My 1,000th post! Wow, its been some journey. Here's some brief stats:
18 months since joining the Basenotes community.
Over 40 full-bottle acquisitions.
Nearly 300 fragrances tested and scrutinised (Geez, and theres still loads more to discover!).
A big hole in my bank account.
I remember stumbling upon this website and only having owned less than five fragrances in my entire life (my first ever being Givenchys Xeryus). I had no idea about exclusives, limited editions and (most definitely) niche fragrances. The only fragrance I owned at the time was Le Male and, even though I was content to wear it for several more years, a voice in my head persistently told me that I needed a second scent.
At first, I was overwhelmed by the myriad of fragrances, house names and terminology but persisted, only in order to find that ideal second fragrance. It was an objective I naturally thought would only take a few days. And then I found it (Guccis Envy) but suddenly realised that I needed a summer scent (damn you all!). Very soon, I found myself viewing the wardrobes of other Basenoters and, coupled with the other alluring scents that I read praise about, came to the conclusion that maybe having four or five scents wouldnt be such a bad thing. Then I owned six, then ten, then twelve Before I knew it, I owned nearly twenty frags!
I knew then that things were getting out of hand (I know some of you would disagree here) and proceeded to limit my collection to fifteen. However, I then fell in love with niche fragrances and found myself spiralling dangerously out of control again. But, thanks to my ever developing sense of smell, I soon became more demanding of the overall quality of my wardrobe. Months of musical chairs ensued before I realised what really touched and seduced me, thus building up a wardrobe that truly reflected the core of my very being.
Although Basenotes initially came across as the equivalent of Pandoras box, I was soon able to take more control over my purchasing urges through informative discussions, decants, samples and the generosity of others. Soon enough, I was no longer the new kid on the block, nor was I the bewildered child left alone in a sweet shop.
Its been an amazing journey and my tastes have drastically changed from those early days. Goodbye Le Male, Envy and Issey Miyake - hello Spiritueuse Double Vanille, Eau du Soir and Santal de Mysore. Without the passion and enthusiasm of you all, I wouldnt own the collection I have now. Its something Im truly grateful for.
Yes, theres been ill-judged purchases, over-rated scents, and conflicting views and reviews but thats made the whole experience even more interesting and worthwhile. Lifes all about making mistakes and learning from them, and Ive certainly experienced this on many occasions (despite the protests of my bank account!).
And then theres the forum itself a wealth of enlightening, entertaining and useful first-hand information, populated by a diverse group of people, from all around the globe, with very much the same passion as myself. Theres been laughs, shocks, disagreements and arguments, locked threads, obnoxious posts, and examples of bad taste along the way both at my own expense, as well as others. But the thing that always brings me back here (regardless of how many times Ive felt my search may soon be over, nor if someones truly pissed me off) is that special community spirit that I havent encountered on other forums Ive joined.
Fellow Basenoters, thank you all. Many thanks for everything youve put into this community and for what Ive gained in the process.
Grant, I salute you.
Peace.
18 months since joining the Basenotes community.
Over 40 full-bottle acquisitions.
Nearly 300 fragrances tested and scrutinised (Geez, and theres still loads more to discover!).
A big hole in my bank account.
I remember stumbling upon this website and only having owned less than five fragrances in my entire life (my first ever being Givenchys Xeryus). I had no idea about exclusives, limited editions and (most definitely) niche fragrances. The only fragrance I owned at the time was Le Male and, even though I was content to wear it for several more years, a voice in my head persistently told me that I needed a second scent.
At first, I was overwhelmed by the myriad of fragrances, house names and terminology but persisted, only in order to find that ideal second fragrance. It was an objective I naturally thought would only take a few days. And then I found it (Guccis Envy) but suddenly realised that I needed a summer scent (damn you all!). Very soon, I found myself viewing the wardrobes of other Basenoters and, coupled with the other alluring scents that I read praise about, came to the conclusion that maybe having four or five scents wouldnt be such a bad thing. Then I owned six, then ten, then twelve Before I knew it, I owned nearly twenty frags!
I knew then that things were getting out of hand (I know some of you would disagree here) and proceeded to limit my collection to fifteen. However, I then fell in love with niche fragrances and found myself spiralling dangerously out of control again. But, thanks to my ever developing sense of smell, I soon became more demanding of the overall quality of my wardrobe. Months of musical chairs ensued before I realised what really touched and seduced me, thus building up a wardrobe that truly reflected the core of my very being.
Although Basenotes initially came across as the equivalent of Pandoras box, I was soon able to take more control over my purchasing urges through informative discussions, decants, samples and the generosity of others. Soon enough, I was no longer the new kid on the block, nor was I the bewildered child left alone in a sweet shop.
Its been an amazing journey and my tastes have drastically changed from those early days. Goodbye Le Male, Envy and Issey Miyake - hello Spiritueuse Double Vanille, Eau du Soir and Santal de Mysore. Without the passion and enthusiasm of you all, I wouldnt own the collection I have now. Its something Im truly grateful for.
Yes, theres been ill-judged purchases, over-rated scents, and conflicting views and reviews but thats made the whole experience even more interesting and worthwhile. Lifes all about making mistakes and learning from them, and Ive certainly experienced this on many occasions (despite the protests of my bank account!).
And then theres the forum itself a wealth of enlightening, entertaining and useful first-hand information, populated by a diverse group of people, from all around the globe, with very much the same passion as myself. Theres been laughs, shocks, disagreements and arguments, locked threads, obnoxious posts, and examples of bad taste along the way both at my own expense, as well as others. But the thing that always brings me back here (regardless of how many times Ive felt my search may soon be over, nor if someones truly pissed me off) is that special community spirit that I havent encountered on other forums Ive joined.
Fellow Basenoters, thank you all. Many thanks for everything youve put into this community and for what Ive gained in the process.
Grant, I salute you.
Peace.
I think that by the time I reach that landmark you'll probably have a warehouse for all those bottles and samples and CdG will have a range of perfumes out that encapsulate the smell of different planets atmospheres.
