You know what I miss? Those sweet, heady days of my early perfume love, where I’d walk around in a fugue state with my wrist up to my nose, obsessing over some scent I’d read about on a blog. Going to SniffaPalooza, chatting online with folks when we were all pursuing/smelling the same thing at the same time, because there was a fraction of the options there are now….
I was thinking about that as I unboxed and reorganized my diminished fragrance collection. (Of course, my “diminished” fragrance collection could stock a small, quite eclectic perfume boutique, so don’t shed any tears for me.) Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share.
Today I’m giving away these two beauties as a set…. haven’t seen ones like this on eBay in awhile. These are legit vintage from my personal collection. Rochas Femme purse atomizers – the fancy one is pretty close to empty, which is why I’m combining them. Aren’t they chic?
If you want to enter the drawing, just comment below. Assuming you use your correct email address (which won’t be visible), I can contact you. The fine print:
- If you win you pay it forward by committing an act of kindness of your choice, whatever you can do to make the world a brighter place. Mow your neighbor’s lawn. Give up your seat on the bus. You know what you need to do.
That’s it. I’ll announce the winner in a couple of weeks.
There seems to be a cycle in perfume obsession, as with everything. I miss those heady days of New Love too, when the perfume blogs opened my eyes to all the wonders of niche and indies!
But 10 years later, it’s still the vintage fragrances that thrill my soul.. old love is the best love, after all! Thank you for a chance to win a classic beauty, and the reminder to always pay it forward.
Aw man…I typed a whole comment on my phone and it got deleted! Anyway – I’m fairly new to (or more accurately, inexperienced with) perfume, and I’m with Ariel in the comment above – how do you remember? Then again, when I first started liking beer (as in, good beer) I was sure I’d never remember the ones I’d tried, but after a while I remembered a lot more detail, even down to which fruit variety was in that Belgian sour I’d tried… Anyway, my perfume collection is mostly free samples, most of which I don’t like, but a few of which I love – and so far, I have zero vintage perfumes – hello grad student budget. I’ve always thought I didn’t “get” vintage, possibly because of the aldehydes in Chanel No. 5, but I haven’t really made a concerted effort, and I’m determined to delve into it and learn – as if I needed another collecting obsession!
I’m definitely in the newbie stage. I’ve only been seriously smelling for three years and have just hit the point where I need to take notes. Can usually remember scents if I love them, hate them, or find them fascinating- but everything else sort of slips through the cracks. How do you remember/catalogue what you smell?
Ooh! I love your RAOK suggestion! Amidst an incredibly difficult & painful year or so, I’ve found that doing unexpected raoks helps briefly ease my own distress. I think it’s because the recipients’ pleasure, and perhaps an expression of thanks, gives me a sense of warmth and connection.
I’m unfamiliar with Femme but would love to try this. Today I’m wearing Balenciaga Quadrille, another classic.
I smiled when you described your “diminished” collection. I can relate.
Your posts, back in the day, were some of the first writings about perfume I found when I discovered there were other people in the world as fascinated and obsessed about perfume as I was/am. It was a revelation!
Thanks SO much for your wonderful writing and the insights, reflections, opinions and laughs (!) you have shared over the years.
Rochas Femme (vintage) is a favorite of mine, so of course I was excited to see the bottles and the packaging. Whoever wins will receive a treat. 🙂
Ooooh, vintage Femme! I love its retro-skankiness, as well as the new version with the cumin! I’m in the same boat as Gina at the top of the comments — I have to set boundaries so I don’t wear myself out saying yes to every request for help that comes in. But it’s hard to say no!
So generous! I would love to enter. I remember “those days” too. Thank you.
I ended up here thanks to Perfume Shrine, may I enter the draw? I’ve never tried vintage Femme before!
How generous of you! Don’t enter me in the draw, but since I’m moving soon, you’ve made me think I should start being generous too!
I would love some vintage Femme, in any form. Nothing beats it. Want to be entered in the drawing. My fingers are crossed.
I’ve been wearing Femme since the ’60’s. If I had to choose only one..this is it. Vintage is to die for. Thanks for a chance to experience it again.
Thank you – this is lovely and inspring! <3
Wow. I’ve been on a vintage bender for the past month and just started reading and obsessing about Rochas Femme a few days ago. I recently tried Madame Rochas, but sadly the top notes seem to be entirely missing. I love the idea of paying it forward….you’ve got me thinking of all sorts of ideas now. I’ve been a follower of the Posse since 2006, and remember those heady days so fondly. This recent vintage pursuit has me recapturing some of that magic. Thanks for the draw, and thanks for sticking around all these years to grace us with your thoughts on our common obsession!
Thank you for sharing – I’m also thinking about what I can share from my own closets, in the spirit of paring down, minimizing, the thin edge of getting and giving. And…you are giving me a great education in scent – which I appreciate!
I think Femme is so pretty! As for the rest, Gina (1st comment) said almost exactly what I was going to say.
I’ve never tried Femme. It sounds really pretty. I love vintage and semi-vintage scents. Acts of kindness are always a good idea — thanks for inspiring us to do more!
I actually had a beautiful vintage bottle of Femme, in the first days of my perfume infatuation, and traded it away! Of course it was gorgeous, I just wasn’t ready. I love your idea to pay it forward with an act of kindness, and will do it–I won’t even wait to see if I win this draw or not. It’s a beautiful thought for today, and I thank you for that.
Bought this or the very first time on our honeymoon. Wonderful memories!
Hello, from Montreal, I quite enjoy your posts. I am 10 months into my renewed perfume journey. I wore very little for decades. I have a vague recollection of of Rochas Femme, and would be delighted to have a vintage bottle to refresh my memory. Thanks for your generosity.
How nice! I’d love to try Femme – have not sampled it despite the love it gets on the blogs. Thanks so much for doing this and spreading the love in more ways than one ; )
This is a great idea for a giveaway, March, thanks for the chance. Vintage Femme no less, wow!
I will happily do an act of kindness in your honour! We can all make the world a better place together!
Recently tried Madam Rochas and was thinking to try Femme as well, thanks for this generosity
I love both vintage Femme, and purse atomisers dearly, thank you so much for this beautiful gift! I’d be ecstatic to win these, and have one more reason to do something nice for a fellow human being. Love to all.
So lovely to see the elegant box and beautiful bottles. Rather strangely for a teenage girl, my first perfume love was a Rochas. Madame Rochas rather than Femme which was my first solo perfume purchase 46 years ago. I bought a vintage sample on STC a while back to see what it evoked and in a heartbeat I was right back in the little perfumerie in St Albans, near London. So don’t put me in the draw give the box and it’s lovely contents to someone who loves Femme. However I might well do an act of Kindness in your honour anyway March!
I have never tried the Femme and these bottles are beautiful. Thank you for your kind giveaway. We need to be generous now, more than ever to all our fellow creatures and living beings– and to enjoy and delight in beauty!
Femme is so great. A nd vintage so better.
Thank you for this generous and thoughtful giveaway . I am
All about oakmoss and classic scents .. wearing the tuberose siren Fracas tonight ..
I am still enjoying those early days of perfume love. A longtime friend of mine has been generously supplying me with samples and I test and chart each one, noting my favourites. It’s so much fun! I made my first blind buy a few months ago – l’Heure Bleu by Guerlain – and it proved to be a delight. I pass samples on to my mom and sister so they can discover and enjoy as I have. Thanks for your post – I’m learning a lot from the Posse!
Just seeing these Femme bottles and boxes brought tears to my eyes. Femme was my mother’s signature fragrance from my childhood in the 1950’s. Every birthday my dad and I would visit the department store to buy mom Femme in many different forms. I think it is the oakmoss that resonates with me. Just being able to spray this vintage beauty would bring back the fondest memories of my mom. The current Femme smells nothing like your memorable vintage, beautiful and haunting fragrance.
I love Femme! Thank you for the giveaway!
I loved vintage Femme as a teenager! Thank you for sharing your lovely treasures!
Rochas Femme! *faints *
Those are gorgeous bottles! What a generous offering. I don’t need to be entered in the give away as I still have some vintage Femme.
Just the loverly kind of sendoff for my school year! Thank you!
Oh lovely! I’ve actually wanted to try Rochas Femme. What a generous giveaway. 🙂
Femme is so pretty. What a kind and generous thing to do and ask of people. I pay it forward all the time. Actually, I am a giver and takers find me. So, I have gotten better boundaries but not stopped giving to people who also are givers. That’s the best dynamic if you give and others give and we all receive and we all give. Blessings to you!
I’m with you, Gina! Boundaries are necessary – they allow us to give without getting burned out on giving. I love doing random acts of kindness – ups the endorphins!
btw, March: obvs dnem – I have enough of the splendid Femme to last me a splendid lifetime!
xoxoxo