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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 33

 

The hot weather we had in the beginning of May slightly cooled off, it is now a very pleasant period when very warm days turn into slightly chilly nights.

I’m extremely busy – both at work and in my everyday life but since I came across some posts that fell into one of the categories I try to cover I decided not to skip this week. So here are posts that made me want to try a new for me perfume, made me laugh or reviewed perfumes I love.

Lemmings, Laughs, Loves

Lemmings

If you were to read just one story from my weekly round-up read Christos’s (Memory of Scent) post on the story of the perfume about which I haven’t heard before but towards which I feel warm now after getting to know it through Christos’s words.

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I didn’t think of testing this new L’Artisan‘s perfume because I disapprove mass marketization trend of their advertising (a naked model for the Caligna ad) but Lanier (scents memory) told the story in such a way that it made me want to try the perfume: Caligna to my nose is light and soft on my skin and the notes blended into a pure tingling effervescent pop of spring. Lovely and bright, luminous in fact, Caligna is really the perfect uni-sex perfume for springtime or even in the cold months to recall the joys of May in bloom in the south of France.

 

Laughs

Do you want to know a secret of immortality and look at a peach from a different prospective? Read Judith’s (the unseen censer) The story of sex and a peach  (but I warn you: a peach might never look the same to you).

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Blacknall (aperfumeblog by Blacknall Allen): Interlude Woman was sleeker and smaller (thank heavens), but still overpowered, still with that insane acceleration rate. Driving it was a revelation in centrifically challenging accelerations, hair pin curves, and how fast the crew could get you back on track (thirty seconds). I came away with a vague memory of iced tea and burning rubber, and that is all that I remember about that test run.

 

Loves

Kafka (Kafkaesque) reviews one of my favorite Serge Lutens‘ perfumes: De Profundis opens on my skin with a fragile, haunting and delicate bouquet of flowers. There is chrysanthemum with violets, green notes, white lilies and sweet, wet earth. I will tell you my Profundis story soon. I hope.

 

If you read any interesting posts that, in your opinion, didn’t get enough attention – please share.

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Perfume Layering: Truth or Dare?

 

I have never had that urge to experiment mixing perfumes. I hadn’t come up with the idea of scents layering on my own but once I had been introduced to it I loved it. The idea.

In 2000 Calvin Klein released Truth. It is attributed to 3 (three!) well-known perfumers – Alberto Morillas, Jacques Cavallier and Thierry Wasser – if you ask me, any one of them would have been enough but whatever went on with this perfume creation, not knowing or caring about notes or noses behind perfumes back then, I liked  Truth and immediately bought a bottle and a set of five Truth Oil Essences. Each one represented a note in the perfume – bamboo, citrus, sapling, lilac and vanilla. They could be applied one at a time or in any combination with or without the perfume.

CK Truth Oil Essences

As I said, I liked the idea of combining notes, being my own perfumer, enhancing one aspect of the perfume or the other dependent on my mood… The unfortunate part was that oil-based components were so subtle that worn alone they gave almost no projection, I could barely smell them from my wrist pressed to my nose; and applied on top of the perfume they were completely lost (not sure if you remember but Truth wasn’t even the heaviest of this brand’s perfumes out there: CK Obsession or Contradiction it was not – and still…). Applying oils was more hassle than results so while I went through two bottles of Truth EdP my essences stayed hardly touched.

A year later, in 2001, Michael Kors launched a collection of three fragrances called Notes from Michael. The collection included three fragrances (40 ml each), which could be worn alone or combined with each other: Glenplaid, Houndstooth and Tattersall. The set was expensive (I think, $120). A bit too expensive for our budget. But I really liked the idea… My vSO got if for me as a gift for my birthday.

Michael Kors Notes from Michael

I tried playing the layering game. Tattersall was my favorite so I almost finished it. Glenplaid was fine (2/3 of the bottle found its place on my skin). Houndstooth didn’t attract me at all so the only time I used it was in the combination with one of the other two but since it wasn’t adding anything to the composition more often than not I started skipping that extra step. So the bottle went off almost full.

And then I discovered Jo Malone. I think I loved the brand before I finished sniffing through the complete line: the idea of fragrance combining itself was enough to sell it to me.

Jo Malone Perfumes

Over years I’ve added to my collection more perfumes from Jo Malone line than from any else. You can’t even imagine how many times I wore different Jo Malone’s perfumes layered! Do you want to guess? No? It’s ok, I’ll tell you: three times. I like those perfumes “as is” and do not want to mess with the original composition.

I still like the idea of layering but in reality I’m with Birgit: Who am I to tamper with well-thought out and finely balanced creations? I won’t dare.

For more adventurous perfumistas I recommend reading Victoria’s (Bois de Jasmin) Layering Fragrances : Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena and French Elle and Elisa’s (The French Exit) On the Scent: Adventures in Perfume Layering.

 

Images: my own

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Entertaining Statistics: April, 2013

 

April wasn’t my best month: I managed to hurt first my back (many things contributed to that) and then my neck (that happened in a heartbeat – who would have thought that a simple morning stretch in bed might be that traumatic!).

I discovered that while effecting my perfume wearing1 routine these types of health problems did not impede much my perfume testing2: I could still entertain myself by sniffing perfumes even while it was difficult to move.

Since I wear most perfumes just once per month – not intentionally, it just happens this way – I realized that as soon as for whatever reason I repeat the same perfume two-three times the favorite notes calculation gets skewed towards notes from that perfume. I’m not sure if it makes that part of my findings less accurate (or more?) but this month I decided to skip that point.

At the same time I got curious how often with that pattern of a single wear I reach for those perfumes that I chose this month.

Stats April 2013

So I didn’t neglect most of my favorites: I wore 18 of them (75%) within the last six months. It was interesting to find out that I wore Diorissimo 364 days ago – for May Day 2012. It wasn’t a full year because I knew I would be working from home on that day so this year I wore Diorissimo on the last day in April. Two perfumes that I didn’t wear for the longest time were Dior Diorella and Giorgio Armani Eclat de Jasmin. The completely unexpected was the fact that I wore them 499 and 498 days correspondently before I wore them again this April.

 

Quick April stats:

* Different perfumes worn: 24 from 16 brands on 26 occasions;

* Different perfumes tested: 40 from 21 brands on 44 occasions;

* Perfumes I tried for the first time: 18 (I liked 5; disliked 5; and felt indifferent about 8);

* Perfume house I wore most often: Guerlain (yep!);

* Perfume house I tested the most: Jo Malone (I was testing Sugar & Spice collection before it’s gone to decide if I wanted to buy any of those. PUBLIC WARNING: Bitter Orange & Chocolate is almost sold out; jomalone.com is the only online retailer that still has it);

Do you think in your collection there are perfumes that you still like but for which you haven’t reached in a long while?

1 When I wear a perfume I apply it to at least three-four points and usually I plan to spend at least 4-8 hours with the same scent so I’m prepared to re-apply if the original application wears off.

2 For the testing I apply a perfume to one area on my arms easily available for the repetitive sniffing. But, most likely, I’m the only one who can smell it. I can test two, sometimes even more perfumes at the same time.

 

Image: my own

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Bouquets to Art 2013: Answers to the Riddle

 

As I promised here are answers to the riddle I posed in my previous post:

Bouquet 4 proved to be an easy guess: everybody got it correct: Gottfried Helnwein, Ephiphany II

2012 2013
Gottfried Helnwein, Epiphany II - painting & flower arrangement Epiphany II, Gottfried Helnwein 2013

 

With the second bouquet it proved to be harder: only one reader recognized the bouquet correctly (and I was very impressed!) – Bouquet 2: Willard Leroy Metcalf Winter’s Festival

2012 2013
Willard Leroy Metcalf, Winter’s Festival - painting & floral arrangement Winter Festival, Willard Leroy Metcalf 2013

 

hajusuuri, you’re a winner! I’ll contact you to arrange a prize (I planned to make a prize for this riddle from the beginning but didn’t want my readers to feel like I’m making them to jump through hoops to get something – I wanted them to play with me).

Here are pairings for the other two bouquets:

2012 2013
Recreation, Jerome Thompson
Recreation, Jerome Thompson 2012 Recreation, Jerome Thompson 2013
A Dinner Table At Night, Sargent
A Dinner Table At Night, Sargent 2012 A Dinner Table At Night, Sargent 2013

 

Images: my own

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Bouquets to Art 2013

 

Last month I visited 29th annual flower exhibition Bouquets to Art 2013 at the San Francisco Fine Art Museum de Young. Compared to the last year’s exhibition I had a feeling there were slightly less presenters and at least as many visitors if not more, which was a disappointment since we went to a members only evening viewing.

While we were there I thought that this year’s arrangements were less interesting than those from the last year’s event but later at home going through all the pictures I changed my mind. Both years there were more and less artistic interpretations, direct floral reproductions and just abstract bouquets vaguely matching the assigned art piece.

First I’ll show you several bouquets for the same paintings as I showed last year:

Oranges And Paper 2013

Oranges in Tissue Paper, William J. McCloskey

Weaver 2013

Weaver, N. Oliveira

Chihuly 2013

Ultramarine Stemmed Form with Orange, Chihuly

What year do you like more?

The compositions I haven’t shown in 2012 post and their counterparts from 2013 (click on each image to enlarge):

2012

2013

Some abstract painting
Abstract1 2012 Abstract1 2013

Inukshuk (“like a person”), Judas Ullulaq
Yua Spirit 2012 Yua Spirit 2013

California Spring, Albert Bierstadt
California Spring Albert Bierstadt 2012 California Spring Albert Bierstadt 2013

Lady in Black with Spanish Scarf, Robert Henri
Lady In Black 2012 Lady In Black 2013

The Niagara River at the Cataract, Gustav Grunewald
Waterfall 2012 Waterfall 2013

Woman in White Dress, Eastman Johnson
Woman In White Dress 2012 Woman In White Dress 2013

The Blue Veil, Edmund Charles Tarbell
The Blue Veil 2012 The Blue Veil 2013

Spring
Spring 2012 Spring 2013

 

Last year I also offered a puzzle – matching a bouquet to one of two paintings. This year I decided to make it slightly harder: two out of four compositions below are this year’s take on the same paintings I showed in the post Bouquet to Art 2012: Craft Imitates Art.

Bouquet 1

Bouquet 1

Bouquet 2

Bouquet 2

Bouquet 3

Bouquet 3

Bouquet 4

Bouquet 4

Can you tell which one goes with which art piece from the last year’s post? (You can either number pictures in the original post going from the top or use the name you can see if you hover over pictures there.)

 

Images: my own.

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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 32

 

With temperatures rising into high seventies and absolutely no rain it would have been hard to believe it was still spring if it hadn’t been for nature presenting an undoubted proof of it in form of all kinds of youngsters: only in the past several days I saw a couple of leverets in the bushes surrounding my office and goslings on the picture below became a usual sight from my office window.

I’m not sure if I should attribute it to the birds-do-it attitude but my lemmings recently started thronging again. Laughs and Loves are keeping them company.

Lemmings

Lemmings

I have this perfume and like it but if you need an extra lemming or two, you just have to read Sandra’s (Olfactorial’s Travels) review:  Stilettos on Lex smells just as good if not better than the image it conjures. It starts off with quite a bit of pear and plum on me and stays there for some time. I love it and keep burying my nose into my wrist wishing I could pull off the Blahniks with such ease and comfort.

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Do you know about Rouge Bunny Rouge brand? I’ve never seen any of their products in real life but read some posts on beauty blogs. Did I care about their perfumes? Not really, though I remember reading somewhere about their release. And then I read Sigrun’s (Riktig Parfym) review (I’m not giving out the best part of it – read all three mini-stories there): I especially remember one summer, all I got was lots and lots of parsley. I had no idea what to use the  parsley for but I went experimental, tried substituting it for spinach in soups or in crepes or just chopping it up and throw it into any dish imaginable. We became friends, parsley and I, and now I plant it every year and wouldn’t want to be without it.

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Tarleisio (The Alembicated Genie) keeps fattening this lemming (as if it needed any more nurturing!): No matter what quotidian, mundane life you lead and decisions you make, some days and some moments, you want to feel invincible, imperious, regal.
Wear Tsarina. Remember – for a moment, for an evening, for yourself, for posterity, for celebrating your own unique and unexpected majesty

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When I first saw the picture of those two new Hermes colognes’ bottles I knew I’d want to try them (and secretly hoped to like them) but Victoria’s (Bois de Jasmin) four stars review doesn’t make my waiting for Eau de Narcisse Bleu and Eau de Mandarine Ambree any easier.

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Suzanne (Eiderdown Press)with her review for Ramon Monegal‘s Cherry Musk managed to create lemmings even not for the perfume (I have a sample and currently testing it) but for the movie with which she had a parallel in her head for that perfume: That kind of flowering is rare—perhaps it only happens in films—but it is a beautiful thing to contemplate at a time of grief.

 

Laughs

Every time Kafka (Kafkaesque) does her parody trial I can’t help but smile. If you haven’t seen it yet, try: [The Bailiff]: “All rise! The Court is now in session, The Honorable Charles Highblossom presiding. On the docket, The People v. Xerjoff Zafar, Case # 13-276891XZ. The charge is olfactory assault and battery. State your name and business before the Court.”
[A small, goat-like, balding man rises]: “I am the District Attorney, Luke Sneering.”

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One more thing that made me smile wasn’t completely perfume-related but since it had some connection to my blog I decided to share it with you. Last week I got an e-mail from our office assistant – a very nice young man and an artist in spare from working for our company time:

I ran across this artist in a magazine (American Craft) at the library and it made me think you.
Check it out

I opened the link, read the caption… and laughed. He and I had recently discussed some glass work (jewelry, etc.) and he knows about my blog since he’s the one who brings in all the fragrant packages I get, sometimes addressed to Undina. In his early twenties, I’m sure he didn’t read much into the sculpture description. So I decided not to do it either. But I was curious enough to find a post by a woman who took a part in that project:

Everyone should step outside of their CZ [comfort zone] at least once a week.
It grows you.

Tim Tate Mermaids Past Their Prime

 

Loves

Lorraine (Dear Scent Diary) reviews a perfume that I like wearing – Vetiver Oriental by Serge Lutens: … as it drys down, the gourmand sweetness pulls the rooty greenness into what I would consider feminine territory. It’s not for girls though. Women only.

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Kafka (Kafkaesque) reviews a perfume for which I do not own a full bottle yet only because I can’t decide what to buy first – an EdC or a parfum (and because I still have a partial decant generously gifted to me by Birgit): Sophisticated luxury under the most polite and elegant of veneers.[…] That is essence of Bois des Iles, a spectacular Chanel fragrance with a very feline heart that makes me just close my eyes in the deepest of admiration. Even if you’re not interested in the review at this time, go and take a look at pictures – those big cats!

 

Images: goslings – my own; mermaids – from Tim Tate’s site.

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If Johana by Keiko Mecheri were a shoe…

 

Being parfumistas we accept that most perfumes are unisex and even those that lean towards masculine or feminine designation might be worn by any gender. The same way there are no strict rules as to which genre of perfumes should be worn in which environment or on which occasion (breathing conditions permitting).

It might be a nice contrast to put on, let’s say, a vintage Vol de Nuit extrait while wearing jeans and sneakers and running mundane errands or to use some faint and subtle skin scent with a statement evening gown. But we often think of perfumes in terms of the occasion, something like:  office-friendly, night out, beach walk or my best friend’s wedding. I thought about that while trying to classify my recent favorite – Johana by Keiko Mecheri.

It’s not an elegant and graceful Dior New Look 1947 ready for an evening in symphony (even though Luckyscent describes Johana as “elegant perfume” – I disagree).

Dior New Look and Shoes

But, on the other hand, neither it is a carefree and relaxed Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess on a tropical vacation.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess and Shoes

Following the idea above, to describe how I see it, I pared Johana with shoes. This perfume is more than just comfortable casual loafers but rather fun and playful (well, as far as “playful” goes for my clothes) Mary Jane shoes. Johana is a dramatic but at the same time airy perfume. It doesn’t make a shocking statement but keeps grabbing my attention as I wear it.

Keiko Mecheri Johana and Shoes

When I was planning my visit to MinNY last Fall I had no intention to test Keiko Mecheri line. Did I have any particular reason? Not really, it’s not one of the lines I’m boycotting. Other than MinNY having plethora of other brands to which I normally have no access, there is that strange feeling that there are too many perfumes in the line – and until then I haven’t tried a single one.

How did it happen that after I’ve tested a dozen of Xerjoff‘s, all available Mona di Orio‘s, as many as I could Miller Harris‘ and many other perfumes I ended up leaving with Amour de Palazzo on the wrist and a single sample of Johana in my bag? It must have been fate!

In several month I went through a couple of samples, liked the perfume more and more, went to MinNY site hoping to buy it, panicked since not only they didn’t have it in stock any longer but I also couldn’t find it on the brand’s website – I thought it was some kind of an unannounced limited editions or promptly discontinued perfume. So when I saw a partial bottle of Johana sold in one of the FB perfume-related groups I immediately grabbed it. It’s available again from MinNY and Luckyscent (it’s still not mentioned on the official website!) but I’m glad I got it.

Rusty and Johana

Johana by Keiko Mecheri – created in 2012, notes include Japanese chrysanthemum, galbanum, rose, wisteria, iris, cocoa, patchouly, incense, vanilla and sandalwood. I love most of these notes in perfumes. In Johana I cannot smell any of these! But I really enjoy this perfume even without being able to deconstruct it. Or maybe because of it?

If you want a real review, I liked very much Brian’s take on it (be patient, it takes a while for this site to load – I don’t know what widgets they use there but each time it’s a pain…)

 

Images: my own

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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 31

 

It was a warm and extremely windy week that I would have enjoyed if it weren’t for my back that acted up and was absorbing all my strength and time. And as soon as my back got slightly better my neck has decided it was a good time to become a prima donna.

I’m not done with my weekly reading (it’s very annoying but I can’t even read for too long since it hurts) but since I was collecting posts that created lemmings, made me laugh or reviewed perfumes I love, I decided to publish it while I still can. I might lie low for a while – to let my body heal. But when I can, I’ll catch up on the reading your posts.

Lemmings, Laughs, Loves

Lemmings

Civava (Parfumista’s Diary) published the first review for the upcoming Neela Vermeire‘s new perfume Ashoka: My first impression was that this is strange and so different from all other perfumes in Neela’s collection. But very quickly fig milk and more flowery notes emerged. It is lactonic and with skin (at least mine) gets very nice. I wouldn’t say gourmand, because there is not enough sweetness and other spicy elements. I look forward to trying it when it comes out in autumn.1.

Laughs

Blacknall (aperfumeblog by Blacknall Allen): I remember vividly that Sister once caught me by breaking her routine and moving diagonally across the classroom to make a casual inquiry about a compound-complex sentence while I had a mouthful of the things. When her queries about the main verb went unanswered she swiped me upside the head and I spewed black spit all over the desk top.  I don’t believe either of us ever really lived it down.

Loves

Kafka (Kafkaesque): There is a certain chilly coolness to the elegance. While Puredistance’s founder, Jan Ewoud Vos, feels the perfume evokes his mother (whose name is Antonia), to me, it conjures up a beautiful, slightly haughty, aristocratic European socialite from the early part of the 20th century, languidly lounging in a stunning dress. Here’s my Shahrazad’s tale for this perfume.

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The Perfumed Dandy (The Perfumed Dandy) sees mybeloved Diorella as a Lady of the Knives. Earlier I told the story of my first love in which Diorella played an unexpected part.

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Kafka (Kafkaesque) also reviews my favorite Tom Ford‘s perfume – Arabian Wood: By the start of the second hour, the perfume is truly pretty. The sandalwood has joined the party on the forest floor. It’s beautifully creamy, and its richness feels very much like the real thing, not a synthetic version. Together with that velvety patchouli, it’s a strong backbone for much of the perfume’s remaining development.

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Olfactif: Yay or Nay?

 

I’m constantly on a lookout for new perfume-related … everything: brands, lines, perfumes, services, media coverage and other events. Naturally I got curious about the new service offering a subscription-based access to niche perfumes samples.

There are many ways to obtain samples for perfumes you want to try. I won’t be covering here getting samples from B&M stores, swapping with other perfumistas or participating in splits, all of which are my preferred methods. I want to look into different options for purchasing samples.

Lorraine (Dear Scent Diary) has recently compiled a list of the brands that offer samples. But it’s always a good idea to look for an official website and see what their samples policy is. if I’m interested in the particular brand, all other things being equal, I always try to buy samples from the brand directly.

Sonoma Scent Studio Samples

There are many services and online perfume stores that offer perfume samples of your choice, sometimes in a selection of sizes. Some of these companies have been around for a while, others are relatively new.

So let’s take a look at the new kid on the block: Olfactif. Three dab vial samples (0.7 ml or 1 ml, I’m not sure and they don’t provide that information on the site), perfectly packaged, delivered monthly for $18 subscription fee. First month was offered free (I’m not sure if they plan to do that for future new subscribers). There is no obligation to keep the subscription for any minimum number of months. Steve (The Scented Hound) wrote about his experience with the first installment.

$18 for three 0.7-1 ml niche samples including S&H is neither an outrageous price nor a bargain. For $17-$19 you can get 3 samples of your choice (including the latest releases) delivered from Luckyscent, Surrender to Chance, The Perfumed Court or The Posh Peasant. Aedes de Venustas offers 7 samples of your choice for $20 including S&H ($5 of which is refundable with any full bottle purchase within the next 3 months). Luscious Cargo offers 7 samples for $25 including S&H. MinNY offers 5 samples for ~ $28 including S&H or sells individual samples for $5.

Perfume Samples

So what makes Olfactif different or unique?

A good deal? One month’s subscription fee can be applied to a purchase of a full bottle of one of the featured perfumes. Taking into the account that it’s a full retail price plus shipping charges it’s not too exciting.

Interviews with perfumers and information about perfumes? Look to the right: most blogs listed on My Reading List do it for free with a lot of passion and talent.

A surprise? You pay $18 by the end of the month and then for a couple of days might enjoy not knowing what you’re getting (until your package arrives or the reveal – whatever comes first since according to the site’s FAQ you’ll get the package “a day or two before the first of the month or a day or two after”). I saw some comments from people being excited about that part – not knowing. I remember thinking that there was something in Chandler Burr’s blind sniffing idea but I just couldn’t get past $50+ for a blind buy of 50 ml of a perfume and a chance to play guess games for a month on Mr. Burr’s say-so*. Olfactif offers a speed-dating: 1 ml# x 3 for $18 and you can close your eyes and still do a blind testing.

And that brings me to the last point. Curation. It’s an appealing concept. But who is Tara Swords and why would anyone rely upon her taste in choosing perfumes for them? She might be Turin, Burr and Coifan all-in-one but we don’t know that.

There must be something in the air: it looks like there is market for that type of service.

Last year there was a press release about MinNY launching Fragrance Flight, a Global By-Invitation Private Members Club with Privileged Access to Information, Luxury, & Curated Scents. Since then all I could find was a closed door and not a single mentioning of it. The first rule of Flight Club?..

Recently I saw on Twitter “bergamot: Curated fragrances delivered to your door. Launching Spring 2013.” You can sign up to get notified about the launch.

I have no real objections to Olfactif’s doing what they plan to do: it’s just a business, not worse than other businesses, and I hope that eventually either Olfactif improves: more customized approach, selection based on a user’s profile and previous months’ feedback, better deals, pre-releases, etc.; or there will be another service that does it better. In the end we, consumers and perfume enthusiasts, might benefit.

But if you are [still] reading this you do not need Olfactif in its current form: whether you know anything about niche perfumes or not, I believe you can do better. But if you see in that service something that I’m not seeing (other than nice boxes for storing samples) please share.

 

Images: my own.

 

* BTW, OpenSky is still running Burr’s project; there will be the ninth offering in May. I wasn’t following it after the third episode but from what I gathered now a year later they still haven’t figured out all the quirks.
# UPDATE: Now Olfacif offers 2.25 ml spray samples, which is a huge improvement.

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Entertaining Statistics: March, 2013

 

Our March was good though a bit dry. Luckily it started raining right before the end of the month and we’re still looking at a couple of showers before the end of the raining season.

Recently Steve (The Scented Hound) wrote: But in looking at my perfumes, I noted that there were a few this winter that I barely touched but once or twice.  But last year, I wore these same fragrances multiple times per week (Serge Luten’s Ambre Sultan for instance).  I started wondering if my tastes were changing or if my interest in perfume was dominated by the thrill of the chase in purchasing new perfume rather than for the pure love of the fragrance.

I read it just as I was thinking about my perfume usage and what to do for this month’s statistics post. I almost never wear the same perfume not only two days in a row but even more than once during the month. So to track my habits and to see if I favor the same perfumes year over year I decided to look at a three months period – January-March 2012 vs. the same period of 2013.

March 2013 Stats

In more than 40% of cases I wore the same perfumes in the first quarter of both years. But my wearing pattern changed: this year I used perfumes from more brands so I was less loyal to any of them.

 

Quick stats:

Numbers for Jan-Mar 2012 / Jan-Mar 2013.

* Different perfumes worn1: 58/61 from 26/34 brands on 87/84 occasions;

* Perfumes that I wore both years: 25 from 18 brands on 38/33 occasions;

* Out of 36 perfumes I wore in 2013 only, 10 I owned (bottles or decants) in 2012 and 26 joined my collection after March 2012;

* Perfume house I wore most often: Chanel/Guerlain – just to think that I bought my first Guerlain perfume inFebruary 2012!

 

Do you usually wear the same perfume for several days or do you change it every day?

 

1 When I wear a perfume I apply it to at least three-four points and usually I plan to spend at least 4-8 hours with the same scent so I’m prepared to re-apply if the original application wears off.

 

Image: my own