The change of season means mental reshuffling my collection to prepare to the cold(er) season. This exercise allows me to take a look at my collection and evaluate its content.
Saturday Question #130:
Are You Happy With Your Perfume Collection?
It’s an open question, without specific boundaries. Are you satisfied with the number of bottles you have? Do you have “what to wear”? Do you want more? Do you plan to downsize? Are you still buying new perfumes?
My Answer
I like or even love many perfumes in my collection. But I think I’m overwhelmed by the number of perfumes I have – not as much by full bottles but mostly by decants. I like those perfumes! But I have a hard time deciding what to wear. Probably I need to create a schedule not to think about what to wear every day but just go through the list.
While I’m still interested in trying new perfumes, I don’t think I want to add any to my collection. Of course, if I come across anything I suddenly fall in love with I’ll buy it. But for a long time I haven’t tried anything I would like to get.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I am very happy with my collection, but yes, it’s on that larger side where perfumes I love, get neglected because there’s only so much you can wear.
It’s good in as much as I don’t really want to add anything, because I already have so many amazing perfumes. When I occasionally try new perfumes, I most often find I have something already with a similar vibe.
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Most new perfumes I try do not come even close to those that I love and already have! I wonder if it’s just me, and I do not like modern perfumes?
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I am downsizing, selling my back up bottles, things I’ve bought then never opened and things I have but use little. I do have some rarities that fetch big money on resale sites but I feel a bit uncomfortable asking what others are. I know this is silly in a world of market economies but still it wouldn’t sit well with me.
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It doesn’t make sense to sell cheap what these days costs a lot – unless you accidentally find some perfumista who really loves that perfume and cannot afford to pay more and decide to sell it to them. But since it’s an unlikely situation, and if you ask for much less, you’ll end up selling it to someone who will resell it for profit.
My suggestion would be to ask for the market price and use the portion of proceeds that you feel is excessive on something that will make you feel better about it. Not necessarily an abstract charity, but maybe you have a cause or a person who you care about who would benefit from it.
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That’s a good idea!
Probably the Trussell Trust, a food bank charity.
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I am happy with my collection but I would wish to downsize it a bit. I regularly give perfumes away. If sending perfumes to the US wouldn’t be such a hassle or impossiblity I would give away more of them, i.e. I saw the other day that Old Herbaceous would love some Le Temps d’une Fete, which I have a lot of and would be happy to give her…if it wasn’t for the Atlantic.
Selling perfume on Ebay or a Dutch equivalent is too much of a hassle for me right now. I am not closed to buying new perfumes, if something comes along I really love or miss in my collection.
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You’re very kind to think of me!
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I often wish for the times when sending perfumes was easier.
I’ve never sold any perfume, and I don’t want to start doing that. So, even if I’d wanted to downsize, I wouldn’t have done it by selling.
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Now living in a warm environment my fall and winter perfumes really are neglected. I find that I go through fresh and citrus at a much great pace. I really don’t want additional perfumes, but would not mind adding lighter classic fragrances to the collection…such as a Chanel 22 which I keep doing the “should I or shouldn’t I” with. But my overall collection. I love 95% of them.
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Chanel No. 22 is always a “should” in my book!
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I don’t think that I’d characterize No 22 as a “lighter perfume” :)
Our climate is also on a warmer side, but I have at least a couple of cooler months for my favorite cold(er) weather perfumes.
You should travel to the US in winter and bring your heavier perfumes with you!
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I would like to downsize. I gave away/swapped a decent number last spring but I’m going to be a little more critical the next time I attempt a “declutter”. A little overwhelming. I’m thinking my next “project” might be trying to use up decants – I know they will just evaporate or go bad if I don’t use them up sooner rather than later. I also really need to offload a lot of samples – which means making sure I have actually tested them. I culled a LOT last spring but still seems like I have a lot left. And yet – I’m still intrigued by new (or new to me), maybe need to do a “one in, two out” rule!
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I’m still interested in trying new perfumes – even though I’m not looking to add more to my collection. So, I also end up with many samples that I need “to test one more time” before deciding to let them go to the next destination.
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I’m still testing as well. Every now and then I still find something amazing. Dusita is a brand that consistently creates beautifully composed fragrances. Laboratorio Olfattivo is another favorite for consistently good fragrances.
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It sounds like we are all in a similar place with our collections. We love them, but we have so many lovely perfumes it’s hard to wear and appreciate them all! That’s where I am as well. Like alityke, I have sold all but two of my backup bottles and some fragrances that I just wasn’t wearing. I always seem to find someone who will like them via gift or sale on eBay. I need to do more downsizing now. I haven’t stopped sampling new perfumes, though. I bought 3 small 20 ml bottles recently from Vilhelm Perfumery, Dear Polly, a black tea and bergamot scent and Basilico & Fellini, a green scent with lots of basil. I am wearing both today and they meld well, Dear Polly on arms and Basilico on the backs of my hands. The wafts I’m getting are very refreshing and nice! I find that my perfume tastes are changing a bit as well. But that’s a discussion for another time, perhaps!
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I started testing Vilhelm Perfumery‘s set as soon as I got it thinking that I might buy something after the event if I like it. But no, nothing I tried grabbed me enough to want it. But it doesn’t stop me: I will buy and test a set for the next event if it sounds interesting.
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I am happy with the size of my collection. I am not looking to downsize, but also not actively looking to add to my collection. If I do happen to wear something from a sampler set I’ve purchased or from a tester I’ve been gifted and happen to fall in love with something I may add it to the collection. Working my way thru a sampler set from Juliette Has a Gun – current front runner for being added to my collection is Not a Perfume.
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You do know that it’s not a perfume, right? ;) (I liked this review https://thecandyperfumeboy.com/2012/07/10/youre-right-its-not-juliette-has-a-gun-not-a-perfume-perfume-review/ ). But if you decide to buy, don’t do the brand’s site or Sephora – Fragrancenet usually has it with a great discount.
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Mine is too big and I really need to sell my backup bottles but my hoarding tendency is making it difficult. Realistically I cannot possibly use them up. I’m hoping I can eventually release them. I do still occasionally sample but I don’t have much interest in seeking more new things. I still buy out of habit more than out of need or true desire. I’m focusing on that habit right now to eliminate it.
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I’m soooo disappointed with the current formulations of some of my favorites that I would have had hard time parting with any backup bottles if I had them.
If you list your BU bottles for sale somewhere, please share a link. Not that I need any perfumes. But still :)
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This is partly why I can’t bring myself to sell them off – I know they are not replaceable. But at the same time logically I know I can’t use them all up. So I do nothing.
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I’m in the same boat as many. I love the perfumes in my collection, but it’s very large and more often than not a challenge for me to figure out what to wear because I’m overwhelmed by choice. I also have a problem of space in a small apartment so many of my perfumes are in boxes that are pretty accessible but still out of sight, out of mind. I definitely tend towards wearing perfumes that are out on display on my perfume shelves, nightstand, etc. All of this is a big reason I enjoy community projects on blogs since they help me focus on a theme of what to wear (as long as I’m in the mood for it, of course). I’m trying really hard to be thoughtful in purchase choices and buy as little as possible, but I do especially make exceptions for good deals. I couldn’t pass up Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche for $22.99!
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Even though I’m usually not tempted by deals any more (even 50% off perfumes that attract me would still be too expensive to buy something I don’t live), I probably wouldn’t have passed on that BG deal either! :)
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No, it is far too large, disorganized and out of control. I can’t find anything when I want to wear it and don’t wear most of them.
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I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’ll find some solution to that.
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I don’t see a solution unless I start offloading lots of bottles to get back down to what fits in my cabinets comfortably. I don’t have room for more shelves or cabinets. Open to suggestions!
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How about an idea: select 60 perfumes you think fit well the next couple of months and wear them. As you wear them, notice those that don’t work for you now. After a couple of months put those into a separate “retirement” box and don’t consider wearing those again. Move to the next portion for the next 2 months. Repeat. If at any time you think about one of the “retired” perfumes, find and retest it. Otherwise, just keep moving through your collection in 2-3-months’ increments.
In a couple of years you’ll decide what to do with the “retirement” box(es).
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This is a great idea. I do this with my perfumes 3 or 4 times a year, put together a seasonal grouping for wearing in summer, winter, spring, fall, so I don’t neglect any of them. Sometimes I push the edges of the seasons, though. Yesterday I wanted to feel like fall so I wore Lutens Five O’Clock au Gigembre, so wonderful!
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Great advice but I wear by feeling/mood not by season or plan. Also, if I did 60 perfumes per month or two per day, it would take me at least 7 years to go through all the perfumes I already own full bottles of plus all my samples, decants, minis, etc. Tough situation.
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I’m not actively looking to add or subtract, but now I refrain from buying things immediately from the same channels – there are a few perfumes I’ve liked for some time that I keep in mind to potentially buy when I visit a perfumery I haven’t been to before.
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Just don’t wait for too long: as we discuss in the next post, most perfumes get reformulated within a couple of years from their release. It might not be the case with smaller niche brands (unless IFRA strikes again), but it seems like most “commercial” perfumes follow this fate.
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I’ve become more conservative about purchasing new perfume, because like many of us, it’s easy to buy it because you like it. Over the last few years I have sold off many perfumes that just weren’t my favorites or got little to no attention.
Having a good rotation problem helps get all your perfume the use they deserve. For many years I’ve used the “Parfumo Assistant” on Parfumo.net. It gives suggestions for what you should wear based on your entered collection. You can define the season and time of day. The other nice feature of the “Parfumo Assistant” is that you can sort the perfumes in your collection by often worn, rarely worn and recently worn. I found this to be a useful tool to give some of my more neglected perfumes the attention they deserve.
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I need to finally find time to write my own tool to help me choosing perfumes to wear from my database. It might be helpful with daily choosing dilemma.
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Excellent Saturday question, Undina-how do you continue to think of new things? I’m in awe, sincerely :)
Reading other people’s answers is like a snap shot into my own head. I have too many bottles, and I don’t think I want to get rid of any. NST has an excellent post about how many years will my collection last-mine will outlive me, for sure. I bought about 25 bottles over the last two years, from the discount sites, of things that are now discontinued. So lots of L’artisans, in their older bottles with pretty coloured labels, and lots of Goutals, before they left the N American market. Some Serge Lutens, before they all went back to Paris.
I’m a sucker for the words limited edition. I think I have FOMO, and I will convince myself that if I buy this special thing I will feel special, which isn’t necessarily true. The only people I really share with is my good friend and my younger brother-both love scents, and they’ll use them, and if I ever need another spritz of something I just ask them if I can have one. Plus, I have the joy of being around people who smell fantastic. Honestly-they wear stuff and I feel like-wow-that smells amazing!
I do have a few bottles that I might like to sell, like Kingdom, but I can’t face asking what other people ask for this stuff-why should it cost $300 just cause it isn’t made anymore.
I hope you and your family are feeling better, after Covid. I had lost my sense of smell solidly but it came back, so please don’t panic, in case you’re in that same boat.
I’m off to the fall fair-my uncle is coming, too. He’s had cancer for about 23 years, so it’s a special occasion when he can get out and enjoy the day with us. Hope everyone has an awesome and safe long weekend-sorry for the length of the post:)
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I always enjoy your answers, Carole, please don’t worry about the length!
I remember that NST post, and I know that my collection is in the SABLE state (see Vanessa’s comment below), but I don’t really care: perfumes aren’t the only things that will outlive me – so be it. But I want to enjoy them more while I can, and for that I need to figure out a better rotation for them.
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Hi Undina,
I recently pulled a set of shelves from my perfume room to put into the new rental apartment we bought. The idea was to get two sets of the IKEA Billy Bookshelves with doors. It would give me a lot more space, fit into unused space, be behind doors and in boxes. The hasn’t happened yet so my collections feels very cluttered and there are even boxes on the ground ,king everything harder to navigate.
Now we are back from holidays I can rethink.
As to amount of perfume. Yes happy
Buying more? Yes monthly
Plan To Downsize? No, but willing to entertain the idea.
Portia xx
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Don’t downsize (unless you have something completely unloved or bought by mistake)! Organize your existing perfumes better and be more selective in future purchases: the stuff you have is probably objectively better than what you can get now, and mostly it’s irreplaceable.
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Yeah, you’re right.
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Another person with too big a collection here, and I am also overwhelmed by my multitude of decants and samples. I own a number of bottles I don’t particularly care for, and don’t own many that I do. I am not even sure how that came about, but it will be a mix of gifts, impulse buys, eBay bargains, and phases I was going through. ;) There are one or two perfumes of which I would still buy a bottle, but I would feel guilty doing so at the same time, however much I love the scents in question. For I do have a serious SABLE situation going on, to quote my sister-in-law (Stash Above and Beyond Life Expectancy).
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That’s a great acronym– SABLE, love it! My husband will enjoy that one, I’m sure. I’m wearing a scent today that’s going to find a new home, Besos by Carner Barcelona. It’s nice, it’s pretty, but that’s all. Too office friendly, methinks. I bought it when I was still working, but now perfumes need to be fabulous to stay in my collection.
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Remembering your luck with selling some of your “albatrosses,” I wouldn’t recommend even trying to get rid of your eBay bargains that you don’t love any more. But you could just pack those away for a while and try to use only those perfumes that you still like.
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I’m happy with my collection, but like Asali, many of my perfumes get neglected because the collection is rather big. And no, I don’t plan on downsizing, I like everything and want to keep them. :)
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Yeah, I also can’t think of parting with any of my preciousssss… :)
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