Woo Hoo! Let’s see how my month went for March New Idea 2023.
February New Idea $50 Surrender To Chance Voucher Winner = Kathleen
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. 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.
March New Idea 2023
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 March New Idea 2023 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
- Day: Histoires de Parfums 1826 Eugénie de Montijo: MS: Amber, light and bright with some spices and flowers. Some darkening of the scent towards dry down but a very comfortable wear. Like (If I didn’t already have so many ambers this would be a true love)
- Morning: Montale Blue Amber: MS: How did I never know this cool, salty amber? I know there are OODLES of ambers here but I really want this. On the To Buy List. L O V E
Evening: Sonoma Scent Studio Ambre Noir: MS: This sample is age old. I remember buying a small bottle as soon as I sniffed it. That bottle is long gone. Dark, rosy amber. thick. Love - Day: L’Orchestre Parfum Electro Limonade: MS: Fizzy lemonade and greenery. Not terrible but not what I want to smell like. Meh
Bed: CHANEL Cristalle: STC 2ml: I wonder why I bought so many Cristalle decants. It’s bloody gorgeous and I must have had a couple of them for YEARS! Like Posse Review - Day: Montale Aqua Gold: MS: Very nice aquatic. Similar to Montale Acqua Palma but not as good. Like
Evening: Miller Harris Fleur Oriental: PP 1.5ml: I can smell the carnation on open! Like sniffing a flower or bouquet. After a too short time it becomes lost amidst the other notes and amber. Like, no LOVE but don’t think I’d wear it.
Thunked a 750ml Wattle scented shower gel. I bought it from Target reduced to $2. It had a lovely honeyed mimosa and maybe some heliotrope. I’m sad it’s done.
Bed: Histoires de Parfums This Is Not A Blue Bottle 1.4: MS: HA! Tropical herbal resinous amber. Quite good, made me blink and then think. LOVE - Didn’t thunk anything but spritzed DIOR Vanille Diorama at the store. It lasted over 12+ hours and still smells freaking amazing at 11.45pm
- Day: CB I Hate Perfumes Burning Leaves: MPS 2ml: This is a smoke free version of my childhood leaf burn offs in the gutter of our (and our neighbours) driveways during autumn. We had crabapples, liquidambars and Japanese maples in the garden so there were PLENTY of leaves. Like
Bed: Escada Sentiment pour Homme: 5ml unknown decant: Sharp, crisp, lightly spiced woods an d some white florals. Like, not really. - Day: Zegna Forte: Unknown 5ml: Thick masculine from the 80s. May have turned a little. Was a bit funky.
Bed: DIOR Couturier New Look 1947: STC 2ml: Jammy roses, white flowers and tropical over amber. LOVE - Morning: Ulrich lang Nightscape: MS: Sharp and bright, electric buzzing. Like
- South Korea
- South Korea
- South Korea: Vintage Givenchy L’Interdit: PG 5ml: Aldehydic floral that made me smile at every whiff. Love
- South Korea
- South Korea
- South Korea: Vintage Hermès Caleche: PG 5ml: This old favourite had me guessing. I think the top notes may have taken a hit but the wear was long, strong and beautiful. Love
- South Korea
- South Korea
- South Korea
- Day: Paris Hilton: MPS 2ml: Watery white floral. Very pretty for these Indian Summer days in Sydney. Better than it ever needed to be. Like
Bed: Union Gunpowder Rose: STC 2ml: This has changed so much since I foirst tried it. Not sure if it’s stale, blended, oxygenated or my memory misrepresents but now it’s an amber rose with a sweaty backdraft. Love - Day: Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminal: STC 2ml: That opening camphor’s blast of petroleum loaded white flowers is astounding. How did I never buy a bottle?!? LOVE
Bed: Sarah Baker Tartan: STC 2ml: A dry, lightly tea-ish wood with some interesting bells & whistles that seem to find no relevance in the notes list. Like - Day: Bogue MEM: MS: How I love MEM in the sticky humid heat of Sydney, yes it’s still very warm here for Autumn. Perfect for a Monday doing the cleaning, laundry and writing Trivia Q&A. LOVE
Bed: DSH Perfumes Highland Idyll: MS: Nobody does green like Dawn. This one is green but warm, cozy and aloof. A delight with every indrawn breath. L O V E - Evening: Guerlain La Frenchy: Unknown 5ml: Citrus and lemon verbena. Lightly salted grassy base. This decant has aged to perfection. Very bloody good. Love
Bed: Le Labo Cuir: STC 8ml: Last ml and very thick. Kind of leathery, a bit of straw and some vanilla all drizzled over warm plastic. Like (not very much) - Day: Mugler A*Men Pure Leather: STC 3ml: Divinely over the top sweet, manly, leathery patchouli and fairy floss. So horrible and yet utterly moreish. Love
Bed: Keiko Mecheri Vetiver Velours: STC 2ml: Very nice. Smooth, cool, green opening over rich loamy tobacco. Very lightly animalic amber base. Like (LOVE really but I have enough amber/tobacco fragrances so I’m forcing myself to. mentally say meh) - Evening: Guerlain Encens Mythique D’Orient: STC 2ml: WOW!! This stuff is utterly sublime. I haven’t worn it in ages because it’s far too precious now. Floral incense over warm amber and ambergris. HOW could they DC this beauty. L O V E
- Nope
- Nope
- Day: Finished an Aramis travel shower gel. So bloody good.
Evening: Byredo Green: STC 2ml: Cool galbanum rich green. White flowers. Spring in a bottle. Very beautifully and thoughtfully created. How did I not take more notice when first trying this? Love
Bed: Eric Buterbaugh Florals Oud Rose: STC 2ml: Soft oudh and dark rose with all the resins and a dash of smoke. Very cool. If this came in a spray bottle I’d buy it. L O V E - Day: DSH Perfumes Souvenir de Malmaison: MS: CARNATIONS! With so many beautiful bells & whistles. LOVE
- Bed: 1000 Flowers Rose Cassis Paradis: STC 2ml: The opening felt like an attack. Made me cough. So sweet. Nope. Cassis Hell. Bleugh. It did calm after an hour or so but…
- Day: Vintage Coty L’Origin: STC 2ml: Nearly dregs. WOW! I think the aldehydes have taken a hit but 5 minutes in, HEAVEN! Like
- Nope
I forgot to mention that I rewarded myself for February with a FragranceNet haul including: Amouage Enclave, Bill Blass Nude and Patou Joy Forever. (Not affiliated, do love a bargain.
Naughtily, for March I broke the rules and pre-bought from two retailers but it was Korea Holiday. 3 x Neared 10ml travels and Zara Vetiver Pamplemousse. So sue me.
All round I used over five a week but there was a week, mainly in Korea, where I only finished three. Sorry all, hopefully I’ll do it right next month.
You can see what else I thunked in January and February New Idea 2023
Don’t forget to leave your thunk/s in the comments. Love following how your depletions are humming along.
Portia xx
Even with a week in S. Korea, you did better than I did! Well done so far Portia!!! I had relatively good success with my stack of samples thunked in March (just over 4 samples per week). I finished off 2ml decants of Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur and Guerlain L’Heure Bleue. And the 1 ml decants I finished off were, Byredo’s Blanche, Jo Malone’s Sea Daffodil, MFK Aqua Vitae, Parfums de Marly Valaya, Serge Lutens MKK, Parfums de Marly Oriana, Phlur Missing Person, Diptyque’s Do Son, MFK Amyris Femme, FM Eau de Magnolia, Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin, MFK Baccarat Rouge 540, Narcisco Poudre, Narcisco Ambree and a half ml sample of Tauer Perfumes L’air du Desert Marocain,. To treat myself, I picked up the smaller bottle of Chanel’s Paris- Venise EDT from their Les Eaux de Chanel line (Nordstrom Exclusive). As expected, it isn’t the most long lasting perfume (obvi. it’s only an EDT), I did get just over 4 hours out of it before it could only be smelled with my nose directly on my wrist, that was remedied with another couple spritzes and it lasted for the rest of the day. I would highly recommend giving the line a sniff if you want something of good quality, with decent longevity (for an EDT), that wont’ break the bank and is gentle enough for wear around scent sensitive people (like my pregnant SIL) or in office settings.
Hey there KayKay
WOW! You’re killing it. So much variety too.
LOVE the Chanel colognes! Yeah, I have them and wear them. My fave from the line is Biarritz.
Keep up the amazing work
Portia x
I can’t believe I have missed out this series! I am a permanent downsizer (with a lousy track record) and have kept track of finished things for ages.
I will never be able to finish five per week but maybe I’ll aim for sample per week… I also have a mental list of bottles I try to thunk this year but lets see how it goes.
This is my March (all samples):
*Perris Monte Carlo Cedro di Diamante,
*Arancia di Sicilia
*Mandarino di Sicilia
*Bergamotto di Calabria: all very pleasant and sunny citruses but my giant bottle of Orange Sanguine very nicely ticks that box.
*Apoteker Tepe After The Flood: not the type of fragrance I’d imagine falling in love with but this is my favourite of the samples I finished in March. There is something very formal and official but at the same time there’s the smell of fresh birch twigs (the wood and leaves). Too darn difficult to get in Europe though.
*Edeniste Rose Délice: fresh and innocent dewy rose
*Edeniste Lifeboost – Relax: kind of Songes lite
*Edeniste Lifeboost – Dream: soft floral-green musk, no strong memories so I think it was ”just” pleasant and nice
*Edeniste Lifeboost – Energy: nice citrus, cf Dream above
Hey Finanna
Superstar thunking and some really interesting stuff there. Welcome to the New Idea 2023.
Portia x
Yet another Encens Mythique fan, although we are heading out. So La Frenchy is a Love? I just couldn’t with the name. Only four emptied this month. Hardest was ELO Rossy de Palma, but a final goodbye. Keep up the excellent decluttering work!
Hi there AnnieA,
Yeah terrible name, beautiful fragrance. Guerlain has had a few naming disasters.
Sad to see the end of the really good decants. S there a bottle of RdP in your future?
Portia x
Since it took me 15 years to empty the first bottle of RdeP I think it was only a like. 4160’s Who Knew? fills the rose gap in my collection.
Tinkle!
Empty vial in whisky bottle…
HA!
Wow, I won the drawing! Thank you Portia, that is very generous of you. As always, I enjoyed reading the notes about all of your sampling. I adore vintage Givenchy L’Interdit. Have you noticed any reduction in your sample/decant boxes as a result? I have thunked at least 3 per week last month including many Jeffrey Dame samples (all well done but not FB worthy compared to my fave Duality). I thunked Jo Malone peony blush, blackberry & bay, pomegranate noir (all not really for me). I passed on decants of Lalique Soleil and Lamour to a friend after sampling. And I thunked a sample of Chanel Boy, loved it and one of the few Chanels that I don’t own a bottle of.
CONGRATULATIONS Kathleen! Don’t forget to send me an email so I can get your Surrender To chance Gift Certificate out to you.
WHOA! You’ve been doing a fine thunking job too.
Portia x
You really are putting a dent in these — impressed! Glad I still have my Encens Mythique. And Burning Leaves is absolutely the smell of my childhood, in fall, when you could still burn leaves in the driveway.
Yeah, I think so many of us have that memory March. I know it was bad for the environment but I loved that smell so much.
Portia xx
I am impressed! It’s taking forever to thunk! anything – but hope springs.
Adore that you adore Encens Mythique – I gave my bottle to Missy March because she loved it so – I don’t miss it, but I do have a near perfect scent memory of it, it’s that evocative. Wrote a post WAYBACK about meeting the nurseryman and trying to figure out if he was wearing Encens – turned out his wife washed his clothes in something that conjured that same note collection. Weird.
xoxoxo
Heya Musette,
Encens Mythique! YUM YUM YUM. One of Guerlain’s late masterpieces.
Portia xx
I haven’t been able to thunk anything this month but did stick exclusively to travel sprays and decants, and set aside around 50 samples for the traveling box. By next month I should be able to thunk the last few Kilian “My Kind of Love” travelers and will be glad to be rid of them. My tastes have much changed over the last few years.
I think we all have evolving tastes in this hobby VerbenaLuvvr. Another good reason to never buy 100ml, unless it’s DCd, a super bargain or the only size.
Portia xx
I wish you could get DSH stuff here. I recall the things I got in swaps years ago being very interesting. Same feeling I get with CBIHP. Anyway, love reading this monthly chronicle.
Yeah Cinnamon, the world post has killed my ability to get so many scents. It’s bloody annoying, but I do understand the reasons. It’s strange how many things can come through the mail though.
YAY! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. The slow eroding of samples/decants is so satisfying.
Portia xx
I thunked a 2ml Marlou Poudrextase from Sainte Cellier. It’s so gorgeous I got a second sample & then a full bottle.
A 2ml manufacturers sample of Papillon Hera. I actually saved up & now have a FB
Two 2ml MS of Narciso Rouge EdP.
Finished a decant of Guerlain Eau de Lingerie. Very unusual trick of being undetectable on spraying then gets bigger over time. Too expensive so won’t buy.
A 2ml MS of Villorisi Musk. Must have turned in the 10+ years I’ve had it. Scrubbed cos it was “giptastic”.
Thunked a 200ml Madonna Truth ot Dare Shower gel. Only got three left.
Did a haul from Perfumes Direct of 15ml Oscar & L’Aimant, 100ml Arpege, 60ml Jovan White Musk (gold star to Brigitte) & 100ml Agent Provocateur.
February’s reward was 100ml Femme (gold star to Musette) & a pretty bottle of Reminiscence Heliotrope. The perfume is just as pretty as the bottle!
WOW Alityke,
Some excellent thunking and shopping.
I also have a Truth or Dare Shower Gel hoard here as well as the frag. Yummy stuff.
FEMME!! Musette has had all of us grab it out.
Portia xx
And that ? just popped itself in there.
I thought it might have been a surprise keystroke.
I haven’t participated in your idea but that pic has melted my head and makes me feel heaps better about my samples and decants, and about my collection in general?
HA! Cassieflower, that top pic is only about 1/10th of what I’m trying to thunk this year. That’s why this is so important for me.
HA! The collection here might give you apoplexy.
Portia xx
I told myself I wouldn’t buy anything until I’d rescued my collection from the small storage unit in my condo building (where it’s been since a reno last fall) and had time to assess it.
Well, the reno is done. But have I brought the collection upstairs? No. And have I started adding to it again? Erm … yes. One used vintage bottle of Ysatis here, one travel size of SJP Stash there, and an eBayed Halston Z-14 (yummy yummy yummy) sitting in the drawer of my vanity.
A long-delayed field trip down to the basement is in order this weekend, I think.
Good luck down there Virago,
Nice shopping though.
Portia x