Donatella, Our Lady of Perfumed Mercy,1 has apparently ignored the debut of Dario Vitale as the new creative director at Versace, opting to hang out with Anna Wintour instead. We still don't know her long term plans, but she'll be honored with the Positive Change Award from CFDA next month, and meanwhile she's ready to hear the confessions of her flock.
Note that we will no longer have the voting poll to report how many bottles you bought. Tell us about your purchases for the third quarter (July, August and September) of 2025 in the comments. You can just tell us the number of bottles, or you can list your acquisitions, whatever you like.
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.
Me: Once again, nada. Donatella has stopped paying attention to me at this point.
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 know that I have purchased less than 5 bottles this quarter. This is the absolute least amount that I have ever purchased during a quarter. I got married last December, so I am not able to spend as freely as I once have. 🙁 Because I had such a large collection, I am doing ok scent wise, but I do miss this guilty pleasure. But, I just adore being married and couldn’t be happier. I have introduced my hubby to this scented lifestyle, so we are not only a good-looking couple, but we always smell amazing as well!
Congratulations! May you two have many fabulously fragrant years together!
Awww! Thank you so much!! 🙂
That’s so nice – it’s lovely that you are so happy!
Congratulations! Hope you have many more happy times in your future together.
Congratulations upon your marriage! I am sure you are a good-looking and good-smelling pair! 🙂 Mr. Mossy likes smelling my perfumes, and gives sometimes surprisingly insightful comments, but he shows zero interest in wearing any fragrance.
So glad to hear it!
My number: 12
The details:
Profumum Arso, travel size
Philosykos, backup/larger size bottle
Hermessence Cèdre Sambac, Vetiver Tonka, Myrrhe Églantine and Agar Ébène, all travel size
Hermes Caleche Soie, Jour d’Hermes Absolu, Barenia Intense and Voyage d’Hermes, all travel size
Ineke Idyllwild, FB blind buy (and loving it)
Plus two scented hand washes: Molton Brown Rosemary, and Juniper Ridge Big Sur — both lovely
I counted each of the travel sizes as 1 bottle because 15 mls of almost anything is enough for me (although I admit the Agar Ébène is a second 15 mls). The hand soaps I lumped together and counted as 1 to avoid having my total come out to 13. 🤣
So you prefer the Barenia Intense to Barenia?
Only in theory — I haven’t actually tried the OG Barenia. I went straight to the Intense version because I love leather scents, and the OG didn’t list that note. I should probably at least sample it to round out my research. 😉
Ooooooooh, do tell more about the MB Rosemary! I love brushing my hands against a sprig of the fresh herb and then huffing the result.
It’s very much rosemary with a little something to sweeten it just a tad — much like crushing a rosemary needle and huffing. And it cleans well, rinses easily, and leaves a bit of scent on the hands to huff later. Highly recommended!
Thank you!
Barenia Intense twin – a blind buy for me too, and it’s on the way from Shop France, so I’ve not smelled it yet.
Do chime in with your thoughts! My own research continues …
👌
I have Molton Brown shower gels and love them. My fave is the Black Pepper Recharge. I loved it so much I ended up buying the EDT and was disappointed because it’s a totally different scent that is meh on me.
Good to know. I had a favorite shower gel of theirs … the name started with a B but now I can’t remember … and I might have been tempted by a spray version. Similar thing with Juniper Ridge — I love a couple of their body washes, but the cologne versions were weak and different smelling somehow. In one of his newsletters Bruno Fazzolari talked about the challenges of translating an EDP scent to a soap formulation, and shower-gel-to-edt is probably equally challenging.
In July, I noticed that a discounter had Fath’s Essentials scents on sale for $20 or less, so I bought three. Then I went to the Baltic states and Poland last month and bought four more, so seven bottles this quarter. They are:
Fath’s Essentials Tempete de Automne
Fath’s Essentials L’Oree du Bois
Fath’s Essentials Rosso Epicureo
Obvious Frieda’s Thorns
Josef Statkus Josef Statkus
Josef Statkus Rouge de Paris
Jeroboam Gozo
I had to rearrange the shelves in the perfume cabinet to fit them…
I was just reading about Jeroboam Gozo last night. Can you give us a mini review?
I found it to be a sweet, cheerful fruity floral–I don’t smell any of the published notes of tuberose, saffron, violet, or geranium. There’s a good dose of ambroxan in it, and it lasts a really long time. I think it’s suitable for year-round wear. It’s at the discounters but I paid full price for it 🙁
Thank you!
Josef Statkus is a beautiful incense.
Had a look around and it was: nary a one. I’ve slowed down on the decant-emptying project from earlier in the year as I got to the hard ones, and there might be an item or two on the To Buy list now.
I hope to reach this point soon. The Retail Grief Therapy has been budget-busting.
Congrats on the No Spend quarter!
I only bought one bottle and maaaaany samples.
The bottle was the Vacation Grand Cuvee Body Mist that I’m always going on about. I still absolutely love it. I almost bought the EDT when it was on sale at Ulta. In fact, I think I posted that I had bought it because I was ready to hit the buy button. But in the end, I realized that I could just enjoy the body mist–the bottle is large and I have quite a bit. May just get a backup of that at some point ($24 for 90 mls!).
Does anyone else waffle around and overthink these purchases?
Guilty, as charged, Overthinking in the First Degree. Repeat offender. 😆
🙂
waffle around is my nom de guerre
😀
😆🧇🧇🧇
Yep. I’ve waffled before. Will probably waffle again sometime in the future.
Happy Almost Friday to NST! Wishing all a swell day!
Our Lady Donatella, Out Lady of Exceptional Excess: 5 I think.
Shalimar L’Essence (need extra points here because I traveled to 4 department stores to track it down in person)
FM Iris Poudre
The Harmonist Moon Glory
Zara Cocoa Bliss
Zara Coffee Gourmand
Samples (move along fragrantly, if no interest)
Le Labo Lavande 31 – pass
The Harmonist Florae Nebulae- 🩷
The Harmonist Yin Transformation – 🩷
The Harmonist Guiding Water – pass
The Harmonist Sacred Water – pass
Brandt London Fog- pass
BDK Impadia – still haven’t tried
TF Ombré Leather -🩷
Gifts Worth Mentioning w Gratitude
FM Portrait of a Lady 🩷
TF Ombré Leather 🩷
Zara Leather Jardin – retesting in colder weather
Sotd The Harmonist Moon Glory because I haven’t been giving it enough love with all the other pretties distracting me.
Many of my samples were passes as well, but they are so fun (and addicting) to try!
Two more samples:
Lorenzo Pazzaglia sPEACHless- 🩷
Lorenzo Pazzaglia SUN-Gria – haven’t tried yet
You still did better this quarter than I did last quarter!
And Donatella considers samples beneath her notice, unless they are “hajusuuri-sized”.
Full bottles of:
Zara Romance D’Iris
Imaginary Authors O Unknown.
I forgot to add bottles of BBW Delicate Iris and Toasted Pistachio.
Where on Earth did you find the Zara Romance d’Iris?
I found it in Amazon.
There are also bottles in Walmart.
Just a single bottle of Shalimar L’Essence! My annual Guerlain treat 🙂
I’m doing my best to only buy perfume I will wear on a regular basis nowadays.
Shalimar L’Essence is divine! I admire your restraint.
I say that too but somehow new bottles sneak into my cabinet.
Purchased Shalimar L’Essence and sold it so thats a wash.
Lots of samples.
Sorry you didn’t care for it apsara!
Got a 1 ounce and a 8 ounce body spray of Cheirosa 62. Travel sprays of BDK Gris Charnel, Infusion d’iris and Narciso Rodriguez for this quarter.
Nice haul Dawn!
I have only one bottle to confess this quarter, which is a good thing after my shopping overseas in April. I bought Amouage Journey, after years of dithering
That should be the NST motto:
Dither No More
That could be a good CP – Dithered Too Long
Sounds like an entry from the Edward Gorey alphabet book- ‘D is for Daphne who dithered too long’ with one of his exquisite pen and ink drawings of Daphne facing some looming disaster.. my kids loved those, even though his sense of humor is so macabre. Or maybe because of it.
As usual, just decants.
Vilhelm Parfumerie Sparkling Jo, 5 ml. Didn’t like it – gave it away.
Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet, 5 ml. Replacement for a finished decant. Old favorite.
Guerlain Absolus Allegoria Ambre Samar, 5 ml. Still on the fence about it, will need to keep testing.
Hermes 24 Faubourg EDP, 5 ml. Replacement for a finished decant. Old favorite.
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Nerolia Vetiver Harvest, 8 ml. A new scent for me. Loved the sample, so I got a decant.
Celine La Collection Zouzou, 5 ml. I wasn’t very impressed with the sample at first, but it grew on me so much by the time I finished it that I had to get a decant.
There were also a few 1–3 ml samples of other perfumes, but they don’t count!
I suppose I should try the Nerolia Vetiver Harvest, it does sound right up my alley.
Not much here. Zara Coffee Gourmand, and a sample of the new Tauer that is apparently eternally held up in customs due to the Canada Post strike. Hoping to save some of my perfume purchasing for my trip to Italy next month.
Shoot, sorry you are waiting for your Tauer!
I do adore that Zara GC.
Only one, and it was the smell, but still pricey, bottle of Le Labo Poivre, one of the City Exclusives. I keep pondering Arquiste Almond Suede but so far have only gotten so far as to buy a small decant, which will have to go on the NEXT Donatella survey.
I love LL Poivre. Just beautiful.
I’ve chilled out quite a bit with the spending. If it wasn’t for news of a certain Imaginary Authors perfume being discontinued, I probably would have had a No Spending quarter. At least, I *think* these are my only purchases this quarter.
Here goes!
1. Imaginary Authors Fox in the Flowerbed travel spray, 14mL — $41.40
2. Imaginary Authors ), Unknown! travel spray, 14mL — $41.40
Total for the quarter: $82.80. I’m patting myself on the back for keeping it under $100!
Perfumath free!!
Whoo hoo!
Fox in the Flowerbed is on my purchase list
It’s a shapeshifting jasmine. Not a safe blind buy, and I am saying this as a jasmine lover.
I got a sample in the spring and adored it!
Oh, OK! Then keep an eye out for potential Black Friday sales…
I should have added your purchases disclaimer – I feel I may have bought something else, but I could not find the evidence.
I’ve had that happen at least one. Then I found the evidence a day or two after the damage poll. 🤣
And I just noticed the typo in “O, Unknown!”
Today has been my day for them. 🙄😣
Zero!! I am trying to keep up with wearing what I have; considered Shalimar l’Essence briefly before realizing that I would not wear it enough to justify. Pretty bottle, though.
Congrats!
Impressive!
Well done!
I bought more than I usually do.
A partial bottle of vintage Knowing.
A very beaten-up, capless bottle of Chanel Gabrielle with about 12ml left.
A bottle of Vacation Grand Cuvee during the Ulta sale.
Best of all, a new travel spray of Zoologist Sacred Scarab. I’m counting it as a bottle by the SheriG method..
Enabler pins awarded to 🌟lillyjo for the Grand Cuvee and 🌟hajusuuri for the Sacred Scarab.
That is still not much!
Yay for a vintage Knowing!
I’d have definitely gotten that Gabrielle bottle!
Thank you for reminding me about Sacred Scarab – I thought it sounded good, too.
I love buying partial bottles! It reduces the guilt and since I rarely use up a full bottle anyway, it’s practical.
Woot woot! I am an enabler 😇!
You wear it well!
Like many others, just the new Shalimar.
Happy to hear it!
It’s a win for me – a good addition to my Shalimar family.
I traveled on vacation with husband and the city had a Frederic Malle shop. I felt a little overwhelmed in there, ended up buying Acne Studio because it was the only one I had tried and liked.
Also bought a bottle of Victoria’s Secret Bare Sueded Vanilla which was a cheap thrill and a travel size of VS Bare Rose.
I bought a mess of samples that will probably end up producing 2026 purchases.
I bought quite a few bottles as well. Lady Donatella will be pleased.
Guerlain Shalimar L’Essence x 2
Guerlain Oud Essentiel
Kilian Angel’s Share Paradis
Zara Gourmand Coffee
TF Oud Voyager
TF Cherry Smoke
Atelier Cologne Musc Imperial
Diptyque Les Essences Discovery Set (6x10ml miniatures)
I admire your double down on L’Essence. It is worthy-who knows what Guerlain may do.
Twins with Shalimar L’Essence and Zara Gourmand Coffee!
Donatella was worried I was falling behind, but I surprised even myself.
Shalimar L’Essence – 100ml I am a fan!
Comete – 75ml – this is a love!
Aqua di Parma Ambra – “100ml sample”
Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid – 50ml – I kept reaching for my sample. I’ve noticed that whatever perfumers call the orchid note is appealing to me and I fell for that sample. I bought a pristine OG bottle on Ebay for $52.89, which is sadly close to perfume math free these days.
Barenia Intense – 30ml Blind buy on the way. Will it join Jour d’Hermes and Violette Volynka as one of my Hermes loves?
If it’s under $100, it IS perfumath free! Inflation, you know. Plus bottle pr0n!
I do love the bottle, and I don’t have any other Flowerbombs.
I think with inflation, tariffs and such, perfumath free is now $115.
Jalapeño is this known as perfumath?
100mL sample of Aqua di Parma Ambra? LOL 🤣🤣🤣
😇😸
Vacation After Sun 30ml
Vacation Grand Cuvee 30ml
Boucheron 100ml
Bvlgari Splendida Iris d’Or 30ml
Bvlgari Splendida Jasmin Noir 50ml
Hermes Jour d’Hermes Absolu 50ml
Lush Mossy Bottom 6.7oz Body Spray
All those for less than $200 before tax! However, a few of them weren’t successful blind buys. The Jour d’Hermes Absolu and Jasmin Noir, ones I already loved, were my favorite purchases.
– I jumped at a bottle of Tauer Shadid (full price) – Splitmeet, anyone???
– FB of SL Vitriol D’oeillet (discounted)
– Partial bottle of Cuir Ottoman (discounted)
– Some Jacques Fath bottles…basically free