December 30, 2024 by Undina

Perfume Advent Calendars: Count Me Out

Since discovering several years ago that I enjoy advent calendars, every August-September, I research offerings in the space.

While beauty and different “edible” (tea, chocolate, jam, etc.) calendars were my main focus, and in the last 3 years I either bought or improvised my own calendars in these categories, I would investigate other curious varieties when they entwine into my search results.

I haven’t done any scientific calculations, but just as an impression: this year, everyone went crazy releasing their version of an advent calendar. In my opinion, rare ones are worth buying. But I’ll get to it later in the post. For now, let’s just observe what was happening in the fragrance space.

* * *

For over a decade, around holidays, Sephora has been selling sets of perfume samples with a voucher for a full bottle of one of the perfumes included. Even though I haven’t been a target audience for perfumes in those sets, I always thought that it was a great idea for a gift for a “civilian” perfume enthusiast. That was probably the closest to a fragrance advent calendar I’ve seen until recently.

Last year, Harrods made the first (I think) Perfume Advent Calendar. It included 12 mini bottles of very high-end fragrances. It was fantastic value and sold out within days, while I debated getting it instead of the beauty calendar.

This year Harrods released another Perfume Advent Calendar with 13 high-end perfumes (different from the previous year). Perfumes included: Parfums De Marly Oriana, Etat Libre D’Orange Nostos, Montale Rendez Vous Chez Harrods, Thameen Peregrina, Tiziana Terenzi La Superba Rossa, Acqua Di Parma Oud and Zagara, Graff EDP VI, Xerjoff Alexandria II, Creed Queen of Silk, Amouage Guidance, Amouage Reflection, Roja London Elysium, The Merchant of Venice Queen of the Night.

Priced at £175 (with a declared £1,144 value), it disappeared during a pre-sale.

And then, fragrance advent calendars were everywhere.

There were several main types of these calendars – multi-brand fragrance calendars with mini/travel bottles of perfumes and candles only, multi-brand beauty calendars with a significant number of perfume-related items, single-brand perfume calendars or perfume-heavy beauty calendars with a mix of full bottles, travel bottles, miniatures and other scent-related items, and finally, multi-brand sampling perfume calendars containing perfume samples (with or without a future redemption option).

Multi-brand Perfume Calendars 2024

In addition to Harrods’ 12 Days of Fragrance Advent Calendar, four more stores offered perfume-centric advent calendars:

Harvey Nichols 12 Days Of Fragrance calendar, priced at £165 (declared value £730), contains 17 mini/travel bottles of high-end and niche perfumes: Acqua di Parma Colonia Hatbox, Bdk Parfums Gris Charnel, Byredo Bal d’Afrique, Creed Carmina, D.S. & Durga I Don’t Know What, Escentric Molecules Escentric O2, Ex-Nihilo The Hedonist, Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady, Hermetica Paris Verticaloud, Memo Paris Irish Leather, Maison Crivelli Neroli Nasimba, Nishane Hacivat, Parfums de Marly Delina, Sisley Paris Eau Révée D’hubert, Tocca Cleopatra, Veronique Gabai Oud Elixir, Xerjoff Naxos. Sold out.

Space NK 12 Days Of Fragrance calendar, $195/£560, has 3 full bottles (DedCool Xtra Milk, Malin + Goetz Leather and Phlur Vanilla Skin Body Mist), 14 mini/travel bottles (Byredo Mojave Ghost, Boy Smells Hinoki Fantome, Diptyque Eau Rose, D.S & Durga I Don’t Know What, E11EVEN Fragrance Oil, Escentric Molecules MO1, Escentric Molecules EO4, Floral Street Wonderland Peony, Glossier You, Jo By Jo Loves, Juliette Has A Gun Not A Perfume, Maison Margiela Lazy Sunday Morning, Vyrao Witchy Woo) and a candle (Shimmering Spice Scented Candle). Sold out.

Bloomingdale’s 12 Days of Luxury Fragrance Advent Calendar ($125/$275) offers 11 mini/travel perfumes (5-7 ml) and one hand cream: Maison Margiela REPLICA By the Fireplace, DS & Durga I Don’t Know What, Initio Parfums Privés Oud for Greatness, Diptyque Eau Rose, Vilhelm Parfumerie Poets of Berlin, Parfums de Marly Delina body cream, Acqua di Parma Signatures of the Sun Zafferano, Mind Games J’Adoube, Byredo Gypsy Water, Bond No. 9 New York Greenwich Village, Memo Paris Marfa, Armani/Privé Santal Dan Sha. Sold out mid-December.

Neiman Marcus 12 Days Of Fragrance Advent Calendar, $155 ($375 value), included 10 travel/mini bottles of perfumes, one mini candle and one lotion. I can’t believe it, but it’s sold out! 60 ml of perfume(s), a 30 g candle and 75 ml lotion. $155.

Multi-brand “Fragrance-heavy” Beauty Calendars 2024

Cult Beauty released one of their beauty calendars with a perfume twist: Scent With Love Advent Calendar (£235/£1,100). I didn’t get why they stressed it out that much (and limited countries to which that calendar could be delivered) because, among 45 products, there were only a couple of perfume-related items. Sold out quickly.

Selfridges’s beauty calendar (£250/£1,000+) had 2 full bottles, 3 travel bottles and 1 candle among 38 products. Sold out.

Saks Fifth Avenue 25-Day Advent Calendar ($295/$1,200) included 5 travel bottles of perfumes and a candle. Sold out (just a couple of days ago).

Single-brand Perfume and Beauty Calendars 2024

I was surprised by the number of perfume brands that came up with advent calendars. This isn’t a comprehensive list – just those that I came across in my searches and recognized.

Juliette has a gun released a 6-item set called (surprise!) Not an advent calendar. Priced at $160 ($200 value), it includes (all names preceded by “Not a”) bar soap, hand cream, body lotion, a mini bottle of Not a perfume, a mini candle and hair & body mist. As I write it, the set is still available.

Ormonde Jayne offered a set – 8 Days of Christmas (“extending the joy of discovery from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve”). It included one full bottle (Levant), 4 travel bottles (Verano, Sakura, Champaca and Osmanthus) and 3 special holiday candles (Nocturne, Etoile and Infini). It was sold out in a blink of an eye; I don’t even remember the price.

Maison Margiela offers Fragrance Advent Calendar that includes one 30 ml bottle (By the Fireplace), 2 travel bottles (Beach Walk and Jazz Club), travel bottles of a shower gel and body lotion and 2 mini candles. $120/$165. Still available.

Diptyque was one of the brands for which it wasn’t the first rodeo: I recall at least two of their previous calendars. This year, it was priced at $495 (I’m not sure the value was even mentioned). As always, it was sold out quickly. It included 10 mini candles, 1 larger candle, room spray, solid perfume, 7 travel sprays (L’Eau Papier, Do Son, Philosykos, Fleur de Peau, Orphéon, Tam Dao, Eau Rose), soap, travel sizes of hand and body gel and hand and body lotion, exfoliating hand wash and a set of decorations.

Same as Diptyque, Jo Malone is known for their yearly Advent Calendars. At $495, it was sold out a long time ago. The collection contained: one 30 ml bottle (Orange Bitters), twelve 9 ml travel bottles (Blackberry & Bay, Fir & Artemisia, Velvet Rose & Oud, English Pear & Freesia, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, English Pear & Sweet Pea, Cypress & Grapevine, Myrrh & Tonka, Wild Bluebell, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Oud & Bergamot, Red Hibiscus), 3 mini candles, 2 travel candles, a soap, 2 body & hand washes, 1 body & hand lotion, 2 body & hand creams and 1 hand cream.

For $525, L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Advent Calendar offers one 50 ml bottle (Histoire d’Orangers), 10 travel bottles (Cuir Grenat, Passage d’ Enfer, Mémoire de Roses, Un Air de Bretagne, Mûre et Musc, Tonka Blanc, Abyssae, Vetiver Ecarlate, Fables D’Orient, Tenebrae), 3 mini bottles (Ode a L’Oudh, Il Etait un Bois, A Fleur de Peche), 2 travel body washes, 2 travel hand & body lotions, 2 hand creams, 2 hand soaps, red leather pouch and a ceramic object. Still available (I’m not surprised).

Penhaligon’s 24-Day Advent Calendar, for $570, includes 1 30 ml full bottle (Luna EdT), 9 travel sprays (Halfeti, The Tragedy of Lord George, Quercus, Duchess Rose, Empressa, The Blazing Mr. Sam, Eau The Audacity, Juniper Sling, Highgrove), 4 mini bottles (Elisabethan Rose, Al Ula, Endymion, Halfeti Leather), 4 mini candle, two travel size body washes and a body lotion, a hand cream, a mini soap and a Christmas charm. It is almost sold out.

Acqua di Parma had a 25-day Holiday Advent Calendar, $650, with twelve 12 ml travel bottles (Colonia Futura, Colonia C.L.U.B., Colonia Essenza, Signatures Oud, Signatures Quercia, Signatures Sandalo, Signatures Osmanthus, Signatures Yuzu, SignaturesLily of the Valley, Arancia di Capri, Fico di Amalfi, Mirto di Panarea), 20 ml bottle of Colonia EdC, travel sizes of different body products and 2 mini candles Sold out.

Guerlain had their traditional fragrance-heavy The Hive of Wonders Advent Calendar ($720). Among the 25 products, it included seven 10 ml L’Art & La Matière miniatures (Musc Outreblanc, Cuir Beluga, Oud Nude, Angélique Noire, Néroli Outrenoir, Jasmin Bonheur and Herbes Troublantes, a 7.5 ml miniature of Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic Forte and a 5 ml miniature of Shalimar EdP, 4 mini candles, 2 perfume soaps and 2 ceramics to perfume. Not that I was planning to buy it, but I am not even sure it ever came to the site.

Dior this year had two beauty advent calendars. The more “egalitarian” one, just for $750, included a tiny 3.5 ml mini bottle of J’adore l’Or, five 5 ml mini bottles (J’adore EdP, J’adore Parfum d’eau, Miss Dior EdP, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and Miss Dior Parfum), three 10 ml mini bottles (Sauvage EdP, Sauvage EdT and Dior Homme EdT) and a mini candle. Sold out.

The Trunk of Dreams, a limited edition (as an opposite to what?) Dior’s advent calendar is the most expensive advent calendar I’ve ever encountered in my searches. Among 24 items, this $4,400 calendar included five full bottles of their La Collection Privée line, the smallest 40 ml size, (Gris Dior, Jasmin des Anges, Ambre Nuit, Oud Rosewood and New Look), 1 full-size scented candle, 3 mini candles and 3 full-size hair perfumes (Gris Dior, Oud Rosewood and Jasmin des Anges). Only 120 calendars were produced. Sold out.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian re-released his limited edition of The Countdown Calendar. Priced at $995 on the brand’s site, it is sold out, but it’s still available from Harrods for $1,100. The set includes a full bottle (70 ml) of Baccarat Rouge 540 extrait de parfum, a Baccarat Rouge 540 scented body oil (35 ml), a trio of 724 precious elixirs (3×4 ml), a trio of mini candles, a limited-edition Mon beau Sapin scented candle (95 g), Grand Soir EdP (35 ml), OUD satin mood sparkling oil (200 ml) and a miniature of Aqua Universalis (10 ml).

Other single-brand perfume calendars that I saw this season: Jo Loves (£375/£750UK only; sold out), M.Micallef (295.00 € or $295, still available), Mind Games ($225, still available) and several designer brands I won’t even mention.

Multi-brand Sampling Perfume Calendars 2024

Surprisingly, I didn’t see too many advent calendars with perfume samples. Macy’s still has a $35 13-Pc. Macy’s Favorite Scents 12 Days Of Scent For Her Advent Calendar with the current releases of designer fragrances. Sephora, as always, had several sets of designer fragrance samples with a redeemable voucher for either a travel-size or a full-size bottle (dependent on the set). These are not calendars per se but are quite a convenient “civilian” gift. This is probably why most of them are sold out.

ScentBird decided to participate with a 12-day advent calendar. For $52, they offered twelve 1.5 ml samples of designers fragrances. The set included Versace Bright Crystal Absolu, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Prada Candy, Juliette Has A Gun Not A Perfume, Commodity Rain, Michel Germain Sugarful, Room 105 Cherry Punk, Confessions Of A Rebel Get A Room, Dedcool Xtra Milk, Deck of Scarlet Not Your Girl, Catherine Malandrino Violet Gem. Was available almost until Christmas.

If you think the ScentBird’s offering is expensive, wait till I tell you about Olfactif’s Advent Calendar.

For $225, you get to enjoy 24 days of 2 ml samples of undisclosed perfumes. The only known fact is that they are not the same as were previously features in their subscription boxes.They made just 50 sets. Five of these have a $100 gift card. The rest just get 48 ml of random perfumes for $225. Still available on the site.

* * *

Are you still with me? Let me share my thoughts about these calendars and in general the idea of fragrance advent calendars.

High-value multi-brand calendars are the most likely to be useful: if they contain 2-3 perfumes you know, like and want to own, and their price equals or exceeds the price of the advent calendar, the rest might be considered a GWP.

Similar considerations apply to beauty calendars: if the price of the items that you would buy otherwise covers the price of the calendar, having additional perfumes to try is a pleasant bonus.

Single-brand perfume calendars confound me: if someone is a devotee of the brand, wouldn’t they already have all the possible products from it? And if they are not, what are the chances that they would like the whole lineup (if multiple perfumes included) or need the complete range of the products? Especially considering that the prices are, mostly, retail minus 20-25%. It isn’t a bad discount for a bottle of specific perfume you want to buy. But why would you pay that price for a selection of products someone else made?

As to sampling advent calendars, 18 ml of designer perfumes $52 or 48 ml of who knows what for $225… I find it the strangest idea. And judging by the availability of those calendars long after the time they were supposed to be used, the brands didn’t trick others either.

* * *

This December I went through two Advent Calendars – a multi-brand beauty advent calendar that I bought for myself from SpaceNK and a loose leaf tea calendar that I made for me and my vSO from 4-5 discovery sets I bought and repackaged into the box from the last year’s Cult Beauty Advent Calendar. We both enjoyed the daily ritual of finding a new gift in the numbered box. 70% of the calendar cost could be counted towards 6 products that I like, currently use and would have repurchased during the upcoming year anyway. And I was more than happy to pay the remaining 30% of the cost to try all the other included products. Ironically, the only two items from that calendar I didn’t care for and wasn’t happy to get were… two perfumes – D.S. & Durga I Don’t Know What and Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 perfume mist. So, if I decide to go for another Advent Calendar next year, I don’t think it’ll be a perfume one. Unless I get 24 samples of my choosing and make my own calendar, which might be not such a bad idea.

Images: All images but the last one are from brands or stores’ websites.

January 27, 2024 by Undina

Saturday Questions… for Undina on the Blog’s 13th Anniversary

Since earlier this week Undina’s Looking Glass turned 13, I decided to do something different for this Saturday Question post.

Below is a 13-question self-interview, after which I invite you to answer in comments any of the questions that you feel are relevant to you (some of them are just for me, but others could be valid for my readers), ask me any questions if you happen to have them, or just join me in celebrating my blog’s 13th Anniversary.

1. When you started this blog, did you expect to be writing this post?

I don’t remember specifically thinking about my plans, but I know that back then I wouldn’t have been surprised had anybody told me I’d keep this space alive for the next 15 years and beyond.

2. Do you have any regrets about the current state of the blog?

I do. I don’t have the time and energy to publish stories regularly. The “Saturday Question” series is the only commitment I’m trying not to break. I realize that my readers are doing just fine without additional posts. But I wish my life would return to the state where I could do it at least once a month – especially since I have what to write about.

3. How did your “no-buy” go last year?

Surprisingly, it went well. For the first 6 months of 2023, I spent on perfume $5: I bought a sample of Parfumes Quartana’s Ierofante. In the second half of the year, I bought one full bottle and several samples from my visit to the ZGO Perfumery and Le Labo boutique in September – that’s it.

4. What was the last perfume you bought?

Tauerville’s When We Cuddle And I Can Smell Your Perfume On My Clothes. After it came up as “My Answer” in two different Saturday Question posts (Do You Like Skin Scents? and What Is Your Most Calming Perfume?), and I complained in both how I missed getting it when it was available, I just had to pounce once it was re-released as another limited edition (even though it was almost twice more expensive than the first release).

5. Why are there fewer photos of Rusty on the blog?

While I publish fewer new perfume-related posts in general, which creates fewer opportunities for me to showcase Rusty, sadly, it’s not the only reason. Recently, Rusty was not feeling well. I will not go into details (it’s too depressing for a celebratory post) but just say that we are actively fighting for each extra month we can have him around. With his age and illness, Rusty has become much less energetic or curious, so it is much harder to interest him in what I am doing with a bottle of perfume or prompt him to jump to the sideboard or table where I am doing that. But he still has good days, and I try to snatch as many pictures of him as possible. And since most of them do not feature perfumes, I post them daily on my Instagram.

6. How large is your perfume collection?

For years, I didn’t feel right divulging the number of bottles I had. I’m not sure why: I don’t think it’s excessive for my hobby, it’s not the largest collection I know of, and I like most of the perfumes that I bought myself. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know the exact number of full bottles in my collection: counting full bottles didn’t make much sense since I have probably twice as many travel bottles and decants that I bought or swapped to wear.

But for this post, I decided to dig up some data from my database. So, not even touching other sizes, I have 123 full-sized (30ml +) bottles of perfumes that I still like and wear and 14 bottles that I liked and bought at some point but am not sure now if I still want to wear them. I still might. Another 14 are almost empty bottles from my pre-perfumista times that I do not use but keep tucked away for sentimental value. The last 13 bottles were gifted to me or came as a part of the set I bought for just one of the items. I wouldn’t have bought them myself (or for themselves, in case of sets), but some of them are lovely, and I use them because they were a gift. So, not counting “old flames,” my collection holds 150 full [at some point in the past] bottles.

7. Do you plan to downsize?

As of now, I’m not sure I have anything I’m ready to part with. But, in general, I think I should. Setting aside the issue of not having enough shelf space to hold any more perfumes, I really didn’t like the feeling of choice paralysis I experienced last year. Using a self-made perfume Advent Calendar helped in December, so I reused that approach again in January. It works! Now I plan to keep doing it this year, and in the end, I will know better which perfumes I don’t choose to wear even when I have time to think about the set for the whole month ahead.

8. What were the first perfumes in your perfume database?

Without looking into the underlying data, I would have never remembered or guessed what perfume I started it with. I can’t even remember when it happened. My best guess would be at least 15 years ago, but it might be earlier. So, this is the list of the first 13 perfumes in my database (chronologically in the order they were added):

Givenchy Amarige
I had a mini bottle. I didn’t love it, but it was fine for variety. I think I finished it (at least, I don’t have it any longer).

Lancome Miracle
I had a bottle. I almost finished it, and I have a mini of this perfume, but I haven’t worn it in 14 years since I started recording my daily use.

Estee Lauder Dazzling Gold
I had several samples that I used up, but I never went for a bottle of it.

Givenchy Extravagance d’Amarige
I had a mini bottle. I think I finished it.

Annick Goutal Petite Cherie
I went through at least 2 bottles of this perfume. I still have a bottle and still like it.

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue
I had a sample. I don’t think I’ve ever finished it.

DKNY DKNY Woman
I still have the remaining 10% in my second bottle. After a 12+ year hiatus, I wore it again a couple of years ago and still found it pleasant.

Hugo Boss Deep Red
I finished a couple of bottles, have a bottle gifted to me by Vanessa (Bonkers About Perfume) and still like and wear it periodically.

YSL Baby Doll
I loved this perfume and went through almost two bottles. Unfortunately, the second one turned on me before I could finish it, and the reformulated version available at the time wasn’t as wonderful as I thought the original one was.

Guerlain Champs Elysees
That was my first bottle, pre-”bug spray” comment from my co-worker. Since then I acquired another bottle, but I haven’t worn it in almost 8 years. Probably I should check if my bottle is still good.

Estee Lauder Pleasures Intense
I think I had a sample… It says a lot about how I felt/feel about it.

Calvin Klein Eternity Rose Blush
I somehow got this sample, tried and didn’t like it.

Issey Miyake Le Feu Light
I liked it and went through a small bottle. By the time my bottle was almost done (I think I still have it somewhere with a couple of drops in it), this perfume was discontinued.

9. Can you estimate how many perfumes you tried over the years?

It’s hard to think of a realistic number: between 1993 (when perfumes became more easily available where I lived then) and 2010 (when I started my database), I was sniffing and testing one way or the other all mass-market perfumes I could get to in department stores, Duty-Free shops and catalogs (mostly, Yves Rocher, but probably some Avon as well). My estimate would be 350-400 perfumes. As of today, I have 2,113 perfumes in my database. These are perfumes that touched my skin at least once. Additionally, over the years I think I tried on the skin (at stores) but didn’t record another 100 and gave a nozzle sniff or a paper strip test to another 1,000 perfumes.

This brings me to the total estimate of approximately 3,200 perfumes that I at least smelled during my life.

10. What are your Top 13 Perfumes?

As for most of us, this type of list changes often, but as of today, these are my favorites (in alphabetical order to avoid ranking):

Amouage Dia
Amouage Ubar
Chanel №19 EDT
Giorgio Armani La Femme Bleue
Guerlain Cruel Gardénia
Jo Malone Sweet Milk
J-Scent Yuzu
Krigler Lieber Gustav 14
Lancome Climat
Les Parfums de Rosine Rose d’Amour
Ormonde Jayne Ta’if
Teo Cabanel Alahine
Tom Ford Fleur de Chine

11. Does your vSO (very significant other) read your posts?

Nope. He subscribed to updates, but I don’t think he makes it to any of the posts more often than once a year. But he’s very supportive of my hobby: he never once complained about the size of my collection; he patiently tolerates my sniffing rounds both domestically and when we travel (and even provides his skin for testing more masculine offerings); and he listens to all the stories about perfumes, perfumers, bloggers and anything else I throw at him. And he allows me to spray him with perfume of my choice (from his collection) 9 out of 10 times I ask.

12. What are your favorite stories over the years?

I thought it would be quite appropriate to name 13 stories from the previous years. Some of them saw a lot of attention from my readers at the time. Others went under the radar. But each of them was special for me for one reason or another.

First, a bunch of posts with the strongest emotional connection between my past and perfumes:

First Love: Perfume
The very first post on this blog about my all-time perfume love.

First Love: Love
Perfume connected to my first childhood romantic relationship.

“Here’s a photo I’ve been looking for…”: Sweet Milk by Jo Malone
Childhood memories – sweet and bitter-sweet – that preconditioned my love to this perfume.

Angel of Jealousy
I’ve never felt like that about any other perfume.

A Fairy Tale Ending, Perfumista-style
A heartwarming story of perfumistas kindness and support at one of the hardest times in my life.

A couple of lighter posts:

“Oh, TOES!! (for some people)” or Where to Apply Perfumes
I still smile every time I see that title (or remember the scene it referenced).

Tu-ti-tu-rum-tu-tu or Musical Perfume
A concoction of anecdotal stories, music, jokes and a cute cat picture.

lebaB fo rewoT or Found in Translation
Joys of multilingual experiences and strange perfume names (actual or perceived).

In the Search for the Perfect Lavender
Lavender and Terminator-2: in this post, I managed to build a connection between these two.

Déjà vu, Episode 3: powdery fruit vs. peony oriental vs. sandalwood jasmine
For a while, I was obsessed with several well-known perfumes smelling very similar.

Posts with “literary whiff”:

My First Perfume Review: Puredistance Antonia
My scheherazade-esque frame story about this perfume.

Everything Is Relative
I think it’s my only fiction story on this blog.

The Royal Nonesuch of Perfume
One of my most negative posts about perfume.

I’m also somewhat proud of movie-posters’-based illustrations I made for my posts (though, I wasn’t sure at the time whether anybody else had made that connection):

Iris Poudre & Tuscany per Donna starring in TWINS

Nuit Etoilee and Fille en Aiguilles Twins

In a separate category, not counted towards perfume-related favorite posts, are all the stories about Rusty and everything that led to him appearing in my life.

13. What are your plans for this blog?

I plan to keep going as long as it brings me joy, I can find what to write about and have at least a few people to communicate with in comments.

April 6, 2023 by Undina

A Beauty of Rose in a Single Shot

Olfactive Studio was quite popular when it first appeared on the perfume scene 10 years ago. I read reviews, many praising, but I wasn’t enticed: I didn’t find the concept too interesting, and, as shallow as it sounds, I didn’t like their first bottles. Eventually, thanks to hajusuuri, I tried the first six perfumes from the brand several years ago. And while I didn’t dislike any of them, none spoke to me enough to pursue them beyond those samples.

When the initial set of a brand’s perfumes hasn’t impressed me, I rarely follow future releases. So, I could have missed this new series altogether if it weren’t for Lucas (Chemist in the Bottle), who first did an excellent review for these perfumes and later even shared his samples with me.

It was a rare case when I liked all three perfumes I tried, but since Rose Shot seems to be the least popular in the trio, I chose to write about it.

Created in 2019 by Dominique Ropion (my favorites created by him are Cacharel Amor Amor, Calvin Klein Euphoria and Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady), Rose Shot includes notes of Italian bergamot, Manila elemi, Madagascar pink pepper, Turkish rose, white flowers, Atlas cedarwood, wood mosses and Paraguay guaiac wood.

Rose Shot is, not surprisingly, a rose-centric perfume. Rose here isn’t a girly rose, but it’s neither dark nor intense. It starts citrusy and blooms into a giant rose on a backdrop of polite woodsy notes. Rose Shot isn’t controversial or extremely original, but it has some interesting nuances that might just “click” for you.

An additional check mark goes in the “Plus” column for the beautiful travel bottle: it is more expensive per ml than a large bottle of Rose Shot (which also looks great), but most of us do not need more than 10-15 ml of any perfume.

If you are testing perfumes, Rose Shot is worth trying: Olfactive Studio is one of the slow brands that doesn’t churn out new fragrances every two months. So, each next release seems well thought through and crafted.

December 29, 2022 by Undina

Pickles and Vintage Shalimar

It has been a while since Pickles visited us with a story about her human, but she’s back to help us to see off this year. (Undina)

* * *

Decades ago, when my Nana was in elementary school, her best friend’s mother, knowing of her love of perfume, gifted her a flask bottle of Guerlain Shalimar EDC. For a young girl with a modest perfume wardrobe of Avon and drugstore beauties, that was a prized possession. My Nana wore it to her heart’s content, but it was never replaced as there were always other shiny jewels in the world of perfume beckoning her. However, Shalimar always reminded her of her best friend’s mom, who sadly passed away much too young from breast cancer.

A few years ago, one of Nana’s pals from Australian Perfume Junkies surprised her for her birthday and mailed her the same flask as a birthday gift, knowing that my Nana had a strong scent memory attached to it. My Nana still loves how it smells and is secretly amused that she had the audacity to wear this bold and sexy fragrance out in public as a young girl. Her vintage formulation is from the 1960s and is certainly not as tame as the current one.

Personally, I really love the bottle and enjoy posing with it. I think it’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye and smells pretty darn good on my Nana too.

What are your thoughts on Shalimar? Have you ever received a treasured perfume gift from a friend?

Until next time, furry kisses and hugs,

Pickles Bella

September 6, 2022 by Undina

Scent Semantics #11: MISANTHROPE

I am so behind with this collaboration: I started and have not finished at least a couple of previous topics. I still might publish some of those, but I decided to try to do it this month. I think it was my turn to come up with a word for this month’s joint project with six five bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Daisy (eau là là !), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass). Unfortunately, Sheila (Alembicated Genie), our sixth member, decided to call it a day (or rather a decade). I was late even with that, so Portia came up with the word.

* * *

This month’s word is: MISANTHROPE

Misanthropy is a general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings.

I’m curious how this word was chosen for the project. I thought about it for a while, and it just didn’t connect to perfumes in my head. In general, for me, perfumes have mostly positive associations. So, I was almost ready to give up and skip this month as well, and then it just happened.

I felt an acute pang of misanthropy towards large companies that buy niche brands. I’m rather sad that in the modern world selling your brand/business is the most common way of achieving success instead of growing it organically. But I understand niche brands owners who choose this route. What I do not understand is when big companies buy those tiny but great brands only to make them almost as miserable as the rest of their offerings. Why? It can’t be that much money in those niche brands (otherwise those niche brands would have grown organically and wouldn’t have sold their IPs, right?).

These thoughts were triggered by my testing of the modern version of Le Labo‘s Rose 31.

I’ve always liked Rose 31. But I figured out that 10 ml of it would be more than enough for me, so about 10 years ago I bought a relatively inexpensive decant from one of the FB groups (if you weren’t here 8 years ago, see my Know-how [not to]: Freshen up a linen closet post about the story of that decant). But now when my decant is coming to an end, I started thinking about replenishing it. So, with a purchase from one of the sites I got an official Rose 31 sample.

First, when I applied perfume from that sample I thought that I was experiencing a loss of smell due to Covid-19 that I’m getting over now: I could barely smell anything, and I didn’t recognize what I smelled. I hurried to the cabinet where I store my old decant and applied a little to the second wrist – and two thoughts hit me immediately: first, there was nothing wrong with my sense of smell, and second, Estee Lauder has completely butchered my favorite perfume. Rose 31 was one of those perfumes with a very original and distinct scent profile that, in my opinion, was very unique and recognizable. Not anymore. Instead of a crisp and well pronounced though perfectly blended rose-cumin-spices accord of the original Rose 31, I smell some muted and muddled concoction that bears a vague resemblance to perfume that I liked and valued for years.

And it makes me angry: why buy rights to produce perfumes that were good and change them beyond recognition?! They’ve “milked” already everything they could from the purchase of Le Labo. Why not discontinue older scents that they are too cheap to produce (or do a good reformulation in case it’s IFRA to blame for the change) and just keep churning out new perfumes that have nothing to be compared to? Rose 31, as much as I liked it, isn’t Chanel No 5 in popularity. And it’s not like people who used to like it will not notice the difference and keep using a new version just because they liked the old one. And new consumers will not read old raving reviews (nobody reads old reviews!) and be fooled into buying a new cheaper version. So why?!!

“Hatred” is probably too strong of an emotion for such an occasion, but I do feel strong dislike, distrust and contempt for these behemoths’ behavior. Today I feel a little bit like a misanthrope.

Image: my own

May 26, 2022 by Undina

Pickles et al and the house of Jo Malone

This time for the guest post Pickles came with a company. (Undina)

* * *

Hello, my human and fur friends! My cousins, Wedge Licorice and Squirrel Jolie, came for a visit, and I decided to introduce them both to the house of Jo Malone.

My nana tells me it is probably the most popular fragrance house in our humble abode. Each of her human children was gifted a full bottle when they turned eighteen (Peony & Blush Suede for the eldest, Ginger Biscuit for the middle one and Wood Sage & Sea Salt for the youngest). My great-grandma and great-grandpa love all the Jo Malone offerings as well. And I know for a fact that Undina does too.

Over the years the entire family has drained three 100 ml bottles, ten 30 ml bottles and probably forty or more of those 9 ml travel sprays. As you can see from the photos we still have plenty in all sizes in the house.

Do you have a favorite Jo Malone? If not, what is your favorite perfume house?

Until next time, furry kisses and hugs,

Pickles Bella
Wedge Licorice
Squirrel Jolie

May 5, 2022 by Undina

Scent Semantics #7: BRILLIANCE

A couple of days behind the schedule (again), presenting the seventh episode of the collaboration of six bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Sheila (Alembicated Genie), Daisy (eau là là !), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass). If some of the participating blogs are also running late, please keep checking (or even better – subscribe!): we all are trying not to skip the month.

* * *

This month’s word is: BRILLIANCE

How difficult do you think it would be to persuade an average “civilian” consumer to buy a 50 ml bottle of perfume for $375 or even $195? With Chanel Chance at $90/50 ml and Dior J’adore at $112/50 ml (with 100 ml bottles for both being still under $200), I wouldn’t be too optimistic in my forecasts. And it seems even less probable for the younger generation who just recently graduated from BodyShop or Fresh perfumes.

And yet, they are buying those more expensive Heretic, By Killian and Tom Ford perfumes. Why? Because of the brilliance of the Sephora‘s Merchandising Department (or whatever it’s called there): they were the first who realized that first Millennials and now Generation Z customers, who prefer YouTube to blogs and Instagram and TikTok to YouTube, would rather spend $30-$75 on a 10 ml travel spray from a luxury brand than do research and commit to a larger bottle of perfume that would get a much better “per ml” ratio.

It is not a rant about a younger generation. I actually applaud Sephora for their input into proliferating interest in “used-to-be” niche perfumes in the masses. I know that these days all smart brands and retailers try to follow the suit, and finally, we started seeing more and more of what I for years called “perfumista-size” bottles. But no other single retailer has the same number of “travel” options as Sephora does. They didn’t focus on the sets of either the same perfume or a pre-selected combo (a complete waste of money – unless someone plans to split the set) or gift sets with both a full bottle and its mini travel companion (slightly more interesting if the mini size is added free to the full bottle price, and that full bottle can’t be bought somewhere else at a discounted price). Instead, they went directly to stocking up 200+ single travel bottles of 7.5-10 ml within a price range between $22 and $75.

Even though I wasn’t their target audience, I benefited from that brilliant marketing plot: even knowing that the brand was leaving the US, I wouldn’t have bought a full bottle of this perfume. But with a cute 10 ml bottle for around $30 – how could I have resisted?

Iris Rebelle by Atelier Cologne, created in 2018, with the notes Calabrian bergamot, orange blossom, black pepper, iris, lavender, May rose, white musk, guaiac wood and patchouli, is a nice addition to my collection. It is perfect if I’m in the mood for a short-lived scent (pleasant, mind you!) that I can either discreetly reapply in approximately an hour from that pen-like bottle that fits any purse or replace it with another scent without risking them clashing.

I’m not sure if Iris Rebelle is still available anywhere (other than from discounters), but if you need more information, see the review from Lucas (Chemist in the Bottle) that pushed me to try this perfume. But whatever you do, do not check Sephora’s “Mini size” section for Fragrances: you might be blinded by the brilliance of the offered selection.

Image: my own

April 6, 2022 by Undina

Scent Semantics #6: VERNAL

Today is the sixth episode of the collaboration of six bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Sheila (Alembicated Genie), Daisy (eau là là !), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass). Because of all the events happening in Ukraine, I missed the fifth episode – even though it was my word, and I have a story to tell! Maybe I’ll do it anyway later. And this month I’m a little late, but I decided to do it. Hopefully, by now you’ve read all other participating blogs (I haven’t yet – will do now) and still don’t mind to check out one more take on the topic.

* * *

This month’s word is: VERNAL

This month’s word surprised me: after more than two decades in the US, I didn’t have it not only in my active vocabulary but even in the passive one. Considering its quite mundane (though poetic) meaning, I’m amazed I haven’t come across it until now. A small consolation: Google search returns 4.6B of results for “spring” and just 15.9M for “vernal.”

As I was thinking about what that word means to me (after checking its meaning), I started thinking of Spring and remembering how it was back when I was experiencing it. I realized that living in an almost unvarying climate, while I do not miss Winter or cold weather, I miss that longing for the end of Winter and happiness from watching the Spring awakening of nature from the frozen sleep.

In my childhood and adolescent years, winter clothes that most of us got to wear were ugly. Those for adults usually weren’t much better, but at least theoretically better choices existed. But for the ages until late teenage years, those clothes weren’t something one would look forward to wearing. So, at first glimpses of Spring sun, we were eager to start taking off at least hats and scarves or maybe even putting on something less bulky and shapeless. And since by that time our immune systems were suffering from the lack of sun (read vitamin D3) and almost complete absence of fruits and vegetables (we won’t count potato, onions and beets, will we?), oftentimes that combination was enough to bring us down with a cold or flu.

Getting outside after a week spent in bed was magical: you could see and feel how Spring had sprung while you weren’t watching. And then, with every next day, Spring was claiming more and more territory with warmer days, longer days, young foliage and of course blossoms and flowers.

And if the early Spring days (those pre-flu ones) mean tender snowdrops, shy mimosa and timid daffodils, real, “full-fledged” Spring came with lavish lilac bushes.

One other drawback of not having cold weather in our area is that lilac grows here very reluctantly. In decades of living here, I saw a couple of sparse bushes in gardens and bought three or four bouquets of lilacs – far more expensive and smaller than what I used to see in my childhood.

Last weekend, while still playing with the word of the month in my head, for the first time while living in the US, I saw a white lilac bouquet. That was my vernal moment! And I immediately thought of a very fitting perfume for it.

After My Own Heart by Ineke is the first perfume in their Alphabet line. Notes: bergamot, raspberry, green leaves, lilac, sandalwood, heliotrope and musk. When I tested it the first time… 11 years ago, I thought it was nice, but I didn’t love it: the lilac seems too simple and soapy. My first discovery set went off at some point, so I had just my memory of how that perfume smelled. But recently I got a fresh sample set (with the purchase of Field Notes From Paris for my father), so I was able to revisit After My Own Heart.

After My Own Heart is a beautiful lilac, still slightly soapy in the opening, but this time it didn’t bother me much. It is a lush, warm, slightly green and quite a realistic lilac. It smells stronger than my small white lilac bouquet in my bedroom. And seeing that bouquet while wearing After My Own Heart conjures that feeling of happiness from the Spring that has finally arrived to stay.

Image: my own

March 30, 2022 by Undina

Pickles and L’Ether de IUNX

This second guest post from Pickles told by her human was planned for almost a month ago. Then life happened. I wasn’t sure if it was too late to publish this post, but Brigitte reassured me that it was still snowing yesterday where they live. (Undina)

* * *

Hello again to my human and furry perfume pals! The part of the world where I reside experiences substantial changes in temperature throughout the four seasons so I am happy to have a warm and loving home when the thermometer drops. My friend the groundhog saw his shadow this year, which means we will probably still have more winter weather on the horizon. We’ve been experiencing some significant snow and ice storms lately. My poor nana woke up this morning to an ice covered car and driveway.

She thought it would be the perfect opportunity to pull out her Olivia Giacobetti 2003 masterpiece, L’Ether de INUX, a gift to her from a dear auntie of mine. This soft, resinous, sweet, powdery scent has an underlying presence of incense and is composed of rosewood, myrrh, benzoin, saffron, sandalwood and maple.

Not only does L’Ether de INUX smell amazing, but the original bottle is utterly unique. It’s shaped like a black teardrop, lays flat and the sprayer is on the tip with the button to activate the sprayer on the back of the bottle. It’s probably the most unusual bottle in my nana’s collection. And it makes a great pillow to boot.

What is your most unusual perfume bottle? What do you like to wear in the cooler weather?

Until next time, furry kisses and hugs,

Pickles Bella

February 8, 2022 by Undina

Scent Semantics #4: TASTE

Today is the forth episode of the collaboration of six bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Sheila (Alembicated Genie), Daisy (eau là là !), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass).

Most of you probably already know that, but just a quick explanation for the project: once a month one of us selects a word (any part of speech, no guidelines), and we all try to find and describe a perfume association that we come up with. The initial idea was to choose just one perfume, but it was a guideline, not a strict rule – so, anything goes.

* * *

This month’s word is: TASTE

Finally, we’ve got a word that was along the line of what I expected when we were discussing the collaboration. I mean, not this specific word, but the form. In my mind, the words we would be choosing were nouns, singular. Why? Because that was how it was traditionally done for crossword puzzles in my native language. I’ve never got used to the local way of using different word forms, and The New York Times crosswords have never made sense to me. So, it was a noun! Has it made it easier? Nope. Had I known in advance that we’d have this word, I would have saved Angel Taste of Fragrance for today. And it would have been very fitting both to the topic and the occasion of honoring Mugler‘s memory. But I “used” it up already for one of the previous episodes. (Interestingly, Mugler’s Angel was the first perfume that kept popping up in my head in response to each next word offered for the project. Think of it, isn’t it “brave,” “angelic” and “luscious”? And, as the first gourmand, of course, I could make parallels with “taste.”) So, since the simple route wasn’t available any longer, I kept thinking about it, and as the result, I came up with a story that takes a somewhat unexpected twist on the topic. (And you tell me if reading this month’s word you expected anything like that.)

* * *

I don’t remember exactly how young I was: it was during my middle school, age before any dating started (at least customary for that time and place), but with romantic feelings in their pre-blooming phase and the onset of the relationships building. When thinking about this time, I imagine characters from the King‘s book It or the recent TV show Stranger Things. While reading the story below, it is important to remember that we were children/pre-teens.

N. was one grade above me. He wasn’t a bad boy (I’ve never been attracted to those) but rather an artistic type. I remember that he had a good voice and impossibly beautiful brown eyes. I wasn’t interested in him (at that time I was still unrequitedly in love with my classmate), but he started demonstrating some interest in me: I would be catching his gaze at me in the school corridors during the breaks.

Back then and there, you would expect a boy to look away once his glance was “caught,” if he was shy, or a girl to avert her eyes pretending not to notice the attention (a ritual of submissive modesty). N. wasn’t shy. And I’ve never been submissive. So, once I realized that he was staring, I took it as a challenge and stared back. It became a game for the next several months. I don’t remember if we had any other communications, but any day when our scheduled classes happen to be on the same floor, we would engage in the eye “sparring.” Additional points went to the one who didn’t blink first during those encounters. I was still sweet on my classmate, but these silent duels became a part of my daily routine boosting my self-confidence and raising my status among my girlfriends.

After the end of the school year, we had a couple of weeks of strange semi-compulsory activities: children from all classes from one or two grades were bussed to a summer camp outside of the city where we would do some agriculture work for several hours in the morning and then have sports, music and other group activities in the evening. My main romantic interest’s parents managed to excuse him from these exercises, but most of my friends were going to be there, so I didn’t mind going. And I was pleased to find out that N. was also on that trip: our silent matches would continue!

But suddenly something unexpected happened: within a day or two, N. joined a small group (6-7 girls and boys, my class-mates) that we formed at the camp (which was quite unusual since he was older – so, the boys from our group were happy to include him and girls didn’t mind either), then he completely lost any interest in me and switched his full attention to another girl from our group, V. I watched him performing the same routine of watching her attentively, catching her eyes and making sure she notices this. And it was all intensified by the fact that we were spending most of the time together.

I was crushed and confused, both by what was happening and my reaction to it. I knew that I wasn’t romantically interested in him, and going out with him wasn’t in my plans or dreams. But he was my admirer! And suddenly he wasn’t. I was hurting. And the worst part was that saving my pride, I had to hide those feelings. I remember that all I wanted was to get back home or at least to spend some time alone to cry. Ironically, I had so many friends in my class, that I just couldn’t get any time on my own: someone would immediately join me. So, I pretended that nothing had happened and kept spending time in that group with my ex-admirer, V. who had quickly fallen for his charm, and the boys who were clearly impressed by his maturity and bravery to express his feelings. Every evening, we would gather on the porch of one of the cabins where we stayed, play some games, laugh and sing. N. had a great voice. And he would sing with us, but you could tell that he was singing for V. while not taking off his beautiful brown eyes of her. And she looked beautiful and happy. If I’m not mistaken, their relationships progressed to the public hand-holding territory.

And then V. got sick, and her parents took her home several days before the end of the camp. That’s where the next chapter started. I did mention that V. was an artistic type, right? He was publicly suffering in such a way that we all, including me who came to terms with his change of heart, my other girlfriends and our boys, were sympathizing with him and trying to cheer him up. He was sighing, singing sad songs (especially the one that, by coincidence, had the name V. in it, which he previously sang to V.) and even holding a scarf she forgot when leaving. And then, as the oldest of us all, one evening he announced that he needs to drink (to drown his sorrows, I think, though don’t remember). Not only at that age, but for several years after that none of us, most likely, drank anything (unless trying something at home from the parents’ glasses). And of course, there was absolutely no alcohol at the camp. But.

In the country where I grew up, there was a well-known phenomenon of drinking surrogate alcohol. Of course, it was something in which people engaged when they didn’t have other choices (e.g., alcoholics or people in incarceration), and not only for us, children from good families, but in general for the majority of the population, it was something from the marginal subculture. But we all knew about it. So, when N. proudly produced a bottle of the aftershave (I’m not sure why he had it with him – I don’t think he was even shaving yet), none of us was really surprised.

This is not the exact bottle of what he had (his one was blue if I’m not mistaken), but it’s the closest I could find online. Back then it was a hard(er) to get aftershave from Poland, so on its own, it was impressive. I don’t remember what was used instead of a shot glass, I just know that we didn’t drink it from the bottle itself.

I was the only girl in our group who made a sip or two of that blue liquid. I’m not sure what I was trying to prove, but for some reason it was important to me not to blink, so to speak, in that strange game. I had nothing less exotic to compare that WARS aftershave to, but it tasted yucky – about which we all agreed. But we all felt a little proud of being such a badass. And I think it did cheer up N a little.

* * *

Over the next two months of the summer break I completely forgot about N. When we came back to school, I noticed that N. and V. did not have any communications any longer, but I’ve never learned what had happened (if anything). And when during one of the bus trips where, for whatever reason, N. was again a part of our group, we started singing that song, I was watching N. and V.: he was completely nonchalant, and she was obviously hurting. His parents moved soon, so he transferred to another school, and I’ve never met him either as a teenager or adult. I wonder who he grew up to be.

* * *

I had never tried to drink another cologne or perfume since, but I think I still can imagine that taste.

Undina's Looking Glass

Perfumed Reflections of Life

Not a Review

Perfume Advent Calendars: Count Me Out

Multi-brand Perfume Calendars 2024

Multi-brand “Fragrance-heavy” Beauty Calendars 2024

Single-brand Perfume and Beauty Calendars 2024

Multi-brand Sampling Perfume Calendars 2024

Saturday Questions… for Undina on the Blog’s 13th Anniversary

1. When you started this blog, did you expect to be writing this post?

2. Do you have any regrets about the current state of the blog?

3. How did your “no-buy” go last year?

4. What was the last perfume you bought?

5. Why are there fewer photos of Rusty on the blog?

6. How large is your perfume collection?

7. Do you plan to downsize?

8. What were the first perfumes in your perfume database?

9. Can you estimate how many perfumes you tried over the years?

10. What are your Top 13 Perfumes?

11. Does your vSO (very significant other) read your posts?

12. What are your favorite stories over the years?

13. What are your plans for this blog?

A Beauty of Rose in a Single Shot

Pickles and Vintage Shalimar

Scent Semantics #11: MISANTHROPE

Pickles et al and the house of Jo Malone

Scent Semantics #7: BRILLIANCE

Scent Semantics #6: VERNAL

Pickles and L’Ether de IUNX

Scent Semantics #4: TASTE

Multi-brand Perfume Calendars 2024

Multi-brand “Fragrance-heavy” Beauty Calendars 2024

Single-brand Perfume and Beauty Calendars 2024

Multi-brand Sampling Perfume Calendars 2024

Multiply reflections:

1. When you started this blog, did you expect to be writing this post?

2. Do you have any regrets about the current state of the blog?

3. How did your “no-buy” go last year?

4. What was the last perfume you bought?

5. Why are there fewer photos of Rusty on the blog?

6. How large is your perfume collection?

7. Do you plan to downsize?

8. What were the first perfumes in your perfume database?

9. Can you estimate how many perfumes you tried over the years?

10. What are your Top 13 Perfumes?

11. Does your vSO (very significant other) read your posts?

12. What are your favorite stories over the years?

13. What are your plans for this blog?

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections:

Multiply reflections: