Let’s do a mental exercise. Just for fun. Don’t worry: nobody will hold you to whatever choice you’ll make answering this week’s SQ.
Saturday Question #261:
What One Perfume Would You Vote Off Your Wardrobe Island?
It has to be a full bottle (presentation-wise, it doesn’t have to be actually full), so no decants, travel or mini bottles! It has to be a perfume that you used to wear at some point – and not just got someone else’s castaway (“I know you’re ‘into perfume’ – here, take this one, I do not use it”-style). It can’t be a perfume you’ve already consciously decided to “retire” but just couldn’t or didn’t want to part with. Just look at (or think about) your perfume wardrobe and name one bottle you’d let go if you had to make this choice.
If you have a “good” candidate, tell us how you got it in the first place and why you don’t want it any longer. If you don’t have any such perfumes, you still have to choose one (that’s the rules of this game!) and explain your “Sophie’s choice.”
My Answer
I constantly put myself in this situation: I come up with a question – and then I’m not sure how to answer it myself!
After spending some time going through my perfume collection in my head last night, I fell asleep. (Hmm… maybe I should start using this method as a sleep aid?) Today I went through the database and came up with a list of 7 “maybes.” One was a gift – so, not ready yet. One was kind of a swap… and it’s discontinued/rare, and the bottle is cute… Nah, it’ll die in my collection. In the end, I decided to go with the one that was the latest to my collection (out of the five considered) – Ilio by Diptyque. I bought it almost four years ago (here’s the story – I should have known better by that phase in my hobby!), and since then, I have chosen to wear it… exactly two times, both soon after the purchase. I am not sure I even thought about it since then. So, I suspect I wouldn’t even have noticed if it had decided to abscond and join the secret all-perfumista army of MIA fragrances.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I knew immediately. PG Tonkamande. I bought it after careful consideration. It is beautiful & wears perfectly on me all year round. My original bottle went MIA for almost 12 months. DH replaced it as I had wailed & gnashed my teeth with woe for so long. Of course the OG bottle turned up in a weekend bag. One was sold but the kicker is I’ve rarely worn the one I kept. Somehow in the time it was MIA I lost the need for it.
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It’s a sad “out of sight…” case. But maybe you’ll come around and renew your friendship at some point?
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The top contender for me is The Writer by St Giles – I sought it out for the name and bought it after a quick sniff at Selfridges in 2019. However, I soon discovered it smelled like body odor mixed with bad deodorant, so I’ve only forced myself to wear it a couple of times. I like the visuals around it and the name, but wouldn’t miss the scent.
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I wonder what ingredient caused that effect. Grapefruit? Cumin?
It’s such a pity! Just thinking of a lost opportunity. Selfridges has such a selection of brands not easily available elsewhere!
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None that I currently want to vote off the island. I did sell Pierre Guillaime’s Jasmagonda a couple of months ago. I liked it, but didn’t love it.
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It’s slightly against the “rules” (you were supposed to select the least favorite anyway), but since you recently parted with a bottle, let’s count it :)
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Sorry, I tend to interpret rules in ways that may not have been intended. It’s an ADHD thing, it’s not deliberate. :-)
I do, however, have a current fragrance from my collection that I’m going to send packing, a 15 ml size of Le Labo Lavande 31. It’s pleasant, but just OK, no interesting development, no “wow” factor, so it’s going on eBay.
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This is such a hard question Undina,
Because there are a few.
One that really needs to go is Sakura by DIOR. It’s so pretty and I love what it does but it never gets a spritz anymore because it’s just too quiet and doesn’t bring me the fun rush of hefty huffs throughout the day. It used to be quite nice to spritz before bed but even that joy seems to have left it.
Portia xx
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Isn’t that a pity when it happens? Falling out of love with perfumes is kind of sad. But maybe you’ll be able to sell or swap it.
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Yeah, that falling out of love is a bummer. I’m going to keep it and see if it swings back.
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I feel your pain about Dior Sakura. I parted with mine a couple of years ago for the same reasons.
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SNAP for us RR, but I’m holding on just in case…
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Too many to mention, haha! I also have a lot of bottles I was given that could easily be contenders, but I feel it should be a perfume I bought to show my mistake in stark clarity…
I am going to go with Annick Goutal Grand Amour. I bought it on eBay but not even for a song, and have found it too spiky and never wear it. It’s a big bottle too! Any takers? ;)
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I remember being very upset by not liking that perfume! I was such a fan of that brand, and I had high hopes for this perfume. But no.
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This particular Saturday question required some thoughtful consideration, Undina. Thank you for the brain teaser. I’ve decided to choose Wonderwood by Commes des Garçons. I first sampled this fragrance in 2010 a few times. I even bought a bottle, which is quite challenging to store in my perfume cabinet. It simply takes up too much space when laid flat. Despite wearing it dozens of times, I’ve never truly fallen in love with it. It’s likeable, but not loveable. Yes, the perfumer is Antoine Lie, and I adore many of his other perfumes, but Wonderwood just didn’t quite cut it. If it were to disappear from my collection, I wouldn’t even notice.
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I’ve never tried this perfume, but the bottle looks great. Storage wouldn’t have been a problem for me since I keep all the boxes, but I can see how it might be challenging for people who prefer their bottles unobstructed on the shelves.
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