I had sprayed Polo on my neck at the duty free shop to experiment with the Alpha-Male scent again that day (why? Oh no, another one to try! can't help to leave a note though i'm very late. I have taken to applying perfume in bed now so what that I am unconscious while wearing it it still means a double shift of consumption. thanks for the great post! Benoit: I just had to buy a bottle of discontinued pefume toowhat other choice did I have? and which is now down to half its volume. I am also in the process of giving away all my duplicate samples, eg ones I have mistakenly ordered twice (! I live in the Bay Area which rarely gets too hot and we use AC when it does. Yatagan smells like a T-shirt sprayed with the old (green) polo and worn for 2 days in a row while you got stuck in a non-air conditioned airport without being able to take a shower, Eric: I assume you are very familiar with that scenario and scent-sation? That's incredible! I'm sure it's a matter, when it comes right down to it, of simply enjoying that kind of creativity and self-expression, being aware of and sensitive to all our senses. Time will tell. Whats a perfume fanatic to do? I was recently talked into buying a bottle of Andy Warhol Silver Factory, against my gut feeling (I wanted Chinatown). I don't have the courage to count. Buying perfumes from discounters when possible cuts down on my perfume guilt (its easier to abandon a $30 bottle of scent than it is a $100 bottle). It sounds lovely in the reviews and different from Amoureuse, which didn't agree with me I think this one will have to go on the list. But what fun would that be? wow!! Decants are not really a bargain when you figure their price against buying a full bottle of fragrance, but a decant is a good option if you really like a perfume but know in your heart it will not be a long-term relationship; perfume miniatures are great and I buy them all the time. Its good to know though. ps. divinemama: since you are experiencing a moment of happinessDON'T figure out how long your perfumes will last, at least don't figure it out TODAY! If I used it everyday, I guess I'd have run out in about six months. Indeed, perfume is a great outlet for one's endless curiosity about the new. horrible. (Your box is packed and addressedwalking to the P.O. You can keep the trophies, but after a few years, most perfumes are unwearable. I have some really great scents that I enjoy wearingand I'll never wear them if I don't stop scouting out new fragrances. You can always look at the Feedback to see what these guys are up to, so that helps; actually, that guy was starting to get some got a dupe comments just as I had won my bottle, so it doesn't take long to tarnish a rep. Very amusing. Mschem: I can honestly say after 20 years of perfume craziness, I've never had to toss out a bottle of fragrance because it went bad. My storage methods (coolness/complete darkness) are strictly followed. YATAGAN for instance! Yep, live and let live! My brother, though fullly aware of my perfume compulsion, bought me a 50ml bottle of Private Collection for my birthday, which is generous on his part, but 30 ml would have done just fine. Good advice, Kevin. (look around people, I am NOT going to run out any time soon!) omgosh !! Remember, what goes round comes round perhaps some other perfume will come into your life as a result! "3,200-year-old fragrance formula by Mesopotamian perfumer unveiled" (daily sabah), This Is the Best Cologne from Each Fragrance Family" (per michael edwards in gq), "WATCH LIVE: Cleveland Zoo streaming blissfully odorless video of corpse flower blooming", "Take a Look at These Upcoming Olfactory Exhibitions" (perfumerflavorist). 
A lot of work and little useful information most of the time(I wish I worked with perfume though). (Needless to say that I incinerated my T-shirt the next day instead of sending it to be laundered. And it really ticks me off when a niche brand ONLY issues 100ml bottles! To start, I used three empty 50 ml perfume bottles, by three different perfume companies, and filled the bottles with water and sprayed till they were empty. Being a market researcher by trade myself, but never having worked in the industry (except once on the industrial side), that is my next goal, ie to combine business with pleasure in the most amazing way! I only have four bottles, true, but my favorite scent is a 100 ml bottle, and I only use ONE spray per day which means that it alone will last me 4 years. ), BIG laugh at abandoning the bottle & fleeing the scene heeheehee. My biggest bargain ever on Ebay, though it has just added about a year to the life expectancy of my collection. But looking back, I now regret some of those giveaways and wish I still had the scents. Second, I would love to know the answer to the question intimated, above: if you were forced to choose but three of your most favorite fragrances, which three would they be? I can say the eastern and southern U.S. is just as humid as Hong Kong in summer so that should not affect usage. This article and these responses have been so much fun to read, thank you all! The 3.4 oz bottle lasted me 7 months, when it was my only perfume. And wine too much out there to limit oneself to one or two. I've been working my way through a 5ml bottle for the past 2 months. Press J to jump to the feed. Some people are loyalists and others love variety. Quite a harmless habit (but not inexpensive) in the great scheme of things. The boxes get damp anyway and it's a pain to boot. They can be had for free, and are generally a renewable resource. and yes, we always waste our money somewhereit's human nature i suppose? how can we buy safely in ebay? How can we not??? And instead of abandonning your bottles at the restaurants, why dont you resell them on eBay, even on lot ??? Have there been NO special-enough occasions since 2002?? Give him a hug for meI got a pit bull calendar this year for the kitchen and just love those dogs' looks. I used the same oil every day for like six months and used about 2.5ml. You will win some money to buy new perfumes !!! These people! So it does mean that my bottles get used up quite quickly.
Although the years of perfume I have bottled up is shocking, it does bring me some comfort. ha ha ha ha! R: It's a big ole bottle of Veuve Cliquot from the mid-90s that's been in the fridge since I got it around 2002been roosting in the fridge forever. Do you think perfumes should be dispensed in smaller bottles, so we can add more variety to life? Consumers, bloggers and shop owners are all welcome to join our community. And we have to try them all!!!! sure, after the 2 year mark your perfume will be wearable, but you may notice it smelling a little different. Why do you think it is that even knowledgeable perfume users are convinced that a signature scent is the right way to go? Perfume people are an interesting group that psychologists should study as to why some wear a signature and some use only fragrances in one category. But that's just me. And some of the bottles, less than half full, still smell fine after 7 yearsbut they are stored in pitch blackness and coolness. I had no idea how many sprays I'd get with one bottle. What do you think? Spray a bit of Rochas Femme on him for me! For example, there's a bottle I've had for about a year and a half, and it was my most worn perfume for about six months (I'd wear it 2-3 times a week, now I wear it at least once every two weeks). The average number of sprays in a 50 ml bottle is 735 (double that figure for a 100 ml bottle of fragrance). Ha! Ahhhh! I sometimes spray perfume on my curtains / linenlove it! An average 50ml bottle probably costs about $60, so that's about .41 per 5-sprays. I've always adored and collected makeup and perfume!
not becoz of the amount of perfume i own (around 1 litre, can last for more than 14 years) but the fact that i own a very small collection of perfume when comparing to you all, so i think it's still safe (and happy) to buy some more! In the past 10 months, I ramped up my perfume collection from around 5 to about 30. I didnt manage to find a perfume I really love to wear. Your partner has sage advice. Kevin, this is a TERRIFIC column!!! HA! bartamy: I think 6-7 sprays is averageno need to be embarrassed! I am terrible at math but based on 5 sprays of 100ml, I have perfumes for me to last 95 years ahead of me. . So empty your vegetable crispers of all broccoli and carrots and your fridge shelves of silly things like food, and do right by your scents. Celestia: what a charming ideaour choice of PERFUME HOUSE in the skies if we've been good little perfumistas! so itll be a bit difficult to work out my perfumes lifespan. A flanker or a marine accord (which no one should buy anyway but we all make mistakes and we just discussed it), PS: Kevin, to answer your question about my Dior dilemma, I'll be traveling with Bois D'Argent soon. though compared to you guys Ive basically got none. When I was younger, I would have hated the smell of Bvlgari but the day when I discovered it, I was certainly ready to change My second one is Helmut Lang Cuiron. According to your calculationsI will be smelling wonderful for a Loooooooong long time. Knowing my powers of self-control, how could I resist buying more perfumes? And the last one is Armani Attitude which is more commercial. It brings so much joy and richness to my life. Question: Just wait until I purchase Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Femme. I think there are recent published studies in which couples are more likely to split if they don't like each other's scent.
and since I use approximately 15ml per month, given that average EdT lives about 5 years I don't let myself to have more than 15*5*12= 900 ml of perfume or maybe just a little bit more since it's really hard to find out how many do you have left in an already opened bottle. In addition to what I purchase myself, I receive fragrance as gifts. I love the idea of you leaving offerings for others to find thats a perfect solution and would certainly make someones day. I'm thinking that my dream house would have an easily accessible wine cellar for my husband's billions of bottles (now in boxes under the house), with a pretty little section on the side for MY special little bottles of pleasure. What a great article Kevin. Otherwise, I've had very, very good luck with eBay, and have picked up some incredible deals (a 1.7 of Pure Turquoise for two bucks, would you believe??!!!). Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last? Better get spraying and dabbing! So when I think about how much I do enjoy perfume, I feel a little better, but just a little. Cheering thought. There are several fragrance lines that apparently do NOT last longer than one yearI shall not mention namesand they are expensive. The concept of a perfume cellar sparks the immagination, you would definitely have to have a room set aside for the storage, and one for the testing. I'm so happy to be in the latter category. Robin, the creator of this blog, has written many times: my perfume collection will outlive me. Come to find out, shes probably right; or at least her current collection will see her into grandmother-hood (keep in mind her child is only 9 years old) and the receipt of her first Social Security check. (For all you Yatagan virgins: don't let E scare you off! These people said old fridges with their constant vibration can break down the oils quickly (same with champagne apparently). Joe, I know exactly what you mean about that mindset when the bottle starts to get even slightly low. My hoarding instincts rev up then, and sometimes I'm even already looking around for the source of a replacement bottle. Strange seeming that only 12 months ago perfume meant nothing to me. Well, with about 500 bottles, you can imagine how long that supply will last far into eternity! Never understood WHY that would bebut the world is full of mysteries I guess. I have a 10 ml rollerball that I used every day during the summer (4 mo?) Huanani: I think language lures us to the counter, but fragrance really makes or breaks it. Why, my next purchase may be a 2 bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea which is going cheap in my local supermarket! I also spray my scarves in winter. Ive had thoughts of getting a mini-fridge just to store the perfumes. I may be broke and crazy, but at least I smell amazing! I can tell you that I used a bit over half a 10ml bottle of Solstice Scents' Sycamore chai in about a year's time. Sorry you could not make it for the citrus extravaganza last month! I must be the exception to the rule re perfume bottle size. Also, have you had it in the fridge since you've owned it, and how long has that been? There is a separate box for classic high-end samples as well, for speedy reference. Serious self-denial is involved. However, I was shocked to realize I have enough perfume to last years and years. Assuming that Im using 5ml/week, I should have enough for the next 27,692 days (or approximately 75 years and 10 months.) I can give you some sage advice if I have those pertinent details. OK I think most of us who read this blog on a regular basis find ourselves in this article. I have a bottle I've worn nearly every day since about October. So, I have a great collection with ladies and men fragrances, old as brand new , kashaya: I'm too lazy for eBay! Lucia: if you dare, get a dropper that measures mls exactly. Collecting beautiful perfume bottles must be as addictive as buying just perfumebut bottles last 'forever' so no guilt. This kind of relates to divinemama's comment above (way above). Like a dedicated room with umpteen chests of drawers? I end up using many perfumes as room sprays or I tuck a mostly unused bottle of fragrance in my bag and, during my day, abandon it in a restroom, a lunch room, on a ledge at a restaurant, in a classroom. TPIAP: yes, he has a good attitude to such thingsI don't have to HIDE bottles..HA, pearlbailey: Welcome to chypre night, friends!
how's Diego? I know I can spray with abandon, spray any lucky (in my mind) friends who visit, and give away decants and samples freely. I may need a few days to work up the courage and moxie to tackle thatoy. and nobody will see me, I wear perfume. If it were true, then a sample of 1-1,5 ml would last 2- 3 days with 10 sprays a day and I think you know and said in this article that one sample lasts 1 day if you spray more than 1-2 sprays. Also helps that they both have good throw and lasting time so I don't tend to slather those. If other forum members were less passionate and eloquent about the ones they know and like, my collection would be a fraction of what it is, for I live in a very olfactorily deprived part of BritainNo regrets though, for as someone has observed, this habit is cheaper than a designer shoe fetish. 't was a white Hanes darlin' and there's plen'y testosterone here baybee. The next time I get a bottle of something I can't/won't wear, that is exactly what I will do. Friends absolutely adore playing with my perfumes, It always cracks me up when they worry about spraying too much as they don't want to waste it! Being relatively new to my scent fanaticism, a confession: I began putting my full bottles in a drawer of my dresser out of embarrassment, to hide them, having no idea they were better off in the dark and cool, anyway. Why ruin my esctasy by facing silly ol realityat least for today. It would make a good story! C: was about to write you to make sure you saw this! I just paid $150 for this perfume when I have 27 bottles at home!! L'eau Par Kenzo. Perhaps I'm lucky or the brands I normally buy are well made. I wish we North Americans would use more!! There's a perfume I use at least once a week, and sometimes three days in a row. And not all perfume holds its integrity for that long what a disaster in the making! I'm looking for a perfume which is released recently and find it only at half price. Good lord, Kevin! I say we should always let the fragrance prevail. divinemama: ahmy Sephora folks only fill the vials half full..ALWAYS! I try to avoid those that give you only a few sprays. ), the multiple lots you get on Ebay, or I am giving away the small vials when I get a FB, which hopefully I won't be doing too much more of this year. Now that Chandler Burr has pooh-poohed the cold-is-bad theory, we need to face facts. We have a new addition to our household a little boxer-pit mix that El O found stranded in the middle of the highway. In fact I may make it MANDATORY to be sprayed if someone visits! I also have yet to finish a bottle. HA! My favorites that are non-LE I go through reasonably quickly. The calculations totally appeal to my OCD tendencies, the philosophical bent appeals to my rationalizing addict's mind. After measuring the contents of all my perfume bottles (many bottles were only partially full), I had the equivalent of (approximately) nineteen 50 ml bottles and eight 100 ml bottles (or 1,750 ml) of perfume. Mandatory sprayage! And I personally am glad it is, rather than another vice. And it's reassuring knowing that I'll never run out! I only started collecting about five months ago and have accumulated some 120 bottles. Odori Iris. I wear it every night to bed and it's a little under halfway done, so maybe 4.5-5 months per bottle with daily use if you don't reapply? I need to buy a marketing report on US fragranceshould be interesting to read. Replies to my comments I actually made the decision a month or so ago to start enjoying what I have and stop shopping. Ages. I, with only the equivalent of 27 full bottles of perfume, have enough cologne to last me 5,291 days 14.5 years to be exact! Two of my favorite perfumes, that I wear frequently (probably averages out to ~once a week) took me a little over a year to finish. my theory as to why a fragrance would have a short lifespan is that it probably has a larger amount of natural oils v. synthetic. Only months later did I learn it was a good idea, and the fridge an even better idea. I've finally decided there are no more purchses for this year. Lizzi: A+ for bravery in facing those bottles and doing the math. I have one word for everyone, particularly if they have upwards of twenty bottles in their collection: REFRIGERATE. Copyright © 2005-2022 Now Smell This. I read a market research report which categorised such people as fragrance loyalists (quite a sizeable part of the market, in fact ie regular users of a sole scent), while we are the highest interest group known as fragrance sensualists. joe: Yatagan is wonderful, but apply with a steady hand! Kevin, seriously, what's the brand? What if it came back to you with more than it started with!!! miss k: you are in the early stages of perfumitisbewarethings only get worse. Stay out of this argument! One one of my numerous trips to Sephora recently to procure some free samples, the SA said something like, you can come back and get more samples until you find the ONE you like.