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?

Last several SQ topics were … not exactly negative but… So, I decided that we need a dose of positivity. In perfume form.

Saturday Question #133:

What 5 Perfumes Do You Look Forward To Wearing This Autumn?

It doesn’t have to be your Top 5, most favorite or any other such ranking. But if there are perfumes you plan to wear now, until it’s officially (or sensory) Winter, name five that first come to mind (or are carefully selected since, you know, whatever your choice would be, you’ll be held to it – just kidding).

My Answer

From my database, I got a list of perfumes that I wear more often. Then I went through it an marked those that I considered contenders – I got 20. Then I combed through the list once again. And here’s the results:

1. Amouage Memoir Woman
2. Chanel Le Lion
3. Masque Milano Madeline
4. Neela Vermeire Creations Trayee
5. Tauer Perfumes PHI

I’ll probably use the remaining list to choose what to wear this month.

How about you?

What 5 Perfumes Do You Look Forward To Wearing This Autumn?

First of all, I’m sorry for the missed Saturday: I know that you all perfectly survived without it, but I’m trying not to miss at least these posts without a good reason. This time I just ran out of time before I had to leave for a business trip to Chicago.

The trip went well (if not count that because of the time difference I had to get up every morning at 5 AM my time). For the first time in my life, I spend a couple of work days on the 44th floor (below, I posted a picture I took from the window of the conference room). And once we had lunch on the 70th floor of that building. You can see a photo I took from there in my Instagram feed (or in this blog on the side for web visitors or down the screen for mobile ones). It was impressive! I regretted not having any perfume in a bottle with me: I could have taken a picture of the perfume I wore on the highest floor I’ve ever visited. But since I brought with me just decants, I missed that opportunity.

Saturday Question #132:

Have You Ever Broken a Perfume Bottle?

If yes, what was that? Have you replaced it since then?

And a bonus question, since we skipped it last week: What was the highest floor you’ve ever been to? Do you remember what perfume you wore?

My Answer

I do not remember ever breaking a perfume bottle, and even the idea of it makes me shudder. So, the topic of this post came not from any bottle (or even a decant) suffering during this trip. But while I was trying to fall asleep earlier than my usual time, I was going through my Instagram and saw a posting with a shattered perfume bottle on the new account that Richard Goller (the author of the fragroom.com blog) posted on his new Instagram account and couldn’t stop thinking about it. (Speaking of IG, if you used to follow Richard on the previous account, richgoller, you’ll need to follow his new account, ficklefragrancelover because the first one was blocked by IG for the reason I don’t know and can’t even imagine).

And to answer the bonus question: on the day I visited the 70th floor, I wore Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal.

How about you?

Have You Ever Broken a Perfume Bottle?

In the comments to the recent Scent Semantics post, hajusuuri mentioned that she didn’t think that a vintage formula was always better. This brings us to today’s question.

Saturday Question #131:

Do You Know Any Successful Perfume Reformulation?

Let’s not consider those perfumes that you’ve never tried in their original or earlier version. But can you think of any perfumes where you tried an old(er) and a new version and thought that the new one wasn’t that bad?

My Answer

Since in times when most perfumes that these days are considered vintage classics were modern I was a signature perfume gal, I don’t know any of those perfumes enough to miss them (well, I do keep the grudge because of Miss Dior‘s being stripped of its name, but other than that, I thought that even Miss Dior Originale version wasn’t totally bad when I had a chance to try it last time).

Last year Puredistance had to reformulate their Opardu because of IFRA (I strongly dislike this organization and think that they are doing something they shouldn’t). I had a chance to compare both versions, and I think that they did a good job preserving the scent character.

More recently, at a Duty Free in Dusseldorf, I tried the latest version of Guerlain‘s Encens Mythique and was surprised at how well they’ve recreated the original one that I like very much. Yes, together with the unpopular “d’Orient” part, this perfume lost some oomph and became lighter, but it is still quite recognizable, and I wouldn’t mind wearing it.

Do You Know Any Successful Perfume Reformulation?

The change of season means mental reshuffling my collection to prepare to the cold(er) season. This exercise allows me to take a look at my collection and evaluate its content.

Saturday Question #130:

Are You Happy With Your Perfume Collection?

It’s an open question, without specific boundaries. Are you satisfied with the number of bottles you have? Do you have “what to wear”? Do you want more? Do you plan to downsize? Are you still buying new perfumes?

My Answer

I like or even love many perfumes in my collection. But I think I’m overwhelmed by the number of perfumes I have – not as much by full bottles but mostly by decants. I like those perfumes! But I have a hard time deciding what to wear. Probably I need to create a schedule not to think about what to wear every day but just go through the list.

While I’m still interested in trying new perfumes, I don’t think I want to add any to my collection. Of course, if I come across anything I suddenly fall in love with I’ll buy it. But for a long time I haven’t tried anything I would like to get.

How about you?

Are You Happy With Your Perfume Collection?

Usually, when I travel abroad, I either bring with me perfumes from that country’s brands or buy them while being there. Or both. This time, while traveling to Germany to bring my vSO’s mom to the US, I didn’t bring any German perfumes with me (I was too busy before the trip to think about it). And when I started thinking about it, I realized that I couldn’t easily think of any such perfumes.

Saturday Question #128:

Do You Own Any German Perfumes?

If yes, which ones? Would you recommend them?

My Answer

After consulting Fragrantica, I realized that I own, like and wear at least 2 German perfumes: April Aromatics Unter den Linden and Escentric Molecules Molecule 01.

How about you?

Do You Own Any German Perfumes?

It often comes up in perfume-related threads that we saw, smelled or tried something at a duty-free shop in an airport. But does it ever go beyond testing?

Saturday Question #127:

Have You Ever Bought Perfumes in a Duty Free Store?

If yes, what were those? Was it a planned or spontaneous purchase?

A bonus question: is there anything else that you buy from those stores when you get a chance? Do you have any recommendations? Are there any countries/airports that have better duty-free shops than others?

My Answer

I don’t travel abroad too often, so the opportunities to shop duty-free are few and far between. I have never bought any perfume for myself, but once I bought two perfumes for my friend (not as a gift, he asked to buy it for his wife – it was something by Nina Ricci). And one time I asked a friend to buy me Chanel No 19 extrait in Heathrow on his way back from a business trip.

Speaking of Chanel. In my opinion, duty-free stores are the best place to buy Chanel perfumes – at least if you live in the US. The reason is simple: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Chanel having a sale or participating in a store’s sale. And at a duty-free store, while being slightly less expensive than elsewhere, it’s guaranteed to be authentic, which is very important when it comes to buying this one of the mostly counterfeited brands.

How about you?

Have You Ever Bought Perfumes in a Duty Free Store?