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Expensive purchasing errors?

post #1 of 18
3/13/09 at 4:09pm
Thread Starter 
I recently indulged myself with two Amouage purchases, Homage, and Lyric.The first one, Homage I certainly do not regret, it continues to repay me each time I apply it, but Lyric was a bad buy. There was something about it that just bewitched me and I convinced myself that I had to have it. I enjoyed the sample, and I'd rated it a seven, but then went against my better judgement,forked out £135, and tried to love it. Now, I am going to unload it on a friend for a lot less than I paid for it. I have come to appreciate the fact that I need to be more selective with my purchases, What a crazy obsession this has become

I was wondering whether anyone else had forked out a small fortune on a whim, and regretted it.
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post #2 of 18
3/13/09 at 4:14pm
Buying blind when you're dropping big bucks can always be a risk - I almost always buy a decant first. However even when you do things 'right' it doesn't always work out. I skin-tested Delrae Bois de Paradis in store, let it settle for a couple hours....etc. I bought it ($135/50ml) and when I got it home I didn't like it. I ended up getting a very fair trade for it, so it ended up not being so bad, but the lesson was learned.
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post #3 of 18
3/13/09 at 4:17pm
  • KMF
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Two Christmases ago, I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket and came up with the brilliant idea of blind buying Bois du Portugal & Orange Spice... All I can say is thank god that Creed boxes don't have cellophane wrapping because I'd be stuck with two less than stellar scents... I lied to fragrancenet and told them that I had received the same items as gifts and returned them...
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post #4 of 18
3/13/09 at 4:26pm
  • kel
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I blind bought D&G The One for men 1.6 oz tester for $45 U.S. Not exactly an expensive mistake, but a mistake none the less!
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post #5 of 18
3/13/09 at 4:35pm
I bought Caron Pour un Homme at full retail price ($90!) when it is easily found for $35 shipped online. MORE than double paid. I still feel like such an idiot for that.
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post #6 of 18
3/13/09 at 5:01pm
Amouage Lyric
Armani Prive Eclat de Jasmine
L'artisan Dzing
L'artisan Voleur de Roses
L'artisan Fou de Absinthe
Dior Diorama - blind buy
CDG Guerilla 1
Lubin Idole - blind buy
Montale - Intense Tiare

i know i know , very expensive mistakes here. im purchasing based on sampling first (must test frag at least 5 times before purchasing)
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post #7 of 18
3/13/09 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scent View Post

Amouage Lyric
Armani Prive Eclat de Jasmine
L'artisan Dzing
L'artisan Voleur de Roses
L'artisan Fou de Absinthe
Dior Diorama - blind buy
CDG Guerilla 1
Lubin Idole - blind buy
Montale - Intense Tiare

i know i know , very expensive mistakes here. im purchasing based on sampling first (must test frag at least 5 times before purchasing)

Feel free to sell some to me
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post #8 of 18
3/13/09 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbBD View Post

Buying blind when you're dropping big bucks can always be a risk - I almost always buy a decant first. However even when you do things 'right' it doesn't always work out. I skin-tested Delrae Bois de Paradis in store, let it settle for a couple hours....etc. I bought it ($135/50ml) and when I got it home I didn't like it. I ended up getting a very fair trade for it, so it ended up not being so bad, but the lesson was learned.



bbBD you know this story well!!!! i think i heard this a couple time lol
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post #9 of 18
3/13/09 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrd4t View Post

Feel free to sell some to me



i'll take that dzing off your hands
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post #10 of 18
3/13/09 at 5:39pm
Ah I'd have to say Silver Mountain Water, most recently, which I never would have imagined would be something I'd regret.

I sampled and wore it a lot - but once I had it, though it was SMW.. it's like I was wearing something totally foreign to me. I couldn't get comfortable with it and just recently traded it. But I'm not badmouthing SMW - I think it's a great fragrance, just not a great fragrance for my purposes.

The only other one I can think of was purchasing Vetiver Extraordinaire in the larger size. Loved it, still do love it - but no way I could use that much juice, so I passed it along to someone who adores it as an everyday fragrance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inselaffe View Post

I recently indulged myself with two Amouage purchases, Homage, and Lyric.The first one, Homage I certainly do not regret, it continues to repay me each time I apply it, but Lyric was a bad buy. There was something about it that just bewitched me and I convinced myself that I had to have it. I enjoyed the sample, and I'd rated it a seven, but then went against my better judgement,forked out £135, and tried to love it. Now, I am going to unload it on a friend for a lot less than I paid for it. I have come to appreciate the fact that I need to be more selective with my purchases, What a crazy obsession this has become

I was wondering whether anyone else had forked out a small fortune on a whim, and regretted it.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 18
3/13/09 at 5:48pm
Green Irish Tweed was a mistake for me. it smells ok but not 100+ worth.
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post #12 of 18
3/14/09 at 6:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inselaffe View Post

I recently indulged myself with two Amouage purchases, Homage, and Lyric.The first one, Homage I certainly do not regret, it continues to repay me each time I apply it, but Lyric was a bad buy. There was something about it that just bewitched me and I convinced myself that I had to have it. I enjoyed the sample, and I'd rated it a seven, but then went against my better judgement,forked out £135, and tried to love it. Now, I am going to unload it on a friend for a lot less than I paid for it. I have come to appreciate the fact that I need to be more selective with my purchases, What a crazy obsession this has become

I was wondering whether anyone else had forked out a small fortune on a whim, and regretted it.

Having read some of the responses, I see that I am not alone in this. I have resolved to only invest in those that I have marked as an 8 or above, and to sample a second time shortly before purchase. After all, you have to be that little bit more certain with fragrances at the top end of the price list.
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post #13 of 18
3/14/09 at 6:57am
creed himalaya
worst 100 bucks i've ever dropped
yuck
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post #14 of 18
3/14/09 at 7:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inselaffe

Having read some of the responses, I see that I am not alone in this. I have resolved to only invest in those that I have marked as an 8 or above, and to sample a second time shortly before purchase. After all, you have to be that little bit more certain with fragrances at the top end of the price list.

This is a good point about 'sampling shortly before purchase'. There are fragrances on my 'wishlist' that have been there for a long time, and I may not even have the samples anymore. I had wanted Silver Aoud forever, and when it popped up on a BN sale thread I made arrangements to buy it. Luckily I still had the bottom of my old sample and when I tested it, it wasn't anything like I remembered, or perhaps I just didn't like it anymore (thus I bought something else from the BNer). As tastes change, it makes sense to sample not too long before purchase.
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post #15 of 18
3/14/09 at 8:09am
I'm not sure I'd call these purchasing mistakes, but I seem to have a good number of bottles I can't wear anymore due to increasing sensitivities to some of the ingredients. I have had to sell some really good ones for this reason alone.
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post #16 of 18
3/14/09 at 8:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbBD View Post

There are fragrances on my 'wishlist' that have been there for a long time, and I may not even have the samples anymore. I had wanted Silver Aoud forever, and when it popped up on a BN sale thread I made arrangements to buy it. Luckily I still had the bottom of my old sample and when I tested it, it wasn't anything like I remembered, or perhaps I just didn't like it anymore (thus I bought something else from the BNer). As tastes change, it makes sense to sample not too long before purchase.

A similar experience happened to me earlier -- with the difference being that I didn't have the sample anymore and went ahead with the purchase instead. It was for L'artisan's Tea for Two. It was in my wishlist for ages and something I remember that I really really really wanted.

Now? It's nice. Just nice though. I loved it before, but now I just "kinda like" it. Before, I thought of it as a "delicious warm smoky honeyed lapsang-souchong tea" -- while now it's just "birch tar and balms." Four stars max!
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post #17 of 18
3/14/09 at 11:13am
Guerilla2
Philosykos
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post #18 of 18
3/14/09 at 12:33pm
CDG Guerilla 1
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