In answer to the first question - possibly.
In answer to the second - almost definitely.
But
Yesterday lunchtime I had a bit of an irresponsible spending spree - I was feeling frivelous and it's been a few months since I got something new. Plus it's pay day at the end of this week. First up was a purchase from BNer Craig - 50ml Rance Triomphe (and a DHS freebie - DHS are completely new to me, so that'll be interesting), and so far I've been very impressed with the Rances that I've smelt, dodgy faux history or not. Then there was a bargain 100ml of the old style bottle Aramis Always from an online retailer - with the Gentlemen's Collection version not being available here in the UK (we've gone for the meh-neither-here-nor-there Life), I thought it'd be a good idea to stock up on the original stuff before it goes. After that came the obligatory trawl through the 'Bay. Any UK BNers who frequent the 'Bay perfume pages (that's most of us, right?) will probably be aware of a reliable chap in Europe who sells almost exclusively vintage (and legit) frags, some for reasonable prices, most on the more expensive side of (relatively) reasonable and a few which are very definitely over the odds. A new addition to his shop was an unused 100ml bottle of Aramis Ice - one of the run of confusingly titled Aramis releases that were all named on a cool theme.
For those who don't know, Ice was a fairly short-lived and not very commonly sold flanker of sorts (though not marketed as such, it was basically a cooler Aramis classic that was heavy on the base woods - not to be confused with the current Cool Blend which is a different beast again, nor to be confused with Cracked Ice or Cool, which were around about the same time). It was, like Bermuda Tonic, amazing stuff and sold for a pittance of £26. If you could find it. I had one 30ml bottle which came in a gift set and, like most other Aramis releases, I absolutely adored it. But 30ml doesn't last very long in the grand scheme of things, especially when at that point my wardbrobe was in single figures, and before long I was slinging the empty bottle in the recycling, never to be seen again - years of searching on the 'Bay and nothing. It's as if no one bought the stuff when it was out and didn't really care after it was gone - I had visions of Estee Lauder emptying gallons of the unsold stuff down the sink. But that changed yesterday. For £72 plus £7 postage, I had a chance to relive that time and own 100ml, still boxed, of Aramis goodness. But nearly £80, for something that was less than £30. It's too much money. For £80 I can go niche - a Czech & Speake, Diptyque, a Lutens, a Goutal or a L'Artisan. But it's Aramis Ice which, like Havana, Tuscany, Devin, Portos, Bermuda Tonic and so on and so on does smell much better than its original price tag. And, apart from anything, I can take or leave Lutens, Goutal and L'Artisan. £80. Cheaper than Creed, that's the way I looked at it. I pulled the trigger, which I know is crazy. But, dammit, I love Aramis as much as the BNers who love (and splash out far more on) Creed, Xerjoff, Amouage, Montale etc etc. Is it wrong?
Probably. But my Aramis collection is growing very nicely indeed thank you, and I can't wait to travel back in time a few years and relive fragrance genius.
In answer to the second - almost definitely.
But
Yesterday lunchtime I had a bit of an irresponsible spending spree - I was feeling frivelous and it's been a few months since I got something new. Plus it's pay day at the end of this week. First up was a purchase from BNer Craig - 50ml Rance Triomphe (and a DHS freebie - DHS are completely new to me, so that'll be interesting), and so far I've been very impressed with the Rances that I've smelt, dodgy faux history or not. Then there was a bargain 100ml of the old style bottle Aramis Always from an online retailer - with the Gentlemen's Collection version not being available here in the UK (we've gone for the meh-neither-here-nor-there Life), I thought it'd be a good idea to stock up on the original stuff before it goes. After that came the obligatory trawl through the 'Bay. Any UK BNers who frequent the 'Bay perfume pages (that's most of us, right?) will probably be aware of a reliable chap in Europe who sells almost exclusively vintage (and legit) frags, some for reasonable prices, most on the more expensive side of (relatively) reasonable and a few which are very definitely over the odds. A new addition to his shop was an unused 100ml bottle of Aramis Ice - one of the run of confusingly titled Aramis releases that were all named on a cool theme.
For those who don't know, Ice was a fairly short-lived and not very commonly sold flanker of sorts (though not marketed as such, it was basically a cooler Aramis classic that was heavy on the base woods - not to be confused with the current Cool Blend which is a different beast again, nor to be confused with Cracked Ice or Cool, which were around about the same time). It was, like Bermuda Tonic, amazing stuff and sold for a pittance of £26. If you could find it. I had one 30ml bottle which came in a gift set and, like most other Aramis releases, I absolutely adored it. But 30ml doesn't last very long in the grand scheme of things, especially when at that point my wardbrobe was in single figures, and before long I was slinging the empty bottle in the recycling, never to be seen again - years of searching on the 'Bay and nothing. It's as if no one bought the stuff when it was out and didn't really care after it was gone - I had visions of Estee Lauder emptying gallons of the unsold stuff down the sink. But that changed yesterday. For £72 plus £7 postage, I had a chance to relive that time and own 100ml, still boxed, of Aramis goodness. But nearly £80, for something that was less than £30. It's too much money. For £80 I can go niche - a Czech & Speake, Diptyque, a Lutens, a Goutal or a L'Artisan. But it's Aramis Ice which, like Havana, Tuscany, Devin, Portos, Bermuda Tonic and so on and so on does smell much better than its original price tag. And, apart from anything, I can take or leave Lutens, Goutal and L'Artisan. £80. Cheaper than Creed, that's the way I looked at it. I pulled the trigger, which I know is crazy. But, dammit, I love Aramis as much as the BNers who love (and splash out far more on) Creed, Xerjoff, Amouage, Montale etc etc. Is it wrong?
Probably. But my Aramis collection is growing very nicely indeed thank you, and I can't wait to travel back in time a few years and relive fragrance genius.
Thanks
