Huge Collection of Everything OR Small Collection of Gems?

Hmm...very good question. I've been thinking about this for a while. Your right on the money about the two paths. I think I'm headed down the median. I think a compromise between the two is the most beneficial.

By taking the "Small Collection of Gems" route you limit yourself to the massive amounts of interesting, beautiful, and amazing fragrances that are out there. To take this route you would have to limit your exposure to fragances and essentially become blind to the worls of fragrance. You see if you don't then you end up finding other GEMS and eventually you end up with a large collection in the end. There is a plus side though. You actually get to wear ALL of them and nothing goes to waste. Some people have 50,100, 300+ bottles of frag and I say to myself, "How the hell do you ever get to wear ALL of those frags. Not to mention the amount of money put into that< not a major concern if its somewhat of a "Passionate Interest." To me a small collection is of 1-10 fragrances. I could never do this because I LOVE fragrances. Theres just too much out there for that low of a number. I do limit myself though nonetheless. I find that 20 fragrances is where it stops for me. If I run out of a fragrance I reallt, I mean REALLY think of whether or not I can't live without it. If I can''t I buy it again. If I can however then tahts when the lovely "scent hunt begins" which I enjoy a great deal.

Anyway thats my whole schpeil. Any questions? Any comments?

small gems

both

I don't know whether I am a fragrance veteran already. It's only been going four years now. But the pilgrimage certainly matters more than what I may end up collecting. My aim was 'maybe ten' in the beginning and that got multiplied the more I heard, read and smelled. I don't only 'need' good perfumes for each occasion I need good leathers, good woods, Lutens... whatever. And it isn't about wearing fragrances any longer (although I still collect men's fragrances mainly). It is about curiosity being stilled, and finding the end of the horizon.
Now at a stage where I have to look up records to really know whether or not I have bought frag x off Ebay already or not I am afraid it's growing over my head. That bothers me.

I'm partial to the small gems way. I have lots and lots of samples which I use often and some I make a mental note of to buy at a future time. But I don't own more than 4 gems at a time and I even have trouble finishing those since I have and receive so many samples.

I'm trying to do the same thing myself. I made the mistake early on by committing to a few too many full bottles when I ended up getting sick of them after wearing them a few times. I decided to just get minis, if I can, of stuff I'm going to use a couple dozen times a year (like John Varvatos). I had to make extra sure the first wearing wasn't a fluke, so I'd wear a scent 2-3 times (not on consecutive days) to see if I feel the same about it by the last drop of the vial. So I'm just going to keep it down to 4-5 bottles. I'll use the money I save from not owning a dozen bottles ever again by splurging on random samples from luckyscent.com or scentedmonkey.com. I already have a ton of free samples that I get from Sephora and random transactions from fellow Basenoters.

Well, it seems like with time I get more curious about trying scents, so I am interested in wider range of labels/brands and types of scents. For example, in the beginning I was not interested in Diesel or Nautica kinds of brands, and I was not aware of the most niche brands.

At the same time, I become more picky. So, I don't use that often the scnets that I don't really enjoy. So I try to satey away from impulsive buys, and not to have in my collection the scents that I use only twice a year.

Sampling in stores many many times is a way to buy scents. I don't like blind buys.

Interesting question!
i would like to go for no 1, have a small collection of gems that I use until the last drop, but I have to admit to myself that it's not in my character. This goes for most things that I appreciate in life; clothes, books, dvd's etc., thing usually pile up and I never really understand how it happened. The only cure I know of is to clean out the shelves once in a while, and sell or give away what you don't need.

The sample way mentioned by Merlino and Rawk Lee is good way to go I think. I've made a promise to myself to never by a full bottle until my sample or mini is completely finished.

I also try to remember that you don't need to own everything you love, only buy the things you will actually USE.

We live life just once so why don't we live it the way we want?! Why should I restrict myself to 20 or 30 fragrances?! If I like some scent I'm going to buy it. I want to have at least couple of options for every occasion and I enjoy in "the sweet throes" of the selection. I have some scents in my collection which I use just once or twice a year and that's perfectly OK to me.
I have to accent that I respect very much the opposite attitudes about this.

I have a collector / addict streak to my personality, so I'd say a big collection. Currently upwards of 60. But when I moved to US I gave about 10 away, left about 30-40 at home and brought 10-15 with me. While in the US I've probably bought another 5-10.

Ideally I'd like to trim back my collection a bit, but I'd make the following observations:

-many of the fragrances are absolutely wonderful fragrances which I've been lucky enough to get at excellent prices - $20-30 for stuff like Guerlain Vetiver, Bvlgari PH, Eau Sauvage, yes I'm a scab! But hell that's a bottle of wine that's gone in a night, these things last for years! I'd wear them maybe once every 2 months but I couldn't be without them. So there's no real incentive to get rid of them. I could sell them on eBay but the small amount of revenue generated would not justify the effort, and the pining I would experience for having got rid of them.

Essentially the only reason I see to get rid of a fragrance is that you have changed your mind on it, actively dislike it, never wear it, and there is a significant financial incentive to get rid of it (ie you can sell it for more than $50 - that's my threshold, anything less is a waste of my time). I don't see any point in waking up one day and saying "I'm going to pare my collection from 60 to 20" just for the sake of it.

What one can do, however, is PRETEND you have pared back your collection, by dividing it into 3 tiers:

1) the first tier is my absolute favourite top 10 (classic, desert island and sentimental stuff) plus some others in regular rotations (more day to day easy going ones) - about 20. When I move back to Aus, these will live in my bathroom and have ready access.
2) the second tier will be ones like I mentioned above - great ones I bought cheaply which I wear infrequently but have no incentive to move on. These will be stored in another area for occasional access. Maybe 30-40 or so. Occasionally one or two of these will be promoted back into the first tier to join the rotation, for example at the change of season or when something is mentioned on BN and I go "I love that I gotta wear that again!"
3) the third tier will be a possible give away / swap / sell. The only frags I'd put in this category are ones I've actively gone off or dislike. Funnily enough very few fit in this category!

I think I'd be happy to sit around the 60 mark, with 20 in regular rotation and the others in storage.

Ged

PS Just to point out that I can't pare my collection down too much, my second tier is equivalent to what I left in storage in Australia. Damn I'm missing some of them - VCA and Eau Sauvage in particular.

For me, simply because I have other hobbies too and I can spend every only once. But I have it relatively easy, I live in a town which happens to have a store stocked with Creed, Malle, Lutens, Montale etc. and they're always willing to give me samples.

A small collection of gems, ofcourse.

A collection is like a garden, it needs constant attention in order to grow into a thing of beauty. The size of your garden depends on how much space and time you have. You can have 1 fragrance in your collection and it will be like having a Bonsai tree or you can have 1000 and it will be like Versailles.

I started off just thinking a few different fragrances would do me just fine.

Then I became obsessed and got a bunch of designer stuff, most likely because of it's accessibility. I've sold off most of this stuff now.

Then I got into more expensive and exclusive stuff, and kept the stuff I really like.

Now I'm in a mode where I'm trimming off everything I can't possibly live without - but I'm still left with over 40 bottles. I'll only buy a bottle if I'm absolutely sure that I'm crazy about the scent. My samples and decants get quite a rigorous testing before I can commit to anything. I have a few on my radar, but for the most part, the insanity has been constrained.

I want a small collection of gems. Now, I have a moderate collection of sixty bottles. I can't say I've worn (not tested) the bulk of them. Pairing the collection down to twenty bottle would be a relief, but ideally I'd like to get it down to ten.
The truth is that I'm still holding on to the hope of finding a signature. Most likely I'll have to settle on 5 or so HGs.
Yet, there are so many more I have yet to try...

Good thread. My perspective is a little different as a newcomer to all of this. I've got 12 full bottles of stuff, and maybe 10 to 15 samples that I'm working through. I'm at the point where I've made some neat discoveries, stuff that I didn't even know existed, but I also feel like there's a lot yet to explore, even if I just hit the biggest names. But I've also become keenly aware of the effects of this hobby on my wallet, and twice within the past two days I've had to seriously talk with myself about prioritizing.

Part of what irritates me is when I look at the price of a sample, or a mini, in comparison to a much larger bottle; the value increases with size, which was of course intentional. So I buy one bottle instead of three minis, or ten samples. I know it's not the most efficient way to do things but...

I could see myself stopping at about 20, that would fill enough holes and cover enough ground for me.

A small collection fragrances that are somehow special to you. I don't see me at any time of my life buying more than 3 fragrance bottles each year, or regularly wearing more than 15 or so fragrances (giving the extra ones away, and replacing bottles instead of adding). But hey, everything changes, and who knows what I'll be thinking in 10 years.

For me the road is much more interesting than the arrival. Going (nearly) each week to Douglas, discovering the new scents, spraying on the arms and on paper and then waiting. Sniffing, which one is worth trying once more, going back next week to give it one more chance. Meanwhile to be happy that the world is nice where such good things do exist and make our poor life a bit more bearable.
What's use then to have these all in my possession? What really matters is the knowledge that whenever I want I can smell them.
So for me it's no heartbreaking to have no more than 5-10 scents at one time at home. It's enough to my happiness.

I couldn't live with fewer than 30 fragrances. I believe 70 would be the ideal number for me.

It is normal to have a lot of fragrances. We should be allowed to explore the diversity of scents.

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Definitely the small collection of gems option...

Ideally, I'd like to keep the collection at 20 bottles or so. For me, I feel that is enough to cover all my bases (warm/cold weather, casual/formal/special occasion, etc). The first 10 would be the stuff I truly love and can't go without. The last 10 would be things I like, but could be replaced if I find something better, as tastes do change. Obviously, I'd still be buying samples and testing those. If one of those samples was clearly better than what I have, then I would put buy the bottle, and put one from my collection up for sale, thus keeping the number at 20...

Well said. That's about what I've got in mind.

Huge collection of gems, please.

Agreed. I think 30 is the magic number for me. I've cut back from 70 lol.

Smaller collection of gems.

Life is too short to wear fragrances that bore you. The universe of scent combination possibilities is vast and the probability that there are many "WOW" fragrances out there still waiting to be discovered (not to mention those waiting to be created) is large. You can say, though, that you "own" a fragrance even if its a sample! But to answer the quetion, IMHO a good collection should probably be a sizable one.

Very well said. My new bumper sticker

Yes, there are hundreds of fragrances that do not bore me at all !

.

Well, to me it feels like 30 wouldbe ideal number, except for one thing: 30 for summer and 30 for winter. I think 50-60 fragrances is the ideal number. I think I always have about 30-40 that I can't live without, and another 10-20 which I am exploring or liking at the moment.

I'd rather gather a large collection and then weed the ones that aren't appealing making a smaller collection.

I'm in the large collection camp, myself. Who's to say what's a classic and what's not? Only you, and the only way to decide is to try a lot of fragrances. If you're uncomfortable buying a lot of bottles, go for a lot of samples!!

I remember when I started, here on Basenotes, I felt slightly uncomfortable with those who owned considerably larger wardrobes. I guess, upon reflection, it was simply an indication that I'm the type of person who prefers to keep any personal collection as tightly focused as possible - I couldn't comprehend that people were that passionate about fragrances to own so many. Surely, it must be blind consumer greed...

Well, two years on (and a few hundred fragrances later), it's easy to realise the error of my ways. However, that doesn't mean that I've changed the way in which I collect things - I just I better understand and appreciate this 'hobby'. Therefore, even though there are those who prefer larger collections, it's a personal choice I am now able to respect.

I've tried to keep my collection down to 15 and have largely succeeded (although I'm open to expanding it to 20, albeit reluctantly). In some ways, such a restriction has forced me to thoroughly evaluate each scent, both according to my own personal needs and against other acquisitions. As a result, it's extremely difficult for me to rank them because I love them all equally. For me, owning a 'tight' wardrobe (where each frag has equal relevance) is more important than owning a large number.

But, as I mentioned before, each to their own...

I'm at the point where I feel like there are many fragrances in my wardrobe that aren't getting worn. I'd rather have a smaller wardrobe of around 30 or so fragrances (rather than my current 80) I've decided to wear every fragrance in my wardrobe one week, and after the week I will decide to sell or keep. My first contestant was A Taste Of Heaven... One keeper so far. Only 79 to go!!!

I feel I am currently in the "collect everything" stage. I feel this is the learning curb of my perfume journey. The impulse and blind buys are expensive, thank goodness for obtainable samples, TPC and knowleadgable basenoters who stir you to the right path. I currently own an excess of 100+ fragrances and yes I do not use them all but I am happy they exist in my collection.

I know there will come a stage that I will edit my collection to the ones I have affinity to. Hence I know I will reach the "small collection of gems". But for now my journey continues and my pockets in pain.

I'm new to the whole scent game. I used to be a 1-2 fragrance kind of guy, cool water + some other mainstream fragrance. Expanded to 5 good scents from testing at the store.

I'd always get the 100ml bottles because they were the most economical choices but I found that I'd grow tired of a cologne after a while, particularly if I purchased without trying it a couple of times (one try at the store isn't enough for me to determine if I like a scent, however I've fallen into the trap in the past)

So I came to bn with the aim of doing some research and getting some valuable tips from frag heads so that I could find a few gems that would complete my collection & quench my appetite. But what I've discovered is that its all a bit of a charade, it appears you only ever fall deeper down the rabbit hole until you realise you need to take a step back and re evaluate. It's funny because its like most people in this community struggles with that (interesting from a sociological perspective).

There are so many pit falls to this journey

One of the pit falls I experienced was the blind buy. I hate the idea of going to the store to sample, I rarely go to the store so have limited opportunities to do so. So I indiscriminately bough a bunch of samples to begin my "education" along the way I got a little.trigger happy & decided on a few blind buys . Lesson 1, try before you buy. People tend to stick to opposite ends in terms of reviewing colognes so you get a bit of a skewed view.

So at this point, I will be purchasing more samples in a methodological manner so I can really evaluate before my next purchase

I'm definitely in the less is more category. I've currently got 22 bottles, half of which will make way. I started quite haphazardly but will take a more structured approach in future. Id rather have 10 gems and a bunch of samples to satiate my fragrance appetite. I've also stopped purchasing 100ml bottles because at this point my tastes vary too much to go through a whole bottle. And id rather spend a little more initially rather than have a full bottle that I rarely use.

That's me

For me over the years it's become the humungous collection of everything.

I'm currently up to about 80 and I only started 13 months ago. I guess I just want to try as much as possible. I'm still learning though. For instance, one of the first I bought was Egoiste, and I hated it so left it at the back of the collection for a year, feeling I would never use it. A few weeks ago I decided to re-visit it and....wow! I now love it. This makes me reluctant to dismiss something out of hand, as my journey continues and my knowledge and appreciation of fragrances grows so I become more experienced. Many years from now I would hope to have 20 perfect bottles but for now I am quite happy to continue buying. Having the funds to do so is obviously key to this approach though and I count myself fortunate indeed that I can take this path.

If you're interested then I don't see how just owning a few bottles will satisfy your curiosity. However, I also don't see the point in owning full bottles of everything, even things you just think are so-so. Full bottles of the favorites, and then samples samples samples.

Besides, accumulating a huge collection isn't an option for some (most, even). People with middle-class incomes would probably feel pretty silly looking at their 1000 bottle fragrance collection when they have to send their kids to college. I know I would.

I think I will only have a relatively small collection of what I really like and will realistically wear. Now, if money was no object, I'd probably go a little crazy, blind buy anything of interest, and even get some just because of the cool bottles. It would be more of a collecting hobby. But right now I plan to keep it to 20 or less, and as my tastes change, maybe get rid of a couple and then get a couple new ones.

Heres what you do: Sample as much as you can , start off by collecting samples. Organize them by house or however you want. Its affordable and doesnt take up much room plus you can easily put them away under your bed in the dark or whatever. Smell out EVERYTHING you can. If you by a few 2ml spray samples a week, in no time you will have a nice selection to choose from. When you run out of a sample that you really like and want more, buy another sample of that while continuing to buy new samples that youve never smelled. If you go through a sample three times, buy a bottle of the stuff and slowly start your bottle collection that way. Thats the safest, most affordable, most fun way to explore and obtain your fragrances IMO. Plus you will have a huge selection to choose from in whatever occasion your in, even if its just small samples. At least you will know what you like and have a full bottle of those hidden gems you discover!

For a moment, I was fretting about my over indulgence (90+ bottles) but I finally read somebody that nails it for me. Thanks, man.

Ideally everything, as that would be too costly and require too much storage space, not everything.

This. +1

For me personally I think I would rather only own limited fragrances that I LOVE (not the case with current collection) versus a ton that I only like. This makes my sampling fetish all the more enjoyable knowing that a scent has to really wow me to warrant a full bottle (or decant) purchase.

Not sure exactly where this hobby will take me, but lately I've been thinking that I'd like to ultimately keep my collection to around 20 of my absolute favorites. That being said, if I come across something that blows me away, I won't hesitate trying to add it to my collection. The whole "20" guideline is just a reference point...I'm not dead-set on a specific number ultimately, I just know that I won't realistically use much more than 20 fragrances on a regular or even semi-regular basis.

i tried to keep my collection small, but i failed, so i stop trying ever since

5ml decants for ones I figure I'll only wear very sparingly (ones that are hard to wear, ones that are limited to special occasions, ones that I'm neutral about, etc). 10-30ml decants for ones I'll wear more often (ones I enjoy a lot, ones that are versatile, daily wears, etc). Between 30ml and full bottle for ones I love and wear a lot.

I have accumulated a rather large collection by now, with many of my fragrances being worn only a couple of times a year. But when I think of which bottles I should get rid of it becomes rather difficult. I have always tried to be quite selective with my purchases and even if I don't particularly enjoy a particularly fragrance I respect it enough to revisit it at a later time, and how it often happens, develop a liking for it over time or simply figure out the ideal circumstances in which to wear. Quality fragrances remain quality fragrances and some of them are also worth having in your wardrobe as references.

I started my collection with a few scents that I really liked. I found, however, that I kept finding fragrances that I really liked, so gradually, over time, I have come to a point where I have over 100 bottles. Of these, there are a few I could part with without any real sense of loss, but for the most part I've got a collection of things I really like and I do find new things I like quite often. I've had to put a freeze on buying for a few months now for financial reasons but I know of at least five fragrances that are definitely on my radar for when I'm able to start purchasing again.

I guess you can say I started out with the small collection of gems in mind and now have gotten to the point where I've acquired a larger collection that covers a good amount of territory.

I suppose my viewpoint is going to seem unusual to some, but it's not something I think about. There are some hobbies you need to plan. Some you don't. I know people who are into historical war gaming on the table-top, building up armies based on painstakingly researched historical data. I am certain that has its pleasures.

My collection of fragrances doesn't need to fight anyone elses collection though or do anything except exist and make me happy. No planning required. Having them is fun. Even things I don't wear; I migh spray it on paper and put it on my desk, enjoying it for the evening, or just take my time slowly polishing up every bottle I own. Adding to my collection is fun too. I try not to over think it. If I end up with two things that smell the same the challenge is to sniff out the differences. Owning many bottles which I seldom wear actually makes me happy too as the fact that they are all but full pleases me; I always keep the boxes and everything else. I like owning some things still in their cello wrap, for example discontinued scents.

Sometimes it's all about the bottle. I want my collection to be something I can explore and enjoy myself which means it needs to be a little bit of a mystery to me. I like not being able to remember what I have or why I bought it, and finding surprises. I like only being able to grasp my collection when I'm face to face with it. I enjoy it the most when I go into my garage and have a feeling that is comparable to walking into a huge fragrance department in a store. A sense of possibilities, and of having something to explore.

I enjoy blind-buying. There is a romance to having five bottles appear in the mail, things I've never smelled, exploring them all slowly, adding them to the collection, finding a place for each based on the wearing, handling the new bottles, carefully collapsing the box and putting it away.

I have settled on what I think of as a medium-large collection of gems. I'd love to say my max is 150...but I like what I like and if I like it enough I'll probably end up with it.

Right now I have what I consider 4-5 star fragrances. I went through and mentally rated each that I had and if it was 3 stars I sold it off. It was sometimes hard to admit when something had to go, but after it was I never looked back.

But the feeling of having just the gems is great. So I wouldn't put a limit on small or large...I would limit it to just the gems.

One year ago I had 2 bottles - A 1.0 oz bottle of Armani Code and a 1.3 oz bottle of Hugo Element. I went to use my Hugo one day, and nothing came out... I was suprised that I went thru a bottle. So, I was about to replace it, when I thought: "Maybe I would want to try something different"... So I went on Amazon, and read some reviews. Then I found this site.

10 months later, I now have over 115 full bottles, many splits, and countless samples. When I bought a few at the start (all blind - based on reviews), I thought "ok 10 is a good number - I'll stop there".... then - "15 is a good number..." less than a month later: "30 is perfect - one for each day of the month"... a few months later: "60 - thats the limit". Fast forward a few weeks: "ok, I'll buy Aventus, then I'm done!"... After that arrived from the Creed Boutique, I thought "but I really need this bottle of X and Y... I better snap up a few extra bottles of Gucci Pour Homme II... And Dior Homme Sport (2008) - they may get hard to find... etc., etc......

I shake my head every day wondering when I'll stop... I do plan to greatly slow down in 2013. In 2012 I explored the forest - I know how big it is now. I haven't examined every hill or every tree in the forest, but I have a good idea of what is out there now and how to find my way around. 2013 will be about examining a few nooks and crannies - I no longer need to run around like crazy looking for something new... I hope I am able to slow down... My wallet says I really should.

This thread is very informative for the newbies like me. dougczar, thank you so much for your post. I feel like I am at step 1 of where you started. I wanted to try something new and found Basenotes a month ago. I now have a decant of Aventus and a bottle of Eau des Baux... I love both and am kinda hooked. Just ordered 150 bucks worth of samples from LuckyScents. Itching to get my collection bigger. I can easily see myself getting to where you are at.
If you were to start over, what would you do differently?

Now I've a relatively large collection, but I'm shifting to gathering a small number of PERFECT scents.
I think repeating another bottle of a masterpiece is more appealing than opening some moderate smelling scents.
Life is TOOOO short to pass with generic and so-so fragrances to me!

Thanks Kraz,

Honestly, other than a few blind purchases that I regret, I am not sure what I would do over. I guess I would make a rule to wait until I finished a sample before purchasing a full bottle of it. I have a large number of bottles that I purchased that I havent even opened yet, because I am still working off the sample! I made a lot of blind purchases, but only regret a few. I suppose to do it over I would just slow down a little and realize when a fragrance blows me away, I don't need to buy it right then (maybe all the talk about fragrances getting discontinued, reformulated, etc. on this site had programmed me to be a little impulsive - get it before its gone!). In reality, as I have started to realize, if you discover something you like, there is a 99.99% chance it will still be there next month. So, maybe I would have set a budget and made a list of bottles / samples that I wanted, and forced myself to stay within that budget each month and only buy things off the list -- and realize that what I didn't purchase this month will still be there next month. That is probably what I will do for 2013.

But most importantly, enjoy the ride!

I guess it depends on what your motivations are, if you are a collector then you will likely want a large collection, even in a large collection a collector always has their rare gems, either by virtue of value or those they prize. Alternatively perhaps your motivations are merely to sample and determine the ultimate scents for you not neccessarily for the collection aspect. Likewise some just enjoy sampling the rainbow out there.

I guess the great thing about these forums and the net is you aren't limited, in the sense that you could easily start your journey with samples and decants and as you find ones you love and as your own palette grows you purchase a full bottle, I actually think a lot of general users probably evolve into it that way.

I'd like to come and play at your house hednic!

I've got 10+ FBs already but I try to stick to the 30ml size if possible. It annoys me no end to have to buy 100mls if that's the only option grrrrrr. I've only bought one 100ml bottle ever.

I like variety and my skin soaks scent up like nobody's business, so I can wear 2-3 scents a day (not all, poison and TZ stick a good while) so I think I can maintain good use of up to 30 scents if I stay small in volume.