The Perfumes you LOST (discarded, gave away, sold, lost) that Haunt You

When I was moving back to the states after 6 months in Paris, I found that I had acquired a lot in that half year. Just after saying good-bye to a large group of Christmas holiday guests, I had a day and a half to pack and mail back anything that wouldn't fit in my 2 suitcases, as well as cleaning out the apartment! Running out of time, money, and physical endurance for the whole brutal process, in the final hours I made a hasty decision about a bag of miscellaneous, less valued miniature masculine-market perfumes--I would have to discard them, while keeping a shoebox of more carefully selected masculine minis. But it turns out that I must have put (much earlier) my mini of Jean Patou "Voyageur" in the art deco ship in that bag, because it didn't fit in the shoebox! The mini Voyageur had come in the first set of mini's I ordered from Ebay in Paris, at a time when I knew nothing about perfume, and it was a lovely curiosity. I certainly meant to keep it... Now, as I explore other vintage Patou scents like Normandie, that little ship flacon haunts me...
And you? What are the perfumes that got away but that are forever lodged in the "melancholy"-region of your brain?
That ship has sailed... But not in my memory.

Everything I gave away was simply what didn't fit in my collection and had not regrets ridding myself of them.

hednic said:

Everything I gave away was simply what didn't fit in my collection and had not regrets ridding myself of them.

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You know what though--I just found that these beautiful little mini's are NOT rare! I was able to order one on Ebay with no problem.

So weird you just posted about that one @Flakonkrystal, I just took a mini of it off my eBay watchlist because I already have so many of them! I'm taking this as a sign to buy it now. I love it when people give me a good excuse!

Generally, I'm trying to let go of things more and more, including fragrance, when I longer use it or feel I need it. But what will I do with some of my beautiful Guerlain bottles? They are iconic works of art in themselves! Definitely tempted by the Vol de Nuit Parfum propeller bottle and the little Samsara Parfum presentation, might find a shelf for them.

_Nicolas_ said:

So weird you just posted about that one @Flakonkrystal, I just took a mini of it off my eBay watchlist because I already have so many of them! I'm taking this as a sign to buy it now. I love it when people give me a good excuse!

Generally, I'm trying to let go of things more and more, including fragrance, when I longer use it or feel I need it. But what will I do with some of my beautiful Guerlain bottles? They are iconic works of art in themselves! Definitely tempted by the Vol de Nuit Parfum propeller bottle and the little Samsara Parfum presentation, might find a shelf for them.

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To your question of "what will I do" with those bottles that are iconic works of art in themselves--keep them?... Good luck! Do you have a swap list up?

Flakonkrystal said:

Do you have a swap list up?

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Sorry, swap list for what?

ETA Oh, the stuff I'm getting rid of? Just giving them away, I'm sending 2 bottles to a fellow-Basenoter soon and then I'll only have half a dozen left.

Sold for cheap:

TF Beau de Jour in Private Blend bottle
2014 Ambre Nuit
Vintage Antaeus
Amouage Opus VI

I’ve bought too many things and sold too few to have regrets. I’ve sold on a couple of venerated frags, and I don’t miss them at all. There are “the ones that got away” that I didn’t buy, but it’s telling that I don’t remember what they were.

I was sad to have lost a deep vintage bottle of Houbigant Fougère Royale when the seller didn’t prepare it properly for international shipping and it was confiscated by customs and presumably destroyed. That doesn’t really haunt me, though.

I suppose I should snag one of those Voyageur minis before it’s too late. I’d much rather have the original Normandie on which the Voyageur packaging was based, but that ain’t gonna happen.

Somewhere around 2010-11, I decluttered. Dumbass move. Sold Gucci PH I, Sycomore EDT, Rochas Lui, and Lubin Idole EDT, along with a bunch of stuff I don’t miss. Oh, well. Maybe I wouldn’t love them as much as memory tells me I would. Other favorites from that time are now rare wears for me.

My wife trashed a partial bottle of vintage Madame Rochas because it was too old, and she wanted a fresh one! Neither of us realized that people might care about the old bottle!