The last week ran away from me, and I missed the SQ. At least, it was a good reason: we went for a short trip with our friends, and I didn’t realize I wouldn’t be making back in time to ask Portia to take over for that week’s SQ. But now I’m back, so let’s do it!

Saturday Question #255:

What Was The Last Perfume You Decided Not To Buy?

It has to be something you liked and seriously considered as a contender to join your collection despite the fact you don’t need any more perfumes – and then, in the end, decided not to buy. Is it a final decision, or do you plan to revisit it in the future?

My Answer

A month ago, while talking about a wish list, I mentioned Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif: it kept pulling me in, I was thinking about it and even did a couple of searches trying to find it with at least some discount. I got a sample from the store and wore it several times while going back and forth on whether I want to buy it.

Today I went to the store, sprayed it liberally from the bottle (I’d say, about 5 sprays), which is different from using a small sample, lived with it until the end of the day, and finally came to the conclusion that I do not love it. If it were to drop from the sky, I wouldn’t have said “No.” But even in that case, I don’t think I would wear it often enough. Hence, I just can’t justify buying it – not now, not ever. I am a little sad because of it: I thought I was in love with that perfume.

How about you?

What Was The Last Perfume You Decided Not To Buy?

Wait! Don’t go away! I promise I don’t plan to ask you about each of the dozens (hundreds?) new brands that appear on the market. But there are a couple that seemed more special, so I want to learn what you think about those.

Saturday Question #254:

Have You Tried Any Aphorismes Fragrances?

If yes, which ones? Did you like them? If no, are you curious about them?

A bonus question: Do you have any favorite perfumes by Dominique Ropion?

My Answer

I don’t remember how I came across the news about Dominique Ropion having launched six perfumes in his own new brand, Aphorismes, but unlike most of the new launches, this one attracted my attention.

All my life, I have told stories, many stories. Today, I am adding a new chapter. These six perfumes encapsulate the essence of my craft as a perfumer, the territories I have continuously explored. These essences, I see them as concentrations of life, designed to evoke delight and invite each person to tell their own story. They are invitations to embody emotion, sent to those who will wear them.
– Dominique Ropion

While I can’t say that Ropion is my favorite perfumer, I have several favorite perfumes created by him. And, in general, I think that if anyone, someone like him, after all the years creating perfume for others, deserves to have his own brand.

I haven’t tried any of the perfumes in this new line – A Rose is a Rose, Crazy Garden, Encens Insensé, Innocent Tuberose, My Clémentine and Oud à l’Amour. Currently, they are available from the brand’s store in Paris and from Jovoy. The brand’s site is “coming soon.” I am curious and will even consider paying for the discovery set when/if it becomes available.

My favorites created by Dominique Ropion: Cacharel Amor Amor (don’t have it any longer but used up a couple of bottles), Calvin Klein Euphoria (have never bought a FB but used up a couple of decants and regret not getting it when it was released first), Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady (still have the original bottle and enjoy wearing it) and Une Fleur de Cassie, and my latest additions to the collection, Olfactive Studio Rose Shot, Iris Shot and Violet Shot.

How about you?

Have You Tried Any Aphorismes Fragrances?

I admit, the title is kind of a clickbait. Not that my regular readers need to be specifically enticed to participate in the SQ post, but I thought it would be a good playful way to pose a question related to a Valentine’s Day celebration.

While cooking our celebratory dinner, I decided to put on some music. Since I haven’t planned anything in advance, and I know my usual Italian Cooking Pandora channel by heart, I decided to check if my Sonos could offer anything occasion-appropriate. I checked, and there they were, two playlists – Love Rules and Love Stinks. And that gave me this idea.

Saturday Question #253:

Do You Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

If yes, how? If no, why? Do you have special perfume(s) you wear on that day?

My Answer

We usually celebrate Valentine’s Day. We try not to participate in the organized part of it (other than using some decoration, themed napkins, etc.), but we cook something special, dress up and watch something romantic. And I always wear Annick Goutal Rose d’Amour. This year’s celebration was dampened by both of us being slightly sick. But we still managed to enjoy it. And my vSO spontaneously complimented me on my perfume (which was a miracle because even when not sick, he usually can’t smell what I’m wearing).

How about you?

Do You Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

My G-d daughter recently sent me a link asking if I knew about the product and what I thought about it. The product was Optimal Habitat Fragrance Enhancing Primer. The claim is:

Imagine if your scent could last 24 hours…

Now it can, with our fragrance primer. Inspired by the resilience of nature’s ecosystems, Optimal Habitat works in harmony with your skin’s unique biology to create the ideal environment for scents to thrive. By forming a nurturing layer on the skin, each scent note is amplified, allowing it to bloom to its fullest potential.

I didn’t know anything about that primer, so I promised to ask my readers.

Saturday Question #252:

Have You Ever Used Fragrance Primers?

Not necessarily this particular one but maybe some other similar product. Fragrance primer, booster or enhancer? Did it work? Would you repurchase?

My Answer

When I read a description for this product, I immediately remembered that I previously read about some other products that were supposed to work on extending perfumes tenacity on your skin. It took me a while to remember the name. It turned out, I was thinking in the right direction, but try typing “perfume” and “canvas” in a search engine and see what you’ll get. Finally, I figured out what it was – Canvas Fragrance Primer from Canvas & Concrete. It was released in 2014, and the Perfumeland was talking about it for some time. I’ve never got to try it. I don’t know what happened to that brand, but as of now, their website doesn’t respond.

I think that I read about some similar products as well, but I haven’t tried any of them. As I was researching the topic, I came across The Perfume Guy’s video on the topic. I have two of the perfumes he recommends as a booster – Molecule 01 (which I live) and D.S. & Durga I don’t know what (which I wasn’t impressed with). So, I might try using them in that role. though, to tell the truth, these days I rarely notice that my perfume has disappeared. And when I do, I re-apply it if I want to extend the experience or use that opportunity to wear or test a different perfume.

How about you?

Have You Ever Used Fragrance Primers?

Let’s stipulate once again that most of us have enough perfumes to last for years without us ever buying another full bottle, and we talked about it more than once. And yet…

Saturday Question #251:

Do You Still Have A Perfume Wish List?

I am asking not about those wouldn’t-mind-owning-if-it-were-to-drop-from-the-sky wishes. But do you have a list of perfumes that you are actually considering buying at some point? If yes, do you have it in your head? Or do you write it somewhere? What perfumes are on your list? And if no, is it because you just haven’t come across any that you would want to buy? Or is it a conscious decision not to buy anything at all?

My Answer

I don’t need any more perfumes… And I am still on a “very-low-buy.” And yet, I have a wish list.

On that list, there are two perfumes that I will definitely buy eventually – Puredistance Gold and Papillon Hera.  Gold has been on my list for almost 5 years: I finished the remaining couple of mls from the travel spray gifted by the brand that were left after a joint blogs giveaway hoping to buy my own bottle soon, but it hasn’t happened yet. But I still think it’s amazing and would want to wear it from time to time.

Two years ago, I fell in love with Hera after trying it from a sample I bought from Luckyscent. Buying a sample at that point was unusual for me, and I don’t remember why I decided to do it, not being a fan of the brand. Probably, because I liked their previous perfume, Bengale Rouge. I am glad that I did, because I find this perfume remarkable.

I don’t need more perfumes, but I’ll probably still buy these two. Eventually.

There is one more perfume that I know I should not be buying, but it keeps getting into my thoughts every time I see (and try) it at a store: Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif. Until I tried this perfume, I was immune to this brand’s feminine offerings. I tried this one only because there was nothing else new in the store, and I was in the mood to test something… Now, every time I spray it at a store, for the first several minutes I think: “Nah, it’s not that great, I do not need it…” And then I can’t stop sniffing my wrist and later clothes it transferred to thinking how much I like what I smell.

How about you?

Saturday Question: Do You Still Have A Perfume Wish List?

Even though I rarely buy samples these days, and I definitely don’t buy full-priced full bottles, I keep my newsletter subscriptions for several perfume stores and brands. Not long ago, an email from Luckyscent caught my attention with the offering of a sample pack of their “Best of 2024” and I clicked on the link. The sample pack was sold out, but it provided a topic for this SQ. These are 15 Luckyscent’s Best of 2024 perfumes:

Jasmine Tea by ONE DAY
Wavechild by Room 1015
Brownie Pop by Maison Mataha
L’eau de Parfum by Cirque du Soleil
Mantes-la-Jolie by Astier de Villatte
Summer Hammer by Lorenzo Pazzaglia
Glow by AKRO
Jany by Sora Dora
Almond Tart by Theodoros Kalotinis
Manakara by Indult
White Rice by d’Annam
On a Cloud by J-Scent
Vanille Debauche by KYSE
Nota Vanilla by Ulyka Parfums
Coffee Addict by Theodoros Kalotinis

Saturday Question #250:

How Many Perfumes From The Luckyscent’s Best of 2024 Have You Tried?

Would you recommend to try any of those that you tried?

My Answer

I am almost glad that by the time I saw that list the sample pack was sold out because I was tempted to buy it. Not only have I not tried any of these 15 perfumes, but I heard only of 5 brands on that list, Room 1015, AKRO, Indult, J-Scent and KYSE, and tried something from the last three of them.

How about you?

How Many Perfumes From The Luckyscent’s Best of 2024 Have You Tried?

Occasionally, I try a perfume for the first time and feel an immediate rush of excitement. It smells so wonderful, so perfect, that I think I’ve discovered a new favorite. But then, on subsequent tries, I can never recreate that initial feeling. The magic seems to vanish, leaving me wondering if I imagined it all.

Saturday Question #248:

Have You Ever Experienced a Chimera Scent?

Has that ever happened to you? Do you remember any specific perfumes that behaved this way? Have you ever been able to recreate that initial feeling with the same perfume?

My Answer

As it’s clear from the introduction to this post, this has happened to me more than once. I’d discover a perfume that seems perfect on the first try, only for that magical connection to slip away on subsequent wears. Luckily for me, these discoveries would occur before I paid for a full bottle. And still it feels disappointing.

Atelier des Ors has never been “my brand.” Those perfumes that I tried, I didn’t dislike, but none of them clicked with me. To explain how much I didn’t care for the brand, I must share that I refused free samples that a fellow-perfumista who worked with the brand at that time offered to send me: based on the previous experience, I didn’t expect to like other perfumes from the line, and I wanted to avoid an awkward explanation why I wouldn’t be writing anything positive about the brand.

On my visit to ZGO, a San Francisco-based perfumery, I tried a relatively new perfume, Pink me Up, only because I was fascinated by its color and thought that the name was a clever play on it. I liked it very much. The opening fruity-champagne burst was so appealing and carefree that I felt falling in love with the scent with each next whiff. It was one of the five samples that I bought there this day.

A couple of days ago, I tried Pink me Up again, for the last time. My sample is empty. Never once in these 15 months was I able to relive the scent I smelled at the store. I kept hoping it was an anomaly, and the next time I’d experience perfume I liked the first time. It hasn’t happened.

I do not have a theory why it happened in this case. Was my nose conditioned by the dozen of other perfumes I tried before it? Was I just excited to be at a great perfume store after a couple of years of “sensory starvation” caused by quarantine restrictions on travels? Was I seduced by the bottle?

It reminds me of wine tasting at vineyards. There, a wine sampled in the picturesque surroundings of a winery can seem extraordinary. Yet, when that same bottle is opened at home, it might not live up to the memory. Interestingly, with wine, the opposite can also happen: a wine that seemed just “nice” (bought on the trip in lieu of paying for testing) can transform into something special when enjoyed in a more relaxed, familiar setting or with good food. I don’t remember that ever happening with perfumes though.

How about you?

Have You Ever Experienced a Chimera Scent?

In everyday conversations, the word “interesting” often wears many hats. At times, it’s a sincere compliment, a way to acknowledge something as novel, captivating or thought-provoking. But in some contexts, “interesting” becomes a social buffer, a diplomatic way to mask uncertainty or mild disapproval. Whether it’s a friend’s questionable outfit choice or a movie that missed the mark, “interesting” is often a stand-in for “I’m not sure what to say, but I don’t want to sound rude.”

Perfumes conversations aren’t immune to that phenomenon. We often encounter scents that defy easy categorization. When words like “beautiful,” “fresh,” or “sensual” don’t quite fit or are not enough, “interesting” easily slips into the description. But what does it really mean when we call a fragrance “interesting”? Is it praise, critique or simply a placeholder for mixed emotions?

Saturday Question #247:

Is “Interesting” A Compliment In A Perfume Description?

When do you characterize perfumes as “interesting”? Do you have any examples? What do you think when you read someone else’s description that includes this adjective?

My Answer

While I was thinking about this question, I was sure that in my vocabulary this definition came mostly in combination with “but not for me” or “but I don’t want to wear it.” But once I started looking into what I actually write as impressions in my daily wear diary, I discovered that during my testing, in 1/3 of the time when I mentioned that something was “interesting,” it was for perfumes that I liked (but didn’t love from the first sniff), wanted to test more and ended up getting at least a decant (and sometimes a bottle). But in the majority of cases, while acknowledging that perfume in question wasn’t bad, I knew that I wouldn’t want to wear it.

“Interesting” perfumes that stayed just that (an example, there were many more of such): By Killian Back to Black, Eris Parfums Belle de Jour and Frederic Malle Carnal Flower. “Interesting” that became “love”: Annick Goutal Ambre Fétiche, Hiram Green Arbolé Arbolé and Serge Lutens Boxeuses.

How about you?

Is “Interesting” A Compliment In A Perfume Description?

I hope everyone who celebrates had wonderful time with people (and furry creatures) important in your life. One more holiday to go – and then another year waiting for the next holiday season. Oh, well… Meanwhile, let’s see what this year brought us in terms of our common hobby.

Saturday Question #246:

What Are Your Top 10 (5? 3? Any?) Favorite Perfumes of 2024?

Do you remember years in the past when bloggers ran multiple lists of the best perfumes of the year, sometimes in different categories, from different authors… These days, I wouldn’t trust most of the lists that are made to place affiliated links to those products. But in our almost hermetic environment, let’s name those perfumes that impressed you in 2024. And if you can’t come up with anything created this year, it might be something significant that you tried this year for the first time.

My Answer

I was sloppy this year with my record keeping: I still have some records that are stored in the text file that I need to transfer to my database. So, I might be a couple of perfumes off. But looking through my database, I see that in total, I tested just about 15 perfumes created in 2024.

Out of these 15, I kind of liked 3 of the 4 perfumes in Jo Malone‘s Scented Mementos limited edition collection (Ginger Beer, Passiflora and Emerald Thyme) and two perfumes from  The Estée Lauder Legacy Collection (Azuree Legacy and Estee Legacy). But this “like” was as in “it was pleasant, I might consider finishing my sample,” and it haven’t resulted in buying anything.

The only new favorite that I want to mention was 2023 Ormonde Jayne release, Arabesque, that I tried and appreciated this year.

How about you?

What Are Your Top 10 (5? 3? Any?) Favorite Perfumes of 2024?