This question is inspired by my story about the recent Diptyque‘s limited edition perfume Ilio that got sold out seemingly within weeks after its release.
Saturday Question #74:
Which LE Perfume Would You Want Re-released?
We are talking not about discontinued perfumes that we loved or former beauties reformulated beyond recognition. The question is about the true Limited Editions that companies released at some point, sold out and never brought back.
If you could tell to one brand which one of their LE perfumes you wish they would bring back for this year’s holiday season, what would it be? Just one! (As a suggestion: if someone has already named one of your “candidates,” respond to their comment in support. That would allow you to name your own choice in your comment – and see if others would support it).
My Answer
When I came up with this question, the answer immediately popped up in my mind. But since I have a luxury of a home-grown database of all perfumes I own or had a sample of at some point, I decided to be thorough. As I looked through all the LEs (I have them marked), I realized that in the last 15 years I didn’t come by too many limited edition perfumes, and out of those several that I tried, liked and bought, my initial idea was still the best choice for me. And I couldn’t think of any such perfume that I liked but missed before it was gone.
So, even though I still have some of this perfume left, I would like Jo Malone to bring back Sweet Milk from their their 2001 LE Tea Collection.
Undina's Looking Glass 
Only this morning I was wishing that Parfums Nicolai would revive L’Eau a la Folie – it was citrussy and refreshing, but it also had depth and warmth. For a cologne it lasted well, and everybody who came near me would tell me that I smelled amazing!
But then I reminded myself “be careful of what you wish for”. I think that any revival would be bound to smell different for a myriad of reasons and would disappoint me ….
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Somehow PdN went by me: I’ve tried just a few perfumes from the brand. But one of those that I liked many years ago, I think, was reformulated. So, yes, just bringing back isn’t enough – they should be as they were back in the days.
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Escada Un Ete En Provence from 1994.
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I’ve never tried it, but I like the color of the the bottle.
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There aren’t very many true limited editions in my collection Undina, Aeon1, Mohur extrait, Kolonya and a few Opium summer LEs are about it. I have lifetime supplies of them so no need to reissue. Gah! You have me stumped.
Portia xx
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How interesting! You were much wiser than I: you got all the LEs that you wanted in sufficient quantities :)
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I’ve just thought of one: Remember when Greg Lauren & Barneys New York did a LE collaboration? I really wanted one but by the time I worked out how to get open they were gone.
I’m still seriously bummed about it because it was wonderful.
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Like Portia, I don’t have many true limited editions, but two that I do have and would like to see re-released are both by Jo Malone: Lily of the Valley & Ivy, and Tudor Rose & Amber, both from the Rock the Ages collection. I have back-ups of both, though, so I’m not obsessed. Same thing with JM’s Blue Hyacinth, from the Bloomsbury collection. Mostly with JM limited editions, I wish the brand would re-release some of the beautiful bottles they’ve had! And speaking of bottles, I still yearn for a special edition green bottle of Chanel No. 19, the way they did red ones for No. 5 and No. 5 L’Eau.
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I’m with Old Herbaceous on the desire for a green Chanel bottle!! I am so late to any launch that limited editions don’t usually even hit my radar, couldn’t think of a one!
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Yes! Co-signing for a green bottle. It would absolutely be perfect for No.19 (specially the EDP) and I would also be ecstatic if No.5 L’eau has a new green bottle as well!
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Yes, I can clearly envision that No.19 green bottle.
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OMG OH!! A green No 19 bottle? YES! Perfect.
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One green bottle for me too, please :)
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The only one I could think of was Femme Bleue. I was in Paris when it was released 10 years ago, but didn’t get it. I still wouldn’t at the price, but I know you have it 😊
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I really like it. But I still think that the price was ridiculous – that was one of the reasons I didn’t choose it as my re-release wish.
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I would only want a rerelease if the price was alright 😂
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I am going to color outside the lines today:
Tauer Dark Passage and Sonoma Scent Studio To Dream
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Lieu de Reves is back which inspired To Dream….just sayin’..
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I saw that from her email. Inspired by versus the perfume itself? Not the same, I’m afraid.
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;)
I think LdR came first. To Dream I think a bit more gourmand with cocoa? But it wasn’t a LE. Pretty sure it was in the regular lineup years ago.
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I’m sure LdR came first. To me, anything from an indie perfumer made in small batches is a limited edition and To Dream is no more. I do still have some left but I am trying not to hoard.
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I’ve never tried Dark Passage and I still have some To Dream, I think. But I really wish AT re-released When we cuddle… – I want a bottle of it.
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Nez 1+1 Hongkong Oolong. I even wrote to them about it but they never replied.
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I wonder who owns the formula now – the magazine or Maurice Roucel?
I hope they decide to re-release it.
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I tend to ignore limited editions for this reason, that I will fall in love and not be able to get it. However, a couple of years ago Jo Malone came out with their limited editions bottles with cute flower and herb drawings on them. I tried them all, and liked but didn’t love. But I am a person who gets a lot of joy from presentation, as graphic arts used to be part of my profession. Every time one of those bottles (Wildflower and Weeds Collection) appears online in a discussion, I feel sad that I missed out. It would have been worth the expenditure for me to buy the whole collection!
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Those are the bottles I had in mind! So pretty.
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They were! This will probably start Ebay stalking for me!
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When JM released that Tea Collection, I thought (and was telling to anyone who would listen) that they should have done more special labels/bottles. A couple of collections later they started doing that, but I found just 1 perfume, I think, from the collections that I wanted to buy. I also think that they should create sets of 9ml minis for each collection they create: those would have been collectible items, I think.
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I’m not sure if I’ve ever owned a limited edition of anything, certainly nothing comes to mind right now.
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At least you don’t have any regrets in this area :)
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I am also unsure whether any of the perfumes I miss were LEs, but like Portia I would cite the summer Opium scents (such as Fleur de Shanghai), which I own and know is one.
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SNAP! I love Fleur de Shanghai Vanessa
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I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen those – I’m not even talking about tried :)
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The only LE’s I regret not buying are a couple of Jo Malones and some of the Givenchy rose perfumes that they used to issue every year for a while with the rose harvest in Grasse. Fortunately Jo Malone has re-issued a couple that I missed the most like Ginger Biscuit and the Elderflower Cordial, which is very similar to the limited ed. Elderflower and Honey from a few years ago. I have so many perfumes it’s hard to feel like I’ve missed out any anything anymore. :-))
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I thought that new Elderflower one smelled similar to the previous LE! I’m glad you confirmed that (the SA gave me just a blank stare ;) ).
I know: with our collections, it’s not like we really miss anything. But it’s just an exercise – not that anyone is listening and going to reissue any of these from our wish lists.
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I think it was a LE…
L’artisan Parfumeur Fleur de Narcisse – real shame it was gone in a blink, it’s great (I have like 3 drops left). 😁
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I only hear that name but never saw or smelled it.
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Totally agree! I think I still have about 30-40ml in my bottle, but I use it rarely. I should probably use it more often. I will say that I see some similarities in Mont de Narcisse that L’Artisan realized two or three years ago.
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A couple that come to mind are Diptyque Essences Insencees (sp?) 2014 Mimosa and 2015 Jasmine. I still have decants and they currently can be found on eBay, but I wish they’d be re-released and in a normal atomizer, not a bulb sprayer.
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I missed when they came up with that mimosa one – I would have probably bought it. But it’s not something that you blind buy from eBay.
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Well, one might blind buy on Ebay with a fist full of caveats and dollars…. In answer to the question, I don’t pursue limited editions. So seldom am I doing shopping where they are likely to be featured, I just don’t know of any.
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