A popular thread on the
forums of Fragrantica and Basenotes is ‘Perfume Collection Show-off’, an
intriguing and addictive spot where you can ogle lovingly posed photographs of the
collections of your peers. An oppositional and equally intriguing thread also often
appears, entitled ‘How much is Enough?’
After viewing photos
of Facebook friend Paul’s gargantuan collection (inhabiting a floor to ceiling
IKEA style open shelving unit), I began to ponder my own (and much more modest)
collection. I would love to be left alone with Paul’s shelving for a greedy
olfactory party but if I owned it, it would be a nagging source of worry. I’d
fear for all the molecular disintegration and the stress of working out “Erm..
What shall I wear today?!”.
Paul's astounding collection
What I did find pleasing
upon perusal of the photo, was the mixture of niche and high street fragrances,
suggesting that Paul buys his scents without brand bias. Inevitably, we’ll be repeatedly
drawn to houses that use a familiar base across a range, such as Guerlain’s
infamous Guerlinade or Ormonde Jayne’s peppery wood, if we feel a desire for
the base. However, the true fumie explores everything by everyone, even if
costs £20 from Marks and Sparks.
Fragrantica members store
their perfumes on a virtual glass shelf, each shelf contains space for ten. I
have a personal ‘wobble point’ when I spill over onto shelf four. Somehow, more
than thirty FBs (an abbreviation of ‘full bottles’ used by the community to exclude
decants and samples) seems overly decadent to me and as Vanessa of Bonkers
About Perfume suggested, we will probably be outlived by our perfumes. This is amplified further by the fact
that bloggers spend a lot of fragrant time wearing samples, hoping that the
inner muse will inspire us to write about them. During this time our own
bottles patiently wait, craving attention in the cupboard.
Fragrantica shelves
Since taking these
photographs, a large bottle of Perles De Lalique arrived which further wobbled
my shelf number four. As it’s an utterly beautiful keeper, something will have
to go!
So I set about analysing
my FB wardrobe. I divided it into 3 piles:
The A list: Beloved
perfumes that I would feel comfortable wearing all the time, they complement my
personality and make me consistently happy.
The B list: (specialists): Perfumes that I don’t wear very regularly but turn to for
specific occasions or to create a particular mood. My ‘travelling’ scents
appear here, e.g. those that I might wear in bed to take me somewhere in my
imagination such as a forest or historical location.
The C list: Those that
I don’t truly love but for some reason can’t get rid of, they still have a hold
over me.
As you’ll see from my
collection, I have wide ranging tastes, from haughty chypres to buxom
orientals. Citrus features strongly, as does wood. The only missing genres are
ouds and heavy gourmands, both of which I generally struggle to feel the love
for. My collection has changed rapidly over recent years but is now slowing
down as the abundance of samples I amass sates my thirst for smelling
everything.
I apologise for the
lack of correct French accents and possible incorrect spellings. As I write I’m
recovering from flu, wrapped in a blanket on the sofa and frankly can’t be
bothered checking in with Professor Google and his wife Madame Online International
Keyboard.
Links have been set up
on those that have appeared in reviews, just click on the perfume’s name to be transferred.
The A list (clockwise
from the back):
Caron – Eau de Reglisse EDT (my first and my
greatest niche purchase)
Dior – Escale Aux Marquises EDT
Ormonde Jayne – Ormonde Woman EDP
Trish McEvoy – Gardenia Musk No.4 EDT
Robert Piguet – Calypso EDP
Penhaligon’s – Lavandula EDP
Yves Rocher - Cedre Bleu EDC (I am going to weep inconsolably when this
discontinued exercise is the beauty of woods runs out, amazingly, it cost me
£7)
Caron – Les Eaux de Caron Fraiche
Guerlain – Mitsouko EDT
The B list (clockwise from the back):
Yves Rocher – Essence Neroli EDP purse spray
(behind the Guerlain mini)
Guerlain – L’ Instant de Guerlain Parfum (ltd
edition bottle)
Parfums de Nicolai – L’ Eau Mixte EDT
Robert Piguet – Visa EDP (Miniature roll on)
Guerlain – Vintage Shalimar EDC (yes, it’s
true, in perfect nic, wohoo!)
Guerlain – Vol de Nuit EDT (refill bottle)
Guerlain - Mitsouko EDP (I prefer the EDT,
hence why this one is on my B list)
Serge Lutens – Fille en Aiguilles EDP (this
would be on my A list were it not so perfect for going to bed in a forest
Guerlain – Eau Imperiale EDC
Guerlain – Habit Rouge EDT
Penhaligon’s - Cornubia EDP
Yves Rocher – Vanille Noire EDP
Guerlain – L’ Heure Bleue EDT
Mauboussin – Mauboussin EDP (this should
actually be A list!)
Neal’s Yard – Pure Essence Rose No. 2 EDP
The C list (from left to right)
Guerlain – L’ Instant Magic
L’ Occitane – Eau Ravissante
Annick Goutal – Musc Nomade
Donna Karan – Essence Labdanum
Chopard – Casmir (a most peculiar oriental, but
look at the bottle, how could anyone get rid of this beautiful gold minaret?)
What I would add to the collection if I could
currently afford it: Jovoy – Psychedelique, Jul et Mad – Terrasse a Saint
Germain, Caron – My Ylang, Neela Vermeire –Mohur, YSL – In Love Again (I tried
with this one but bought a dud vintage, boo..), Cartier – Essence du Bois,
Olfactive Studio – Chambre Noir, Chanel – Cristalle Eau Verte, 4160 Tuesdays –
Urara’s Tokyo Café.
When I observe my
collection in this detached way, I see a haul of fumes that differ wildly from
each other. However, there is a distinct link – they are all (perhaps with the
exception of the last two on the C list) very easily wearable and do not
represent an olfactory challenge. Which is probably why I have only reviewed
about a third of them for Odiferess. Imagine trying to review Mitsouko, where would you start?
This seamless ‘liquid nice’ is impossible to describe without drawing on
history and mythology and turning it into a thesis.
Although ‘wearable beauty’
defines my ownership, the avant-garde and conceptual more frequently stirs my
creativity, prompting me to write about scents that I would be highly unlikely
to buy a bottle of.
So dear readers, I ask
you, is there a defining trait in your collection? Do you have a narrow or vast
genre appreciation? Do you possess a haul to rival Paul’s creaking shelves or,
alike Jean Lindsay, just one faithful signature scent?
Leaves your comments
below or on the facebook page to be entered into a draw to win a sample of my gorgeous newbie – Perles
de Lalique (see, I’m already trying to get it used up!). The draw will be UK
only due to our daft postal rules, as usual, sorry to my International readers
but please do join in, I appreciate you!
