Still no perfume. What's the deal? Is it the weather? Is it... well, the weather is my primary theory.
However, the Urge to Sample has returned. More specifically, the Urge to Buy Samples. Buying samples is, of course, not a straightforward process. With hundreds of possibilities, and a very good and convincing reasons to buy every one of them, there's a lot of cycling in and out of the Perfumed Court and LuckyScent carts. And, of course, Aedes and BeautyEncounter has some samples too. You get the idea. Candy stores.
Recent candidates include:
- The Pefumed Court Les Exclusifs coffret. I like the idea of getting all of these in hand at once. On the other hand, I'll be in a Chanel boutique in just a couple of weeks, so shouldn't I just sniff and beg there, to smell some of them for free? Of course, if I set foot in a Chanel boutique, I might well walk out with that thermos-sized bottle of Cuir de Russie, so that could be a mistake.
- Caron Alpona, as part of the ongoing quest for the perfect orange. Of course, it's discontinued; no one ever said it would be an easy quest.
- Annick Goutal Heure Exquise, based on Mals' throwdown at Muse With Wooden Shoes.
- Vintage Bandit EDT. I loved the modern version. Is it really wise to experience the vintage, given that it may be much better? It's another Something Else To Grieve decision. (Has that concept reached acronym status?)
- Caron Tabac Blond. Glorious and discontinued. Or formulated. Which is it? I forget. Anyway, STETG. (Or should that be SETG? I prefer the first one.)
- Lancome Climat. Also Mals' fault. I'm just saying.
- Parfums de Nicolai Number One. I used up this sample, loved it, and need another one. Or possibly a really big decant.
- Strange Invisible Perfumes Fire and Cream. Another candidate for the orange quest.
- Parfumerie Generale Haramens. Not just discontinued, but a special edition in the first place. Why on earth would I want to do this to myself?
And those are just some of the top candidates. Today.
You know, I was just thinking the same thing. Until yesterday evening that is. I had no wish to try anything and wasn't really in the mood for perfume, and I went to smell Amaranthine and just being there in the store smelling stuff, kick-started my wish to smell again. :)
ReplyDeleteoh dear...I so know the feeling...last night I had such an urge that I drove to Sephora and got three samples...I have to stop buying samples so I can save money for vacation this summer
ReplyDeleteHey CF-- are these samples bought and paid for? Because I've got a couple on your list I would happily send you...
ReplyDelete(Why are my ears burning?) ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd I've been bad with the samples lately too... my only excuse, and it's not much of one, is that there's no place to GO to sniff things. I have to swap for them which takes awhile to organize (and I'm way behind on the swaps I'd already planned), or buy them. I've been very impatient lately. Went ahead and bought samples of Creed The' Rose Bulgarie and FM Noir Epices, which I've been wanting for months. Bad me.
Also been bad on ebay. Bought a backup 50ml bottle of Voile de Fleur for $27, a 50ml bottle of vtg No. 19 for $47, AND am watching a bottle of La Coll Climat (HTF these days) and debating whether to get it, or wait. Not to mention that Val-Day Cuir de Lancome... and decants of Carnal Flower and Ubar...
Must. Stop.
Ohohohoh Creed Fleur de le Rose Bulgare? please tell me what you think about that one!
ReplyDeleteYeah, so I just ordered samples from luckyscent (more Tauer and some Etat Libre...sigh I'll never go on vacation!)
Ines, yep, i think that the relatively disappointing Mall Sniff inspired me to want some less disappointing sniffing. And it's spring. I think this is roughly when I expected the acquisition urge to return. (OK, I'm early - I see that I predicted _late_ March.)
ReplyDeleteHey, Frida! Yes, and that reminds me of something that I didn't mention on the mall sniff - Sephora was _seriously_ understaffed. Normally six different people ask me if I want help; this time I stood there with the prairie-dog head-rotate, looking for a salesperson for a good five minutes, before I gave up on my sample request and went away.
Thanks, LCN! But I'm still under the control of the Postal Regulation Phobia, and the principle that if I won't mail 'em, I mustn't accept 'em.
(Though you and I both spend some time in San Francisco, don't we? You live there(?), I visit there. I have a vision of us furtively exchanging envelopes of samples in Union Square. And promptly getting pulled in for questioning...)
Hey, Mals! Yes, many things on the "must sniff" list are all your fault. :) Ooh, you've been busy. Maybe it's just the season-shift madness and it'll settle down?
Samples! Samples! Gather samples like crazed squirrels preparing for winter!
(BTW, why does my blog say, right now, "Your comment will be visible after approval."? I don't require approval. Strange.)
Well, I am semi-guilty of recent splurging: 10ml of Damien Bash Lucifer No 3 and a 6ml mini of Patou Vacances(!) this week alone, but I have lost the urge to buy samples almost completely, though I did so for 18 months straight and must have spent $800-$1000 with TPC and Luckyscent all told.
ReplyDeleteThe way I feel now, I will swap (very selectively) and I will blag in-store, but that seems to be it.
I think I have so many 1ml vials already that I feel good and properly haunted by them, and uncomfortable about bringing more into the home without draining some of the many assorted bags first! A sample of Diorissimo parfum had even evaporated when I got it out the other day, so that ain't right...
All of that said, I hope you enjoy your haul with a guilt-free nose!
Flitter - 6 ml of Vacances!!! I have about a 1.5ml vial, from a very fabulous vintage-y swap with Flora (from PST). She's now put her Vacances on the No-swap list, so I feel as lucky as can be.
ReplyDeleteHey CF, you upstanding citizen you.... When you come on down to Crazy Town, let me know! I'd love to do a meet, swap, and sniff!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun, flittersniffer. I was overloaded with samples, but I divested myself of a whole lot of the failures, so I'm ready for another (but more selective) round. I do keep being surprised at how far apart my Perfumed Court orders are, though, compared to how they were when I started.
ReplyDeleteHey, Mals! As you two talk about Vacances, I keep debating between an Averting My Eyes position, or a frantic searching position, about it. It sounds like it's rare enough that I should go with Averting.
Howdy, LCN! That sounds like fun! I'd have to find someplace to send Himself to - why is it that the Union Square/Maiden Lane area didn't have the foresight to provide some nice playground store for men to hang out in while women sniff? (And do all that other girly stuff, like makeup, that I Fail To Understand.)
I'm thinking a model railroad store, a high-end stereo store, or even just a bookstore. He sits patiently in the Square with iced tea and a book while I scamper around sniffing, but it's really not a satisfactory solution.
I would wait till you get to the Chanel boutique to try the Les Exclusifs. They are very sweet about allowing you to test them. On the other hand, you could easily get overwhelmed, as there are 12 of them. Resist the thermos!!!!
ReplyDeleteHowdy, scentsofself! They have always seemed nice at Chanel, though it is often a "Goodness gracious, what's _she_ doing here? Let's be nice to her until she figures out that she came in here by mistake." kind of nice. I don't dress for Chanel. And I've never dared ask for samples. Should I dare to ask for samples?
ReplyDeleteMy view of the thermos is illogical - it's actually a pretty good per-milliliter price. Which doesn't help a bit when I'll never in a million years use all the milliliters.