Last week brought an unexpected interruption, and I couldn’t publish the SQ post. But I’m back, and I’ll try not to skip these traditional posts in the future.
Saturday Question #167:
What Do You Think About Opaque Perfume Bottles?
Do you like them? Do you own them? Or do you avoid them?
My Answer
I have mixed feelings about opaque bottles: many of those I’ve seen were beautiful. I almost bought Chanel Coco Noir even though I wasn’t that enamored by the scent. And I would have bought Chanel No.5 Red Edition if I hadn’t missed it – and I don’t even like No. 5!
But when it comes to owning and using those perfumes in opaque bottles, it bothers me that I can’t clearly see how much juice is left in the bottle, which is especially annoying with heavy, quality bottles. I know that it is not rational: I won’t go through most bottles I have, so it’s not like I need to be prepared or will buy a backup bottle. And still.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
It’s lovely to see dear Rusty’s little face!
Some bottles are more opaque than others. I can hold up some of my least dark ones to a light (or even my torch!) to see how much liquid is left. Shaking to listen how much is swishing around is very imprecise but helps a little.
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I should do a Rusty post again: he hasn’t been around in the blog for a while.
Some of my bottles will not reveal the level even under the investigatory lights.
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I looked at my list of favorite bottles, and just 7 out of the 24 were opaque. The Natori bottle, which has a window, is one of my very favorites and maybe that’s because you still see the perfume inside! Also, while I dislike some bottle shapes, opacity is never a deal-breaker, and I display more opaque bottles because I think the perfume is protected.
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Almost 30%! My percentage of opaque is much smaller. Considering that a lot more bottles are transparent, your count is impressive!
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True! I did not think about the fact that in general, bottles are transparent.
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Rusty!!! I don’t have many opaque bottles and I haven’t given it much thought…but yes, they are rather annoying because I probably use the perfumes less because I don’t want to run out when in fact, I probably never will.
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I don’t think about it every time, but in general that thought crosses my mind whenever the level gets too low (as determined by weight, which isn’t too accurate, as I discovered).
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Hi Rusty,
LOVE opaque bottles Undina. I never have to worry about light ruining the perfumes. I know everyone poopoos the Montale tins but I love the look, Keiko Mecheri stopped doing black bottles and I’m sad. Love my Sikences and the old Huitieme Art range.
My true love are metal or plastic refillable cases like CHANEL and Nina Ricci do.
Portia x
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Weren’t the old HA bottles perfect? they felt like a stone in my hand, plus they had that clear line, so you could see what was left.
I really like the opaque bottles. They tend to come on beautiful colours (hello, Annick Goutal’s Nuit Etoilee, Ninfio Mio, and Mon Parfum Cherie bottles). Piguet’s Calypso is also in a black bottle-when I want to see what’s left I use the flash light on my cell phone, put it behind the bottle and check. Hermes colognes come in those beautiful cheerful colours, too.
Hope life is treating you gently, Undina, and thanks for the pet porn :) Love seeing Rusty’s beautiful face.
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YAY Carole,
I think it’s you and me against the world on the Huitieme Art bottles. they were so disliked by the perfumistas that Pierre had to change them out for his regular bottle. I think they are black versions though.
I forgot the Piguet bottles! So fabulous.
Portia x
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I loved the HA bottles also. I have a couple of the white ones in my collection. As I remember some scents were in white, others in black. They feel so calm with the matte finish and fit in your hand perfectly.
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YAY! One more fan of those bottles. Agreed on ballpoints Nancysg,
Portia x
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Thank you, carole! I’ll try to do more Rusty-themed (or at least Rusty-present) posts.
Annick Goutal in colored bottles were my favorites! I wish they kept those. I discovered that I’m less attracted to this line since they did the repackaging.
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Refillable cases are good: they both protect perfume from light and allow seeing the level (if you pop the bottle out).
I like Montale’s small bottles (though, I don’t own any of them, so it’s just a theoretical “like” for now).
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Glad you are back. Rusty is perfectly framed between the two Deep Red bottles! What’s different about the limited edition?
I don’t mind opaque bottles, but I think it looks better when part of it is transparent because the liquid itself is part of the visual appeal for me. I was very attracted to a photo of the new CK Euphoria flanker, in a bright red opaque bottle, but I wish they kept the top part transparent like the original design.
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Those two versions were identical (minus possible reformulation that didn’t affect the scent much). I used to love it. I should wear it tomorrow.
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I’m torn, while I like opaque bottles for their protective qualities, it’s difficult to gauge how full they really are and also see if the juice is turning from it’s original color. It’s not a total deal-breaker though. Some of my favorites are opaque, Tom Ford Oud Wood, Bandit by Piguet. I love the bottles for their design as much as I love the juice inside.
I am a little disappointed many perfume companies are switching to a standardized bottle shape/design for their entire line, I used to love to play the “I spy” game with movie scenes, trying to I.D. various bottles on a vanity.
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Hi Smokeytoes!! Long time no see!! Cm8
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Hi Brigitte! How are you? :)
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I’m good and hope the same for you!!
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Good point LizD, seeing the different Guerlain bottles or the CHANEL lipstick bottles and knowing they were wearing Samsara or CHANEL No 22 was a gift in film and TV.
Portia x
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**Waves Hi! ** So good to be here!
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Smokeytoes! It’s great to see you!
I also disprove companies standardizing their bottles. For many years I respected Estée Lauder for having unique bottles- even though I didn’t like most of them enough to wear. But now I’m upset that they are no more.
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I kind of like opaque bottles, especially in a matte finish. I have always loved the look of matte glass. Mind you, I don’t actually have any of those in full size, but still…. I do find it annoying to not be able to see the level. My collection is so large that there are very few perfumes I would rebuy even if I suddenly used them up, so it’s not a big deal in the end.
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Some of those bottles look extremely slick. And you’re right: it’s not like we can run out of perfumes any time soon… But it still bothers me :)
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Glad you’re back, Undina!
Opaque or Nopaque, that is the question. It doesn’t bother me at all if I can see the inside or not. Some FAQs mention using water displacement method to see how much is left (or actually % left) but it’s too much trouble for me to go through that. A (very) long time ago I sold a few bottles on -bay but I don’t recall selling any opaque bottles.
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I can’t imagine using that displacement method… I hope I never need to sell anything badly enough to resort to that :)
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I dont care much about this, i have some opaque ones like MKK and Silences and vintage Zen. They look really nice but i would like to see how much is left
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Vintage Zen was a very nice bottle!
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I don’t mind opaque. I hold them up to the light to see how much is left.
My favorites are my original Phlur with magnetic caps. They look like modern art pieces. And when you line three up they spell Phlur.
You know, this would be a great Saturday question, Have you bought a fragrance for the bottle itself?
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Been there, done that ;) https://undina.com/2020/08/08/saturday-question-have-you-ever-bought-perfume-just-for-its-bottle/
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Welcome back. I did miss you & SQ.
The only time I’ve ever thought about opacity was when I sold a Montale. Apparently weighing the can is the way to go. Can’t remember the weight of the can though.
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Montale bottles bother me: with them, I know for a fact that I can’t see inside :)
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Not wild about opaque bottles unless I can hold them up to light to see the full level. Nuit Etoilee is my favorite opaque bottle.
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I bought NE partially for that bottle. :)
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I don’t mind opaque bottles but I don’t normally seek them out. An exception to that is Nuit Etoilée’ I fell in love with that blue bottle! I also bought the limited edition Chanel No. 5 L’Eau in the red bottle, but it’s not fully opaque, you can see through the colored glass a bit.
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I also bought NE (partially) for its bottle. I mean, I decided I would buy it before I tried it. But then I ended up liking perfume :)
I wish I had bought that red bottle!
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I wish they’d do a green bottle for No. 19!
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I don’t prefer them, but it wouldn’t keep me from buying a perfume I really liked. I also like to see the color of the juice.
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Choosing between a color of a bottle and a color of perfume, I’d prefer the latter.
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Not a fan here…I felt moved to blog about this in my Scent Crimes series, while conceding that it was more of a “niggle” than a crime, for the same reason you state of not being able to see the fill level. Wihich does become an issue if you ever want to sell a partial bottle.
**Waves to the silver bottle of Hugo Boss Deep Red!**
https://bonkersaboutperfume.blogspot.com/2010/01/scent-crimes-series-no-6-opaque-perfume.html
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I remembered your “crime” series :)
Every time I use DR, I think of you. Thank you!
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I loathe them! They should be outlawed. I own several (Amouage Rose Incense, Silver by Aigner, Fathom V, Young Hearts, Onda). Every time I see them, I hate them even more. I often like to give away, swap or sell samples of my perfumes, and when I can’t see how much of one I have left, that’s just terrible.
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The opaque bottles are a total pain if you decide to sell them or swap because it’s impossible to tell exactly how much is left. Thank goodness I like the few opaque bottle juices I have.
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I would be hesitant to swap or sell a bottle without knowing how much exactly is left in it.
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