Hi Posse, I’ve been cleaning up my shelves a bit this week. Actually, I was looking for a specific Surrender To Chance decant which seems to have been gifted, emptied or lost. The search isn’t over yet. What I did find were a bunch of 10ml Dehydrated Decants from my early perfumista years that might have had 3-7ml left last time I used them but now they are 2ml or less. PANIC STATIONS! I’ve brought a little box of about 20 out and am going to use them up. Most are long DCd and I’ll be sad to lose them as references, but I’d rather wear them than come back to fully Dehydrated Decants and never wear them again.
Dehydrated Decants
So I’m just going to wear these over the week and write a little blurb on how they smell. Nothing big time or revelatory. If you’d like to use up some of your Dehydrated Decants this week as well then tell us what you’re wearing in the comments.
Papavero del Tibet by Tesori d’Orient:
Supposed to be poppy, it’s a sweet and narcotic style fragrance. I wonder if they are trying to create the rush and release of heroin? I would have picked it to be hyacinth, daffodil and lily with a light candy sideline, waxy coating and hints of hairspray.
Audace by Rochas EdP:
NOPE. Audace was merely a dried stain in the bottom of my decant glass. Truly one of the most Dehydrated Decants. It smells like it’s gone south. The aldehydes are greasy and stomach churning. THUNK
Panthere de Cartier:
A dark brown ml left in an unopened 10ml decant. It is so thick & viscous that it squirts out as oil. The smell is unbelievably ripe and sensual. A floral, animalic, heavenly scent that feels like kitchen sink perfumery at its very best. How naughty that I never used this in its prime. THUNK
Gardenia by Marc Jacobs:
Gardenia is a plastic wrapped, soft white flower that doesn’t display any of the grand nuance or naughty bits of a gardenia. Swings slightly bathroom deodorant-ish. As a result, no wonder this was left to become one of my Dehydrated Decants. THUNK
Violets de Toulouse by Berdoues:
Remember getting Violets de Toulouse? Nope, but it might have been on the back of Patty’s review. Another “never been spritzed” that has evaporated away. Consequently I have about 1ml of super extrait. It was an oil that pumped out. Super rich violet, lilac and crepe myrtle scent that warmed to my body heat and pumped out a pure, sugared, slightly funky floral miasma. DAMN! So good. THUNK
Rose Anonym by Atelier Cologne:
I’ve written of my love for Rose Anonym before. A bready, oudish rose that leans woody. Just a couple of spritzes will have you fully fragrant for weeks. OK, I exaggerate, 24+ hours. HUGE! I spritzed my last 7 spritzes and I stink good. THUNK
Fete by Molyneux:
VERY lovely aldehydic floral. Imagine a cross between CHANEL No 5 and Mitsouko, yet sheer and velvety with the unmistakable oak mossy dry down of a chypre. Fete feels like a clever, charming and less self important version of both. The fun sister, if you will.
Come on. Join in the thunking fun. Find some Dehydrated Decants and use them up.
Tell us how it went in the comments.
Portia xx
Cartier Panthere is one of my all-time favorite perfumes. I still have a little from my original bottle, and I’ve purchased two back up bottles in good condition from eBay. I never want to be without!
I have lost a few precious samples to dehydration, thankfully not to many. I have difficulty thunking perfume, perhaps because I love the reference as well.
I’ve been working through my almost-empty decants this past week, too! I found a nearly-dried-up sample of Coromandel from back when STC still carried Chanel — I’d forgotten how good that was! Also the dregs of some Vero Profumo Rubj and SL Fumerie Turque.
I started my perfume journey about 10 years ago, and then forgot about it. Only in the past year have I become re-obsessed. I was going through my older decants from STC and found a favorite had dried up. It’s long discontinued, as far as I can tell. It was Vanille Princesse Hippie by Des Filles a la Vanille. My god, it was the most beautiful vanilla I’ve ever smelled. I still have the bottle and open it up from time to time to suck in any remaining fumes. I could kick myself for not ordering a FB while it was still available.
Hey Angel,
I hear your pain. In these modern days of DCing things quickly and without warning it’s always best to buy it immediately if you love it.
Portia x
I wonder whether adding a bit of perfume grade alcohol would help with the more viscous decant remainders. In any case, this is definitely prodding me to continue with Project Decant – Indult Reve en Cuir might up next, despite how sad I’d be once it was no longer around.
You’re probably right AnnieA. It would get some semblance of the original back.
I’m seeing Aussie perfumer Ainslie Walker tonight, she may have a bit to spare.
Portia xx
Ok, I’ll play along. Found one I haven’t touched in ages: Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche edt. Just a few drops left. This is the green one with the Tinkerbell dress on the bottle. Top notes are very citrus-y, maybe a bit screechy. Then the almond and pistachio notes start showing up. Nice for spring. THUNK
YAY DinaC,
Love that satisfying THUNK sound.
LPRN Eau Fraiche was really pretty. I bet you smelled gorgeous wafting it.
Portia xx
Ok, so I guess it’s time I use up my Meringa by Profumum…omg it’s soooo sweet. No wonder it took me so long to use it again. I only have one more decant of Hermessence Agar Ebene and it’s sort of newish so there’s no rush. The FM travel sizes don’t count, right?
Btw, Fete de Molyneaux was my mum’s favourite perfume 🙂
Hi Neva,
HA! Too sweet? Tooth ache?
FM Travel sizes are bottles in my book.
Portia xx
Man, I hate the way they dry up like that. I’m going to bust some out as well, thanks!
Excellent March.
In fairness there are all probably 10+ years old. It serves me right.
Do come back and share your wears.
Portia xx
I have I think 5 decants. All of which I use. Otherwise I just do not take them. I hate anything other than proper bottles. I did have one dry up years ago, which at the time totally surprised me. No idea what it was.
Assuming my one gorgeous Travalo does not count as a decant? Bussis.
Hey Val,
Ainslie is the same. She only likes to have the full presentation as part of the experience. I’m only concerned with the smell of the juice, even though I can be moved to purchase by lavish packaging.
Your Travel is a decant, because you decanted it in.
Do you ever find big bottles a problem for travel?
Portia xx
I have the Hermès travels and the Malle travels and the IUNX travels . They are what I always take. Never a bottle.
Yeah, snap.
That 20ml IUNX travel is seriously gorgeous, eh?
Oh yes! This is my kinda post. I have about 100 of these and so it will be decant week! Most of mine don’t get dehydrated till that last ml and when out of the box exposed to sun and just sitting around.
Hey Shiva-woman.
YAY! Yeah, use some up. Come tell us what you finished.
Portia x