Woo Hoo! Let’s see how my month went for September New Idea 2023. This month I’ve been trying to empty some of the bigger decants but only managed to drain one 10ml. I kind of cheated a couple of times here at the end of the month when I found myself playing catch up. Ended up emptying a different half used vial on to each arm and wandering around smelling like a perfume store. It was fun and they still count as WINS.
August New Idea $50 Surrender To Chance Voucher Winner = Finanna
Email me: portia (underscore) turbo (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au
I’ll send your voucher out ASAP
September New Idea 2023
A little recap for those who have forgotten.
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.
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 September New Idea 2023 went…..
FiF: First in Fragrance, LiP: Libertine Parfumerie, LS: LuckyScent, MPS: My Perfume Samples, MS: Manufacturers Sample, P1: Perfume 1, PG: Perfumista Gift, PP: Posh Peasant, RK: Ruth K, SG: Split Group, STC: Surrender To Chance, TPC: The Perfumed Court
- Nope
- Morning: Guerlain Metalys: STC 5ml: Must have bought 2 of these in the STC Guerlain sale. This one had almost evaporated. About 1ml left in the bottom. Very glamorous, old school Guerlain perfumery. Spicy, lightly animatic vanilla. POSH! Like
Evening: By Kilian Prelude to Love: MS: So weird. I already wrote this but it disappeared. Sweet citrus/floral. Nice. Like POSSE post
Bed: Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 Black Gemstone: STC 1ml: Found an old 20 unisex ml pack from STC. This is a freaking amber powerhouse. Beautiful. Very labdanum heavy. Like (a lot) but I’m not paying that much for another fairly standard amber that will be ignored in favour of my others. - Day: Anatole Lebreton Racine Carrée: MS: This was on deep discount here recently and I missed it. DAMN! This sweet green earthy concoction is bloody fabulous. To Buy List. WANT
- Morning, Day & Bed: M Micallef Ylang in Gold: PG 10ml: I’ve been wearing this a LOT. 10ml takes serious dedication to use up. Creamy, rich, OTT tropical magic with a lightly breathy backdraft. There’s another decant and a bottle here. Love
- Nope. Finished Ortigia Sicilia Fico D’India Shower Gel!
- Nope
- Nope
- Morning: Roméa D’améor Les Grandes Amours Du Taj Mahal: STC 3ml: Delightful, salty fruity floral over vanilla. I really enjoyed it but think I’ve got salty vanillas covered. Considering the name I really wanted to adore it. Like++
Evening: Vintage Rochas Femme EdT: PP 1ml: Most of this has leaked but the very last drops were astoundingly gorgeous. LOVE POSSE post - Morning: Jean-Louis Scherrer Nuits Indiennes: PG: Tropical fruity floral over a vanilla heavy amber. Gorgeous. So elegant. Love
Bed: Le Labo Vetiver 46: MS: Dry, spicy vetiver. More wood than grass, without the usual oil slick smell I associate with vetiver. Like - Bed: Une Nuit Nomade Memory Motel: MS: Woo Hoo. Found another one and wore it all day. Love
- Nope
- Nope
- Nope
- Nope
- Finished: L’Occitane Lavande Shower Gel
- Day: Boadicea the Victorious Amethyst: MS: Amber with some leathery undertow. Like
Bed: Caron Narcisse Noir: STC 3ml: Animalic florals, bulb and blossom. Smells filthy rich. Love POSSE post - Morning: Robert Piguet Fracas: PP 1ml: All the bubble gum sweetness and diva white floral you can imagine. Love POSSE post
- Day: Ormonde Jayne Sampaquita: MS: Slightly bitter green opening over a pretty fruity floral. One wear of this sample was why I bought my bottle. LOVE POSSE post
Bed: Molinard Habanita EdT: PP 1ml: How did I ever let my bottle of this go? French perfumery done right. So glam and growly. L O V E POSSE post - Nope
- Nope. Finished Reem Acra Shower Gel
- Nope
- Morning: DIOR Spice Blend: MS: Very pretty low key spiced bay rum. So easy to wear, beautifully balanced. Like+++
- Day: Tom Ford Ombre Leather: FiF 2ml: Pretty, leathery leather. Smoky, Jin was very excited to tell me I smelled like tobacco smoke. Like++
- Day: Bogue MAAI: MS: I was wearing this one night in early September and Jin kicked me out of the bedroom saying my perfume was attacking him and his nose was closing up like a hay fever incident. I was going to keep the rest for the next time he annoyed me but it’s too bloody gorgeous. I had to get it back on my skin after I went off to work. LOVE
- Nope
- Nope
- Evening: Mad et Len Apocalypstick: STC 1ml: Left arm: Galbanum and rose with some darkness underneath. How could anything really live up to this amazing title?!? Like
Evening: Perris Monte Carlo Cacao Azteque: STC 1ml: Right arm: While this is very nice I was expecting something more chocolate. It is much more a spicy floral with a creamy baseline that doesn’t really give me much chocolate at all. Nice though. Like - Nope
- Day: Malak Perfumes Bakhoor: STC 1ml: Incense with a Turkish Delight underlay. Beautiful. Can’t find it anywhere online and furious. L O V E
Day: Indult Isvaraya: LS: Ohhhh! Fruity choc patchouli with a side order of nougat. So gorgeous and not what I was expecting at all. I want this but know I’d never wear it. LOVE++
Bed: Der Duft Pride: STC 2ml: Gorgeous dry earthy, grasslike, head shop patchouli and a happily dark narcissus. Fabulous. LOVE - Morning: Keiko Mecheri Amber Mirabilis: TPC 3ml: I’ve had this for at least 10 years. It had half evaporated. Amber toffee and potpourri. Sounds ghastly but it’s bloody good stuff. Lasted all day. Like
Bed: Cale Fragranze d’Autore Ozio: PG 2ml: Very pretty resinous green floral. like
You’ll notice a few Shower Gels thunked this month. They’ve been in use for ages and I’m finishing up the near empties.
Very small splurge this month. I bought a ZARA Golden Decade. It’s SO over the top. A vanilla rich ylang bomb. HUGE! Clean the curtains strong. Even I am using only two spritzes.
YAY! Goal achieved 25 wins for the month. So please leave a comment with something you thunked in September for September New Idea 2023. I’ll pick a winner randomly. Then announce in the next New Idea 2023 post,
Portia xx
You can read the whole story so far if you hit the links below.
New Idea, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August,
Gasp! You gave up your HABANITA??? Yoiks!
Of your thunks I only know the d’Ameor and, to be honest, I can’t ever parse them because I mostly fell in love with the names and those fabulous tassels – sweatergawd, if you have a silk tasseled bottle (but it has to be within a set, like Ameor’s) I will Buy Them ALL.
I have a bottle of vintage Femme but, like March, prefer the contemp. I also wear the living F out of Fracas – wearing the vinty with the vinty dusting powder Just Because I Can – and nobody has the nerve to tell me otherwise. Of course, I work from home and when I’m on a jobsite I’m mostly outside in the dust and heat so (insert shrug emoji)
DagNABBIT! I wish I could find my Ylang in Gold! I’ll bet I would LOVE it!
Good luck finding the Ylang in Gold Musette,
I’m here for a hassle too. the Oriza Legrand bottles are particularly fun.
Portia xx
I sold on both my Fracas & vintage Habanita. I just never wore them. Probably because I felt they wore me. In my head it felt like I was wearing someone else’s voluminous scanties. I wish I’d kept a 10ml decant of each for reference
Oh yes Alityke, I have a few remorseful sellings on. Habanita is just one. It could be a good post one day.
You know what I’ve found though, 10ml decants seem to vanish/evaporate. The things that seem to be as full as the day I bought them and smelling great are the 1 and 2ml non spray samples.
From now on I’m going to use them as my reference keepers..
Portia xx
I know many of my SL decants became thick oils. Fabulous but sometimes too dense to understand
Yes, this exactly
I’m really impressed with the way you’ve stayed committed to this! Okay even if you miss a day or three. I regret to this day letting my older bottle of Fracas go, I’d love a spritz right about now. I also think Sampaquita is gorgeous. You’re heading into late spring / summer, right? Jealous lol.
March, next time we meet remind me of your need for Fracas. I may just have a little vintage gift for you.
Yeah, the weather is bloody fabulous right now. Sydney is always pretty good but September and October are a very sweet spot.
Portia xx
Hey! How about Paris? While we still have teeth!
Paris is having a bed bug problem currently. Italy might be better…
Wow, good month Portia! Lots of good thunks. This morning I thunked a sample of the OG Miss Dior Cherie from STC. It’s the one that had notes of strawberries and popcorn according to some people. Not my usual jam, but I bought it out of nostalgia. My daughter used to love it (she’s not a scent lover like us). Otherwise, I thunked a bunch of old lip glosses that were about used up, but that’s it.
Hey DinaC,
Did the OG Miss Dior Cherie hit the spot? Could you smell your daughter wafting around in there?
Yay for ending sad, near empty lip gloss lives. Jin has about 50 PawPaw Lip Balms stashed all over house, car, backpacks and gym bags. All in various states of use. You’d be amazed where they turn up. I think he lives to keep the workers there employed.
Portia xx
Oh wow!!!! Thank you so much!!!
I really felt for poor Jin on the Maai issue (wanted to love it, but it is really too much for me too). I totally get the thunk desperation, although in my case it usually ends up as mr f swiftly moving outdoors, not gorgeous layering experiment.
Incidentally, Cacao Azteque is also on my list. With similar verdict to yours:)
Just five manufacturer’s samples for me this month:
Maison de Tahite Sel Vanille: beachy vanilla done well, lingers beautifully on clothes
Teo Cabanel:
Tres French: burning tyres behind a lilac bush (in a good way), ruined by monstrous synthetic pear.
Cafe Cabanel: reminds me of L de Lolita Lempicka, will buy a bottle when that one is finished
Perris Monte Carlo: Santal Pacifique edp: wearable sandalwood
Cacao Aztèque (EDP): wearable sweet-ish patchouli
Technique Indiscrete Eau Bruxelles: nice warm background hum
In addition, I also thunked TWO bottles: Gap Grass and Jo Malone Birch & Black Pepper.
WOW Finanna! Double BOTTLE thunk! That is freaking amazing.
I love reading your mini reviews. So concise and I get a good feel for your sniffs.
Congratulations on this months win. Sending that out pronto. Check your spam folder. Just in case.
Portia x
Thank you for your kind words, sometimes it is very difficult to find words because I am not native speaker.
I dropped an email to you, I didn’t see anything my inmail/junk folder yet. There’s no hurry, but just hoping that the evil bugs of internet haven’t eaten that voucher (my only opportunity to try Arielle Shoshana)..
Malak Perfumes Bakhoor … this sounds luscious, but I can’t find mention of it on the net. And I love love love the name One Nuit Nomad Memory Motel. Will have to find a sample just based on the name.
Une Nuit Nomade has a terrible, very slow website, but has a good sample offering and small sized bottles. 25ml for 39 euros for Memory Motel…
Yes, I also looked high and low for Bakhoor. It seems to have gone the way of the dodo Cinnamon.
Yeah, try Memory Motel. I loved the samples. Sadly the FB bit me in the nose with some weird note that attacked. It was a major bummer.
Portia xx