I just weeded out a lot of my '90s and more recent florals for reasons listed in the "owned" introduction. I am older and feel I need more complex, less sweet, scents (except I LOVE rose scents). I "stumbled" into fine fragrances in the '80s, when I lived in NYC and worked temporarily at Bloomingdale's. A co-worker transferred to fine fragrances and would regularly soak me with Poison or Obsession (both of which I LOATHE to this day) and give me big bottles of them, or give me many, many samples. Two that I remember fondly are Anais Anais and Flora Danica. The Must de Cartier was a very expensive gift, and that's a funny story. My ex worked for a prominent political figure, and two female journalists from Spain wanted to interview him. My ex set it up, and they presented him with a gift for me, which turned out to be the perfume in the collectible bottle. Luckily, I really loved the scent, since the bottle is so elegant. I have read here that the '90s version is NOT the same as the '80s version; that is disappointing. As for the Shalimar, well, I bought that in 1972 when I was 17, with my FIRST PAYCHECK, at the Navy exchange. I loved the name and the look of the bottle, and I thought it was EXTREMELY grown up and sensual, and I always wore it when I wanted my first boyfriend to know I wanted him to make a move, so he REALLY liked it. I still love it, although I don't think any subsequent male in my life liked it very much, so I didn't wear it for a LONG time, despite always making sure that I owned a bottle. I am looking forward to adding to my collection and have ordered A LOT of decants and have been haunting the shelves at Sephora sniffing and learning, as well as spending too much time on the internet learning as much as I can, as quickly as I can. I don't expect to add to my collection too quickly, given the cost of some of these scents, but it sure is FUN to read about perfume and test it!
