Perfume

Cookie Queen USA 2015: Packing for a Trip

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Each time I see a photo of a collection of perfume on Facebook or in a magazine I zoom in on it and take a look. If the photos is too small I enlarge it or take a screenshot so that I can make it even bigger! Now come on, I know I am not alone in this perfume voyeurism. We all like to play the “How many can I recognize” game and are smugly satisfied when we get the lot.

Cookie Queen USA 2015: Packing for a Trip

As you read this I am either on the road to Vienna or sat in a plane enjoying the idea of a 17 hour trip, and not the psychedelickind. I really don´t know if anyone is interested in what I am doing, but I will give you a brief perfume rundown. You can always skip this bit and look at the photos and have done with it.

I will be meeting up in Seattle with the amazing Azar of APJ and Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids. As I move on down to San Francisco I look
forward to having tea with Undina of Undina´s Looking Glass and hooking up with Virginia of Té de Violetas. I have dates here too with a couple of Verophiles. I will pay a trip to Tiger Lily of course. Way further south I will get to look at the perfume scene in Los Angeles with Jtd Jtd from the ScentHurdle. Can it get any more exciting than all of that? I do hasten to add that I am actually going to California to visit with my family, but combined it with some perfume fun! My husband will be joining me for all of this after having a week downhilling up on Whistler Mountain.

Cookie Queen USA 2015 #4 Chris Downhilling

The last three days of the trip will be in New York. Perfume partying there too with Indieperfumes and Peace, Love and Perfume/Goodsmellas.

Cookie Queen USA 2015 #1

My traveling perfume and paraphernalia is pictured below, or above, depending where Portia puts the pictures. 🙂

Cookie Queen USA 2015 #2

Neela Vermeire purple suede clutch
Mohur EdP
Travel sizes of Pichola and Ashoka
Shalimar Extrait
Hermès Cuir d´Ange travel size
Vero Profumo Rubj EdP
Vero Profumo Mito EdP
In the pink felt bags are samples of the all the Vero Profumo EdPs and Voiles
and I am taking all of the Vero Profumo Extraits
The lovely small leather perfume pouch was a gift from a perfumista and it means a lot to me.
(The VP extraits will be in there)
The gold shiny bag? Ha! Top Secret. Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more.

Cookie Queen USA 2015 #3

I will take a decant of Eau de Magnolia, at time of writing not yet done.
And a bottle of MAAI.

Cookie Queen USA 2015 #5

I will wear mostly extraits, and the NVCs can all be dabbed. I don´t care to spray when I am traveling – planes, trains and automobiles
don´t warrant spritzing! Do they? What would YOU have packed?

Stars´n´Striped Bussis
CQ

The Artist Series by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale

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Post by Azar

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Hi APJ!

A few months ago I reviewed Dame Perfumery Scottsdale’s Matte, Heliotrope and Patchouli.  Today’s post is a brief overview of the perfumes in Jeffrey Dame’s Artist Series.
Currently Dame Perfumery offers three lines:  A group of eight EdTs for woman, three colognes for men and the unisex Artist Series, a group of three EdPs inspired by the visual art of Jeffrey Dame’s father, Dave Dame.

The Artist Series by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale

The first in the Artist Series,

Black Flower Mexican Vanilla Dame Perfumery

Black Flower Mexican Vanilla – 2014
Here are the perfumer’s notes:  Mexican vanilla absolute, lemon, grapefruit, caramel, nutmeg, gardenia, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, musk and tonka bean.

Black Flower Mexican Vanilla grabs my attention with a concentrated, intense, smoky vanilla spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon.  Additions of lemon and grapefruit keep it from sinking into sweet, heavy darkness. Even with the citrus and the listed caramel this EdP is definitely NOT your teenage daughter’s vanilla! As Black Flower Mexican Vanilla dries there is a momentary hint of a burnt cream and gardenia that quickly moves on to sandalwood, vetiver and a lingering edgy floral vanilla.  A long-lived and bold fragrance with a powerful but never overwhelming sillage, suitable for both men and woman.

Desert-Rose-Dame Perfumery

Desert Rose – 2015
Listed notes:  Turkish rose otto, Damask rose, peach, Sicilian lemon, Egyptian jasmine, geranium, carnation, heliotrope, sandalwood, amber, musk and vanilla.

The first time I tried Desert Rose, on a very cold winter’s day, all I experienced was rose water and amber.  Spritzing in summer proved to be much more rewarding.  Desert Rose blooms in the heat with traces of dry pavement, rock and sand.  The perfume progresses from a scorched, dusty rose to a buttery, peachy vanilla sparkling with citrus and spice, finishing with a suggestion of booze, amber and musk.  Desert Rose is more intimate than Black Flower and lasts about six hours on my skin.

Dark Horse Dame Perfumery

Dark Horse – 2015
Perfumer’s notes:  Bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, jasmine, carnation, rose, cloves, guaiac wood oil, vetiver, vanilla and musk.

Dark Horse opens with an arresting and pithy lemon, tweaked with cloves and cinnamon.  In a moment the fragrance transforms to jasmine and carnation supported by golden vanilla.  At about five minutes carnation totally takes over and stays in place for at least an hour before the phenolic, oudy, vegetal sweetness of guaiac wood is revealed.  At this point the perfume reminds me of my favorite woody fragrances by M. Micallef, projecting well and easily lasting ten hours on skin and longer on clothing.  Toward the end of its long run Dark Horse wafts smoky vetiver, traces of musk and more carnation.  This latest offering in the Dame Perfumery Artist Series is a truly beautiful and unique perfume for an unbelievably low price.

Every fragrance offered by Dame Perfumery Scottsdale is testament to Jeffrey Dame’s knowledge, creativity and years of experience and to the amazing skill of his perfumer/collaborator.  The use of lemon in the Artist Series fragrances is masterful.  The perfumer manages to totally avoid the smell of home cleaning products and the ubiquitous lemon bar, using lemon more as fragrance modifier than as a discrete fragrance note.

Dame Perfumery has 7ml Trial Size, perfect size to see how you love them.

Azar xx

Giveaway Kesha&CoPhoto Stolen Kesha&Co

Dame Perfumery Artist Series Set GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 ml sample set of the 3 Dame Perfumery Artist Series
P&H Worldwide

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to anyone in the world who follow AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me (portia underscore turbo @ yahoo dot com dot au) so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us your favorite Jeffrey Dame fragrance or your most cherished vanilla perfume

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 27th August 2015 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 31st August 2015 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Deluxe Giverny In Bloom Set GIVEAWAY WINNER

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Post by Portia

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Hiya APJ,

What a sensational giveaway. Thank you to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for her incredible generosity, and excellent fragrances. What a superstar. Please go and have a look at the DSH Perfumes site.

Portia xx

Giverny In Bloom GIVEAWAY WINNER

Giverny in Bloom DSH Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x The deluxe Giverny In Bloom discovery set: 4 x 3ml atomisers:
Giverny In Bloom EdT (only the dregs)
La Danse des Bleus et des Violettes EdT
l’Opera des Rouges et des Roses EdP
Le Jardin Vert EdP
along with a leaflet about the Denver Art Museum exhibit
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 23rd August 2015 10pm Australian EST
Winner was chosen by random.org

Winner EverythingHealthPhoto Stolen EverythingHealth

FlowerGirlBee!

The winner will have till Thursday 27th August 2015 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Kelly Calèche by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès 2007

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Post by Anne-Marie

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On Kelly Calèche, and how to deal with change……..

Recently as I’ve considered what fragrances to review, my mind keeps turning to Hermès Kelly Calèche. I’ve rediscovered this fragrance after years of finding it merely pleasant at best, and for the moment it’s the closest thing I have to a signature scent. However, the dashing review Portia gave Kelly Calèche a while ago on APJ really can’t be beaten.

I’ve realised that my mini-obsession with Kelly Calèche is because it represents a shift in taste for me. So, today I thought I’d ponder awhile on how it feels when you own enough perfume to scent a small town, but reach for just the one same bottle over and over again.

Kelly Calèche by Hermès 2007

Kelly Calèche by Jean-Claude Ellena

Kelly Caleche Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

First, here’s a quick reminder of the notes in Kelly Calèche EdT,

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: grapefruit, narcisuss, lily of the valley
Heart: mimosa, rose, tuberose
Base: leather, iris

The airy clarity of the fragrance is a hallmark of its creator, Jean-Claude Ellena. He has produced many works in this style, but Kelly Calèche happens to be one I especially like. What I can’t seem to deal with are dense, sweet fragrances which feel like they are gripping my skin like a tight glove. Kelly Calèche is not a gripping glove, it’s a veil.

Kelly Caleche Hermes Chinese dancing veils WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

As a chypre lover from way back, I’ve never cared for really sweet fragrances and own very few gourmands. But nowadays I can’t wear even mildly sweet fragrances. My prized bottles of L’Ambre des Merveilles (which normally I adore) and Bottega Veneta are neglected. Calvin Klein’s Obsession – the only oriental I really love – is also languishing unattended. It’s not especially sweet, just too dense. Lancôme’s Cuir de Lancôme– a masterpiece! – annoyed me all yesterday by sticking to my skin and not letting me breathe.

It’s the feeling that I’m being stifled and can’t quite breathe – that’s what I can’t tolerate. I need fragrances with lots of space between the notes. The nice thing about Kelly Calèche is that it has good longevity as well as airiness. It’s still too cold where I live for me to get out the summer colognes, but goodness I’m looking forward to that moment!

Kelly Caleche HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Bois de Jasmin
Kelly Calèche is available from all Hermès stores
FragranceNet has $112/100ml before Coupon
Surrender To Chance has EdP samples starting at $3/ml

So what about you? Do you know the feeling when you find yourself needing just one style of fragrance, and rejecting the rest? Do you try and resist, or do you just swing with it? How long does it last?

A side note: soon I’m off to Paris (!!!) for a week, and when this post is published I’ll likely be about to step on a plane. I’ll be replying to comments but do forgive me if I’m a bit tardy.
When I’m back I’ll have Parisian adventures to share. In the meantime, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie xx

Patchouli Nosy Be by Perris Monte Carlo 2014

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Post by Portia

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Hiya Crew,

You know when you see a new brand come on the scene and it just doesn’t move you to go out of your way to try it? That’s what the Perris Monte Carlo stuff was like for me. I don’t know why, maybe the bottles or the names, colourway…. really, I don’t know. Anyway, recently I bought some stuff from the guys at LuckyScent and they added a bunch of samples into my pack. I was putting this into a pack I was putting together to send off because it didn’t interest me but I thought, “I’ll just give myself a little spritz before I put it in.” Spritzed, sealed up the post pack and all of a sudden I am bathed in the most delightful and radiant amber/patchouli bomb I’ve ever smelled.

Patchouli Nosy Be by Perris Monte Carlo 2014

Patchouli Nosy Be by Luca Maffei

Patchouli Nosy Be Perris Monte Carlo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Patchouli, pink pepper
Heart: Cacao, labdanum
Base: Patchouli, vanilla, cedar, sandalwood

Warm, comfortable, smooth and refined are the words that jump into my head immediately. Elegant. This is a very beautiful sweet patchouli amber combo that sings on my skin. I don’t know if it’s a breakthrough scent but it does smell amazing, projects and trails exactly the right amount for notice without skunking, makes me feel cuddly and safe and lasts extremely well.

There’s something stately, impressive and grandiose about Patchouli Nosy Be, yet it still feels fresh and alive and modern. I am going to have to find myself a split and really give it some wear, or could it be my next FB?

Patchouli Nosy Be Perris Monte Carlo Lively-facade torangePhoto Stolen torange

I stole this from LuckyScent because it hits the nail on the head and explains the significance of the stupid name:
Nosy Be (or Nossi-Bé) is an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar, commonly known as the “scented island” due to the abundance of extremely high-quality perfume materials grown on its northern half. But patchouli, a sensitive and delicate plant to cultivate, has never been able to thrive in Nosy Be’s intense heat. Until now.
Perris Monte Carlo Patchouli Nosy Be contains the very first magical harvests of authentic Nosy Be patchouli, made possible through an innovative and painstaking process that involves transplanting developing plants by hand into shaded, protected areas amongst the ylang ylang plantations, which results in an extraordinary patchouli essential oil with unique dry, woody and cocoa-like properties. This precious material is then blended into a fragrance designed to showcase its uncharacteristic expansiveness- combined minimally with spicy pink pepper, smooth woods and a touch of warm resin, creamy vanilla and bitter cocoa…..

Patchouli Nosy Be Perris Monte Carlo sunset-people PexelsPhoto Stolen Pexels

LuckyScent has $180/100ml and samples

What have you been completely wrong about lately, fragrant or otherwise. Come on, time to confess. We won’t snitch.

Portia xx

Sì Eau de Toilette – The film – Giorgio Armani 2015

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Post by Portia

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Heya Crew,

The latest Si flanker is here and Cate Blanchett is the face again. I think you’ll like the ad. It’s simple, very reminiscent of the original ads and sweet.

Sì Eau de Toilette by Giorgio Armani

Sì Eau de Toilette Giorgio Armani FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Black currant, green pear, Italian bergamot, mandarin, neroli oil
Heart: Freesia, May rose
Base: Musk, amber, woodsy notes, vanilla, patchouli

Enjoy,
Portia xx

Sì Eau de Toilette – The film – Giorgio Armani

Gardenia Enfleurage by Solstice Scents 2015

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Post by Erica Golding

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Greetings to my darling perfumed friends!

Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting a true gardenia blossom? Have you ever buried your face in its humid, silken petals and inhaled a breath of heaven? I have only once, on my wedding day, when I wore gardenias in my hair and in my bouquet. The scent is one of deeply peaceful bliss, joyful celebration, and unconditional love. This precious moment is forever preserved in todays fragrance.

Heartbreakingly, I have long known that it is impossible to capture the essence of the gardenia using conventional means. The extraction processes and solvents destroy the delicate compounds and ruin the aroma. I first read about the art of enfleurage in the horror novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrtick Suskind. When I discovered that this fine art was being revived in modern day to gently harness the true essence of fragile flowers such as gardenia, my spirit soared!

Gardenia Enfleurage by Solstice Scents 2015

Solstice Scents Gardenia EnfleuragePhoto Donated Erica Golding

Solstice Scents gives these ingredients:
100% Pure Gardenia Absolute In Organic Cane Sugar Alcohol

Angela at Solstice Scents has been harvesting and creating her seasonal, breathtaking Gardenia Enfleurage for the past several years. It is a highly concentrated elixir, containing solubilized and waxy isolates from treasured petals harvested daily during the blooming season. The magic captured in this tiny 4 mL vial is nothing short of euphoria.

Every facet of the live gardenia flower swims from my skin. Creamy, fresh, velvety, powdered sugar, a swirl of greenery – I find it impossible to describe beyond blunt terms. Singularly unique and distinct, I am transported to a pivotal and precious moment in my life. The sunlight is hazy behind cool autumn cloud cover, the breeze is languid, and I have more love in my heart and in my life than I ever truly realized.

Scent memory is a powerful, intense enchantment. Solstice Scents’ Gardenia Enfleurage is an incredibly special labor of love, and worthy of being associated with your most important moments in life. What natural aroma has special meaning to you? Do you wish you could preserve it in a bottle in your collection?

Solstice Scents has $9/.25ml

Much love and light,

Erica

Where Did My Scented Journey Begin….

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Post by Liam

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Good Evening Scentspeople!

Detracting from the norm, I wish to tell you about my experience with scent, and how my writing escapades began.

Where Did My Scented Journey Begin

When I was a wee chap I would pinch my father’s fragrances. Polo Black, Fahrenheit by Dior, Bvlgari Black – I would rock up to school with strong officious scents. Whilst my peers and teachers thought this was odd, this didn’t bother me in the slightest.

At 13 or 14, as an early and initial fan of Marc Jacobs’ style, I was thrilled when Bang (the silver bottle) hit the markets. Spice! I have always loved spice! The trio of peppercorns and the resinous notes present in Bang were distinctly different from other scents, and it had this wonderful duality going on: hot spice and cool woods. I finished that bottle and moved on to Burberry’s London (pour homme). Again, this is another spice theme. These two scents acted as a precursor to my obsession and a clear barometer of my taste. Spiced creations with rich interplay.

And then I was treated to a bottle of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille. Warm boozy vanilla and sensual tobacco notes. Dried fruits for weight and tonka bean. An almost edible honey note…

Brin de Reglisse Hermes Liam

Then, visiting the scent section of David Jones late 2013, I spritzed on Terre D’Hermes (parfum), and that was the beginning of the end. I snatched up Terre D’Hermes and wore that as an everyday scent, and journeyed into the Hermes boutique and purchased Eau De Orange Verte. This is where I began to learn the specifics of scent. I was devastated when I couldn’t figure out why this Eau de Cologne would last only a brief moment in time on my skin. This prompted intense research … I was beginning to learn about sillage, evaporation, citrus, orientals … You name it.

Fast forward to June 16 2014. The most important day of my fragrant life. From memory, the day plays out like a perfect vignette. Picture a wet and raining Melbourne day, made romantic with long coats and brollies. I had a collection of about 5 perfumes now, and was even wearing the female marketed Black Orchid by Tom Ford. But, I had yet to find something that grabbed me, and I was determined to find a scent that was truly ‘me’.

Brin de Reglisse by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermes 2004

Brin de Reglisse Hermes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Hay, lavender, licorice

I walked into Hermes, went over to the Hermessence scents and picked up a bottle – Brin de Reglisse – and on first sniff my knees began to buckle. It was heaven in scented format. Everything I loved. The sun kissed smell of lavender from Provence, the caramelised spiciness of long black liquorice, a facet of coffee, and a feature of hay and caramel. Everything I loved was captured in scent. It was a study of liquorice. A snapshot of Provence, reminding me of my times in tearooms scented with lavender and refinement.

I was so thrilled by this reaction that I had to tell someone. And so, I started my blog: Olfactics. With only a year of proper experience under my belt, but indeed a lifetime’s experience of wearing scent, I felt I was prepared to tell the world what scent is to me, and how it moves me (or sometimes, fails to!).

Brin still lies close to my heart, right next to Habit Rouge and Portrait of a Lady (and… and… So many more).

So APJ’ers, what scent started your obsession?

-Liam.

Blogger at Olfactics

Laya by Ne’Emah 2012 + Photo Essay

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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Winter in Australia is drawing to an end. Spring is around the corner. I have already spotted magnolias, wattle, violets, jonquils and blossoms in bloom. This week it snowed in my hometown, prompting me to take some photographs of some of my favorite fragrances of winter 2015 and reflect on the season. I felt sentimental sifting through my collection, making sure I will take a moment to wear any heftier opulent scents before the hot weather arrives. I unearthed a few I had forgotten completely and one I wore loads in autumn then discarded without a mention:

Laya by Ne’Emah For Fragrance & Oudh 2012

Laya by Mohammad Ne’Emah

Laya Ne`emah For Fragrance & Oudh FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Powdery notes
Heart: Vanilla, cedar
Base: Agarwood (oud), musk, woody notes

Ne’emah’s Laya became available in Australia last September when Sephora opened their doors. As I laid my bottle in the snow, I thought of its origin, Kuwait. Although known for its hot climate, it does get cold and occasionally snows in Kuwait and the compulsory air conditioning can also be freezing…so perhaps there is a need over there for snug scents? Laya is a warm blanket of velvet to me, cozy, sensual, sweet and dry. A rather undeviating balance of powdery oud, cedarwood, styrax and sweetened with vanilla and musks to the point it does fall into the gourmand oriental wood category. Laya is enchanting. Immediately addictive, attracts compliments, is well priced making it great for gifting. At a concentration of 20-30% fragrance it packs a punch. It is a must have for all of the above but also because of what it does, layered under other lighter fragrances – deepening them, adding velvet warmth, lengthening longevity on skin and balancing sweet fruit notes which I can find sickly. Laya provides a solid, yet fresh, airy, sweet cedar heart. All without overtaking or projecting too strongly or synthetically. It’s magic. It’s yum. And you need some.

Laya by Mohammad Ne’Emah

With major trends and influences in fragrance now coming from the Middle East I was intrigued and keen to learn more about the first Middle Eastern fragrance brand to hit Australia’s mainstream shelves. So I had high tea with Mohammad Ne’Emah, nose and founder of the brand when I heard he was in Sydney.

Mohammad personally collects raw materials from Istanbul-rose, Bulgaria-rose, Morocco, France-jasmine, Turkey – styrax, India – amber and musk, Indonesia-ylang. He only uses real amber as he finds synthetic amber powdery. Once he was stopped at customs in Laos with 50 kg of oud and was not allowed to travel with it.

Ainslie Snow 2015 #2

Fragrance is in his heritage – his grandfather collected ingredients from India in 1952 including oud, saffron, and agar. His mother traditionally burnt oud and styrax on charcoal to cleanse their home. Perfumery became a hobby for Mohammad aged 16 and it became his way to express his feelings.

I am puzzled as to why this brand has so far slipped under the radar with the perfumistas. Skip to Fragrantica where Laya (and others in the range) has few reviews and an outdated photograph of it’s packaging…tut tut!! Sales are up in Sephora though and there is two new releases planned for September: Jardis and Nubliable. Which gives me something to look forwards to as I pack away my treasured winter warmers.

Further reading: Perfume Posse and Red Lips & Lace
Available in Sephora Stores

Tell me some fragrances you think you’d like to try layered on top of Laya?

Come have a look at my Instagram: Ainslie_Walker

Ainslie Snow 2015 #4

Ainslie Snow 2015 #5

Ainslie Snow 2015 #1

Ainslie Snow 2015 #3

More Move On Monday Club

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Post by Holly

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Move On Monday Club Part 2

Hi guys! Yep, it’s that time again. After the success of my initial APJ Move On Monday post I certainly have LOTS of stuff that I intend to move on from, and some of it is perfume-related so let’s get moving! As before, I hope you will all share with me where you are in your perfume journey.

Thanks to everyone’s suggestions, I’m pretty clear on how to organize my samples and my thoughts about what I like and don’t like. I realized that this is REALLY important as I don’t want to re-order anything. Can you believe I actually thought that I’d remember if I didn’t like something? I also thought that I must have every ding-dong sample I was ever remotely interested in, and if I no longer had it that meant that I must not have liked it. I swear, sometimes what my brain does can not be called “thinking.” Sigh …

Move On Monday Club Part 2 Nicolas Huk FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

More Move On Monday Club

So moving on from the subject of sampling, I’m now focusing on what I want to acquire. I did not know what a pig I am. I freakin’ want a LOT of perfume, but I don’t want a lot of stuff! Does this make sense AT ALL? I already HAVE a lot of perfume. (Sorry about the shouty words – I’m yelling at myself like I’m a kid in a candy store. No! Put it down! Put it back!)

I recently read a reference somewhere about taking into consideration the actual volume in mls of perfume you have. Oh dear. That is one tidbit I think I’ll ignore. However, I have realized that while I love a pretty bottle and the weight and feel of it in my hands, I can probably be satisfied 95% of the time with decants.

Move On Monday Club Part 2 Herbert James Draper Pot_Pourri WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Now comes the hard part, for me at least. I want to rein myself in a bit and move on from being greedy, which is what this phase feels like for me. I have finally understood that I can’t have it all, and I don’t actually want to possess it all. All my ducks will never be in a row. The carrot is always a foot away from the donkey.

On to the questions….

How do you decide when a perfume is FBW? Do you make up your mind pretty quickly? Once you’ve decided you want to add a perfume to your collection, do you wait for a special occasion to treat yourself?

Have you made any decisions about certain notes, houses or formulations such as all-natural perfumes, or vintage frags that affect what you will sample or purchase?

Has your perfume journey been pretty consistent, or has it changed significantly over time? Are you feeling content where you are with it right now, or is there any aspect of it you would like to move on from?

I look forward to reading what everyone has to say! If you would like to move on from something else in your life – thoughts, feelings, attitudes, obsessions, situations or people – what have you – do share those as well.

Holly xo