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Saturday Question: Do You Have Any Perfume-related New Year Resolutions?

So, it’s 2021. Hello New Year! Are you going to behave? ‘Coz we all saw your predecessor, and I gotta tell you: most of us wasn’t that enamored with it.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #45:

Do You Have Any Perfume-related New Year Resolutions?

It’s that time of the year when one time or the other we all got tempted to make some New Year resolutions aiming at changing our existing habits or targeting some desired result.

Was this New Year one of those times? Did you make any New Year Resolutions/Plans? (Yes/no would suffice but please share more details if you can/want – I’m always curious, and “saying it aloud” might help your motivation). If yes, were any of them perfume-related? What exactly do you hope to change or improve?

My Answer

I am making some resolutions this year. I’m painfully aware that, as many others, I would doubtfully stick to these, but if I do not try, I definitely won’t succeed. So, at least I can try. The one of the general resolutions that I’m willing to share is my intent to try to start reading something not work-related again. I remember loving to read for the first 20-25 years from when I learned how to read. It was such a joy! A good book could completely take my mind away from reality for hours. And I would have to force myself to put a book aside to get some sleep, otherwise I would be reading through the night. And then, gradually, it started going away… It wasn’t related to the language – I read many books in English after moving to the US. But somehow reading more serious books started burdening me, and reading something light didn’t seem all that virtuous or better than watching the same type of content but as TV shows or movies. But this year I will try again in a company with a couple of friends. I’ve never been in a book club, but the idea of a some type of virtual book club appeals to me. We’ll see how it goes.

As to perfume-related resolutions, I do not have any plans for changing my perfume habits, but I have two things I want to try.

  1. One day a week, I’ll wear perfumes hajusuuri-style – 8 sprays. For so many years I felt conscious about wearing perfumes to the office. First, I was a “big boss,” and I didn’t want to subject people who depended on me to the difficult choice of either tolerate perfume they didn’t like or to tell their manager they didn’t like it (though, I suggested to them to let me know if even my light application of some of my perfumes bothered them, and on several occasions they did, and I took those perfumes off my office rotation). Later, in my next work place, I had a manager who probably didn’t like any perfumes but was very delicate and complained just a couple of times when I was overly enthusiastic with the application. But both experiences trained me to under-apply (2, maybe 3 light sprays of my more office-friendly perfumes), and even working from home where my perfumes usually do not disturb anybody, I am still doing the same couple-of-sprays-light-hand application. So, now I’m curious to see how it feels with the “real application.” Though, I think I’ll start with Jo Malone colognes and similar.
  2. Doing my December CaTendar (the countdown to Rusty’s 12-year birthday on Christmas Eve) on Instagram was hard, even though I have hundreds of pictures of Rusty. But at the same time it was fun. Pictures of Rusty will appear with the same regularity as before December (or maybe more often, but I’m not making any resolutions about that), but I decided to try and post photos of perfumes a little more often. There is no way I could do daily SOTD posts. But at least sometimes, when I have more time to put together a shot of a bottle of  perfume I wear, I’ll do an IG post, even if I do not publish a blog story about it. Like I did on January 1, 2021, for Frederic Malle‘s Portrait of a Lady that I rocked in my flannel PJs recuperating from the late-night New Year celebration.

Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady perfume

How about you?

 

Do You Have Any Perfume-related New Year Resolutions?

66 thoughts on “Saturday Question: Do You Have Any Perfume-related New Year Resolutions?”

  2. No more resolutions. I always fail. I will enjoy what I already have and try to send many unloved scents to homes where they can be more appreciated.

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    • I got better parting with samples that I didn’t like [enough], but I’m having hard time letting goof bottles even when I do not reach for those perfumes: since it’s almost given that those perfumes will be either discontinued or reformulated within any given 5 years, I’m afraid to give away something I would not be able to replace if I change my mind.

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      • Totally agree! I have regretted parting with bottles to the point where I’ve been re-buying them. It’s like re-filling a hole in my collection. I am determined to double-down with hoarding in 2021!

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  3. Really enjoyed this post (the first para! ) and can I say how excellent your writing in a second lamguage has becone?

    I’d like to find a way to wear perfume while working from home. I associate it with going out and have never worn it when staying in so not sure how I can break this habit.

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  4. Nope. No resolutions, the word has negative connotations when combined with New Year’s …., often about quitting certain behaviours or bad habits, hahahaha. But I am gonna finally start writing recipes down for my kids, in my handwriting, that they will get one day. They have bugged me for long enough. I have bought two files and paper. A start.

    Perfume resolutions? Nope.

    Happy Birthday to Rusty, who shares a birthday with my daughter.

    Peace, patience, and perfume. 2021. Hugs. ❤️

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    • Coincidentally, one of my goals is to collect in one place different recipes that I use (either found somewhere or created). In my case, those are not for passing onto someone and even not that much for remembering proportions (though, I suspect one day soon it’ll also be important), but mostly to remember that I have this or that recipe, because if I don’t cook something often, I just forget that I have option when I start thinking about what to make.

      I also loved the phrase (and will probably “borrow” it as well :) ), but it made me wonder: have I just not noticed and you always use Oxford comma (before the “and” in a list), or is it something new?

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  5. I hear you on the reading. I also mostly enjoy more challenging reads, but find it hard to get going, and as you say with easier reads, it often feels much the same as a watching a tv series in terms of demands. Also, much like you describe, once the book has me enthralled I can’t let it go, and will read through the night, or in the mornings, getting late for other things… However I found that with the more challenging books it helps me if I don’t stop reading for at least the first 50 pages, ( and that is sort of a resolution) because then at least I’m starting to get a grip on the characters, and it’s easier when I open the book again.
    Otherwise no resolutions – my to-do list is long enough as it is :)
    Perfume wise, as soon as we can see an end to this pandemic, I should like to arrange to meet all the lovely perfume people again. I miss you all!
    Happy New Year

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    • I’m not sure how lovely I am, but can you please add me to those you’re planning to meet (although without the “again” part)? I promise to be on my best behavior! ;)

      You reminded me: my “to do” list is quite long also, but I’ll go through the most of the point. Eventually. Probably.

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  7. No resolutions this year, but a goal. My 2018 no-buy gave me needed pressure to pay attention to what I have. But it was too hard and I went back to my old ways once the year ended. I’m reviving a prior goal to damp down feelings about “rescuing” vintage perfumes and get to know current niche and independent perfumers. I have multiple bottles of, say, LouLou, when I have barely made a dent in the first fabulous-smelling one I got. I’ve never sampled many of the perfume-lovers’ most-loved scents: Portrait of a Lady, Bois des Iles, Guerlain Elixirs, and various delights from Aftelier, DSH, and others. Now, sampling has not been so successful for me. Twice I’ve purchased full bottles that seemed completely different from the sample, Coco Noir and Encens Mythique. I *like* them both very much, but I *loved* the samples. I also *love* an Avon poodle bottle of Occur that I got for $3.59. I will stay mindful of my good vintage arsenal and not bottom fish so much. Since I have success triangulating among trusted reviewers, I will not fear a blind buy for full bottle on fewer high end items: there will be the thrill of success or the comfort of a possible swap sometime!!

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    • I have a perfect explanation for you as to the difference in your sample vs. full bottle experience: most likely, the sample you’ve got was from the pre-reformulated bottle: high-end mainstream brands tend to change the formula after the initial launch – I suspect greed (some executive wants to report saving a couple of pennies per $200 bottle of perfume thinking that nobody will notice the difference). I’m also afraid that with many perfumes that are/were loved by perfumistas you waited for too long (e.g.,PoaL was definitely reformulated, not sure if it’s IFRA or a new parent’s company greed to blame). So, I would probably concentrate my efforts on trying newer perfumes that people you trust like now, and if you love them, don’t wait for too long to buy a bottle or a decant before it changes.

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      • Thanks, Undina – I am taking that advice on watching for new releases. And I am sure you are right about a quick reformulation in the case of Encens Mythique. The online chatter at the time was about that. Later, the first batch code bottles shot up in price and stayed high, so that told me people were using their noses.

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  8. No resolutions at all.
    I first joined a book club in Jan. 2018 out of curiosity and stuck with it. I don’t like everything we read and sometimes I dislike a book enough to not finish it. Here’s the exciting part though: I now read much more than I did in the past! Reading books (instead of looking at my phone) became a good habit. I now read several books a month in addition to the book club selection. So go ahead and try a club and see what happens!

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  9. A friend told me months ago one of the things she hated about lockdown was she couldn’t wear perfume. What!?!?! She explained perfume is for going out. It doesn’t have to be, I tried to explain.
    Anyhow, yes we can wear perfume in lockdown. Smelling good actually makes the day better!

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    • I can’t imagine not wearing perfume. I won’t compare it to brushing my teeth but it’s close. If anything, it’s more chanced to wear or test different perfumes while staying at home: you don’t have to reapply the same one during the day if it’s not tenacious – you have your whole collection to choose from.

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  10. I consider my 2021 project a goal, not a resolution! Since I already post my SOTD to Instagram most days, it wasn’t a stretch to decide that for 2021 I will wear a different perfume every day. My perfume spreadsheet has 800 entries (I include everything – bottles, decants, samples) – so I have plenty to choose from. I hope to also use the project as a way declutter and pass along as much as possible. I am allowing myself to wear a second (or third!) perfume if my unique SOTD wears off, so I will still be able to wear my favorites a lot. I’m excited for the challenge!

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    • I will be following your progress on Instagram.
      You didn’t ask, but may I offer a couple of ideas/advices?
      Since you plan to rotate perfumes on a once per year basis, think of the future occasions in 2021 (birthdays, anniversaries, big holidays) and leave your favorites to wear then as a main perfume – otherwise, 10-11 months from now, you might find yourself wearing for a great occasion something you are not necessarily enjoying, just not to break your project.
      Also, if you miss a day or two of reporting, you could do a ”group photo” of several samples.

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  11. I have two perfume goals for 2021: wear two scents a day and track all my wears. Not specific to perfume, I am embarking on a general no-buy (clothes, books, perfume, cosmetics, non-necessities). I have too much of everything and want to start paring down.

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  12. No resolutions this year. I used to feel that I “had” to make them, and then they would either be abstract or else they would be very specific and therefore actually “goals, not resolutions.” I suppose a goal for this year is to become more familiar with some formulas of classical perfumes, now that I have acquired a new (old) textbook that lists them.

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  13. Woo hoo! I feel so honored about the 8-spray resolution 👍!

    As for me and resolutions, perfume or otherwise, nada, zip, zilch. I did entertain the idea of cleaning out my Gmail accounts because over 100,000 unread so while I’ve been purging periodically, I need to step it up more but since there’s no time element and there’s no goal, it’s not a resolution.

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      • I am looking forward to your 8-spritz reports! I love to encounter room-filling perfumes in the wild on principle – even if I don’t care for the scent. I still have good memories of co-workers who got Poison for Christmas when it first came out. Ah, the office air was at its best….

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  14. I’m generally rubbish with resolutions. With the perfume, I’m trying to buy smaller bottles of everything I buy. I love the 10 ml bottles that many of the perfumers are selling now. I see Memo Paris has a few of its scents in the 10 ml size and Profumum Roma has the nice 15 ml sizes. That’s my only real perfume goal this year is to buy mostly small bottles of anything I purchase. I spent last year going through tons of samples and selling or gifting the ones I didn’t want to keep. I’m sticking to that plan, using up samples quickly or moving them on. And, of course, I will be keeping with all my favorite perfume bloggers!!

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    • I’m extremely glad that more and more brands started releasing 10-15 ml bottles: I don’t think I need more of any perfume at this point… Well, I don’t need more perfume in general, but since I do want to keep buying something new from time to time, it’s great to have an option of smaller brand bottles (I prefer them to decants, even though those are more expensive per ml).

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  15. Not so much a 2021 resolution as an intention: to get back into interacting in person with other perfume friends who live in my city. Now that our intra-state travel restrictions have been lifted (hopefully never to return!), I am keen to have people over to my house for what we call “Sniffys” where we do perfume show-and-tells (usually new acquisitions), share samples – and of course inhale lots of alcohol! (You know what I mean). Always such fun.

    One real perfume resolution is to give all my samples a *proper* wearing before excitedly rushing off to make a purchase – because that almost always ends in regret (I am a very slow learner on this from, probably because I enjoy the online bottle hunt way too much).

    Another intention is to write more guest articles for this blog! :-)

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    • At this point, any event with more than 2-3 friends at a time seems very appealing (I have just a couple of RL friends, though in different circles, who like perfumes, so no “sniffys” for me :( ).

      I learned that unless I properly test and form an opinion about something I tried, those half-tested samples just linger until they go off, evaporate, or perfume gets discontinued, so there’s no good reason to test it again since it cannot be bought.

      I like your “another intention” – let’s pave a road to somewhere fun with it ;)

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      • Sigh. Samples. Recently I went through my boxes, which contain(ed) in the majority samples from many years ago. I realised that most of them, like yours, were either half-tested or not tested at all. The “good” was that I discovered loads which were currently relevant to my “research”, ie/ people had sent them to me before I was ready to explore them. The “bad” was that a great many of them had evaporated, and had to be binned. So sad. But at least they weren’t large decants or FBs.

        // let’s pave a road to somewhere fun with it//
        I have lots of ideas now – just need to get cracking!

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  16. I did keep my NY resolution last year – to only drink on only four nights a week max – which I find nothing short of astonishing. Mine this year are:

    1 To stop going on about my ailments(!) – though I have blown that one already. ;)
    2 To re-learn how to sleep
    3 To be less timid around meat

    I haven’t got any perfume ones, but reading others’ comments above, I am trying to enjoy what I already own, and finish a few things. Hurrah for your reading resolution – I so agree about that pleasure, which I have enjoyed since working less in recent years.

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    • //3 To be less timid around meat//
      Interesting comment. I have developed a problem with my iron levels (and still being tested for internal bleeding as a possible explanation). Of course (in addition to supplements), I’ve been advised to eat red meat. I’m normally in vegetarian mode, partly because I find most meat quite icky to handle, cook and eat. I tried a bit of steak the other day and it made me want to gag. I would have thought that severe iron deficiency would make me crave it. But no. What’s your deal with meat? I’m curious.

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    • I’m also interested about your meat resolution – please elaborate. I love-love-love meat, but with each next year can eat less and less of it.

      Wine… I wouldn’t mind doing it daily, and for a while in summer was doing exactly that, but it’s not compatible with my efforts to control weight: if to choose between a glass of wine or a chocolate, chocolate wins every time :)

      We’ll see how it goes with the reading…

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      • Christine, Undina, I agree that my comment was a bit opaque! Basically, I am a diffident cook, and feel most comfortable cooking vegetarian dishes, and a very few fish and chicken ones. I have a long track record of cooking meat of all kinds – okay, I will include turkey here – badly, so it comes out tough, basically. As with Alsatian dogs, I think meat can sniff my fear(!), and that things unravel from there. I did successfully make a pork dish this Christmas and am very pleased with that. The secret weapon being hot fat going in. I am additionally a bit squeamish about meat in the way you evoke, and hate dealing with actual dripping blood, the structure of chicken legs, muscle, fat, and innards. ;)

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  17. I love making New Year’s Resolutions, and It doesn’t matter to me whether or not I choose to keep them. Which is good cause in 2020 I wanted to do a no buy and enjoy what I already own. Epic fail. Especially around March, when life got turned upside down here (like everybody everywhere). Couple of people in my family were ill (not covid) and I realized I’m going to be 48 in January, and life may not be as long as we think it will be. And then I discovered a web site with lots of fumes I wanted, which are hard to get – and I dove in. Bought about 15 bottles-which I’m not really proud of , TBH. But I did all the things I could do for family members who were ill or out of work and I really enjoyed my purchases. I think my favourite things were a butterfly bottle of Annick Goutal’s Matin d’orate, and a fresh bottle of Dzing, with the old label. The image of a woman riding a tiger with her perfect little red shoes makes me very happy.

    I’m intrigued to see how your 8 spritz experiment works. I was alone one o night and put on…..about 25 spritzes of Shalimar EDP. Amazingly I didn’t die from it. I think I got into a sensory overload and it just didn’t seem like too much to me :)

    I hope 2021 is good to you, and me and Chicken and Marmalade enjoyed your countdown to Rusty’s birthday. Thank you for brightening my 2020 year :)

    Oh, and can I share something- on New Year’s Eve I won April Aromatics giveaway for a sampler set of her scents. One of the nicest things that happened in 2020, for sure.

    Sincerely,
    Carole

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    • I’m tempted to ask what website with perfumes you discovered… :)

      For a long time I wanted to buy old Dzing, but I wasn’t able to find a 50 ml bottle (and I won’t be able to use up 100 ml of this perfume).

      I remember that in earlier years I used to win something here and there… I don’t remember winning anything in a long while. I should participate in more draws (but I feel bad “tagging” friends and I have no idea what “story” is to be able to fulfill requirements of many IG giveaways :) ). Congratulation on your winning! I hope you’ll find some perfumes in the line to enjoy.

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      • oh, the website is fragrancebuy.ca. I’m not affiliated at all – just a happy customer of theirs. As I was shopping I was trying to buy a 50 ml for $50 CDN, but someone beat me to the punch. I think it will take ten years to use my new bottle up, but that’s totally fine with me :)

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  18. I will continue my no buy which was successful in 2020 into 2021. Also, expand it beyond perfume as there’s nothing I need except food. Also, donate more to Animal Care Sanctuary, the no kill shelter my furry granddaughter lived in for seven years before she found her forever home last autumn.

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    • Does it mean that you’ll stop testing anything new? Or do you hope that stores will re-open and allow to do testing? Where I live, when Sephora re-opened, they don’t allow not only make-up testing (which is understandable), but perfume testing as well (which is stupid since most perfumes they sell have a higher concentration of alcohol than hand sanitizer that they dispense to each shopper on entering the store).

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      • If something comes my way I will test. But I have enough perfume that I love to wear and share which is what I have been doing all year.. sharing with friends and family.

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  19. Happy New Year, all! Re New Year’s resolutions: as I’ve commented elsewhere, I don’t really do “resolutions” per se, but I do try to think of some things I might undertake in a new year, and one of them is to be more proactive about building up bone density and muscle strength while I still can, and to be more intentional about getting daily exercise. I hadn’t fully realized how much I walked around my workplace until I started working from home, so I have to be more mindful of going for actual walks. Another is to take better care of my skin as it ages. I’ve always worn sunscreen, but I’ve never had a real skincare routine. I also need to continue clearing out clutter while we finish up home repairs, and specifically I need to organize my fragrances better. And finally, I want to get back into both reading more and writing more. I work in education and 2020 was such a crazy year, as we basically rewrote everything we do, that I fell behind on both of those.

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    • Once you figure out what you’re doing as a skincare routine, you should share! I’m always curious what other “regular people” (vs. YouTube content providers) do.

      Walking is harder than I always thought: staying at home, it’s hard to make myself to change clothes and go for a walk during the work day. And in the evening it’s dark and cold. But I need to figure out how to do it easier during the day.

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      • Will do! Re walking: I try to block out a time in the middle of the day when I can go out for a bit, around lunchtime since I rarely take an actual lunch break. I put it on my workday calendar to remind myself to take a break, and the weather is warmer at midday. I just wear what I’ve been wearing indoors, other than changing shoes, as it’s not going to be a very strenuous or athletic walk! Every little bit helps, though.

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  20. I have no resolutions as such, but will aim to get in touch again with perfume people in my own country, at present my only regular contact is someone who is in a financial rut due to huge vet bills! So I mosty share my surplus without expecting perfume back.

    Having a relatively stable job in the public sector, I will try to give as much to charity as I spend on perfume. I took inspiration some years ago from someone on here, I think. It should not be too hard in 2021, given a continued semi-lockdown (so far extended to Jan 21, and actually rather strict). Many new groups of people need some help to get through temporary redundancy or periods with no income at all (a lot of freelancers in the cultural sector struggle).

    More exercise and less sugar has been a goal for over a year: My ability to stick with it varies a lot, Luckily I can just try again, no need to be perfect. I also managed to use up (very slowly) a few bottles of perfume last year and plan to make good use of what I already have this year. Still; I plan some perfume purchases.

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    • I think, it was hajusuuri who had that 1:1 rule for perfume spending and charity contributions.

      We’re also back in the lockdown, which at this point I notice once a month when I need to do a roots touch-up. Other than that, work fills in all the time, so I wouldn’t know how strict our rules and their enforcement are.

      I need to order decanting supplies and get back to exchanging perfumes with others since who knows when we’ll be able to go to stores.

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  21. Zero resolutions here, except to be more prompt answering blog posts!

    Last year I set my Goodreads challege at 50 books in year. Of course I didn’t get there, though I started off very strong. Covid sapped a lot of everything from me and removed one of my best reading spaces, the train.

    In 2019 I set the challenge at 24 and I read 28.
    In 2020 I set the challenge at 50 and I read 24.

    I have set it at 35 this year, that seems a decent challenge. So far I have read 1 :D

    I have no perfume goals. I know I don’t pay attention to them, I am quite undisciplined and impulsive with perfume.

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    • Let’s talk in a year where your reading count is. I’m failing so far because I just can’t finish everything I need to finish before I can sit and read. But I’m still hopeful :)

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