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Dealing with Discontinuation

post #1 of 36
1/22/12 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
How do you deal with a discontinued fragrance, either one you already own or one you are interested in trying? Would you stock up, give up, or find a substitute?

When my beloved D&G Masculine was discontinued, I took it as a sign that it was time to move on and didn't buy another bottle. I still have some left but don't make any special effort to conserve it.

Now I'm very interested in sampling both the discontinued Carven Homme and Gucci Envy for Men, but am afraid I'll love them... On the one hand I feel like I shouldn't bother because then I'll be disappointed when they are difficult to find or priced for rarity. On the other hand, I think I might really like them and don't want to miss out!

Similarly, I have a mini of Dirty English, which I'm really enjoying. I was thinking of buying a bottle but found out it is also discontinued and don't want to get attached...
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post #2 of 36
1/22/12 at 7:40pm
Well, if I really enjoyed/loved the fragrance, I'd buy one backup bottle. Once that's done, its time to move on imo.
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post #3 of 36
1/22/12 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oupavoc View Post

Well, if I really enjoyed/loved the fragrance, I'd buy one backup bottle. Once that's done, its time to move on imo.

Totally agreed. That's my limit, too. There are so many great fragrances, and so many more in the future. I don't want to get so hung up on the past that fragrance becomes a series of regrets. I tend to buy one bottle of something good that's discontinuing, and just leave it at that.
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post #4 of 36
1/22/12 at 9:21pm
Depends how much I love it- if its a strong like, I'll get 1 or 2 100ml bottles. if its love and I cant live without it, I'll aim to get 4-6 bottles.
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post #5 of 36
1/22/12 at 9:30pm
look how many old discontinued and vintage bottles are still available today form 20-30 years ago... buy a backup bottle now if you really feel strongly about it, but I have a feeling you'll be able to still get anything in another 10-20 years (if you're even still interested). Sure you'll pay a premium and have to do a little hunting, but chance are you'll find what you want no problem.
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post #6 of 36
1/22/12 at 11:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

Totally agreed. That's my limit, too. There are so many great fragrances, and so many more in the future. I don't want to get so hung up on the past that fragrance becomes a series of regrets. I tend to buy one bottle of something good that's discontinuing, and just leave it at that.

I would limit the backup to two at the most. No sense in storing bottles like a squirrel storing nuts.
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post #7 of 36
1/23/12 at 4:55am
If I really like something, I will try to hunt it down. It might take a while but eventually it shows up somewhere. Backup bottles do help though.
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post #8 of 36
1/23/12 at 5:23am
Stock up/use/enjoy them while you can. Dirty English is very cheap and easy to be found still (at least over here), purchasing a lifetime supply won't break the bank.
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post #9 of 36
1/23/12 at 5:31am
I tend to get multiple backups of fragrances I really like/love (mainly Chanels and Guerlains). I don't want to risk depleting my stash, and I figure I can sell them on in the future if I change my mind...

If you have one or a few favourite fragrances, I say it's a smart thing to get a couple of extra bottles before they're discontinued or reformulated. Practically all of them will be...
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post #10 of 36
1/23/12 at 5:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

I don't want to risk depleting my stash, and I figure I can sell them on in the future if I change my mind...

If you have one or a few favourite fragrances, I say it's a smart thing to get a couple of extra bottles before they're discontinued or reformulated. Practically all of them will be...

Exactly my thoughts!
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post #11 of 36
1/23/12 at 5:47am
^ This is my modus operandi also. Unleash your inner squirrel!
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post #12 of 36
1/23/12 at 5:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandhajala View Post

^ This is my modus operandi also. Unleash your inner squirrel!

squirrel+s
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post #13 of 36
1/23/12 at 6:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

If you have one or a few favourite fragrances, I say it's a smart thing to get a couple of extra bottles before they're discontinued or reformulated. Practically all of them will be...

Agree. Several have gone in just the last few years that we'll never see again.
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post #14 of 36
1/23/12 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oupavoc View Post

I'd buy one backup bottle. Once that's done, its time to move on imo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

That's my limit, too. There are so many great fragrances, and so many more in the future. I don't want to get so hung up on the past that fragrance becomes a series of regrets.

This sounds like good advice. And very freeing.
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post #15 of 36
1/23/12 at 6:02pm
I've been paying a ridiculous amount for Creed Cuir de Russie and recently bought another bottle from a member here.

I'm afraid after this one it may be time to let it go because I'm having a difficult time to justify the price.

But I just can't find anything close enough to replace it.
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post #16 of 36
1/23/12 at 7:35pm
Thread Starter 
It seems like there is a correlation between how much someone loves a given discontinued scent and how much backup they are willing to invest in...

As a few people have mentioned, I guess it is possible now to hunt down older fragrances. The internet is good but then again, probably so are some stores that have older stock.

When I think about it more, I don't mind searching to find a discontinued scent. I object, however, to paying a premium for it, so there is my line.
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post #17 of 36
1/23/12 at 7:39pm
There's a cliff near the ocean. The waves crash violently upon the rocks beneath it. I stand at the edge, and think "Go ahead, jump, it's easy. . ."
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post #18 of 36
1/23/12 at 7:59pm
Usually just cry myself to sleep for a while.....
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post #19 of 36
1/23/12 at 8:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronin E-Ville View Post

How do you deal with a discontinued fragrance

I cry.

No seriously. I do!

But then, I pick myself up off the floor, use the tears to wipe up the dust bunnies, and spray something else on.

I used to really bemoan the discontinuation of Halston Couture, and think maybe I should buy up old bottles I see online. But, recently, I've noticed the top notes have gone. There's just no going back. Even if I were to buy old bottles, those top notes are just gone, and there's nothing anyone in the world can do about it.

But I still cry!!!
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post #20 of 36
1/24/12 at 2:51am
I love everything in my collection but have decided to only back-up select fragrances with an additional bottle (with the exception of the odd Guerlain, which are investments in themselves). I don't use my wardrobe on a daily basis, so feel that any more would be overkill. But everyone's different...

But I agree with what others have said - if you fall in love with a new discovery, back it up ASAP. I've been doing this for the last 3-4 years and it's a discipline worth adopting.

As for the mentions about discontinued perfumes being available for another 10 years or more, don't get too comfortable. With decant sales being frowned upon, tighter distribution networks and the hassles involved with sites such as ebay.fr, methinks it's only a matter of time before the fragrance companies figure out a way to clamp down on purchasing vintage and discontinued stock (probably under either health and safety concerns or unauthourised selling/distribution - yes, it's bulls**t but so are the IFRA reformulations).

Get ready!
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post #21 of 36
1/25/12 at 3:22am
I tend to fall in love with frags already considered "vintage" - especially the older Carons and Guerlains. And Caron has just discontinued one of my favourites, their "Rose", and is threatening to do the same with their gorgeous "Or et Noir". So, whenever I can, I buy at least one backup, and thanks to putting the word around among family and friends, I have several backups for some frags.
The IFRA regs are forcing Caron and others to cut down on their precious ingredients, so they really can't make 'em like they used to.
But scouring eBay, etc., for discontinued lines? Once in a while, if there's a reputable seller, I might do this. But generally, I keep the old bottle and treasure my memories.
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post #22 of 36
1/25/12 at 9:00am
It's worth having a look on evil ebay because at the moment there seems to be lots of private decanting with no restrictions. I thought it wasn't allowed on there.

I do pay whatever it costs for a real favourite and back up with one large bottle and maybe more if I come across one by accident but they have to be a real favourite for that. The rest I just enjoy as they feel right and run out when I do.... but I do have to admit to having so many frags, that it would take me a lifetime to use them all up anyway. If I'm getting too low on an old frag, then I keep a small vial in a separate scent library and just sniff it instead, so I can't forget it's smell. Ok, so I'm obsessed. So?
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post #23 of 36
1/25/12 at 9:56am
I don't hoard any bottles of discontinued fragrances cause most fragrances won't get better with time.
In short I'd say: as you can do nothing about it, get over it and carry on.
For me it's just a fact that there are so many great and exciting scents out there that will be able to fill the gap.
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post #24 of 36
1/27/12 at 7:19pm
No use crying. Go on a sampling splurge at Perfumed Court, Lucky Scent, Aedes, or wherever else you can find 1 ml vials of perfumes you have never tried before. Research (either by reading or through people's recommendations) to find out which ones smell like your discontinued favorite. Try each of these side-by-side with whatever remains of your old perfume. Pick the one that smells most like the part you love in your old favorite, and move on.
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post #25 of 36
1/27/12 at 7:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplebird7 View Post

No use crying. Go on a sampling splurge at Perfumed Court, Lucky Scent, Aedes, or wherever else you can find 1 ml vials of perfumes you have never tried before. Research (either by reading or through people's recommendations) to find out which ones smell like your discontinued favorite. Try each of these side-by-side with whatever remains of your old perfume. Pick the one that smells most like the part you love in your old favorite, and move on.

I like this idea. Thanks, too, for the recommendations on places to order samples from.
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post #26 of 36
1/28/12 at 1:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronin E-Ville View Post

Similarly, I have a mini of Dirty English, which I'm really enjoying. I was thinking of buying a bottle but found out it is also discontinued and don't want to get attached...

I bought two 1 oz bottles of Dirty English and found out it was being discontinued. I immediately bought a 3.4 oz bottle and now have a second 3.4 oz bottle as a backup. I now have approximately 8.8 oz of DE so I won't have to worry about running out.
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post #27 of 36
1/28/12 at 3:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplebird7 View Post

No use crying. Go on a sampling splurge at Perfumed Court, Lucky Scent, Aedes, or wherever else you can find 1 ml vials of perfumes you have never tried before. Research (either by reading or through people's recommendations) to find out which ones smell like your discontinued favorite. Try each of these side-by-side with whatever remains of your old perfume. Pick the one that smells most like the part you love in your old favorite, and move on.

I agree with your attitude, purplebird, and this is exactly what I do when I'm looking for a new scent to fill the gap that a discontinued favourite has left in my scent wardrobe.
At the same time, I do grieve for the loss of the classic beauties, either through discontinuation or reformulation. having lost Caron Rose through the former, and L'Heure Bleue to the latter. It's not that I would like to wear these scents today, although I certainly would! But, these vintage perfumes are a part of our cultural history and a part of my own history, too. I'm English, so I treasure the past perhaps more than some might. We Brits are very hung up on our collective past and our antiques! But, you're right - we need to move on as well!
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post #28 of 36
3/21/12 at 9:23pm
It's like an old relationship. Try a bunch of new perfumes, you'll get over it.
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post #29 of 36
3/22/12 at 12:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lightgreen View Post

It's like an old relationship. Try a bunch of new perfumes, you'll get over it.

If only everyone was that cold and detached...
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post #30 of 36
3/22/12 at 1:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aiona View Post

I cry.

No seriously. I do!

But then, I pick myself up off the floor, use the tears to wipe up the dust bunnies, and spray something else on.

I used to really bemoan the discontinuation of Halston Couture, and think maybe I should buy up old bottles I see online. But, recently, I've noticed the top notes have gone. There's just no going back. Even if I were to buy old bottles, those top notes are just gone, and there's nothing anyone in the world can do about it.

But I still cry!!!

Me too!
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post #31 of 36
3/22/12 at 2:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by redrose View Post

It's not that I would like to wear these scents today, although I certainly would! But, these vintage perfumes are a part of our cultural history and a part of my own history, too. I'm English, so I treasure the past perhaps more than some might. We Brits are very hung up on our collective past and our antiques! But, you're right - we need to move on as well!

Move on????

I really do try, I smell away, but there are not many new frags that have captured me yet in the fulsome way that some of my oldies do. It may be just these have matured in themselves. Perhaps they weren't such mellow beauties then. Maybe they were sharper. I have a fair share of bad oldies too though.

I think the thing that seems to stand out for me, (bearing in mind I may be biased) is that my older frags that are considered masterpieces have a bravery in the front, a powerful punch that fades into the full beauty shortly after application. The new ones seem to try and get that secondary part up to the front for the sale and thereby lose it at the back end. Does that make sense?

If I could find something that gave me that fullness and depth now, then I would be fine with moving on. It's partly that missing factor that makes me meddle with making them. It's easy to create a nice smell, but extraordinarily difficult to create a masterpiece. Same as a good painting really.

Some of the new ones are superb, but for me, they just miss something to do with a soft fullness, something the oldies have and the new ones do not. I cannot tell you what it is, it is something that I cannot put my finger on..... yet
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post #32 of 36
3/22/12 at 2:32am
I drink lol
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post #33 of 36
3/22/12 at 3:28am
I will buy one or two bottles to stock up if i love the scent very much.The stocks i will use sparingly!
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post #34 of 36
3/22/12 at 3:47am
I also make sure that all my friends and family know which scents are my favourites, especially around my birthday and Christmas. Santa was very good to me this year. I now have four backups for Bulgari Rose Essentielle and two for Shem el Nessim!
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post #35 of 36
3/22/12 at 4:08am
Backups.
You can use them or you can get some money in the future (Dior Homme Intense, Pure Coffe/Malt/Havane) if you decide to sell it.
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post #36 of 36
3/24/12 at 6:24pm
I try to stock them if possible, but sometimes I arrive late to the "party".
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