As you all probably know by now, EBP isn’t some kind of industry lingo, as in, “Hey, Joe, what’s your ETA to the next delivery point?” It’s Emergency Backup Perfume, and it was coined by lovely Posse reader AnnieA on a post several years ago. It’s something a lot of us probably do without even thinking about it. We apply a scent at home, then put the spray or vial or mini bottle into to-go mode and head out the door. And after a busy day or week (or in my case, sometime months), we forget to take them all back out again.
Now that we’re heading into a new season, it’s high time to sniff some fragrant transitions.
As for me and my EBP, I’m carrying around decants/samples of Atelier Cologne’s Bergamote de Soleil, L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse Jasmine & Bergamote, and Parfumerie Generale’s Indochine and Aomassai, along with Parfums MDCI Les Indes Galantes, for these still-chilly spring evenings. I’m also test-driving a bit of Armani Prive’s Vert Malachite (more on this in an upcoming post), and am dying to try MDCI’s new Fetes Persanes but haven’t gotten hold of a sample yet.
What about you? Do have a peek at the bottom of your purses, backpacks, briefcases, etc., and share your EBP: What vials, decants, bottles, etc., are rolling around in there?
And, as always, a word of caution: I try to keep my EBP items in a plastic zip-top baggie in a feeble attempt at organization, but also mostly because I’m deathly afraid of leakage. Having once had the lining of a handbag stained this way, I’m not eager for a repeat performance. And it is nice to have your scent choices all together and see them at a glance, instead of spread out loosey-goosey in the bottom of your purse, which is what I used to do, before said accident.
In that fledgling spirit of organization, I’m trying to do the same with my lipsticks, balms and pencils, too, although they seem to multiply and keep overflowing the baggie and ripping it. Maybe I just need to break down and get a small makeup bag and start packing it all in.
BTW, I will be in and out of town and unable to reply, but I will be reading comments and enjoying seeing what great scents you all are toting around with you.
If my SOTD is from one of my samples or travel sprayers rather than one of my bottles, it gets tucked in my purse as I’m running out the door. The scents in my purse are the resulting flotsam and jetsam that my purse accumulates. A quick dig through my purse shows Atelier Cologne Sud Magnolia, TWO Un Jardin Sur le Nil (I thought I only had one sample of this….are they multiplying?), Acqua di Parma Mandorlo di Sicilia, Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay and Annick Goutal Songes. But the real shocker is how many lipsticks I’ve left in this purse!
Make up bags are a personal passion, just love stuffing them with goodies to carry around with me. I have a decant of Gypsy Water, and I love having chanel chance eau tendre cause is so pretty and easy.
Gotta round up the ebp and get an update of my own started!
What a great post. I love learning what everyone has for their backups. I have an awesome L’Occitane travel bag with my lipsticks, a cute blue tin of nivea creme, a rollerball of Kiehl’s musk oil, a travel size of Royal Apothic Noble Carnation and 5 mls of Dame Desert Rose. My blue travalo has JLo Deseo and my silver travalo has Adam Levine. Something for every mood and every season, just in case I find myself in the tropics or stuck in a blizzard. A girl has to be ready, ya know.
Ann, I love this post and comments. It reminds of the Sniffapalooza site that had a scent of the day posting. It disappeared or I just can’t find it but it was a daily joy for me. People posting near and far what they were wearing that day. I learned so much. A woman who made soaps in Pittsburg had a store I promised myself I’d visit one day. And so many others.
In my bag I carry a small rollerball of vintage #5(surrender to chance is the best!) and sample sprays of Sisley Champagne, SL Gris Clair and bergamote de soleil (thanks to your recent description).
Now Smell This (nstperfume.com) does a scent of the day. It is fun to hear about what everyone is wearing all over the world!
So I thought “no way I have this” as I’m a newbie with all of four bottles to my name. The only small decant I have is a beloved perfume I couldn’t afford a full bottle of, so I bought a small decant from Surrender to Chance.
But then I went to grab lipstick from my purse last night and realized… One a recent travel for work I wanted perfume but didn’t want to lug a huge full bottle. So I tossed three little spray testers from Sephora into my purse. Candy, Nirvana White, and Stella. Used all three (one each day of the trip) and all were OK. A little sweet for my everyday taste but pretty and inoffensive. (And those spray testers are so nice for traveling.
Count me in on the PG “Indochine” love. I have just about drained my third sample vial, so it’s time to buy the big one. I like this better than I have liked any scent in quite some time.
Accompanying it in my little glassine sample baggie are The Different Company “Des Sens et Bois”, Ramon Monegal “Mon Patchouly”, and Grossmith “Amelia”.
Such a fun question! I do this too, without even thinking about it. I keep Jour D’Hermes, Eau Premiere, and No. 19 in my pencil pouch at all time!
Hey Ann,
In my Trivia bag there are Madonna Truth or Dare and Costume National Nude rollerballs and a Tous Gold. Tuberose, Jasmine and Lily: can you see a theme.
Weird because we are heading into winter but the weather remains warm and lightly humid, just like spring.
Portia xxx
What a coincidence! I literally just finished organizing my purses, including transferring all my travel sprays to my current purse, and popped in for a break. That’s some crazy good timing.
Currently carrying Shalimar EDT, Terre d’Hermes, Chanel No.19 EDC and Cuir de Russie EDT. At work I also have emergency sprayers of Chanel Coco EDP, Jessica Simpson Fancy Love, and Bath and Body Works Dark Kiss. In my gym bag I have L’Artisan Timbuktu and Lush 1000 kisses.
Excited to see what everybody else uses for EBP! Thanks for bringing this up. 🙂
I just changed to Miss Dior Cherie and Chanel no 5 eau premiere.
Right now I am carrying vintage Miss Dior edc and Theorema. I haven’t fully transitioned to spring offerings yet.
I’ve been carrying around a small decant of Traversee du Bosphore while I figure out how I feel about it. I loooove the dry down, but sometimes the irisy suede can feel a touch suffocating.
Ooooooh, French Oakmoss! That sounds right up my alley! And if you’re also a Cuir de Russie and Salome fan, then I MUST try this!
I have a few small decants that I keep on hand for varying moods: Chanel No 19 for icy elegance, L’Artisan Premier Figuier for a friendly scent, and Cuir de Russie or Bandit for if I’m feeling like cutting a bitch.
Currently lugging around the usual suspects; L’Air de Rien, M, Epic Woman, and Musc Tonkin. Looks like Tabac Tabou is itching to join the year-round gang as well.
Seasonal debris that aren’t really necessary for summertime survival and will be put away when I get around to it are Rose of No Man’s Land (which is with my lip-balms for some reason, waiting to ambush me), Cuir de Russie, Salome, a mystery bottle that I suspect is Eau de Gloire, and a tiny vial of French Oakmoss (which has leaked quite a bit and is now part of the scent of my purse).
I carry quite a small handbag and could probably pare down quite a bit. I keep my little bottles contained in a leather belt pouch that keeps them upright and smells great on its own, but those that aren’t permanent fixtures are just floating around, leaking away or spraying my hand when I grope for my keys.