Saturday Question: Which “Exclusive” Lines Do You Buy?

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies

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Portia

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Hello Fellow Fumies,

At APJ we have a Saturday Question. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it’s a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back regularly and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them. The aim is to generate real conversation and connection even though we are scattered around the globe.

 

Over 100 responses I will draw a Scent Sample Pack (from my collection)
This week:
Sample Pack

  1. Armani Prive: Cuir Amethyst
  2. Cartier: L’Heure Mysterieuse XII
  3. CHANEL: BOY
  4. DIOR: Granville
  5. Hermès: Muguet Porcelain

Last Weeks Winner: Evan Sufi

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with your address please

Saturday Question: Which “Exclusive” Lines Do You Buy?

Once upon a time hardly any of the brands had exclusive or prive lines. Suddenly in the 21st century we are inundated by them. These 6 – 12 new fragrances in a simple bottle repeated with slight variation. Instant lines of perfumes that often fit into a new designed shelf in their flagship stores & extra large department stores, available nowhere else. They seem to have superseded the Duty Free Exclusives of yesteryear and now it seems imperative to have one if you’re to be taken seriously. Hermes Hermessence was among the first in 2004, Armani Prive in 2005, CHANEL Didn’t codify in the Exclusives till 2007, DIOR brought out their initial La Collection Couturier Perfumer in 2010 and since then every jewellery, fashion, makeup and even car range has followed suit with varying degrees of success in product and sales.

My Answer:

When asking this question I thought I’d bought a LOT more various brands than I have. In fact it sits around the five brands mark.

Armani Prive

When I saw the bottles it was love at first sight. I yearned to own one intensely. At the time they were selling for AUD$200 and I thought that was excruciatingly expensive. Little did I know that that was a bargain and they now command over half that again. So my bottle and back up of Cuir Amethyst were bought from FB Sale Docs.

Cartier

Jin and my first holiday together in 2013 was a whistlestop tour of Europe by plane, train and automobile. We hit capital cities and a few outposts of some of Europe’s most famous tourist destinations. It was in Prague that we smelled and fell in love with the Mathilde Laurent signed Les Heures de Cartier. Jin was appalled at the price and wanted a sample of his L’Heure Brilliant VI Cartier but there were none to be had across Europe and he certainly wasn’t going to shell out that kind of cash for something tried only on shopping sprees. I’m much more impulsive and bought L’Heure Convoiteé II Cartier on the spot. A quick decision I’ve never regretted and wear. Since then I bought Jin’s L’Heure Brilliant VI and L’Heure Mysterieuse XII on FB Sale Docs.

CHANEL

When I first cam,e across the world of internet perfumistahood in 2010/11 the chatter often turned, as it still does, to the CHANEL Les Exclusives line. There is something so refined and luxurious about them. Only a couple are in your face fragrant but all of them smell of the understated glam we have read about in books, seen in cinema and on TV and smelled wafting past us in the very best of venues. I know about 90% of that is CHANEL’s marketing but the other 10% is pure, unadulterated perfection. The laziest and worst of the Les Exclusives line dwarfs almost everything else in the department store. I have Coromandel, Bois des Iles, Misia, and No 22 in EdT, plus BOY in EdP from CHANEL. Also 1932 and Jersey in parfum bought unopened from a FB Sale Doc.

DIOR

These are my most cherished by far. I’m not going to tell you what I have but it’s most of the ones released pre 2018 and a couple since. The magnetic cap, hefty cylindrical bottle, fabulous fragrances and all round excellence makes me happy to part with my money.

Hermès

I feel I must come clean. While I adore the Hermessence range and wear them regularly I only own the 15ml Travel Bottles. Admittedly I own nearly the whole range in them but I am madly in love with the ease of owning them in this size and being able to throw a couple in my wetpack and run out the door to the airport. Totally secure in the knowledge that I will smell amazing on this holiday. Also, will I ever go through more than 15ml? Only had to rebuy Vanille Galante and Cuir d’Ange so far.

 

My Saturday Question to you is:

Saturday Question: Which “Exclusive” Lines Do You Buy?

110 thoughts on “Saturday Question: Which “Exclusive” Lines Do You Buy?”

  1. Hanging my head in shame (do I need to return my perfumista badge?) because, honestly, I don’t buy any. Any from the above lines that I have tried have been gifted to me over the years. Many years ago I wore no 22 and drained bottles and bottles of the EDT in the white canister as well as 1/2 oz of the extrait….does that count? Also, I think I tend to gravitate more towards artisanal and indie lines because if I am going to spend from my severely limited budget I would rather my money go to a small operation….and so many of these indies are churning out some really outstanding stuff.

    and congrats to Evan!!!

    and don’t enter me in the draw , P, because I would like to give others a chance to win.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Like many, I balk at the eye-watering price of some of this stuff, so my acquisitions have been strictly limited. I’ve found it as easy as pie to go into a Hermès flagship store and get samples of the Hermessence range. All you need is a plausible excuse really. You’ll see those samples going on eBay for $50 sometimes, so they are worth asking for. Chanel requires a little more persuasion, but you can get samples of their exclusive lines too. I’ve probably got samples of nearly half of each range over time. My wife is still working through Vetiver Tonka and I have Sycomore and Iris Ukyoé in my travel kit.

    The Dior privées can be found in 7.5ml bottles for a reasonable outlay, and I have four of those: Bois d’Argent, Ambre Nuit, Cologne Royale and Patchouli Imperial.

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  3. I tried Dasein Winter and Winter night and fell in love. Also Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger. I find their Violette Sacree and Lavanda Ombree soothing and yet somehow sophisticated. I think they are two that will have to stay in the wardrobe. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still open to any vintage Jicky I can lay my hands on!

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  6. Chanel. Without a doubt. There’s not one in the exclusives line that I wouldn’t sell my first-born for. Having said that, I own nary a full bottle. I’ve tried nearly all of them and had a few decently sized decants, but honestly, they are prohibitively expensive. If I did buy one, I’d probably feel so guilty that I would never use it out of fear of finishing it and having to re-purchase. Besides I’m so terribly fickle, I could see myself falling out of love with the one I had purchased. And that would never do.

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  7. I go with some of the Armani prive juices but the outstanding house is Dior the prive line. This line is just superior to other lines imho, worth every penny ✌🏻

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  8. I guess I must not be a prive or exclusif kind of girl! LOL. I have tried these Armani Prives and own decants of the last two::
    Eau de Jade
    Pivione Suzhoo
    Vehiver Babylone
    Figuier Eden
    Rose d’ Arabie
    Rouge Malachite

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  9. I have all of the ones you mention, except Cartier. I also have some Tom Ford Private Blend, a couple of Louis Vuitton, some Guerlain stuff that could be considered exclusives (not part of their main distribution line), the high end Serge Lutens line. The rest is basically various niche (some of which is pretty darn expensive). I think my favourite high end exclusive line is Dior.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’d forgotten about the Tom Ford line. I have substantial decants of quite a few of those, including some discontinued ones. I got given a sample of SL L’Incendaire and I thought it might be the worst-value fragrance that I’d ever tried.

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  10. “I have all of the ones you mention, except Cartier.” (TaraC) 🙂 And Tom Ford. And Guerlain. I wouldn’t mind having one from Prada Olfactories line (Purple Rain) but I do not need 100 ml of it. All brands should follow Hermessence suit, so to speak, and release their exclusives in smaller sizes: Once I learned that Lancome did, I started planning to revisit their Maison offerings.

    DNEM since I tried all of those you’ve mentioned.

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  11. Nope, too spendy for my pocket. And I’m not bothered to try them in case I fall in love. Oh, does the Hermessence Cuir d’Ange fall into this bracket? I’ve got that but when it’s gone it’s gone, though I like it a lot.

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  12. I don’t have any! My budget is somewhat limited so I have sampled a few of the Chanel’s and I have a small decant of Mitzah. If a bottle of that dropped in my lap I wouldn’t throw it away! I can see perhaps springing for a 15ml Hermessence someday but most of the others are in such large bottles I’ll probably never own them.

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  13. Technically I only own two bottles from the Armani Privé line – Cuir Amethyste and Bois d’encens, I love them sick! I’d love to buy at least Blouse by YSL, at least a couple more Privés, Misia and Bois des Iles and Mugler les Exceptions (Oriental Express is to die for). Does Patou Heritage line count? I’m a huge, albeit pennyless, fan of that one 🙂

    Congratulations, Evan!

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  14. Errr, just copped the picture, and I notice the Cartier L’heure Convoitee II. Mine is only a tiny little bottle, though☺️. A superb carnation.

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  15. I haven’t been moved to buy a full bottle but I have bought Hermessences in those so-useful 15ml travel bottles. Like you, I find them very useful. I have Ambre Narguile and 15mls is plenty for the rest of my life. I also have Cuir d’Ange but I’m rationing that because it is so very beautiful.
    And I have a decant of Dior’s Bois d’Argent, which is lovely but rarely enough worn that I would never get through a full bottle.
    So I would like to see all these exclusive fragrances available in tiny bottles! Can you tell them that for me, please, Portia? 🙂

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  16. Oh boy lol, Guerlain, Chanel, Dior, Serge bell jars -if they count- Armani, Tom Ford and the rarely mentioned Oscar de La Renta Essential Luxuries Collection.
    I had a 15 ml Ambre Narguile that is long finished and I haven’t replaced but plan to some day.

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  17. I have succumbed to the charms of several in the Chanel exclusive line: Coromandel, 31 Rue Cambon, Misia and Bois des Iles. I’m also a fan of the 15 ml Hermessences and have a bunch but have gone through 3 Vetiver Tonkas so probably should have just shelled out for a FB of that one.
    There are a couple in the Armani line I’d love to have (Iris celadon & Encens Satin) but they are over my imaginary price threshold. I don’t know why considering the stupid money I’ve spent on other things but a line in the sand is there in my mind. If they had smaller sizes I’d be all in!

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  18. Hiya!
    I’ve split a purchase of the Hermes 15ml Hermessences – Osmanthe Yunnan is my fave. I have purchased Chanel exclusives – 200ml Sycomore EDT (which I’ve since on-sold), and 75ml No 18 EDT recently, which I’ve been wearing the crap out of. I also adore Misia, I was gifted a 75ml EDT which also gets a lot of wear. One day I’ll purchase something from the l’heure collection….. I can’t really get my head around other brand exclusives – maybe because I just don’t go out shop-sniffing? Or that they come out in such vast numbers that it is a turn-off for trying them out? Not sure.
    xxx Tina G

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  19. Of the big guns it’s Chanel for me all the way, which surprises me as five years ago I never would have thought it. I love the Dior bottles and have various samples and decants, just as I have some 15ml bottles of the Hermessence line, but something in them doesn’t fully agree with me so I’ve never bought a full bottle. Ah well. More to spend on smaller brands, which tends to me more where my heart lies.

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  20. My answer would have been Dior and Chanel but I think I am done. I have the usual favorites from dior including eau noire, mitzah, bois d’argent, oud ispahan, and leather oud etc. and also from chanel such as sycomore, coromandel, bois de iles, and rue cambon etc. I am done with dior because the revamped line is not daring or creative at all and seems like safe designer offering in a prive bottle. Chanel edt’s formulas were superior and edp not the same.

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  21. I love the Hermes exclusive line. The travel sprays are a good deal. I used to by Chanel’s exclusifs but they have changed quite a bit. I also used to love Armani prive but have no access to that line now and I would love to have access to Cartier exclusives but there is no where here to get those either. I’m just not a fan of the Dior, or Louis Vuitton offerings. I adore Serge Lutens Bois oriental but have been afraid to buy in fear that it has suffered from reformulation.

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  22. Exclusives I have but not mentioned above:
    – Mugler Les Exceptions
    – Elixir Precieux Christian Dior
    – JAR

    The Maison Lancome perfumes Undina mentioned – you must like sweet (I do!) and so far, only a few of the newer ones come in 15mL bottles. The bottles are really cute but my only complaint is that if you happen to separate the bottle from the box, you have to really squint to be able to read the teeny tiny gold lettering of the sticker at the bottom of the bottle so I ended up using my labeler and slapped on the name in 12 font lettering right on the side of the bottle.

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  23. I have Chanel Coromandel edt and Dior Ambre Nuit. The 40 ml Dior bottles are good, good design and the right size for me. Sadly, these are not available here. At least one more Chanel and two Dior bottle would already have been in my collection, had I been abl to buy locally.

    Same with Cartier, I imagine some of the “hours” would be an excellent fit for me, but have never seen them IRL. The private line from Armani on the other hand is something I could get hold of, but it is being sold at a place known for variable customer service to put it in a nice way.You just have to dress up or sport other clues of a solid bank account to be treated in a welcoming way. So nope, not going there to sniff anytime soon.

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      • The bad thing is, they also sell such brands as Atelier Cologne and Memo ( haven’t tried Memo at all). So obviously there’s a cost to staying away, but I really would like each purchase I make to be a positive experience.

        Liked by 3 people

      • You know , P, that’s probably another reason I have been kept away from many exclusives…when I make the two hour trek into NYC I dress comfortably and when I go into high end dept stores to sample they usually size me up as “cannot afford this stuff” and seem to never have ANYTHING to give me in samples or completely ignore me when I approach the counter (Le Labo…happened to me three times now…and Le Labo is another that I would consider exclusive)

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        • The biggest problem I have found is not so much the clothing, but 90% of staff in the high end designer shops at Chadstone and in DJs speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. One needs to be between 16 – 40, wearing Gucci or Prada to be spoken to.

          One exception is Alison at the smaller Chanel boutique. She is an absolute angel. If I see her on shift and I am planning on buying Chanel, she gets my business.

          I found the same in Singapore. Anyone Korean or Japanese got immediate service. I wandered around perfume shops for a good 15 min and never even got an acknowledgement I was there. It was obvious they thought I would not spend. So much so my son noticed and I never said anything to him about it.

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  24. I don’t go crazy for an entire special line, but I am really enjoying Lancome’s special collections and have travel sizes of Jasmins Marizipane and Iris Dragees, a mini set with four of their classics from La Collection, FBs of Cuir de Lancome and Mille et Une Roses. I have some of the Van Cleef and Arpels Collection Extraordinaire, and I especially love Muguet Blanc. I would buy several of the Hermessence line if budget were no object at all; I gag at their retail prices, though the set of four travel sprays is less gag-inducing. I did get lucky and find a tester of Muguet Porcelaine, which is a Big Love. I have one Chanel Exclusif: No. 22 edt. I’d probably buy more of the Chanel Exclusifs if I got to know them — a good reason to avoid them!

    I’ve tried other exclusive lines at Heathrow Airport’s expanded fragrance area, but haven’t loved any enough to buy them: Armani Privee, Bottega Veneta I- …. Same with Tom Fords.

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  25. I have the Chanel Exclusives. I had a sample pack pre-release 2007 and fell in love, being a Chanel fan since a teenager. As soon as the EDT bottles were released, I purchased them all (except for Sycomore I gifted to a friend and La Pausa wasn’t for me). I’ve replaced a few with the more recent EDPs. Venturing out, my most recent purchase has been Lancome Iris Dragees, I believe it was Old Herbaceous’ post that encouraged that purchase! I really want to venture into the Dior and Hermes lines, but am very afraid!!!! I’m also curious about the Cartier now. My old time Cartier favorite is Panthere, I have paid silly prices to stock up on a few bottles to last for lifetime since it’s been discontinued and more difficult to find.

    Liked by 1 person

    • OH’s post has made me want to try that Lancolme as well. I do remember trying the Santal one over the summer and was fairly certain I liked it but I had sampled upwards of 40 scents that day and was on overload.

      It would be nice if Lancolme did a four piece pick your own set of 15ml the way that Hermes does with their Hermessence line.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Great comments here. I always learn so much from you all. The Cartier’s have always piqued my attention, but access has been an issue.

    Needless to say, Chanel’s Beige edt grabbed me by the soul and drank my blood! I’d not mind a few others, but we’ll see. Sorry, but the Dior’s never really enticed me to spend. Oh, no, I am wrong – Eau Noire is DIVINE, but my 10ml will last forever. It is hard to wear as a daily.

    The Hermes 15mls are next on my list.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. The 40ml Diors are available in Glasgow, where I was working, and timed right with the regular 10-15% off sales… yep, that lead me astray (to the tune of Cuir Cannage, Ambre Nuit, Feve D, and Santal Noir). And there’s the giant bottle of Mitzah, but I’d already worked through 50ml of a partial bottle I’d bought before. None of the other current ones appeal beyond maybe wearing a sample to emptiness, though. They have gone too wan for my taste.

    Chanel: hurrah for Duty Free! Small bottles of Coromandel, Bois des iles, Sycomore, and Bel Respiro, plus (an older 100ml of CdR EDT). I think I’d replace all/any of these when they run out, as they are all true loves. Maybe BR is more of a true like…

    Hermes: a handful of the wee 15ml bottles (again with the old House of Fraser discount days). I’ve replaced one Cuir d’Ange and one Osmanthus already…

    OH, and Bois d’Encens.

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  28. Does the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire count? I’ve had two of them: California Reverie and Rose Velours. Both smaller bottles and I’ve used them up rather quickly because they have poor longevity.
    I’ve never decided to buy any of the Chanels although I frequently go and sniff them at their boutiqe for years. Meanwhile the bottles got bigger and the prices higer and the chances for a buy got lower 😉
    I like some of the Hermessences but considering the price I’ll keep on buying decants, that goes for the beautiful Galop too.
    Congrats to Evan the winner!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Speaking of Chanel Les Exclusifs, a new fragrance “1957” was just released exclusively in NY boutique, and will be available world wide Feb 2019.!!!!!! Created by Olivier Polge, in EDP. 200ml bottle 350 USD.

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