dare! And as always, we don't include samples or gifts, and you can count miniatures, decants and bottle-splits howsoever you like (I usually count them as half bottles). Samples don't generally count at all, even though some of us spend considerable sums obtaining them.
1. Why does Donatella host (against her will, mind you) the damage polls? There is no real reason other than the picture of her perfume collection, which shows that she indulges regularly at the perfume counter. The image, by the way, is originally from Allure magazine and appears here courtesy of Blogdorf Goodman.
*I did buy a a bar of Nesti Dante Villages & Monasteries soap.
1 small bottle (20 mls.) of YSL Champagne
1 split Guerlain Bois d’Armenie
1 FB Krizia Uomo
Total of $120. The good news is that I sold – and am selling – quite a bit more than that.
I’d love to see your “sell” list. If you like, email me at my yahoo account:
smaakest
(I hope this is o.k., Robin. If not, please delete.)
Absolutely fine…
Yes would love to see your sale list as well :). If you are interested I am at marianna_r yahoo
Thank you
Um. Well. I wouldn’t feel too bad about my purchases except for that one on the second of January… I bought a bottle which had been on my wishlist for three years, that someone had received as a Christmas gift, spritzed once or twice, and decided it wasn’t for her – and then sold it at a small discount on evilbay. So. Having saved up for it, I don’t feel TOO profligate, but it was definitely a splurge.
In toto:
5ml split of NV Pichola (hasn’t arrived yet) $20
5ml split of Amouage Sunshine (also hasn’t arrived yet) $20
5ml split of vintage RL Lauren cologne $7.50
50ml bottle of Esprit d’Oscar $16 (huh, that’s less than the Pichola!)
100ml bottle of FM Iris Poudre $277.50
I call that three bottles (in my book, splits don’t count unless they total at least 15ml!), $341. I’ve had worse quarters, certainly, but less expensive ones, too.
I’ve had worse too!
Well, Sunshine showed up in my PO box this afternoon… and I sort of hate it. GRRRRRR.
Bummer! I wanted to like it, but it has the dreaded (for me) tobacco note, so I have lost in nterest. What do you not like about it?
The opening, in particular – for about an hour it smells like some nasty kids’ medicine: froot flavor covering up a chemical/metallic element. (Not cough syrup, I don’t think… I was sick a LOT as a kid, until I got my tonsils out, but I took a stunning amount of kid medicine.) The tobacco doesn’t seem to be prominent to my nose, but I get a lot of apricot (the davana?) and almond and musk after that first icky hour.
After that, it smells amazingly like both Hilde Soliani TI AMO Il Tuo Tulipano, which I also own a small decant of – a pleasant fruity musk, lightly floral – and Ferre 20, which I paid about $80 for in Rome and which is an aldehydic-fruity-floral-musk. Clearly I don’t mind that sort of thing, since I own other scents in that genre… I think I’m annoyed that Sunshine costs so blasted much and isn’t particularly distinctive.
It kind of shocked me how far I fell of the path this first quarter. I got more bottles in this first quarter than the last two years together! Hello, my name is Ann, and I am a perfume addict. But I am so happy with all my goodies.
Dior Escale a Pondichery
Clinique Aromatics Elixir
Chanel Cristalle edt
AG Eau de Sud (trying to track down the old stuff was a challenge!)
AG Vanille Exquise
Guerlain Vetiver
Pacifica Tibetan Mountain Temple
Pacifica Spanish Ambre
….and there are now about 5 new items in my “must buy” list that I would have bought if I didn’t run out of fundage. So we’ll see. The recent swapmeet helped me deal a lot with new cravings. Cheers!
Aren’t you forgetting something, dear? Or did you pay for the BdA 4th qtr. 2014?
You know, I have gone quite insane. But after reflection, I did determine that I paid for BdA in 4th q. Phew. But I am sure there is a bottle I’ve forgotten. 😉
I just didn’t want to be the only one declaring it! 🙂
I’m so glad you got some Aromatics Elixir, it’s a gorgeous perfume especially the late drydown.
I do enjoy it, but I have to apply it very carefully so it doesn’t get too much. But you are right – it has a wonderful mossy drydown that is really enjoyable.
Full bottles:
Byredo 1996
Prada Infusion de Rose–blind buy, cheap. I’ll be swapping decants of this at the next Swapmeet. I like it but I’ll never use 100 ml!
Small decants:
Tom Ford Noir de Noir
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
MFK Lumierie Noire
Chanel Misia
Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile
I’ve discovered it’s worth the extra cost-per-millileter to buy 3 ml spray decants for testing a perfume. That’s enough for me to know if I like it enough to buy more. It’s a small enough amount, too, that I will use it up.
Spent around $300
Jealous of your Byredo 🙂
I agree about the 3mls. That’s my standard too, for the same reasons.
Try layering the two Tom Fords. I would have never thought of that but a Tom Ford SA did it on me (as if I was going to buy those two bottles at once) because she said that was what she wore, and it was so gorgeous!
Wow, I never would have thought of that either! Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it.
Just 1 very cheap bottle this quarter – Thymes Agave Nectar, think it was between $20-$25, so that barely counts, right? Very happy now I can coordinate with the Agave Nectar hand cream and shower gel I got at Marshalls!
I lost an auction on ebay for AG Chevrefeuille – guess I need to snipe? Or pay closer attention at the end of the auction time. Eyeing a bottle of that and CSP Vanille Mokha – both discontinued, so I should just buy them now and stop looking for deals!
I do see people with run up bidding in the last 40 seconds of an auction. I do see Chev from time to time on the internet discounters, so it pays to keep an eye out there. They must find old stock or testers from the AG bottle changeover. Normally beauty encounter has good selections of AG. Good luck!! Chev is really unique.
BE does have it, I’ve just been waiting for a good coupon code. It’s only $95, so I should just do it!
IMHO, when it’s something that’s really hard to find at all, it’s better to just go for it and try and save money on another bottle later.
Snipe! Easier, plus if you’re like me you forgot you’re bidding altogether and it’s like a nice surprise if you win. And no bad feeling if you lose.
What is sniping, please?
Using a bidding service (like BidNip) that bids for you in the last few seconds of the auction period. Among other things, makes it impossible for you to up your bid at the end, so if you vow to not pay attention, you’ll never pay more than you meant to.
Yes I would snipe as well. It’s gotten me quite a few really nice bottles and bargains!
Sniping is easy. And I don’t feel bad about it at all – I am putting in the very maximum I’m willing to spend… just not way far ahead of auction end. But then I only snipe things I really really really really want, too.
Agreed.
Travel sprays/decants of Onda voile d’extrait, Rosa Sur Reuse, Ta’if and Dans Tes Bras and full or mostly full bottles of Desarmant, Marions Nous, and Moon Dance (also free bottles of Adam Levine and Terracotta Voile d’Ete). Grand total $693
Getting Ta’if (the oldest item on my wishlist) seems to have halted the urge to buy anything else for a while (for however long that lasts)
You got some great stuff!
I enjoy that periodic sensation of, “There, I have enough, for the time bring.” Relieved of the pressure od desiring!
3 bottles this quarter, all L’Artisan, all from TK Maxx.
100ml Mure et Musc Extreme (£24.99)
100ml Premier Figuer (£24.99)
125 ml Deliria (£29.99 ohmygodohmygodohmygod – if I’d been pregnant, I’d have given birth in the shop!)
I envy you sooooo much. My local TJ Maxx has nothing good at all. And I love L’artisan. Deliria is amazing, weird, delightful.
Ditto! I’d faint if I saw that stuff at TJ Maxx.
Same here!
I never find much in the way of higher-end scents at TJM… Once found (and bought) Prada Infusion d’Vetiver, and even with the discount I paid too much for it.
I would faint too if I saw L’Artisan anything at my local TJM.
After the exhorbitant amount of money I spent on essential oils and isolates in 2014 (yes there are at least 50 or so bottles scattered throughout my house!) I vowed no more perfume spending in 2015….and then came my almost daily reading of NST which began at the end of January!
So….in February I bought two vintage back up 1.7oz of Nocturnes de Caron for thrity five dollars each at a discount online shop as my very large 6oz art deco limited edition edt splash bottle with gigantic stopper was getting quite low…one was gifted to someone who really wanted it when she saw it…so only one counts, right?
Then came my fear that Tibetan Mountain Temple was on the cutting block when my local health food store stopped carrying it…I found it at another store and bought their entire stock (1 solid for six dollars and four EDP sprays for fifteen each)
Finally, thanks to NSters I discovered Dame Perfumery and bought nine of their 7ml travel sprays for eighty eight dollars on the last day of March.
Yes, I blew my budget but here is what I DID NOT buy…..fb of AG Folavril and Eau de Camille, fb of Seville de L’Aube(unsniffed), fb of MG Plum(unsniffed) and fb of Le Temps d’un Fete(unsniffed), fbs of SSS Siena Musk and LdR (due to their discontinued status) and SSS Fig Tree (could not justify the thirteen dollar shipping fee for just one bottle!) and two minis of Noa and Victoria….there is always the next quarter for those 🙂 !!!!
Wow, but really, you were very thrifty! And congrats on cornering the market on Tibetan Mountain Temple.
Three here. I bought SL Jeux de Peau and A La Nuit, and Robert Piguet Petit Fracas. All at substantial discounts, but still more than I intended. I am going on a no-buy for as long as I can manage! Maybe I’ll get one more bottle for my birthday and/or Christmas.
My fiancé and I are saving up for our first house (exciting!) so I look at real estate listings whenever I feel my no-buy resolve waver.
Hey, that’s a good antidote! And good luck on the house.
I did ok this quarter.. I probably wasn’t as good as I should have been, but that’s par for the course.
Cacharel Amor Amor 30ml – $15
Aquolina Gold Sugar 30ml – $10
Byredo 1996 decant (split-meet) – $30-something.. don’t remember off the top of my head
Marc Jacobs Bang – $20
Minis: Elie Saab le Parfum and Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin – about $12 together
Not bad at all!
Hermès Rose Ikebana, 100 ml — $180 in duty free
10 Corso Como, 100 ml
L’Artisan Parfumeur Aedes de Venustas, 100 ml for $40! on the L’Artisan site!!
L’Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numéro 9, 100 ml — $77
Serge Lutens Serge Noire, 50ml — $66
KenzoAir Intense, 100 ml — $36
Etro Jacquard, 100ml
Nomad Two Worlds Raw Spirit — Wild Fire, 30 ml
Aedes de Venustas Copal Azur
That’s it.
Wow, amazing price on the Aedes, congrats.
Terracotta
shalimar initial
Journey Woman
Nice mix 🙂
HAHAHA, ugh. I’m kind of relieved this quarter is over so I can finally reset this counter.
-Lush Lust solid
-Tea for Two
-PHI – Une Rose de Kandahar
-vintage Bal à Versailles
-Tihota (split)
-Terracotta
I’m a little surprised that was ~$370, so I guess the lesson is that maybe it’s better if I don’t keep track. (Now is when I’m grateful for the minis, samples, swaps, and miscellaneous bath/body products that don’t count against me. :))
It’s always nice to go back to zero 🙂
Confessing is good for the soul…
Montale Attar
Amouage Interlude Man
Maison Francis Kirkdjian Absolue Pour le Soir
By Kilian Incense Oud
Dior Homme Cologne
Now I am lemming more (and more) Amouage… What is one to do?
Hide the wallet?
Certainly DON’T find out you can occasionally get deals on Amouage at discount sites like FragranceNet. It will only lead to no good!
The walk of shame begins:
Atelier Orange Sanguine
Chopard Casmir
Dior Vintage Miss Dior EdC
Dior Diorissimo
Dior Dolce Vita
EL Bronze Goddess
EL Sensuous Nude
ELdO Like This
Fendi Theorema
Guerlain Shalimar Legere
Hermes Merveilles Clair
Jean Patou Sira Des Indes
Kai
Kenzo Amour
L’Artisan Jour de Fete
L’Artisan Dzing!
L’Artisan Mimosa pour Moi
L’Artisan L’eau d’Ambre
Lutens Bois de Violette
Lutens Fleur d’Oranger
Lutens Ambre Sultan
Lutens a La Nuit
Lutens Clair de Musc
PdN Kiss Me Tender
TLapidus Silk Way
YSL Cinema
One COULD look at this list and say, “Well, apparently you needed them – how could you live without most of these?” What I see is that I desperately tried to buy some inexpensive ones to justify the others.
I’m just hoping that some additional Serge and a Malle were in pre-January so I didn’t add them to the list. And as you say, decants and samples are separate?
Impressive! :-0
W.O.W.
Respect.
You got some amazing stuff.
I hope that you are participating in the next swapmeet!
Now that’s a list!
You guys!! Now I feel better…just have to learn how to transfer with pipettes…
Can I ask you where you bought the Theorema from?
eBay, minimally used. Delicious and amazing.
I always just count the major perfume purchases in this poll. With that said, I have only gotten 1. It’s a bottle of Chloe Eau De Parfum for $130.
I did get a few decants from STC – Byredo Pulp, Slumberhouse Pear & Olive, and Narcisco Rodriguez for Her. I go through decants like others go through samples, so that’s why I don’t count it.
I did order some perfume sprays / spritzers, shower gels, and lotions from The Body Shop, but I really don’t count those either.
So, I am doing pretty good this year compared to last year!
Hmm, 1.7 oz bottle L’Artisan Seville a l’Aube, $61.42, which is 15% off at an on-line discounter.
Small bottle of DSH Scent of Hope, $88.00 from DSH, in the mail now.
Small bottle of Burberry Rhythm, about $14.00 at TJ MAXX
Small bottle of Oscar de la Renta Live in Love, $10.00 at TJ MAXX
4 bottle set of L’eau des Collines colognes, 1.7 oz each, a great deal at $30.00 from the Vermont Country Store Catalog, in orange blossom, lavender, violet, and one called Provence, which has jasmine and lavender as well – apparently these are sought after elsewhere and hard to get here. They smell great.
Plus a couple batches of samples I bought, one from Lucky Scent,and one from The Perfumed Court (had no problems, here, by the way – I see mentions of leakage, etc.) plus samples I have acquired through generous NSTer trades and swaps and gifts…
So, $230.00 more or less for this quarter. Not sooo bad. Next quarter, I am saving up for some more ambitious bottles – Oriza L Legrand or Fredric Malle, I am afraid. Well, I am not afraid, but my bank account trembles. LOL!
Not bad.. definitely a lot sitting in carts still 😉
Zara Chocolate 30ml
Tea for Two (split)
Dune (decant)
Dzing! (decant)
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon (decant)
Osmanthus Interdite (decant)
Bottega Veneta (decant)
Knot (decant)
Nice stuff!
I gotta get some of that Knot. I love it.
It’s become a favorite orange blossom scent. I may be graduating from decant to FB soon.
No actual bottles, but about 100 decants from Surrender to Chance and the Perfumed Court. I make my own fragrance so am hesitant to splurge on a huge bottle of something when I can either wear my own most of the time, or indulge in a decant every so often.
I was very bad, and I blame it all on fragrancenet’s irresistible discounts on Goutal, Caron, L’Artisan, etc.
Caron Third Man and Yatagan
Goutal Mon Parfum
L’Artisan Seville a l’aube, La Chasse, and Mure et Musk absolue
Lutens Daim Blond and Gris Clair
I also bought Guerlain Terracotta with a gift card, and couldn’t resist Rose Flash from Tauer.
Yikes! I should not spend any more money on perfume this year (or ever, really).
Fragrancenet is a killer..
…and a savior.
I bought FM Une Fleur de Cassie and Cartier La Panthère (edp). Paid full price for Cassie and got the cat at a serious discount. Not a bad quarter, I’m craving Amouages(!) at the moment so next quarter could be bad.
Une Fleur de Cassie is wonderful. I’ve got 5ml of it and it’s not enough.
It is, Thérèse always used to be my favourite Malle, but I’m afraid she has had to make place for Cassie. It’s so enjoyable to wear, and unlike anything else I own.
Forgive me, Donatella, for I have sinned. I lasted until January 5 before I bought the first bottle of the New Year. So far, I have gotten
Tiziana Terenzi White Fire
Tom Ford Shanghai Lily
SL Tubereuse Criminelle (in the export bottle, not the bell jar!)
VC&A California Reverie
Guerlain Terracotta
Jovoy Les Liturgies des Heures
and I did a split of Wit and only kept 20ml. I also am not counting the bottle of Bronze Goddess Body Shimmer because it’s not really a perfume. Total was $768. Tom Ford, Sl. and VC&A were the biggest outlays, but I am stocked up for summer and there is really nothing on my wish list now.
Snort! I bought my Iris Poudre on Jan. 2.
You got some nice things.
Do we count shipping in the total? Because if we do, it was close to $445. If we don’t, it was just under $381. Of that the majority were mini bottles, some samples from Possets and BPAL, and 5 ml. decants from STC. Only three full bottles – Natori, Philosophy Tea Leaf, Donna Karan Gold, all from Ebay. It also includes two bottles of Rose Jam shower gel that I bought at the Lush BOGO sale.
Oh well, you don’t need to count the Lush body products. 🙂
Shipping is tricky. I’m in Australia and shipping from overseas can be horrendous. With that, and an unfavourable exchange rate nowadays against the USD, many Australian fumies are cutting back or buying locally, often from one another.
I feel your pain annemarie. I have bought nothing this quarter. The good thing is I used up all my samples, so have just put in a new sample order with the STC 3rd anniversary 20 percent off sale. I am in Noumea at the moment and bought a cheapish thrill at a French pharmacie – two Roger and Gallet soaps in Sandalwood and Carnation. Divine to store in drawers and get a fragrant blast every time you open them.
Roger & Gallet soaps are lovely. I don’t see them any more where I live. 🙁
Shipping totally sucks to Australia, if it happens at all 🙁 im praying for a fellow perth perfume fiend who also wants half of Luckyscent’s catalogue so we can split the shipping… wouldnt that be nice? 🙂
Luckyscent’s shipping has gone through the roof over the years. I’ve only ever bought samples from them. Sigh.
I usually count it, but entirely up to you!
My Rose Jam is almost gone 🙁
I may need to buy off eBay to make it thru Christmas.
I actually bought a few FBs this quarter, including Strange Invisible Perfumes’ Emerald Moss, which really got me to in a way that totally justified its sky-high price. I also committed a panic-buy when I realized the L’Artisan’s Passage d’Enfer was showing everywhere as Out of Stock. I thought they were getting ready to ax it and I got a (back-up) bottle from Parfum1. It’s back on L’Artisan’s website now, but that was a close call..
I broke my “no buy until April” dictum at the very end of March with a bottle of Terracotta. So, I am mildly disappointed in myself.
But I got over it quick and had to pat myself on the back because I bought NO samples what so ever! Samples really are my weakness because I just rationalize them away and then, before you know it, you spent $50!! I have a tons of things in various cart in cyberspace, but I am going to try holding off until July (Gasp!).
I think the main reason I was so thrifty was the wonderful swaps I made with some very generous folks! I discovered a new love (Bois de Iles) and I WILL have a FB of that before the end of the year.
I was trying so hard to do a no-buy until April, and I almost made it. In the end, I bought 3 bottles, because each of the purchases was limited time, and at a really good price:
Jardin Sur le Nil-100ml sprayed once, from someone on craigslist who was moving out of state. $50
Diptyque Vetyverio (100 mL) and Volutes edt (50mL) both from the sample sale for a total of $117.
And then a split I’d committed to last year finally got filled, so that came due, and it was about $80.
This quarter is starting out as a doozy–I’ve already made one purchase (from an NSTer who waited very patiently for me). I’m going to try to cut down for a while now. I’ve got lots of fun stuff to play with already.
You did great on those Diptyque’s 🙂
A 50 ml bottle of Bois de violette is all I got. It’s love love love.
When I try to remember I can only recall one bottle-can that really be true 🙂 ?
I bought a FB of Hermes Hiris on their own website- it arrived in an orange Hermes box tied up in ribbons. Inside the perfume bottle/ box was resting on it’s very own white silk cushion…
I predict that the next quarter will be much worse!
I’ve been thinking that I need a FB of that for a couple of years now…
Congrats!
Frédéric Malle PoaL 3x10ml travel sprays ¬€100*
Byredo Blanche 3x12ml travel sprays ¬€60* sold two for €40
*I had €15 discount vouchers for these
Vivienne Westwood Boudoir 30ml €50
Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Neroli 50+15ml ¬€23
Estée Lauder Knowing 30ml €55
Bulgari Black 40ml €10
Lush Lust 20ml €30?
1/3rd of a vintage Guerlain Mitsouko 30ml €40
A total of €328. Ack. Horrible but I got back to perfume after six years of spending zilch on it so I reckon that evens it out a bit.
Ah sorry, PoaL was €85 afer the discount. Makes me feel slightly better about it. Lust might’ve been €20 actually.
So yeah, sitting just under €300 then.
Oh my gosh you guys, I think this is my worst quarter yet (despite the fact that I am also at a place where I feel like I don’t need anything new!! Hahaha. My credit card statements say otherwise…) I got some incredible deals on Penhaligon’s Lavandula, Cartier Zeste de Soleil, and Paloma Picasso ($10 for the last, thanks TJMaxx!) And then a split (Vanille 44) and a partial bottle (Aerin Evening Rose), and finally one full priced purchase, but it’s true love–En Passant.
Very happy with what I got, but now I’m really due for a no-buy quarter or two!
Oh, congrats on the En Passant! I know it will get plenty of love!
Thank you!! Yeah it felt great–birthday present to myself 🙂 Bought the set of travel sprays and have been using the first one a ton already–so nice in spring! So I’m very happy with the purchase.
Overall I have spent as much as, or more, than usual, but this has been my most satisfying quarter ever.
50 mls Chanel No 19 EDT
30 mls Bottega Veneta EDP
30 mls VC&A Midnight in Paris EDT
10 mls split of Hermes Cuir d’Ange
I got great deals on all of them, and bought the No 19 out of some of the proceeds of selling off a lot of stuff. (So really it doesn’t count eh? And I bought a lawn mower with the rest).
No 19 is one I have loved and worn for 25 years or more, and I’ve been thinking about and testing Bottega Veneta ever since its release in 2011. MiP was the only impulse, blind buy, $28 including shipping.
Oh, and a large mini of Badgley Mischka, how could I forget that? Love the stuff.
Large mini sounds like an oxymoron 😉
So it does. 🙂
It is a partially used 15 ml bottle – a purse spray I suppose I should say – originally from a gift set I think.
Jealous of your Hermes. That’s at the top of my list for this quarter.
Yes, it’s great stuff, more long lasting on my skin than I expected. I was lucky to jump on to a split. I don’t live near a Hermes boutique.
Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint $60 (30 ml)
Jo Malone Tudor Rose & Amber $65 (30 ml)
Rochas Tocade $32 (3.4 oz.)
Perfumes By Terri Confit de Rose $25 (30 ml)
Grand Total of $182
I’ve bought quite a few things:
– Tom Ford Fleur de Chine
– Guerlain Après L’Ondée (finally!)
– Narciso Rodrigues Narciso
– The Different Company Tokyo Bloom
– Jo Malone Birch & Black Pepper
– Hermès 4x15ml set including Eau de Narcisse Bleu, Eau de Gentiane Blanche, Un Jardin Sur Le Nil and Jour d’Hermes Absolu
– Byredo hair mist in Gypsy Water
– several very nice candles
I regret nothing. I have a new job (since November) that allows me to spend a bit more and I also no longer spend big on samples, as I sampled heavily for a couple of years. The only surprise is that I’ve bought a lot of light, lovely perfumes, I generally tend to go for the statement-making ones.
Zip, and pleased as punch about it!
I spent my time, instead, organizing everything I’ve got.
It’s in the vicinity of three liters, so I’m committed to swaps that reduce that total volume.
excellent perspective and way of putting it…when I sort my stuff for my upcoming move, I will look at it in litres…
Thanks! I know my soda bottles, so….
Patting myself on the back re fragrance expenditures this quarter—only bought samples from STC and LuckyScent, plus one split of Heliotrope Blanc for $30 something. The best I’ve done since 2012. As a matter of fact, I sent off a shipment of regrets + my-tastes-have-changed to eBay valet. I got a confirmation of receipt, but I haven’t heard anything since. Hope they get purchased.
On the other hand, my other weakness–shoes from Nordstrom–they just did triple points, and cough, choke, I’ll need to hide the bill from myself!
Well, it COULD have been my first quarter buying nothing. But then a friend told me she’d found a 1973 unused tester of Mitsouko EdT for $45 so I had to grab that while I had a chance, right?
Right!!!!
Yes.
I don’t know what happened to me this quarter. I’ve been so good over the last year, but …. let’s just say there has been little in the way of self-control this quarter.
So, the damage:
Decants of
Frapin Speakeasy,
SL Une Fille de Berlin,
PG Indochine
PG Isparta
Full bottles of
Mary Greenwell Plum
Caron Parfum Sacre
CJ Scents Amber Incense
Hermes Eau des Merveilles
Tauerville Rose Flash – I bought the roll-on and loved it so much I bought a spray bottle, so, yes, I bought it twice.
I barely bought a thing. I bought one bottle that doesn’t count because I had my husband give it to me for our anniversary. So it’s a gift of Absolue Pour le Soir. The only other thing I bought was a bottle of Adam Levine and since it was only $7.99 I hardly consider it much of a purchase. That’s my lowest quarter ever.
Good for you! I was pretty restrained this quarter but I aspire to be that restrained. Or just that satified with what I already have!
This is a good quarter for me! I can see that this year it will finally slow down!
LUSH Smugglers Soul $21
Diptyque Olene 50ml $93
Mary Greenwell Plum 50ml $46.50
Hermessence gift set $200
– Vetiver Tonka
– Ambre Narguile
– Osmanthe Yunnan
– Brin de Reglisse
LUSH Lust solid $10
S4P Lawaan $110
Keiko Mecheri Bespoke Soussanne $80
and the one regret is Chanel vintage Cuir de Russie 100ml edc $220. I have to finally admit i just dont care much for vintage and now i’ll have to go to the drama of trying to sell it again.. sigh..
You will not be sorry about the Osmanthe Yunnan…
Only one bottle for me, but seeing as it’s the only bottle I’ve bought in about 3 years it’s pretty significant – Narcisco in its beautiful white cube.
That bottle is one of my all-time favourites and the scent isn’t bad either.
Hmmm…
Burberry Brit Rythmn from TJ Maxx
Laura Ashley from TJ Maxx
Sensuous Nude from TJ
Chanel Misia decant
En Passant decant
Guerlain Terracotta
More than I realized…
Donnatella I’ve been naughty .. I got Clinique Calyx gift set ( on sale and with a gwp) AND a bottle of Thierry Muglar Pure Malt ( upside I did have a voucher store card discount.. ) so my spending is somewhere around $125-150 range . I also seem to recall purchasing a couple of Avon (vintage? )solid perfumes Candid and Timeless . Lest anyone think I’m overly self controlled Ive been spending on shoes, makeup,nail polishes and DVDs lately too.
Just looked at my shelves and realized that I also got backup tubes of lotion and SG for Versace Versus ( modern) as it was in a pilfered from gift set at TJMaxx for $5 . And I also bought a Travalo in pastel pink which allows me to actually use a bottle of So In Love that was sprayerless and nonfunctional. $8 I think?
Oh ! Ooooops! I nearly forgot ! I bought a bottle of Vince Camuto for $10. Okay I’m pretty sure that’s it.
Good news / bad news for me? My local Belk has a Jo Malone . And I seem to like or love a LOT of the line . Oowwch!
I can’t even bring myself to tot up the number of bottles and $$ for this quarter – suffice to say I was bad, very bad. But no regrets, everything I bought will be worn and loved. Perfume-buying hiatus is coming up at the end of May and there are only a few things left on the hit list between now and then, fortunately.
Inquiring minds want to know… 😉
Truly obscene amount of Frederic Malle bottles, plus Rose Flash and multiple 50ml bottles of Tauer, 50ml decant of Feve Delicieuse, large bottle of Gris Montaigne, Indult Tihota, and surely other stuff I have willfully forgotten. But after the planned purchases for May I am going on a long hiatus.
Relatively restrained based on the number of FBs:
– Atelier Cologne Pomelo Paradis
– Chanel No. 19 EDP
– Coach Leatherware No. 1, 2, 3
– DSH Scent of Hope Perfume Extract
– Frederic Malle Carnal Flower (travel spray)
– Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel
– JAR Golconda
– Jo Malone Birch & Black Pepper
Donatella said I get a pass on counting these.
– Splits I hosted: Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie (travel spray), Hermes Hermessence Paprika Brasil, Indult Tihota, Oriza L. Legrand Heliotrope Blanc
– Splits I participated in: Aedes de Venustas Copal Azur (travel spray), Thierry Mugler A*men Ultra Zest, Chanel Misia, Le Labo Vanille 44, Tom Ford Champaca
– etc.
Ah, hajusuuri, you are right in my brain space. I am considering some vintage 19 parfum or Scent of Hope (or both) for my birthday gifts from inlaws. I’ve been wanting both for such a long time. Are you loving them?
I’m waiting till Sniffa to try the new Ateliers. I think I need to peel off on a Sniffa Sunday and go see Aedes de Venustas again – I haven’t smelled any of their house scents and want to. Looking forward to smelling Misia; I shall get out my Vanille 44 in your honor.
But I’m not sure if you bought a FB JAR that you can call yourself restrained. 🙂
🙂
On the JAR, I waited patiently (which means restrained in my dictionary) until the $s off event. I wanted to use my gift cards but did not have them on hand…that just means I get to use them at Sniffa.
The Scent of Hope and Chanel No. 19 EDP (modern) are both fantastic! I do have the Chanel No. 19 parfum vintage and I would put that on par with Mohur extrait which I’m thinking I need to own for both the juice and the beautiful bottle. I have a largish decant of it.
Let’s chat before Sniffa and I’ll put something together for you 🙂
Absolutely. 🙂 I do commend your restraint!
Am I the last perfumista in the world not that wowed by Mohur? I will have to smell the extrait!
Let’s see here: two Caron’s and a sample set of the re-issued Le Galion’s.
Violette Precieuse
Bellodgia
Le Galion sample set of 9 reissues. Of these I love Iris and Sortilege the most. I liked 222 quite a bit but was asked to wash it off at work as it supposedly smelled like “deer urine.” 🙁
I really love the rereleased Tubereuse.
It seems like a shame to hide down here at the bottom of the poll when it’s been such a guilt-free quarter for me! I’ve actually acquired quite a lot, but I’ve purchased very little. Only one bottle: Chanel No. 19. I also bought a couple minis at an antique store, but I’ve decided those don’t count.
(On the NOT bought by me list I got 3 purse sprays from Tauer in this year’s draw, a back-up bottle of PHI from my sweetie, and a bottle of L’Heure Bleue from the swap last week! Still working on sending my half of that deal. . . sorry! They’re all packaged up, just gotta get to the post office.)
Ack. Maybe that’s TWO bottles purchased by me? I bought a bottle of Kenzo Amour recently–although it didn’t get recorded on my personal “damage” list. . . Guess I’d better update it!
MR, if you have a Paypal account you can create any kind of postage label there (Priority, parcel post, media, 1st class, etc.). With the label you can then just leave it for your postman.
Thank you for the reminder, Rapp! Unfortunately, for me, it does not eliminate the need to go to the post office. I don’t live in a neighborhood where you’d want to leave packages out on your front stoop unattended. But maybe I can reduce the time spent in line by pre-labeling them. . .
Just one bottle for me this quarter, I think. I’ll be so embarassed with myself if I remember I bought something else. I blame my short memory for perfume purchases on the fumes. Many thanks to Hajusuuri for hosting the Hermessences split. Iris Ukiyoe is so lovely for spring.
I did have a little falling down episode in the samples area of Demeter, but 10 samples don’t count, right? Gosh, but they are cute little things with their wee name cards and key rings. And darn it, Demeter had to send me a surprise freebie bottle of Fresh Ginger, so that’s that.
There’s a slippery slope somewhere with my name on it, and it’s covered in perfume.
I always have to go back and check my Paypal account to make sure I’ve accounted for everything I bought.
Ha! Paypal is my favorite purchase enabler.
If I don’t have to type in my credit card number, then I didn’t spend any money, right? 🙂
Well – I might have got away totally unscathed for the quarter…except that while in Udaipur, Rajasthan, on hols in Feb we came across an adorable little scent shop kept by a very pleasant man while wandering around the town…hence a bottle of sandalwood fell into my basket.
Well, I’d say I was pretty bad, but could not resist. These 4 were all purchased on a recent trip to Florida:
L’Heure Bleu parfum
Jolie Madam
Shalimar Parfum Initial
Adam Levine for her
Anais Anais – on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart – original fragrance (last one so I had to get it – original fragrance
Bronze Goddess
Damages were about $275. Yikes.
Full bottles of:
Chanel No. 5 Eau Première (in the tall bottle, 150ml!)
Chanel 1932 (50ml decant)
Narciso Rodriguez for Her EDT (this was 40% off at a dept. store, 50ml)
Decants of:
Chanel Misia (going to buy this once I’ve sold a few things)
Le Labo Santal 33
Lush Smuggler’s Soul
In fairness, I’ve also sold the following:
Bvlgari Black, Chanel Coromandel, Tom Ford Noir de Noir, Chanel Sycomore
And finished a bottle of Prada Candy. Still hoping to sell my L’Heure Bleue Extrait soon.
Do you sell your fragrances on eBay? Or elsewhere?
I’m in a Facebook group about perfume where sales are permitted. If not there then I sometimes use eBay. 🙂
Not to bad yet just two bottles, Birch & Black Pepper and Geranium & Verbena. But tons of samples and going to Paris next weekend and I expect some damage will be done then!
Good luck & have fun in Paris! You’ll have to tell us what you sniff!!!
Will do! Can’t wait!
I just discovered this wonderfully expensive world of perfumery. I wanted to find something nice to wear to work. I bought:
Giorgio Armani Si rollerball $28
Kate Spade Live Colorfully rollerball $25
Marc Jacobs Lola FB $30 at Ross.
And they were all meh. Si is not too bad.
So I decided to look online. Found this blog. Big mistake. I’ve now spent about $100 on samples from STC. I bought FB’s of the ones I loved:
Annick Goutal Mandragore FB $55
Dior Diorissimo FB $65
Eau de Issey rollerball $27
Yikes. Let’s not even add that up!
Plans for quarter 2: saving money for Parfums DelRae Wit and Imaginary Authors Yesterday Haze.
I have been assimilated.
Yep. Resistance is futile.
I thiiink the only full bottles I bought in Q1 were Guerlain Shalimar EdT and the Jo Malone LE Birch and Black Pepper?
Oh no, crap, I just remembered I bought like six BPAL LEs too so I answered incorrectly on the poll. Oops. I think those were Alma Venus, Venus Caelestis, Visions of Autumn II, Visions of Autumn IV, and Visions of Autumn VI, and… one more I can’t remember. Oh well.
Jo Malone isn’t usually my bag for full bottles–I have a goodly number of samples from them but they always seem to go head notes, heart notes… nothing. I’m all about that base! But I really liked the ink accord in Birch and Black Pepper, and it was almost completely sold out in North America, so I thought, what the hell. And I bought it. 🙂
Birch and Black Pepper is a good one to have, I haven’t smelled anything quite like it.
Nahhhahaa! I have to admit that apart from some cheapie full bottles (too embarassed to name them) I’ve bought quite a few decants and mostly minis this quarter. Among them some Mona di Orios, a Malle (Noir Epices), Fusion Sacree Lui, Attrape Coeur, Premier Figuier, Copal Azur, the original Michael Kors, Clinique Simply, Amen Pure wood, Cedrat Enivrant mini, Nasomatto Pardon, Joop All about Eve, Lush Karma,and maybe some more). Now that I have to put a stop on full bottles right now, I tend to spend more on perfume… HELP!!!:)
I will not count how much these all add up. I WILL not.
Don’t ask me.
Yeah,well,okay, forgot a Frapin Nevermore big decant, but that was love at first sniff and will last me a decade, as it is such potent stuff…
Kind of late to this party, but…
Spent $80 and got FBs of
Bang!
Encre Noir
Nino Cerruti 1881
And a vial of artist Jennifer Hannah’s scent for her olfactory installation Pure Fume at Slow gallery in Chicago. It’s installed in the bathroom at the gallery and one of its ingredients is hyraceum…
Her collaboration with retailer Canoe Goods, Skive, is a 2015 Art & Olfaction Award Finalist.
Was out of town and offline so super late to the party!
Funny thing is that I really thought I was totally happy with my ‘collection’ and not wanting anything, but still managed to buy these this quarter
4×15 set from Hermes (Cuir d’Ange, 2 Vetiver Tonka, and Osmanthe Yunnan)
Eau des Baux
Chanel Misia
M Micallef Mon Parfum mini
And I really don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold out on Hiram Green Shangri La…my 5 ml is getting dangerously low.
This almost passed by me!
I bought a mini of Dior Ambre Nuit, a decant of Chanel #22, a decant of Mohur Extrait and a partial 40 ml. bottle of No. 5 Eau Premiere. Total cost $200, and the Mohur made of more than half of what I spent. But worth it!
Whoops. Forgot about the 10 ml split of Misia.