Damn, I wish I bought a backup

Snap. Last week, Tom wrote about department stores that are gone. I’d already started to conceptualise a post on perfumes etc that have disappeared.

There isn’t that much long gone I kick myself about but the ones I missed — yeah, good, hard kick.

First off is the Victoire Gobin-Daude line, French niche launched in 2002. There were five fragrances: Biche Dans l’Absinthe, Jardins Ottomans, Nuit au Desert, Seve Exquise and Sous le Buis.

In the order as above: BdA is listed by Fragrantica as aromatic green; JO was citrus; ND was spicy wood; SE was another aromatic green; and SlB was yet another aromatic green and the one I still hanker after.

These were good perfumes, well worth attention. But I guess at the time there were so many releases they simply couldn’t compete. Sous le Buis smelled so very green but in a musky way – ie, not a clean, sharp green, but having a bit of a pond scum aspect. It was so very weird and wonderful but I never bought it (because as I said above there was just so much out there at the time).

When the brand closed, the bottles went on sale in various places at deep, deep discounts and I thought I had time to grab a SlB. Alas, no. It’s one of those things that pops into my mind unbidden and I’m still frustrated 20 years later that I don’t have a bottle for that every-once-in-a-while requirement.

Next up is Tauer Orris, a limited edition release from 2006. I love the idea of an iris perfume, but I can’t wear most I’ve tried. However, I could (and can) wear Orris. There’s a quarter inch left in my bottle and I revisit it about twice a year mostly just to sniff. Rooty, slightly sour and with a bit of spiciness, drying down to a fairly typical soft, spicy, resinous Tauer base. Cinnamon, black pepper, grapefruit, orris root, rose and sandalwood, it was cheap in the scheme of things and I should have gone back for at least two bottles (if not more).

Finally of perfumes is Guerlain Mitsouko, which I know isn’t discontinued but I have a bottle of parfum from the 1990s which is just so much more than what is offered now I wish I’d bought a backup. Sigh. It’s just so rich and unsettling. Makes you wonder what the earlier iterations were like – because, man, they must have been …

Last item is a candle, Dans l’Atelier de Cezanne, which smells absolutely like an artist’s studio: linseed oil, paints, turps. I bought one candle, one, from Lucky Scent and had it sent to my father’s place lord knows how long ago. At least 10 years but probably more. I really don’t know why I didn’t buy loads of them. It wasn’t hugely pricey. And then it disappeared (like the Dans Le Sac de Ma Mere from Goutal that I never got round to – silly, silly). I have found another painter’s studio candle, and it smells good, but it’s twice the price (at least) of the Cezanne and I won’t know till I buy and burn it whether it ‘holds a candle’ to the that.

So, anything gone you now miss and wished you’d bought loads of backups of?

Pics: Pexels and mine

  • Neva says:

    Oh, that hurts…I wish I’d bought a lifetime supply of Antonia’s Flowers Tiempe Passate. I bought my first bottle, decided I cannot live without it and soon after that the brand shut down the production. The perfume was so rare that there was no bottle around anymore.
    I’ve never tried the Gobin-Daudes but when you mentioned Sous le Buis and the pond scum aspect, I immediately had Serpentine by Comme des Garcons on my mind. It may be worth trying if you’re not familiar with it.

    • cinnamon says:

      That one lasted such a short time. It’s weird because it was beautifully done. Will look for Serpentine.

  • Musette says:

    Vacances. From ‘ back when.
    Coty Chypre. From ‘back when’
    No5…from ‘back when ‘
    My figure…from ‘back when’
    Sigh

    • cinnamon says:

      Yeah, the back when’s … You reminded me of a picture my boyfriend from age 16 sent me (we’re FB friends) from that time. Like many young women I wasn’t happy with my body and I look at that pic and just weep because, like so many of us, I was just fine — or more than fine. And not knowing that mucked up my attitude towards dieting etc for decades afterwards.

  • Anna Egeria says:

    I greatly regret not stocking up on the original Carolina Herrera fragrance but I never thought it would be reformulated. I miss people asking what I’m wearing. My other regret is an Angel flanker, Angel Violette.

  • March says:

    What a lovely list. Those Gobin Daudes were around for an eye-blink — I think I sniffed most of them but didn’t buy a bottle. I’d love a time machine so I could pick up the last three on your list, which I think were my favorites if I’m remembering correctly. Then I’d go back earlier in time (the 1950s?) and pick up some Guerlains, knowing that reformulation is a thing.

    • cinnamon says:

      I remember so much noise about them and feeling grumpy for some reason and it taking me a while to sample them. Lesson learned. A perfume time machine?

  • Dina C. says:

    I’m still sad about missing out on the bargain of the century. Someone on ebay was selling several bottles of Vol de Nuit Evasion, a scent that I love and have had on my wish list for years, for fifty bucks! Well, wouldn’t you know, everyone on Makeup Alley ran over and bought them all, including folks who had no idea what they were buying, or if they would like it! I missed out. Heavy sigh.

  • rosarita says:

    Ava Luxe Madame X was the sexiest scent I ever smelled. I had a tiny decant and told myself I didn’t need a bottle and it was discontinued soon after. I also swapped away Fendi original and Palazzo and wish I still had them.

    • cinnamon says:

      I remember Ava Luxe (again from Makeup Alley). I sometimes wonder if swapping was actually a bad thing as it gave us so many chances to get rid of things for things we thought we wanted more.

  • Tom says:

    Oh lordy, so many come to mind.. first one is Barney’s Route de Thé because I was a fool and told myself I didn’t “need” to buy extras because it was an extravagant expense. I would have enjoyed having that extra bottle stashed more than whatever “necessity” I spent the money on.

  • Portia says:

    Heya Cinnamon,
    There are a few but the brand I wish most that I had a complete set and multiple backups of is Tommi Sooni. An Australian outfit that created beautiful, slightly weird fragrances. They were critically acclaimed and available in some of the world’s premier perfume purveyors but for some reason, with no warning, the company folded.
    Now, because they are so precious to me I hardly wear them, which kind of defeats the purpose of having them at all.
    Portia x

    • cinnamon says:

      Ah, Tommi Sooni. When I was still running the website either they contacted me or me them and I ended up with a full sample set. Would have loved to have stocked them but the shipping costs would have meant pricing the bottles at stupid money, which wouldn’t have been accepted then. Now, I think people would pay the ridiculous markup…

      • Portia says:

        I remember them being equal or a very little more than Serge at the time. It wasn’t offensive and I can’t even remember why I didn’t grab them all.

  • Kathleen says:

    Vero Kern Roxy was a big regret not purchasing. I wish I had purchased back up bottle of the original Cartier Panthere parfum and Chanel No 22 from the late 90s. And surprisingly, back up bottle of Guerlain Champs Elysees which now has been discontinued with a much higher price point for bottles on eBay.

    • cinnamon says:

      Ah, eBay. Sure, you can sometimes find stuff there but people have now caught on with regard to pricing. And for us in UK the shipping on the US-based stuff is prohibitive.

    • alityke says:

      Kathleen the Guerlain website lists Champs Elysees as part of the current Les Legendaires line. Most are supposed to be pretty good reformulations. Could you get hold is a sample?

    • Alison says:

      Ah Chanel No 22! Been wearing it since I was a teenager and it remains my favorite, in its original formulation. And Calandre, same.

  • alityke says:

    I wish I hadn’t sold my export bottle of SL MKK.

    • cinnamon says:

      I wish I had gotten Tubereuse Criminelle when it was available as an export. The weird Palais Royale bottle is over £200.

  • Eldarwen22 says:

    I am still kicking myself for getting back ups of Noontide Petals and Rose Chypree by Andy Tauer. I am also kicking myself for not getting Les Annees 25 when I had the chance. Managed to get my hands on Une Rose Vermille back up.

    • cinnamon says:

      It feels like a lot of really wonderful niche either imploded or had to make some difficult decisions about what to keep and what to cut of course due to funding. Andy Tauer doesn’t appear to want to go down the road of private equity money. So has had to be ruthless.

  • SpringPansy says:

    L’Artisan Dzing! is the one that pops into my mind, the one in the old bottle with the bolt cap. And maybe Safran Troublant. I wish I’d bought them earlier when they were reasonable and before reformulation. I also wish I’d kept my original bottle of Lutens Chergui that I traded away years ago. And while we’re at it, I’ll take a bottle of the version of Je Reviens that I wore in the 1970s and 80s.

    • cinnamon says:

      I would love a bottle of YSL Opium from when I wore it in the 1980s. That was some serious stuff. And I miss Dior Hypnotic Poison — gave away my bottle in a moment of madness (really was a moment of madness as the young woman who got it grew into an awful adult).

      • rosarita says:

        I found a bottle of HP recently that’s from sometime in the last few years and it smells great. Less bitter almond, boo, but still great.

  • Fernando says:

    At the top of my list is Guerlain’s Arsène Lupin Dandy, which they discontinued, the idiots. Then there’s all of Vero Kern’s line, especially Kiki and Onda. I wish I had bought more! I’ve run out of Kiki parfum and I’m hoarding Kiki EDP and the Dandy. You can’t even get them on eBay…

    • Elizabeth says:

      Someone on a perfume blog somewhere mentioned that an Italian company has the license and is manufacturing several Vero Kern perfumes, including my beloved Rozy. I wish I could tell you exactly who this is, but maybe some perfume detective work in perfumeland may yield results? Good luck. 🙂

      • Sylviah says:

        Campmarzio70 has the new Vero Kern fragrances. There supposed to be the original formulation. The shipping costs prevented me from ordering samples.
        I’m considering buying An older bottle of Onda voile d’extract. Reading the comments here maybe I should just go for it.

    • cinnamon says:

      I have seen noise about the Vero Kern line being somehow revived, but so far it’s just been noise. I never sampled the last one and that’s another reason to kick myself.

  • ElizaC says:

    I am huge fan of Parfums DelRae Amoureuse. The day that I heard that the company was closing I immediately called my local perfume store and got their last bottle as a backup. I still regret not getting the DelRae Emotionnelle. I’ve always viewed melon as aquatic and definitely not my thing but this was something different – rich and textured!

  • Filomena says:

    I have lots of Tauer perfumes including his latest but do not remember the Orris, which I would have definitely purchased. How I missed that one, I do not know.

    • cinnamon says:

      I can’t remember how I found out about Orris. Probably Makeup Alley and someone posting about it.

  • Tara C says:

    I really wish I had been in the loop when Tauer Orris came out, that was definitely the one that got away. I am a huge iris fan, and Tauer fan.

    • cinnamon says:

      I still recall having it in the back of my head that I should buy another bottle or two. It’s ironic that Andy Tauer said at the time that the ingredients were so pricey and that’s why it was LE, and thinking ‘so, raise the price a bit’. Now, I would guess, they are prohibitive.