There is still time… I’m not asking about perfumes you have already bought as a gift for yourself this year or orchestrated to appear under your tree (we’ll talk about it next week). But if you were to send a wish to the North Pole, and you couldn’t wish for a World peace, health or anything else equally worthy, but you could wish for any perfume that is currently available (so, no “original Shalimar” or “well-preserved vintage Opium”) – what would it be?

Saturday Question #144:

What Perfume Would You Wish To Find under the Tree This Year?

It doesn’t have to be something uber-rare or expensive (but it can!) – but what would bring you joy had it just appeared there?

My Answer

Just a couple of months ago, had you asked me, I wold have told you that I didn’t have anything I really would like to get. But recently I discovered 2 perfumes that I want to get – so, I would not mind if Santa Clause would have decided to support me in my “no-buy” resolve.

The first one is Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera. As I was reading all the raving reviews, I didn’t really expect to like this perfume. I love it! I’m amazed how well Liz Moores has caught that modern classic/vintage vibe. My only wish would be to have this perfume in a flacon with a stopper: it seems wrong to spray that type of fragrance.

The second one is Nude by Bill Blass. I’ve never known this perfume before I smelled it last week from a new acquaintance of my vSO’s mother who came to my MIL’s birthday celebration. It was an impressive chypre! So, if Santa Clause’s route will not pass by my beautiful (although artificial) tree, which is given since I’m not writing him a letter, I will investigate if it comes in different versions – and if yes, which one I should try. But it seems like a very inexpensive experiment, even if I end up not liking it.

How about you?

What Perfume Would You Wish To Find under the Tree This Year?

With the [Early] Black Friday [Day/Week/Month] happening this year, I thought we could talk about not buying something for a change.

Saturday Question #141:

Have You Ever Done Perfume “No-Buy”?

If yes, was it a complete halt on any perfume-related spending? For how long? Were you tempted to break it, or were you firm in your decision? Did you strictly stick to it, or did you have any “relapses”? Has it affected your interest in perfume in general or perfume-related activities, such as reading blogs, participating in SOTD discussions, etc.?

My Answer

Until now, I’ve never done “no-buy.” My perfume acquisitions slowed down compared to previous years, and I haven’t exceeded a self-imposed perfume budget in the last several years. But I was buying some new perfumes and recently a lot of samples.

Starting this December, I’m doing my first “no-buy.” I won’t discuss the reasons (nothing too dramatic, everybody is healthy), but I will temporarily refrain from buying perfumes to wear (i.e., travel/full bottles or decants). Since it is a perfume blog, and I plan to keep it going, I will probably keep a small budget for samples and postage for swaps. But until the underlying practical reasons are resolved, my current collection should be more than enough to enjoy all aspects of my hobby – wearing, writing about and discussing perfumes.

How about you?

Have You Ever Done Perfume “No-Buy”?

I realize that many of my friends and loyal readers live outside of the US and thus either celebrate their own Thanksgiving on a different date or do not celebrate it at all. I grew up not even knowing about that holiday: somehow, it wasn’t a part of pop culture or a well-known fact about a foreign country. But Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays since I moved to the US. So, with the upcoming week being Thanksgiving week here, I want to somehow connect this Saturday Question to the topic of being thankful.

Saturday Question #140:

What Are You Thankful For Perfume-wise?

It can be very precise or completely generic, something that has happened recently or in general – as long as you consider it a positive thing.

My Answer

There are many things that I could mention, but I do not want to hog all the possible answers, so I’ll keep it short – and then join you in the comments section. You could do the same: name one or two most relevant points and concur with others’ comments.

• I’m thankful to all of the perfumistas who shared, swapped or just gifted me with samples and decants: it allowed me to try many more perfumes than I would have been able to try otherwise.
• I’m thankful that Covid-19 strand that I had did not impair my sense of smell: not counting possible serious health complications, that was my worst fear.

How about you?

What Are You Thankful For Perfume-wise?

I’m traveling this long weekend without my laptop, so let’s see how well mobile publishing works.

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Do you remember how pre-Covid we used to complain about a huge number of new brands and new releases? I’m not sure what’s the situation now, but when I went to the Luckyscent website to buy… tea as a gift to my friend, I discovered that I didn’t know most of the brands I saw on the front page. People must be sampling those perfumes (since I don’t expect them blind buying them). But what about older releases? All those thousands of new perfumes released per year 3-5 years ago??

Saturday Question #139:

Do You Test Perfumes Released 3+ Years Ago?

If you buy or swap samples, do you try perfumes that were released years ago but you haven’t tried them yet? Or do you go for the latest ones leaving behind all those that you haven’t tried when they were released?

My Answer

As I was choosing my free samples with a purchase, I went for 4 most recent releases. These weren’t new brands for me, but perfumes were all from this year. It made me think: am I not taking a part in encouraging brands to keep releasing new perfumes to keep us interested?

In my defense, this year, I did test the majority of perfumes from the past years that I was interested in (and even some that I wasn’t). But I know that I accepted that I’m missing on many perfumes, and after a while the only way I’ll try them will be if I come across them at a store.

How about you?

Do You Test Perfumes Released 3+ Years Ago?

Remember, remember
the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.

This nursery rhyme stuck in my head and kept turning on and on, so I decided to turn it into the SQ.

Saturday Question #138:

Do You Like Gunpowder Note In Perfumes?

Do you know any perfumes with this note? Do you like it? Do you like the smell of gunpowder?

My Answer

If it weren’t for my database, I wouldn’t have remembered that I smelled any perfumes with a gunpowder note, and I didn’t care for two of them – BeauFort London 1805 and L’Artisan Parfumeur Amour Nocturne. Not because of that note. The third one I like – Jul et Mad Stairway to Heaven. Not because of that note. I don’t think I can smell it in that perfume.

I’m lucky: my only association with gunpowder is from visits to a shooting range. So, I like the scent of freshly burnt gunpowder. Not sure though, that I would want to wear it in any discernible quantity.

How about you?

Do You Like Gunpowder Note In Perfumes?

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been involved in budget-related discussions at my work. I absolutely don’t enjoy those, but it’s that time of the year, and we all know where our economy is heading, so there is no escaping from these activities. No wonder money is on my mind.

Saturday Question #136:

Do You Have a Perfume Budget?

Do you have some set amount you plan to spend on perfumes monthly or yearly? If yes, do you fit in that budget? If no, how do you allocate money for your perfume hobby?

We all have different discretionary incomes and live in very different environments, so we do not have to discuss exact sums. The question is more generic – about the principles you apply to that area of your life.

My Answer

For the last several years, I was setting an upper limit to what I planned to spend on perfume-related purchases during that year. It was hard at first: I wanted to buy this and try that. And then there was an incredible price drop for something I was already thinking of. Or I would learn about the discontinuation of something I always planned to get eventually or had just half of the… 100 ml bottle left. So, at some point, once the budget was gone, I would start finding some creative ways to justify the next purchase. It has never been out of control to threaten my financial health, but I didn’t stay within the self-imposed boundaries.

In the last couple of years, I haven’t been spending the maximum I would allocate at the beginning of the year. It’s hard to name a single reason. Probably the combination of everything – the pandemic, being too busy or stressed out to test or even wear perfumes, the size of my existing collection, and, what is even more pressing, the size of the space where that collection is stored. And, of course, when you’re testing perfume No 3,000+ in your life, it’s harder to fall in love with something you’ve already smelled before (and probably own already). But I will keep allocating money for perfume purchases: if nothing else, I still want at least to try something new.

Do You Have a Perfume Budget?

Fifteen years ago or so, probably not all but most perfumistas knew about the existence of that obscure brand. JAR perfumes were rumored to be uber-expensive (~$500-800 per 30 ml) but without the exact price because that information was guarded just slightly less strictly than perfume names or, G-d forbid, notes. And with just two known locations – a Parisian store and a salon in Bergdorf (New York) – not too many perfumistas tried those perfumes. Since then, with the raised tide of niche brands and exclusive lines, these prices do not shock any longer. Though, to be fair, I do not know either today’s prices for these perfumes or even whether the brand is still around. And I stopped hearing anything about them many-many years ago.

Saturday Question #135:

Have You Ever Tried JAR Perfumes?

I should have started with a more generic question – have you ever heard about this brand? But I decided to fold it into the current one. If you have tried those perfumes, which ones? Did you like any of them? Would you have bought them if money were no object?

My Answer

Out of seven perfumes JAR has in their line-up, according to Fragrantica, I’ve tried only Golconda (thanks to a generous friend who sent me a sample vial). To my nose, it was a perfect carnation, and I thoroughly enjoyed this perfume. And I wanted to love it, despite the price. But I didn’t. If they are still alive, one day I’ll visit the New York store and sniff them all. But Golconda will not be going home with me.

I thought about this perfume and came up with this question as I was wearing Guerlain Lui and thought that I liked the carnation in it very much – but probably not enough to try to hunt down a bottle of it once my decant is done. And this carnation is times less expensive than the one from JAR.

How about you?

Have You Ever Tried JAR Perfumes?