Hi there Perfume Posse, Blind Buys are excitement and bane of so many perfumistas. You read a couple of reviews, or see a gem written about in a book, and you kNOW that it is the one for you. The description is EXACTLY how you want to smell, feel, become. Maybe it tells you that this is the fragrance that will finally give you the sexual allure of a panther in heat, the backbone to deal with a nasty MIL of co-worker, the aloof air of someone desirable but untouchable or the Get Outta My Way bombast of a person on a mission.
Yes, you are not alone. I too succumb, less so nowadays because I can usually force myself to buy a sample or decant before the plunge. Sometimes though it’s late at night and I’m trolling the net. This can happen especially often after eating junk food. My brain goes on search and find missions and takes my credit card with it. He He he. I should know better, and mostly I do but sometimes…….
Blind Buys: When Have You Bought An FB Of Boring?
Here are a couple of my rotten Blind Buy disasters. Now I’m not dissing the scents as such so please don’t get your tithes in a twist if I’m having a go at your FAVOURITE ever fragrance. All I’m saying is that this one was not the one for me. Call it science, call it taste, call it whatever; at the time I bought these beauties they were meh, bleaugh or OMG not for me.
Pure Turquoise by Ralph Lauren
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Black current blossom, violet leaf, lily-of-the-valley, Cereus cactus flower
Heart: Orange blossom, Bulgarian rose, desert lily
Base: Patchouli, birch, amber, vanilla, bourbon, rum
Nope. Basically on me this was quarter strength 100% artificial cordial flavoured water. Lasted about 27 seconds and then sank into my skin. I gave it to a girlfriend on whom it blossomed and smelled like everything it was supposed to. She smells like a fresh spring bouquet and it lasts for ages on her. While I was bummed it was nice that for one of my disaster blind buys it all turned out OK.
Casual by Paul Sebastian
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, rose, citruses
Heart: Cyclamen, ylang-ylang, fruity notes
Base: Tuberose, heliotrope, tonka bean
Whoever wrote this note list was high on crack, and they called it a parfum strength too. I was so excited when I read about this fragrance that it was one of my blind buys at full retail. Now Casual is not all that bad and I think I wore it a few times when I didn’t want to smell of perfume. If I was an fragrance free office worker or really didn’t like fragrance at all then this would be a perfect fit. All the joys of maximum spritzing with little or no pay off. Basically on me Casual smelled like a functional fragrance packaged as fine fragrance.
OK, your turn. Tell us about Blind Buys that were a disaster?
Portia xx
BTW Neela Vermeire Creations Rahele Winner is Kandice
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Devastated. De. Va. Stated. to not get the Vermeire sample! Oh well — thanks for doing such a precious draw!
I bought a FB of Balmain’s Ivoire, because I found it for a good price and I’d read somewhere that it was Greta Garbo’s scent, but it’s pretty meh. Not bad, just not all that great. I gave it to a sister-in-law who likes fresh laundry scents. I also have a FB of Lutens’ Datura Noir that I can’t decide about — some days I kind of like it, and other days it bugs me. It’s not boring — it’s just kind of kitschy and I can’t decide if I like it.
Most of my blind buys are purchased at discount stores such as Ross or TJMaxx which, here in the US allow returns,luckily. I think they allow returns because most of the bottles they sell have been returned in a previous life so they are not ‘pristine’ anyway. I’ve bought some from there that were definitely missing a few mls but for the discounted price, most don’t mind.
Hey GrandmaGaga,
Lucky you. Here in Australia we do not have such luxurious sale stores.
Portia xx
Halloween by Del Poza, because, Halloween! Weak aquatic but it expected so much more. Same for Prince but I’ll keep that one forever as a tribute :'(
Hi Rina,
I have often looked at those bottles online and wondered what the juice is like. thanks for daring to wear them, now I won’t have to.
Portia xx
My worst disappointment so far was RL’ Notorious’. I already adored Safari and Lauren and now there was a scent inspired by Hitchcock that was meant to be a smoky sweet floral leather??? Sign me up.
I buy it at Macy’s, open packaging in my car and spray lavishly, ready in my red lippie to feel mysterious and….nothing. Just a faint scent of sweet fizz, like I had spilled Fanta Orange all over my arm. The barest hint that I may have been wearing a leather jacket when I did it and that is it.
Gutted. Gave it to a friend who used it up.
Hi Meredith,
Yes, trusting houses to keep the good stuff nowadays is not possible, except maybe Serge Lutens.
I have a theory that these new fragrances that smell of soda pop are not bad but it’s like wine. Once you know the really good stuff it’s hard to have the dross. So for us a scent that’s unthinkable is perfectly fine for anyone who only likes perfume on the outside of the perfumista life.
Portia xx
Pure Turquoise is evil because it doesn’t smell good at all. I only have a bottle is because my sister got it for me one year at Christmas. Only wore it a few times before giving up. The original Daisy was a cheap blind buy that didn’t smell good to me, nothing but tomato leaf to my nose. A couple of the Frapin’s I bought blind didn’t work out. Still gotta list those on e-bay.
HA! Eldarwen,
Great to see you.
Did you pass the Turquoise along too?
Some of the Frappes are a bit much, what a shame because the good ones are really good.
Portia xx
Charles of the Ritz, I’ll never forget. Early in marriage, bought the whole shebang, powder, lotion, perfume. Enveloped myself in, what I thought, was a ravishing scent. My husband declared it Charles of the Stench! Gave it all to my girlfriend. When you introduced your retro scents, I was wickedly tempted to buy it again. After 52 years, sometimes it’s fun to tease!
What a great story Jeanne,
Were you devastated at the time? My partner has vetoed a few of my scents so I wear them to work.
Portia xx
Ohhhhh…I loved Charles of the Ritz in high school! It was one of my faves! I’ve been trying to find it ever since, but alas, no luck.
MFK Baccarat Rouge 540. Crazy expensive and I bought it blind, based on rave reviews and the notes list. Sprayed it on myself in anticipation of olfactory bliss and I smelled… nothing. Spritzed several more times, I could see the oily sheen on my skin, but… nothing. Totally anosmic to whatever is in it. Sold it 2 days later on Facebook for a loss. Never again.
WOW TaraC,
That’s a big ticket blind buy. How bloody annoying.
Glad you could move it on though.
Portia xx