SOTD: Nothing.

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.

Photo: By Frank Kovalchek. Wikimedia Commons.

UPDATED: Perfume: Ack! Serge Lutens discontinuations!

In the unlikely event that you read my blog and don't read Perfume Shrine (yeah, right), this is to point you to an article about four Serge Lutens discontinuations.

Douce Amere! I only have a decant! The budget forbids it! What do I do?

Update: Phew! It's not as bad as it sounded. See the Perfume Shrine update, but the summary is that they're just being taken off the export line - they'll be harder to get, but they aren't vanishing from the face of the earth. However, the list of fragrances has changed - replace Clair de Musc with Santal Blanc, on the list of those that will no longer be exported.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Compilation: Reformulation, Discontinuation, Perfume Hoarding, and Panic

So I just saw One More Good Article on the topic that I think of as perfume separation anxiety, and decided that I want to assemble a compilation.

This isn't remotely every good article on the subject, it's just the ones I found first, plus ones that I come across as I'm reading. Plus, I'm focusing more on loss than on the IFRA, because, well, as depressing as loss is, the IFRA is more depressing.

So:

• The Buyer of Backup Bottles, Strategist or Squirrel? from Bonkers About Perfume.
• On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn't smell the way it used to from Now Smell This.
• Gloomy Sunday, from Perfume-Smellin' Things.
• Endangered Fragrances from 1000 Fragrances.
• The Lost Perfumes, a continuing theme on The Non Blonde. (I'm linking to just one of the posts.)
• Smells Like Joy, from OlfactaRama.
• Samples: The Addiction, from Feminine Things.
• The Allure of the Discontinued Scent, from Now Smell This.
• Perfumista tip: how to find out if a fragrance is discontinued from Now Smell This.
• Should An Old Fragrance Be Forgot, from The Wall Street Journal.
• My Favorite Fragrance is Discontinued...Now What? from Perfume Shrine.
• It's the end of the world as we know it from Perfume Shrine.

And for grieving for specific perfumes:

• Guerlain Attrape Coeur is Shot Through the Heart! from Perfume Shrine.
• Another Perfume Ruined: Harem by LR from Fragrance Bouquet.
• Serge Lutens multiple discontinuations: Oh My! from Perfume Shrine.
• Serge Lutens - Where Does He Go From Here? from The Non Blonde.

(Edited to add Harem. And the Wall Street Journal piece. And now the two about Lutens discontinuations.)


Photo: By Joadl. Wikimedia Commons. Click for details or license.