The "back of the wardrobe" challenge

[cazaubon]

I reached for Andy Tauer's Une Rose Vermeille - a sweet, raspberry rose, with moderate sillage and good longevity. Need to wear this one more often, it has been very pleasant and comforting today.

[cello]

Well, my sample pass samples arrived today, so I will have to bow out of the last two days of the challenge. But I just wanted to thank bonsai for a great idea, thread and challenge!!!!

All 5 fragrances I wore this week were on the chopping block as I consider a smaller wardrobe. And 3 out of the 5 have earned their stay! I am so glad I gave them another chance. Tuscan Soul and White are still under some threat, but who knows.

Isn't this stuff fun?!!!

[bonsai]

Today I am revisiting Vanille-Tonka from Parfums de Nicolai. It was a winter staple of mine some two years ago. For some reason I haven't reached for it in the last year. Another one which I should be wearing more often, it's a great light vanilla with a dash of spices. I guess I just have too much perfume to give every fragrance it's deserved share of wears.

[cello]

bonsai, I love Vanille Tonka! I pull it out every winter, but also don't wear it as much as I should. It is lovely though.

[sfmedusa]

From the back of my cupboard today I'm wearing Bulgari pour Femme.

Yet another blind cheapie buy (this one was £6 including postage) bought on BN reviews just to try. A great big bouquet of sweet flowers which is really violet-heavy, backed up by lots of standard Bulgari tea and vanilla.

I remember why I don't wear this very often now. It's a nice enough fragrance, but it's nothing unusual and I can't imagine anybody walking past having to ask what you're wearing because they love the smell so much.

[teardrop]

After taking a break yesterday, today l reached into my sample box to revisit Vol de Nuit. This one was sent to me by a particularly lovely basenoter around a year ago, & having tried it only once, l've been meaning to give it another go.

The first time around, l found that although it is a classic & complex scent, it didn't feel like "me". lt's just a little too retro in style, & rather "dense", with a kind of doughy note that detracts from the florals, moss & ambergris.
Today, l was hoping that this would reveal more of its beauty to me, but my opinion hasn't changed. lf anything, it seemed quieter & less complex than before. l can safely pass on this one, l think.

Bonsai, this thread was such a great idea, l'm all for keeping it going a while longer. l have a few more that require revisiting myself; who's with me?

[sfmedusa]

If I wear all of my fragrances in strict rotation then they would still only get 3 wears a year, so the back of the cupboard will forever be quite a rich hunting ground and I could keep this up for months!

[Graphite]

Today's fragrance has been on the chopping block (it's fun learning phrases) for a while. And I decided now to remove it from my collection: „Si Lolita” by Lolita Lempicka. The start is enjoyably fresh and lemonlike but changes soon into a kind of washy patchouli. Didn't want to explore it any further, just had to wash my wrists.

[arwen_elf]

Uhh, my experience exactly with Si Lolita. The top notes are so fun, the bottle so pretty, but the dry-down was a complete disappointment for me.

[Graphite]

Arpège by Lanvin today, the vintage extrait. Whenever I put it on I think this little 15 ml bottle will last forever. But as soon as the scent emerges in it's very beauty I feel like hunting some gallons on Ebay. It's hard for me detecting single notes. Before it even settles I get some light whiffs of vanilla alternating with these soft peach-peaks. The first hour I don't really fancy sniffing it directly on my skin as I find it too intense and overwhelming. It feels like everything is in there.
I want to wear it more often from now.

[sfmedusa]

From the back of my cupboard today, I've chosen Amarige de Givenchy. I'd forgotten quite how loud this is, or how long lasting. 5 hours in and it's still going strong, a complete wall of floral shouting. Tuberose, gardenia, jasmine, mimosa, yelling so loudly that my OH asked what scent I was wearing from the other side of the room.

Really not sure whether this one will make the cut.

[rowan-]

From the depths of my wardrobe, I fished out Brin de Reglisse, inspired by the last sync Friday.

I'm admittedly not fond of licorice, and my nose (and mind) automatically clicked shut the first time round upon detecting what it deemed a surfeit of it. But I've been on quite a lavender run of late, and it made sense to re-try this.

Now, I get a very brief blast of well-made herbal lavender just before the licorice kicks in. The first five minutes or so are still dominated by that big, black gob, but after that, the herbal lavender re-emerges and rolls about in the hay with the licorice for a bit. And then, two hours later, everyone's gone home without as much as leaving a trace of their presence.

I like how it's faintly, duskily sweet, not cloying like a lot of sweet fragrances out there. I can see myself wearing this more as the coming months get warmer.

[NineInchNell]

Diorling!!!!!

[bonsai]

Bonsai, this thread was such a great idea, l'm all for keeping it going a while longer. l have a few more that require revisiting myself; who's with me?

I was thinking the same - I still have plenty of bottles that need re-visiting and even more decants. So let's just keep the thread open and whenever someone feels it's time for re-discovering a scent he/she can just chime in.

I had to go scentless yesterday so I'm dedicating today to another fragrance which I loved from a sample, bought and then never worn: Santal Blanc. It's woody sweetness is a great counterpoint for the cold, crisp weather.

[teardrop]

I was thinking the same - I still have plenty of bottles that need re-visiting and even more decants. So let's just keep the thread open and whenever someone feels it's time for re-discovering a scent he/she can just chime in.

Cool! lt's interesting to read how others have changed (or not) their opinions on what they have, as well as to reflect on how one's own tastes have changed (or not!).

Today l revisited another classic & long-neglected sample; Tabac Blond by Caron.

The first time around, l found this one just a little too bitter & austere for me. ln fact l found that it cried out to be layered with something brighter & more floral, & so l tried it in combination with the modern Narcisse Noir EDT, which turned out to be a marriage made in heaven!
Trying it on its own again today, l detected a tiny bit more sweetness in it, but still felt the urge to layer it; an urge which l don't get very often. That seems to be the only way for me to enjoy finishing this sample; for me it's like a bunch of base notes in search of some top notes. Yes, blasphemy, l know.

[bonsai]

I am continuing the quest today with L'Erbolario Tiare. I bought it after having sniffed it in the shop. I gave it a (slightly) more thorough testing in my hotel room by spraying it on my wrist. I was quite disappointed: I smelt a lot of citrus, a bit of powder and it was all gone in a few minutes.

I took the plunge this morning and am giving Tiare it's first full wear. It hasn't turned into a ground-breaking perfume overnight but it is really pretty. I smell only the slightest of citrus and mostly a coconutty, powdery tiare. It will be great for the days when I don't want anything complicated just something simple, pretty and comforting. I'm glad my perception of it has changed for the better.

[Blue_Eyez]

This is a lovely thread! I go through the stages of reaching for my neglected bottles, decants and samples. Keeping the daily diary also helps - I can clearly see my favourites and the outcasts. My personal mantra is to wear everything I own in full bottles at least once a year. By doing so I found a few "been there, done that" fragrances I no longer wanted to wear and sold them with no regrets. Right now I have around 12 bottles that are ready to be sold.
Neglecting samples is a bigger problem, they are just sitting there forgotten. From time to time I dip into my sample stash and wear one for a day or two.

I will join this thread when I need a little more encouragement with my neglected bottles.

Good luck to all participating, clear the dust from the forgotten treasures!

[teardrop]

Today, another "classic" sample revisited; Mitsouko.

l see that the first & only time l tried this was 1 year, 1 month & 1 day ago, spookily.

l get why this fuzzy peach skin & oakmoss blend is so respected & revered, but these vintage-style chypres just don't seem to work for me. l don't dislike it as much as l expected to, but l still don't love it either. l can't quite put my finger on why, but l seem to need more light & shade in a fragrance, if that makes sense. As in a combination of sweetness with dirtiness, brightness with darkness, florals with animalics, that sort of thing. Whereas perfumes like Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit & Tabac Blond just come off as dense to me, with everything at the same volume from start to finish, & no "key change" to keep things interesting.

Am l the only one who feels like this??

[NineInchNell]

CHANEL CRISTALLE EDP - Cristalle EDT is better!!!

[elizrj]

teardrop, I only gave my sample of Mitsouko one wear, but your post made me want to revisit it this weekend. I can't remember exactly what I felt about it, other than it wasn't something I went back and tried again. It wasn't a "get it off, get it off!" reaction, but obviously wasn't something I craved either. That was pretty early on in my perfume journey, so I'm interested to see what I think now. I'll report back

[bonsai]

Today, another "classic" sample revisited; Mitsouko.

l get why this fuzzy peach skin & oakmoss blend is so respected & revered, but these vintage-style chypres just don't seem to work for me. l don't dislike it as much as l expected to, but l still don't love it either. l can't quite put my finger on why, but l seem to need more light & shade in a fragrance, if that makes sense. As in a combination of sweetness with dirtiness, brightness with darkness, florals with animalics, that sort of thing. Whereas perfumes like Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit & Tabac Blond just come off as dense to me, with everything at the same volume from start to finish, & no "key change" to keep things interesting.

Am l the only one who feels like this??

No, you're not the only one. I am slowly warming up to Mitsouko though, but it is probably the only classic(-style) cyphre I am more or less able of enjoying. I need a bit less sourness and austerity in a fragrance and more of everything else.

[teardrop]

teardrop, I only gave my sample of Mitsouko one wear, but your post made me want to revisit it this weekend. I can't remember exactly what I felt about it, other than it wasn't something I went back and tried again. It wasn't a "get it off, get it off!" reaction, but obviously wasn't something I craved either. That was pretty early on in my perfume journey, so I'm interested to see what I think now. I'll report back

l'll be interested to hear what you think, elizrj!

No, you're not the only one. I am slowly warming up to Mitsouko though, but it is probably the only classic(-style) cyphre I am more or less able of enjoying. I need a bit less sourness and austerity in a fragrance and more of everything else.

Thanks for the reassurance bonsai, it's good to know it's not just me! l often feel that l "ought" to like this kind of thing, but l have to accept that l just don't, & this thread has helped me to do that!

- - - Updated - - -

And now for something completely different;

Today l'm wearing Honey Coconut by Love & Toast. l had already tried a sample of this when l bought my bottle in a sale, but it was kind of an impulse buy. l had thought that l would find it way too sweet now, having not worn it in a while. lt is indeed sweet, but to my surprise l'm rather enjoying this today. l don't think l'd ever wear it outside the house, but it is a nice comfort scent & quite suited to this sunny day at home. l don't think l need 100mls of it though, so l may just keep a decant & sell the rest of the bottle. And it is a cute bottle.

- - - Updated - - -

Today (Sunday) l've revisited my sample of Stargazer by Yosh, which l first tried in September 2011.

That first time, it went from strangely stale-smelling to a sugary floral, before finally drying down to a creamy lily.
Today, it has behaved in exactly the same way. The drydown is a pleasant lily soliflore, but that first hour or so is not nice at all on me. l will stick to my bottle of DK Gold for my lily fix. (And some day, perhaps, Un Lys or Lys Mediterranee )

[kitsch]

Wearing "BNTBTBB" "Superworldunknown", which I find a positive boon during cold weather but hadn't unearthed until today, thanks to this thread.

It's so cheerful that it brightens up my day. If only I could describe it!

Today, for the first time, it had a spicy quality when I spritzed it on: then the unusual fruity scents came to the fore, shifting and changing and never allowing one recognisable fruit to dominate; and then the warm floral depths come into play, and the whole thing feels like the sun breaking through the clouds. It stays, like a rich but subtle candied fruits selection box, warm and colourful, with different scents catching my attention and drawing me back to breathe in deeply once again.

I love it! (I acknowledge that it isn't the same for everyone and isn't everyone's cup of tea.)

[Virtue&Sin]

Gosh! Haven't touched vintage Obsession or Baisier du Dragon in centuries.

[bonsai]

I really enjoy reading all your stories.

Today, I am re-visiting Rose Poivree which I haven't worn in more than a year. I was longing for something drastically different than what I wore during the last weeks (mostly orientals and a few soliflores). Rose Poivree is just wat I needed - no enveloping sweetness, no simple prettyness but a strong character. I am loving the cumin blast today (which makes me think that I'll have to re-visit Kingdom soon as well).

[sfmedusa]

I've pulled another one out of the back of the cupboard today (or at least out of the box of minis). Today's SoTD is Ivoire de Balmain, and I just can't stop sniffing it. I really do need to get a full sized bottle of this one.

Bitter, green, soapy and with just enough floral coming through to stop it being acrid. Mmmmmm

[mumsy]

Ivoire... one of my staples with oodles of back ups..... Mmmmn

I am trying a Serge Tubereuse Criminelle solid sample and I like it as a smallish smear. A very nice execution indeed.

[kitsch]

I unearthed "Mitsouko" parfum today, which a very kind lady gave me because it didn't hit the spot for her any more.

I don't know whether it should have real impact and lasting power, this parfum being my only experience of "Mitsouko", but it doesn't last on me and I don't get much from it. I'm probably under applying so I'll have to try again and be bolder!

[NineInchNell]

IN THE VERY BACK OF THE BACK OF THE WARDROBE - Vintage Weil's Antilope
I don't know why I've kept it back there! It's delightful. The oak moss, tonka, sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli give it a slight incense feel.

[sfmedusa]

And today's scent dredged from the back of the cupboard is a bottle of vintage Trussardi.

It's a bit loud, but the leathery scent is really rather lovely. No idea why I don't wear this one more often.

You know the down side of this challenge is going to be a major guilt trip, don't you? I feel like I'm letting all of these lovely scents down by only wearing them occasionally.