Woo Hoo! Let’s see how my month went for February New Idea 2023. After January’s success I was worried that the excitement might be hard to maintain. As Undina reminded me last month, it’s not as easy as it sounds to bypass favourite bottles for the unknown.
January New Idea $50 Surrender To Chance Voucher Winner = DinaC
Email me: portia (underscore) turbo (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au
I’ll send your voucher out ASAP
This year I’m aiming to thunk five samples/decants a week, so 20 for the month but that sounds too big so I’m carving bite sized chunks. More if possible, there is a tonne of them here to be dealt with. Every thunk is called a WIN, because let’s face it who doesn’t need a few extra wins? These are easy wins but hopefully will give us all a sense of accomplishment that will carry over into daily life.
February New Idea
A little recap for those who have forgotten.
How It Works
- No matter what size the sample or decant it only counts as ONE win.
- To count as a win the decant MUST be thunked. Yeah, I know but this is how I’m playing it. You can have your own rules if you like.
- Multiples in a day are acceptable. So, if you empty something in the morning, another after work and another before bed that counts as THREE wins.
- Manufacturer Travel Size is not a sample or decant.
- At the end of each successfully completed month I am allowed to reward myself with a splurge from ONE perfume store. Yeah that’s right. Sure you can buy 20 things if it makes you happy but it has to be ONE etailer or retailer in ONE TRANSACTION.
I’m going to celebrate by giving away a US$50 Gift Voucher to Surrender To Chance for every successful month to one lucky random commenter. Cool eh?
So let’s see how February New Idea went…..
LS: LuckyScent, MPS: My Perfume Samples, MS: Manufacturers Sample, PG: Perfumista Gift, PP: Posh Peasant, RK: Ruth K, TPC: The Perfumed Court, STC: Surrender To Chance
- Wearing, not thunking
- Wearing, not thunking
- Bed: Vintage Caron Bellodgia EdT: PP 1ml: Amber candied carnations with a light hit of ass. Heavenly. L O V E Posse post
- Morning: Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile: PP 1ml: A pretty iris watercolour. Calm, relaxed and touched with a bouquet that features mimosa. Like
- Day: Atelier des Ors Larmes du Désert: MS: Smoky, bright woods over a patchouli/amber base. If you are bored with amber or don’t have one then this could be a very attractive new sniff. LOVE
Bed: Olfactive Studio Panorama: MS: Bright bitter green opening, bloody fantastic, all the greens. Panorama warms through to resinous sweetness as it dries down. My memory of this is so different. L O V E - Morning: Profumum Roma Acqua e Zucchero: MS: This tastes in my mouth rather than smells through my nose. It’s like white chocolate. So sweet I think a diabetic coma might be coming on. So thick. Like (but don’t wan’t to smell like this)
Lunch: THUNKED a 30ml Lolita Lempicka EdP. Not counting it but VERY bloody exciting anyway.
Evening: Roxana Illuminated Perfumes The Green Knight: MS: Sweet and fizzy turns to greenery and rich humus. From the forest to the jungle. A dark green animalic wonderland. Bloody terrific. Love
Bed: Une Nuit Nomade Click Song: MS: Amber with bells and whistles and an interesting metallic fishy backtaste. Like (quite a lot actually) - Morning: Montale Blue Matcha: MS: WOW! Not what I was expecting at all. A smooth, milky, white floral smelling take on matcha tea that has a very slight saltiness. From the notes I was expecting something more woodsy/leather but the heart is surprisingly low key. Like
Evening: Sucreabeille Beekeeper’s Daughter: STC 2ml: Honey, herbs and woods. Like
Bed: Sulinotes Yuzu: STC 2ml: Last ml. Pithy citrus. Like - Evening: Annick Goutal Rose Splendide: STC 8ml: Yes rose, yes splendid. Green, lightly spiced, fruity rose, elegant and mellow. 8ml is a bloody lot. I’ve been wearing this almost exclusively between other things. Pretty sure I have a bottle too. Like a lot
- Day: Unknown: 2ml decant: Aldehydic floral with amber underneath. Like
Evening: Atelier des Ors: Iris Fauve: MS: Interesting take on iris. Love that spicy cardboard and carrots opening, then it warms through to a dry amber. Like. - Nope
- Bed: Louis Vuitton Turbulences: STC 2ml: Very nice but wholly underwhelming for the price. Go buy Sand & Sables for $6. Like
- Morning: Cristian Cavagna Murice Imperiale: MS: OMG! This is one of the best aquatic florals I ever smelled. Fresh greenery, lightly spiced flowers and brine. OUTSTANDING! On the To Buy List. L O V E
Evening: Miller et Bertaux Study #17: MS: Such a pretty aromatic. Slightly minty greenery and citrus over a mossy carnation. Like
Bed: DIOR Vanille Diorama: STC 2ml: Vanilla with a few bells & whistles. Very reminiscent of Jacomo Art Collection #2 but a refined version. Perfect if you don’t have a vanilla forward fragrance. Like (Jacomo is better) - Day: Eric Buterbaugh Apollo Hyacinth: STC 2ml: LOVE this, would have bought a bottle if it wasn’t a blasted splash. Hyacinth with a very dirty narcissus heartbeat. LOVE
Bed: Tom Daxon Resin Sacre: STC 3ml: Just a ml left. If burning baubles of tree resin are your jam, mixed in with a healthy dose of animal then you, like me, will be smitten. LOVE - Day: Amouage Jubilation XXV: STC 2ml: Dregs. Smells so rich and amazing. What’s left smells like a resinous amber with some oudhy type darkness. Like
- Morning: Vintage Guerlain L’Heure Bleu: STC 2ml: Dregs, went on thick, rich and unbelievably pure. Like the most exquisite extrait. LOVE
Evening: Vintage Guerlain Shalimar: STC 2ml: Dregs. Again, unbelievably pure, rich and burnished. Not strong but really deep. LOVE
Bed: Diptyque L’Eau de Tarocco: STC 2ml: Citrus with soft rose petals that warms to amber. Like - Day: Keiko Mecheri Canyon Dreams: STC 2ml: Very Shalimar reminiscent but there are differences. Like
Bed: ETRO Shall Nur: STC 2ml: Fruity, herbal, smoky woods. LOVE - Morning: Lorenzo Villoresi Mare Nostrum Aura Maris: STC 2ml: Herbal citrus. Bright and refreshing, it seems simple on first spritz but adds some really interesting floral and darkly herbal nuances before warming to amber woods. Like
Evening: Ava Luxe Tuberose Diabolique parfum: STC 2ml: More than half used or evaporated. OMG! This is utterly divine. Tropical tuberose lightly spiced and warmed through with vanilla heavy amber. A hint of petrol overlays the heart making it even more bewitching. L O V E
Bed: AbdesSalaam Attar Perfumes Aalacho N°2: STC 2ml: Dregs. WOW! Another amazing perfume. This is a breathtaking. Animalic, urinous, honeyed, tobacco, castoreum, moss. All smoking gently and floating over dark woods. TO BUY LIST: LOVE - Morning: ETRO Messe de Minuit: STC 2ml: 1/2ml Citrus, smoky incense and honeyed resins. Bloody good stuff. Smells deep and rich and really expensive. The dirty amber/incense base shines through from the heart to dry down. Next morning the incense, wood and amber are still huffing gently, this is unbelievably good stuff. TO BUY LIST. L O V E
Bed: DIOR Couturier Granville: STC 2ml: Very first release Granville. Fizzy lemon and greenery over a white musk and woods base. A perfect foil to Sydney’s currently very hot nights. Love - Morning: Lanvin Arpege: STC 2ml: I’m surprised this hasn’t turned. Beautiful aldehydic floral with touches of fruit and a tender amber/woods dry down. Like
Evening: Hermès 24 Faubourg: PP 3ml: Much more ass than my current bottle. A sensual, lightly breathy tropical white floral with all the bells & whistles. So weird that no one commented on it at work tonight. Love - Morning: DIOR Couturier Milly-la-Foret: STC 2ml: WHY did I never buy this. A perfect replacement for Worth Courtesan when mine runs dry. GRRRRRR! Love
Evening: Guerlain Habit Rouge l’Eau: PG 3ml: Such a beautiful rendition of Habit Rouge. I bought a bottle after using about 1/3 of this decant and the forgot about it. Sadly, it’s so hot & humid it lasted about an hour. Love
Bed: Gorilla Perfumes Sikkim Girls: STC 3ml: 1ml of VERY orange brown perfume. WHOA! Tropical, vanilla heavy white floral. Cool but also kinda disgusting. Like - Morning: Miller Harris Coeur d’Ete: PP 1.5ml: OOOH! Choc Banana! with hint of crisp pear over a very light creamy woods base. What a happy surprise. Like
Bed: Teo Cabanel Alahine: PP 1ml: Gorgeous vanilla and stuff. Swiped this beauty years ago and bought a bottle. LOVE - Morning: DIOR Couturier Mitzah: STC 2ml: Herbal vanilla-rich amber over smoky incense and patchouli. LOVE
Evening: Bond No 9 New Haarlem: PP 1ml: Wore it to work and all night people were asking me what it was. Every time I sat down I got this amazing huff of perfume out of my shirt. This sample is well over a decade old, I can’t imagine it still smells so amazing. Coffee amber Tonka. Love - Wearing, not thunking
- Morning: Miller Harris Noix de Tubereuse: PP 2ml: Tuberose & amber with a few other bells & whistles. Rich, breathy, warm and heady with a delightful green counterpoint. The opening is swoon worthy and my eyes want to roll into the back of my head. An involuntary AHHHHH! L O V E (want)
Afternoon: 1000 Flowers Reglisse Noire: PP 1ml: Minty liquorice with all the trimmings and a soft vanilla dry down. I used to have a bottle of this. Sadly in this humid heat it lasted all of 40 minutes. Love
Evening: CHANEL Cristalle EdP: PP 2ml: This has aged beautifully. Still bright, fresh and green but it smells deeper than the bottle I bought Jin for his birthday. Like
Bed: DIOR Couturier Grand Bal: STC 3ml: Less than 1ml dark oil. Thick and rich plastic white flowers. Nothing like my bottle. I think it’s gone off. Sad. - Morning: CHANEL Chance: MS: Pretty. I smell nutty musks and powder. Like
Afternoon: DIOR Couturier Eau Noire: STC 2ml: This early incarnation has so much coffee, spiced. Leather, vanilla and gorgeous liquorice hints. What a fragrance! I’d forgotten how bloody good. L O V E
Bed: Guerlain Mademoiselle: RK 10ml: The last of this beautiful gem. Sweet powdery iris and stuff. Lasts about 35 minutes. LOVE - Thunked a Bulgari Men in Black shower gel
Morning: Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir: PP 1ml: pretty, lasted about 30 minutes. Meh
Day: Miller Harris Vetiver Bourbon: PP 1ml: Boozy Vetiver, interesting, almost coffee. I’d love to smell this now, it feels full of the good stuff from then. Love
Bed: Parfums de Rosine Rose Kashmiri: PG 2ml: So bloody luscious. Roses, spice, herbs, greenery and resins Loved this sample so much I bought a bottle and a backup years ago. This sample has aged to perfection. OMG! L O V E - Morning: Hermès Un Jardin En Mediterranee: MPS 5ml: Citrus, fig, sharp woods. Refreshing, uplifting and perfect for sweaty last days of summer mornings. Love
Evening: Carven Ma Griffe vintage: STC 2ml: Icy cold green aldehydic floral. I’m so glad to have used it and basked in its beauty. L O V E
Bed: CB I Hate Perfume Fire From Heaven: MPS 3ml: Last ml. Smoky, soapy, incense and woods. Gorgeous and a little shower gel-ish. Like - Day: Coty Muguet des Bois: STC 2ml: I had a bottle of this and moved it on. SHAME on me. Beautiful. Love
Evening: Diptyque L’Eau du Trente-Quatre: Funny story. I have a bottle of this and use it regularly. Had you asked me I would have told you it’s by Hermès. Delightfully off centre fruity woods. Love
Bed: Diptyque Philosykos: PP 1ml: Delectable fggy wood thing. I have a bottle and wear it very infrequently. Like
Well, SUCCESS! Even MORE than last month. 55 samples/decants thunked. So please leave a comment with something you thunked in February for February New Idea. I’ll pick a winner randomly. Then announce in the next New Idea 2023 post,
Portia xx
My thunking for February was not so much, but I did empty two travel sizes (Tocca Giulietta and Pacifica French Lilac), a small fragrance oil roller (Auric Blends One Love), and an assortment of Montale vanilla-themed samples. February’s unloved sample purchases are ready for the traveling box, and so I am happy that the overall clutter volume does continue its decline.
YAY for using stuff up VerbenaLuvvr,
It’s really liberating for me too.
Portia xx
I have just organised all my samples/decants in the one place. Over a 14 day holiday I used up my MFK and Fredric Malle discovery sets as well as some Mecca samples. I love Musc Ravageur, Iris Poudre and Debaser DS & Durga.
WOW Lindyl, that’s a serious Thunk Fest! Congratulations.
Musc Ravageur!! So good.
Portia xx
Such a fun read, learning about your thunks and reviews. I’m impressed! You have smelled fabulous all month! My favorite thunk this month was Jo Malone Myrrh and Tonka and Les Parfums de Rosine Une Folie de Rose.
Thanks Kathleen,
I never smelled the Jo Malone but Une Folie de Rose is beautiful.
Portia x
Folie is my favorite Rosine!
Is it Musette? So cool.
Wow! I won the drawing! Thank you Portia! I continue to whittle away at my samples. Also wearing neglected full bottles. Literally wiped the dust off of Crabtree & Evelyn Iris this morning before I sprayed it. Also wore Miller et Bertaux Green x4 this week. Loved your February scents…so many I love like Mademoiselle Guerlain, Acqua de Parma Iris Nobile, Cristalle, Messe de Minuet. I salute your good taste!
Woo Hoo DinaC,
Congratulations! Don’t forget to send me an email with your email details so I can send your prize.
Nice that we have so many love matches. Isn’t that Miller et Bertaux Green++++ fabulous?
Portia xx
Mme P! I. Iz. IMPRESSED! Wish you LOVED Arpege (one of my faves. I have several vintage FBs along with some vinty dusting powder)…but more for me, I guess.
I wear the living snot out of AdP Iris Nobile have several FBs and lots of the body creme for precisely the way you described it. Right now (going into Cold Spring) is perfect for it, so it’s in my weekly rotation.
My nerves are shot so I’m sticking with my go-to’s… but I’ll continue to ‘thunk’ in the diffusers. It’s been ..interesting.
HA! Musette, Arpege is beautiful and I really like it.
YUM on the layered Iris Nobile. Yum Yum Yum.
Portia xx
fragrant greetings! I have been meaning to ask this question to perfume lovers on nowsmellthis, but was afraid it would get buried: I see that for some days, multiple scents were listed… how does that work? Do you change clothes, do you take a shower, do you just layer them and hope for the best? how do you prevent scent overload to your eh, senses? thanks in advance for hopefully clearing up this mystery… cheers, Wendy
Hi. I usually do it when I wear a light and/or a not very long lasting scent. Instead of respritzing, I wear something new that could also compliment the first scent if there is more there of it left than I realize. For example, a sandalwood or vanilla based scent can usually go with anything. For me – no shower or clothes change unless there’s some other, non-perfume, reason for it.
This is also good way Maya.
Morning pick me up cologne style, Afternoon/evening something fuller.
Nice. thanks.
Portia xx
Hey Wendy,
Good question. First, my skin eats scent like I eat junk food, fast and furious. So it’s quite rare for a scent to last more than 5 hours on me anyway.
Then, I use different parts of my body. Forearm inside, chest, forearm outside.
Through the day I may also bathe.
So that’s how I do it.
Others do it differently.
Portia x
thanks so much Portia and Maya! Almost forgot i asked this but (long explanation) now remembered to check 😉 I guess your living in a warm climate, Portia, also explains why it is easier for you to use you arms for several different scents a day, as it won’t transfer to your sleeves and therefore mess up anything you apply afterwards. And of course it explains how come you bathe halfway through the day… Maya’s explanation of using complementary scents also makes a lot of sense, although what you wear in the morning might change how your 2nd scent transforms of course. Food for thought!
Love following this and always impressed by the size of your collection. Bellodgia … so good. And is Messe de Minuit still available? Also made me remember once again that I really want to sample Alanine.
Hey Cinnamon,
So glad you’re enjoying it.
So far for New Idea 2023 I’ve thunked 100+ samples! That is seriously good to me. Already feeling the burden lighten.
Fortunately I have a stockpile of Bellodgia and Alanine. Will soon have Messe de Minuit.
Portia xx
Did not manage to thunk a thing. In my defense, lost my sense of smell for about 4 days so didn’t even try to wear anything. But I need to get on it – especially this winter, not out and about so much so I could really drench myself with some of those samples…
Don’t beat yourself up MMKinPA,
There is time to get to them. I’m doing this all year. Hopefully there’s enough to see me through (There ARE!)
Glad you’re on the mend.
Portia xx
That was amazing! I’m also really impressed that you’re able to keep track of all these! You made me laugh with MdM, pretty sure I still have my bottle — that’s 100% a love it or hate it lol. I’d assumed they don’t even make it any more.
Hey March.
ONLY keeping track because I’m doing this, otherwise it would be shambles.
MdM? ETRO Messe de Minuit? yeah, they still make it, So yummy.
Portia xx
Trailing far far behind with four empties. BTW I say a 30 ml counts too!
I will miss the FM Iris Poudre but now I am sure that I prefer the Ferre white. Good to know
Thanks AnnieA,
HA! I think of a 30ml as a travel.
So good to know which one you must gun for.
Portia xx
I bow to both your collection and your commitment to thunking. I just can’t keep them. I give them away or our them onto my pillows.
Reading these just makes me think “I need this, and this, and this, and this..”
Thanks Tom,
HA HA HA! Sorry, but not sorry. KnowWhatIMean?
The reason so many of these are still here is I gave them a wear or two and then kept them for reference. Then when I can’t find the one I want for reference I order another. Stupid! Now at least I’ll have really worn them with spectacular overspritzing. Quite a fun way to do it.
Portia xx
I’m not doing the project but I did thunk a couple of decants: Guerlain Songe d’un Bois d’Été and Atélier des Ors Cuir Sacré. I have several more lined up on my dresser on my hit list for March.
Woo Hoo TaraC,
Two really gorgeous fragrances. Are you enamoured?
Portia xx
I actually have full bottles of both! But for some reason I had these two decants lying around, so decided to polish them off.
Aha! I’ve also found some old decants/samples of what are now full bottles.
Portia xx