A couple of days ago I came across an IG post about a giveaway dedicated to the celebration of 20 years of Tauer Perfumes. A bottle of the very first batch of L’Air du Désert Marocain. I didn’t plan to enter since I barely made a dent in my 12 years old travel bottle. So, I opened the post just to “comment for better reach” for the post. And that’s when I saw the part about the winner having to pay $200 to cover shipping of “dangerous goods.” The current version of the LDDM bottle is $155 with a free shipping in the US (and some other countries as well). So, if you were to win the vintage bottle, you’d end up paying at least $45 more (and maybe more since you will be also responsible for any local taxes and duties).

Saturday Question #275:

Would You Pay $200 For the First Batch Bottle of LDDM?

I mean, if it weren’t a giveaway but you would be given a chance to buy that bottle for the stated price – would you? BTW, in parallel, there is an auction for the second bottle. The current bid is nearing $3K (50% of the final bid will go to a charity).

And a bonus question: Do you have a favorite perfume from this brand?

My Answer

While I am not in the market for this perfume, I like it and think that with the quality of Tauer’s perfumes, it is worth its $155, $200 and probably more. So, if I didn’t have my travel bottle and was offered a $200, maybe even $300 bottle of that first batch, I would have jumped at the opportunity.

Had the brand decided to auction out two bottles, I would have promoted that post and cheered for the brand and its anniversary. But I am appalled by that $200 shipping fee for the winner. I couldn’t immediately pinpoint why but I felt that it rubbed me the wrong way.

Giveaway is a giveaway. It allows anyone to throw their hat in the ring and get lucky. In this case, not only participants had to like, follow, tag and wax poetical about that perfume (kind of expected), but also be prepared to pay more than for the current version in case they “win.” It doesn’t feel right.

Andy put a lot of efforts in explaining who cannot participate, what will disqualify participants, how quickly they will have to respond, etc. Ironically, he didn’t mention that perfume is still in good shape. He didn’t explain what is so special about it – other than that it was the first batch produced 20 years ago. Has he changed the formula since then? Are these two the last bottles available? I asked in the comment why these vintage bottles were in newer boxes (in the video, he stressed out that they were “cellophaned”) and not in original pentagonal tins – he didn’t answer. Also, he didn’t explain how the “lucky winner” will be contacted. So, with the stated $200 price tag and a looming 24 hours response deadline I expect a certain number of scam “winning” messages.

In addition to LDDM, I really like Phi, Une Rose Vermeille and When We Cuddle…  And even though more of Andy’s perfumes do not work for me than do, I always had positive feelings for the brand (I even named it as my favorite indie brand in one of the SQ posts several years ago). I’ve never met the perfumer, but heard more than once that those who did considered him kind and gracious person. The way it reads to me now: Andy considers social networks as necessary but evil. He wants and needs the outreach they provide his brand and doesn’t trust most of the followers at the same time. It is sad. I hope that in the end, after he used that $200 deterrent to discourage idle “scrollers” from polluting the giveaway, he’ll decide to use some of the proceeds from the auction for the second bottle to cover the delivery for the person who wins the giveaway. That would be the right thing to do.

Would You Pay $200 For the First Batch Bottle of LDDM?

A couple of SQ ago, rickyrebarco used that description in her answer about perfumes we wear only when nobody else can smell it, and it struck me as a serious dedication to the perfume hobby.

Saturday Question #274:

Would You Endure 45 Minutes of Olfactory Misery to Get to the Good Part?

Do you have any such perfumes in your collection? OK, maybe not 45 minutes but 15-20? How about the reverse: are there any perfumes that you so love in the opening that later you tolerate the drydown that you don’t like?

My Answer

No, no, and once again no. Theoretically, I could probably do the “OK -> great” or “great -> meh” combinations, but if I actively dislike any part of the perfume life on my skin, the maximum I could do is to run 1-2 more skin tests hoping my initial impression was wrong. But I do not remember ever changing my mind that drastically.

How about you?

Would You Endure 45 Minutes of Olfactory Misery to Get to the Good Part?

Perfume discontinuation and reformulation are just a regular part of our hobby now. I think I was happier when I didn’t know that this was a thing.

Saturday Question #273:

Which Discontinued Perfume Do You Miss the Most?

This is a broad question. You can talk about perfumes that you still have in your collection but know that you wouldn’t be able to replenish if you finish them. Or you can name one of those perfumes that you used to have and wouldn’t mind wearing these days, but it’s gone and cannot be bought any longer.

My Answer

When I looked through my database trying to figure out my answer, I realized that many of my current favorites belong to one of the two camps – reformulated or discontinued (and some of them were first reformulated and then discontinued – so, it would make it even harder to search for any vintage offerings in the secondhand market). But for most of them, I still have some juice left, so they will last me for a long time. So, my choice is one of those that I do not own any longer.

Gucci Rush for men. That was perfume I bought for my vSO, I never wore it myself. But I loved it on him. And I still miss it. If I knew it would be discontinued, I would have bought a couple of backup bottles.

How about you?

Which Discontinued Perfume Do You Miss the Most?

I know that we wear perfumes for ourselves. But this is true from the point of not trying to please someone else. And this week’s question tries to examine the opposite intent, namely, not to offend or disturb someone else. Any other reasons to wear something only when nobody else is around will do also.

Saturday Question #272:

Do You Have a Scent You Wear Only When No One Else Will Smell It?

If yes, what is it and why?

My Answer

I do not have a scent that would fit the question 100%, mostly because my vSO doesn’t mind any of my perfumes. But the closest choice would be Mugler‘s Angel: I still like it, but I would not wear it outside of my house. Why? I think it became too ubiquitous and recognizable. But I still like it.

How about you?

Do You Have a Scent You Wear Only When No One Else Will Smell It?

Mid of Summer seems like the right time for heady white florals. And tuberose is a queen of them all (or so I heard).

Saturday Question #271:

What Is Your Favorite Tuberose Perfume?

Do you wear it just in summer or all-year-long?

My Answer

I do not like tuberose, in any form – be that a flower itself, perfumes or body products. I do not mind it in a supporting role, but there is no currently a single tuberose-centric perfume that would work for me.

I still have a travel spray of Carnal Flower that I bought by mistake many years ago. And year after year I keep trying it. Still no. But I plan to make the next attempt tomorrow while reading your responses.

How about you?

What Is Your Favorite Tuberose Perfume?

I am traveling for pleasure this week, and I will have a chance to visit a couple of specialized perfume stores. I do not know what niche or high-end mainstream brands they carry, but it doesn’t matter since in the last several years my new releases testing was almost nonexistent. So, please recommend me perfumes that I should try if I come across them.

Saturday Question #270:

What 3 New(ish) Perfumes Would You Recommend to Try?

The best recommendation would be something that you bought or consider buying despite not needing any more perfumes. But if you don’t have any such perfumes, anything you tried, liked and thought that you would have bought it if it weren’t for the size of your collection will also fit the bill.

My Answer

Well, if I knew, I wouldn’t have asked you. But I know that when I get to such stores these days, everything seems unfamiliar (brands) and repetitive (perfumes). So, it would be nice to have at least some hypothetical list of what to look for.

What 3 New(ish) Perfumes Would You Recommend to Try?

I’m late this week, but it’s still Sunday, and I decided not to skip our weekly topic. It’s Father’s Day in the U.S., and since we haven’t covered this question before, I decided it would be quite appropriate – even though my loyal respondents are all around the globe and even if celebrate a similar holiday, most likely, do it on a different date.

Sunday Question #268:

Does/Did Your Father Wear Perfume?

If yes, do you know/remember which one(s)? How about your grandfather(s)?

A bonus question: do you have Father’s Day or a similar celebration where you live now?

My Answer

All men in my family wore colognes when I was growing up. Men’s colognes, as practical aftershave products, were much more prevalent then women’s perfumes. Most of them weren’t fancy (though, my father and one of my grandfathers were known to get a better ones), but men used them – both at home and as the last step in getting a haircut at a barbershop.

My father uses perfumes these days. We leave 5+ hours flight away from each other, so I do not know what is in his scent wardrobe these days, but I remember him wearing Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, Chanel Egoiste Platinum, Creed Aventus and Ineke Field Notes From Paris (which I bought him for his birthday 3 years ago).

Now it’s your turn.

Does/Did Your Father Wear Perfume?

Can you believe it – I didn’t ask this question before? I was sure that we did it at some point and planned to ask anyway since it was long ago. But I checked – and no.

Saturday Question #267:

Which Are Your Top 5 Favorite Brands?

You do not have to give away or stop wearing any of the brands you won’t include. You do not need to rank these five – unless you want to, of course. These are not necessarily brands that are represented the most in your collection. And you can change your mind tomorrow. But today, please make an effort and choose just 5.

My Answer

My perfume database currently contains 388 brands. It doesn’t mean that I own even a sample from all of them, but I tested at least one of their perfumes at some point. I could have also tested some additional brands but didn’t think I would ever be interested in their perfumes – so, those experiences haven’t been recorded.

I selected top 3 without thinking or looking in my records – Ormonde Jayne, Amouage and Puredistance. Each of these brands have numerous perfumes I enjoy wearing, and while there were releases that didn’t work for me, each of them had something new that I liked quite recently.

But then it took me some time to choose the last two. I like many individual perfumes, but that doesn’t mean that I like the brand. For some brands I have multiple bottles, but then I start thinking about their most recent releases, and I’m not sure if I like them any longer. Finally, after sifting through the list, I decided on Chanel and Masque Milano. (I have to clarify: I do not like Chanel as a brand, but I like their perfumes.)

How about you?

Which Are Your Top 5 Favorite Brands?