We’re officially over the hump: less of 2026 is left than has already passed. And for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is definitely in full swing. So, by now, I would expect we’ve all figured out our summer wardrobes, both clothes- and perfume-wise.

Sunday Question #302:

What’s in Your Perfume Rotation This Summer (or Winter, for Portia)?

Which perfumes are you wearing these days? Has the weather where you live influenced your choices? What’s the weather like where you are?

My Answer

So far, our summer is great: we haven’t had particularly hot weather (yet). It’s unmistakably summer, but it’s a pleasantly mellow one that doesn’t make you wish it to be over. A good testament to how cool (both literally and figuratively) it was is that I am still wearing Amouage perfumes, which previously were predominantly reserved to the Fall/Winter season.

On a lighter side, I finished my sample of Phaedon Oriental Mint. I thought it was such a great Summer perfume that I decided that I needed it in my collection. I found what I think were the last two bottles of that discontinued beauty – one in Canada (scentrique.com) and one in France. The Canadian site didn’t ship to the US (and their US site didn’t have that perfume), so I went with the French one, undeterred by the understandably high S&H. Unfortunately, several days later, they refunded my money because they didn’t have that perfume anymore. I shouldn’t have waited that long!

How about you?

What’s in Your Perfume Rotation This Summer?

Years ago, when niche perfumes were hard to come by for testing and our collections were much smaller, samples were actively used, swapped or even sold. These days, I suspect they often stay in our collections to die. Unless you get rid of them sooner, of course.

Saturday Question #300:

Do You Throw Away Old Samples?

Do you check the ones you kept from time to time? Do you throw away evaporated or almost empty ones? Are you tempted to try them one last time before chucking them?

My Answer

At the onset of this hobby, I often went back to previously tested perfumes – to compare them to newer ones that reminded me of them, write single note exploration posts or just check whether my opinion of them had changed. So, for years, I kept all samples that came my way in the “library.” These days, after I’ve tried them once or twice, most of them just sit in the boxes, never to be sniffed again.

Today, I went through one of the boxes and discarded 17 samples that had evaporated since I last looked at them. That felt good: I have my recorded impressions from testing them, I never wanted to have more of those perfumes, and some of them have been limited editions or have been discontinued since, so there was no reason to keep them, even if they were still full. But even while doing that, I couldn’t bring myself to getting rid of a couple of vials that still had a smidge of perfume left in them. Now they sit on my desk next to my laptop, and I hope to try to get that last… not even a drop of juice tomorrow, so that I can dispose of them. And then next week I should try going through the next box. Maybe.

How about you?

Do You Throw Away Old Samples?

Before you start freaking out, hear me out. It’s not a sudden disaster scenario where you inadvertently lose everything you lovingly collected over the years. But imagine that all your perfumes, let’s say in 10 ml or larger format, magically moved to a different dimension: they’re all safe there and can be brought back, but don’t have to be. Now, you get a choice: you can wish any of them back or forfeit that bottle forever and receive money instead. The caveat for the first choice is that the bottle you’d be getting would be your current bottle (so, if it’s turned or is almost empty, you won’t benefit from this magical reset). Choosing money would also come with its own limitation: you would get the portion of the price you paid for that perfume proportional to the remaining quantity in your bottle (but in today’s money), and you could spend it only on something related to your perfume hobby. With all that said…

Saturday Question #299:

Would You Want To Restart Your Collection?

My Answer

I would! While I don’t dislike any of my perfumes and probably even like most of them, over the last couple of years I’ve noticed that I rarely feel that I love whatever I decide to wear. That increases my indecisiveness every time I try to choose a perfume, so sometimes I end up not applying anything at all for fear of putting on something I won’t enjoy. At the same time, I know myself too well: I won’t be able to voluntarily part with any perfume I previously welcomed in my collection. So that magical intervention might be the only way for me to get back to enjoying my perfumes every day.

How about you?

Would You Want To Restart Your Collection?

Over the years, we discussed whether the longevity maters and our ideal perfume tenacity. Some perfumes seem to disappear almost before we finish applying them, while others stay with us all day and sometimes well into the next one. Whether you enjoy that kind of persistence or find it occasionally overwhelming, most of us probably have at least a few perfumes in our collections whose staying power stands out from the rest.

Saturday Question #298:

What Are the Longest-Lasting Perfumes In Your Collection?

For those specific perfumes, do you consider it a benefit or something you tolerate?

My Answer

As with most of my recent questions, this one came to me as I was experiencing the topic. I woke up the next morning after a Mother’s Day celebration and realized that I could still smell Amouage Gold, which I had applied around 2 PM the previous day. And it was still wonderful.

I think most of my favorite Amouage perfumes easily last overnight on my skin and at least several days on a pillowcase. I always enjoy them and don’t remember ever getting that “the perfume wears you” feeling that I sometimes get even from less tenacious perfumes hours into wearing them.

How about you?

What Are the Longest-Lasting Perfumes In Your Collection?