First, winners of the teeny samples of Flowerbomb extrait, JAR Bed of Roses, Puredistance M and I extraits are – Pat Boutilier and Sujaan. In case you don’t know what to do – click the contact us over there on the left, send me your address, remind me what you’ve won (I know, this sounds ridiculous, but I get like 600 e-mails a day or more, it’s important to tell me what I’m supposed to be doing or I’ll bumble around and just sound daft), and I’ll give you a quick “got it” e-mail so you know it didn’t get trapped in spam, and then I’ll get the little gems out to you, enjoy!
There’s this closet in what used to be my youngest son’s room, which is still sorta his room when he’s here, which is a lot. I’m not exactly sure why he pays rent somewhere else, but my kids like this method of moving out – rent something else, then stay here 90% of the time. Over time, this closet became filled with lots of things – swords, clothes, old video games, books, stuffed animals, Beanie Babies nobody knew what to do with anymore. This room is supposed to be my zen/meditation/yoga room, though we have to find a buyer for the ginormous lovesak that’s making its home there before that happens, and it’s close to being done, but… that closet! It scared me to open it. I told Harry to please clean it out, I just couldn’t, it scared me. He starts cleaning, gets closer to the bottom and brings me out this big box, says, “I think this is yours.” It’s filled with Lorenzo Villoresi scents that I must have bought or swapped for years ago, put away – not sure why they went in that closet. maybe the year he got out of high school and went to college and I used it for storage – and forgot.
As I pull out some extraordinary scents, some discontinued, my eyes lit on the Ylang-Ylang. Huh, never heard of that! HolyMotherofGod, I sprayed it on and literally swooned. This is the closest a scent has gotten to the real ylang like I smelled in Costa Rica. Rich, sunny, bright, warm, slightly indolent – well, more than slightly, but not so much that you’ll be looking around for what might be spoiling behind the washer – it’s amazing and perfect, and I am back in a rainforest next to a beach in the Osa Peninsula thinking time has stopped. Now why would it get discontinued? Nobody bought it, got too expensive to make, couldn’t get the materials for it anymore? Whichever it was, it’s tragic, it is the perfect Ylang scent.
I think I need to clean out the rest of my closets. Best find in your closet or drawer – something pretty awesome that you forgot you had? Short one today, guys, since I still need to finish up the Best of 2011 post, my part, for Friday, too! I’ll give out five samples of the Lorenzo Villoresi Ylang-Ylang to five lucky commenters today!
Wow at finding a whole box! and the perfume sounds wonderful. I love ylang ylang.
Opium SdP – best match ever with my chemistry. Very surprised. Thanks Patty and all the best in the New Year 2012!!
Would love to try the Ylang! No perfume but I did find three candles I didn’t know I had when I was looking for Christmas decorations!
I love Ylang! I enjoy going through my sample collection every now and then, just to experience things again. And while cleaning out my closet in order to give things away before Christmas, I found a lovely red sweater I forgot I’d bought the year before…it’s perfect for the weather right now and seasonal besides!
I’ve found high end creams and potions tucked in a back corner of a cabinet, expired :(( The good thing is that it made me go through my cabinets, determined to purge junk and enjoy the great stuff I already have.
As of 1/1/2012, I’m back on perfume purchasing moratorium or perfume embargo for about 3 months. I do this periodically to reconnect with beloved FBs and to go through the rapidly multiplying sample bags that breed overnight, and spill into cabinet drawers, closet shelves. luggage and even my shoe shelf.
I *wish* I could be organized in my sample evaluations, with spread sheets and sample trays. I’m not. I guess I have to be so detail oriented at work, that I just refuse to do it in my hobby. I want it to stay fun! So I’ll continue exploring mystery bags of samples, finding trash and treasure, but sniffing all the way. Be well.
I *never* find anything good hidden away. Unless toys from one’s childhood one had forgotten owning counts, in which case I will admit I was ecstatic earlier this year when cleaning my closet and opening a box I thought was some mirrored tiles and turned out to contain my old dollhouse, a stuffed Ewok, and some other toys from my early, early childhood that made me teary with happiness and nostalgia. Good luck to all who have entered!
NP
Definitely inspiration to clean out the closets! I haven’t found perfume, but last year I did find a box with a couple of barely burned Diptyque candles that had been stored away and completely forgotten.
Oh, I LURVE ylang ylang, would love have a sample of this, thanks!
Another all-natural rendition of it is La Via Del Profumo’s Tasneem – it is based on the second distillation of the flower which results in an almond-like note along with the soft florals. Ylang is one of those flowers that smells best to me in a natural formulation with nothing to interfere with its gentle beauty.
What a great surprise! I haven’t stumbled upon any perfume, but I did find a necklace I’d forgotten about. Mixed feelings on that one. ;)
The only thing I’ve found of worth in the back of my closet are “skinny” clothes that I’m glad I kept. Unfortunately, the holiday season has brought back a few pounds, so the skinny clothes are a bit snug these days. But the new year and all it’s resolutions are right around the corner, so I have hope.
Other finds were a bottle of Perry Ellis, Guerlain Champs Elysee, which I think went bad, and Boucheron Trouble. The last one a gift because my family knows how much I like serpent/snake images.
I guess I haven’t been into perfume long enough to really have had the experience of nice surprises like that one. It was pleasant to realize, though, once I had learned enough, that my old bottle of Eau Sauvage now counts as “vintage” and then to verify in the store that the newer version really doesn’t smell as good.
Wow, lucky you. The best surprise I had recently was when cleaning a drawer of some old makeup samples and coming across a bag containing two carded samples of houndstooth era Diorella (my true love). And I really have to get to the very back of the storage room to find out if that box with a few odds and ends from my dresser I keep seeming to remember from when I last moved is actually there — if it is, it should contain a partly full bottle of Cristalle.
I have never found anything wonderful that I forgot about, but now I am thinking the house needs a good clean-through…
Thanks for entering me in the contest!
Does getting things in the mail that you must have bought in your sleep count???
I got a bottle of that Illmasqua Freak yesterday, as well as the Jingle Gwen Stefani thingee. I had forgotten I ordered them!
Love the Villoresi line, thanks for a chance to sniff the Ylang!
I think of those as presents even if they are from me!
Oooh, I like you’re thinking, lol!
OMG I LOVE Lorenzo Villoresi’s Ylang! I discovered LV earlier this year, thanks to a lovely package of samples from another Posse commenter. Thank you again! I’ve been hesitant to declare anything my HG but I think maybe Garofano might be it. When I began to shout my love from the rooftops a friend sent me a little sample of the Ylang and you’re right, it’s swoon worthy. I adore a good Ylang. And yes it’s one of those fragrances that when you smell the real thing in it’s natural habitat you never forget the glory. I would be over the moon to win this one! Please enter me in the draw. And I hope whomever does win has a good swoon.
It wasn’t in my closet but I just found a L’Artisan candle on OneKingsLane for $12. Nice little find, thought I’d share.
This great ‘find’of yours,does not even compute in my brain,it is sooo wonderful…like putting on a jacket,you’ve not worn,FOREVER,and finding a $100 bill in the pocket.Good grief,what else was in there????!!!
I store about 2/3 of my scent collection in the basement in a very very large cabinet. I rotate what is upstairs and a few weeks ago, happened upon a new in box L’Artisan Patchouli (not Patchouli PATCH) and had no recollection of ever buying it. That was a great find.
HA! I just cleaned out the “extra-change box” in the kitchen (in attempt to find quarters…) yesterday and found a slew of samples/decants that I had forgotten about….and how in the heck did they get in there in there??? SL Bois de Violette, Kylian Rose Oud, Prada Candy, CdG 888, FM French Lover – I can’t even remember where/when/how I got these!!!….it was like getting a 2nd Chrsitmas! I was so excited, I tried ALL of them on…..I don’t recommend this – I’m not sure how bad I stank (it all smelled good to me…), but my dog wanted nothing to do with me for the rest of the day.
I would LOVE to try the Lorenzo V!!! I’ve always been a big fan of his work.
Thanks,
Marko
I would love a sample. I need to sort through my stash. I don’t remember even half of what I’ve got.
This is a great time of year to clean out the closets, isn’t it? I found some fabulous minis I’d forgotten I owned, having tons of fun now sampling them. Asja by Fendi is a little jewel, as it the bottle for Kenzo Kashaya.
Yeah, January is a good time to clean the closets and drawers. And I’m always finding something I forgot I had. But after watching a year of Hoarders, I am making a real effort to “let go” and move on. Can’t imagine that I’ll find a box of samples, though.
every time I turn Hoarders on, El O starts gathering up old newspapers and magazines so I’ll have something to recycle. I have yet to be able to watch an episode without needing to throw something out! 😕
xo >-)
No fabulous unearthed treasures but I finally did go through my storage locker this fall and sent things to charity.
I keep a close tab on my babies, I use lab freezer boxes (hold 81-100 vials perfectly) and spreadsheets to keep track of samples, decants in baskets and minis and bottles kept alphabetically by house. The closest thing to hidden treasure was a tiny, tiny bottle of unknown Lanvin parfum I had gotten in a lot which was empty for all practical purposes. It smelled so wonderful on me! I was scared that it was Scandal, but it was so awesome to find that it was Via. That’s more my speed, finding what is treasure for me among what others would view as mundane or at least not absolutely fabulous.
I love Ylang-Ylang. I would love it even more in Costa Rica! I do have a box of samples in my closet that I need to go through. Thanks for reminding me.
For most of my adult life, I moved around way too much, and ended up throwing things out or giving things to the Goodwill – less to pack that way. So, I rarely, if ever, find forgotten things…though there are still many things that I haven’t used in years and that really should go to better homes! As to perfume, my collection has probably quadrupled in the last 5 years or so. Thank you to the online perfume community! I occasionally dig around in my stash, and find something that I haven’t even tried yet. That’s always fun.
And thanks for the draw! What a fun find! I love ylang-ylang. :-)
I keep tr ack of the perfume, but Im always finding shirts Ive never worn, I call it shopping in the closet.
I loved reading this post and all of the comments! I think a closet clean-out is in my near future. A couple of years ago, I came across something I had tucked away in an old train case in my closet. It was a little boat carved out of Ivory soap that a friend’s daughter had made for me, about 40 years ago now. Ylang ylang is wonderful stuff–thanks for the chance to win.
Great story! And thanks for the chance to enjoy of bit of your hidden treasure! :)
I, too, have to go through all my samps and decants to see exactly what’s there, but the one thing I remember finding in the back of the medicine cabinet was a nearly full bottle of SMN Sandalo that I completely forgot I had. I love sandalwood in the wintertime, and this one is great.
I’d love to sniff the Ylang.
Good for you. I certainly have some samples I have forgotten about.
Can I swap closets, please? Mine have no forgotten treats in them.
what a surprise- what a great story
I never found anything surprising in my closets, alas
glad you did
It’s like you had a Secret Santa!
My best find was my grandmother’s vintage bottles of My Sin and Arpege that she gave me not long before she died and which I subsequently misplaced in my transatlantic move. Devastation. They remained hidden for years until we moved house recently and had the requisite clear-out. I discovered a partially unpacked box of US things (mainly electricals that we never converted power supplies on) and there they were, carefully wrapped abd tucked inside my Crock-Pot! The clouds parted, angels sang and I actually got teary.
I couldn’t have preserved them better if I tried -dark, wrapped and cool!
Thanks for the draw!
oh, wow! that’s a Great Story! So glad for you!!!:x
xo >-)
What a find! Unfortunately, my perfume collection is much to small for me to receive that sort of a surprise.
My best closet find was a short stack of records left by the previous owner. All 45s, some obscure, but I found in that stack “Be Bop a Lula” by Gene Vincent and “That’s all right (Mama)” by ~swoon~ Elvis Presley.
But what a nice find in your closet!
You are making want to clean out closets!!
Actually, we are moving within the next few weeks and I MUST clean out closets.
And, while I am doing that I want to find a bracelet that my parents gave me that has disappeared. When it shows up, I’ll write and tell you all about it!
The scent that you discovered sounds dreamy.
Thanks for the drawing.
Patty, finding treasures is awesome. I have been searching for my Messe de Nuit, which I know I bought but can’t seem to find. Anyway in my quest to find MdN, I have happened up on sample of vintage Poison…wow..what a find! Thanks for the draw…
I’m just popping on to say hey! and tell you my favorite ‘find’ like that was this little 4″ high Japanese vase with cloisonne irises that was my mother’s mother’s (she died 30 years before I was born so I have no ‘grandmother’ references)….I’d moved so many times (I need to trace my lineage, see if there is a nomadic tribe in there somewhere )…anyway, there was this little treasure box that got plunked into yet another box….and it was 2 moves before I just stumbled upon it! So many treasures, among them the little vase. 😡
xo >-)
I’m trying to find a great way to organize my huge collection of perfumes. My full bottles are scattered all over the top of my dresser and my decants are even worse. It’s just separated between two bags, one of them is reviewed and the other is not. Full bottles are in the same way reviewed or not.
I need to go through samples I have and finish testing them. I have a spread sheet to record my impressions. I should have a week or two of wearing nothing but samples.
I’ve never really found anything interesting in my closets. In fact, a few years ago I went away for five months and when I came back I couldn’t find a vintage gold link Gucci belt and Gucci wallet(not vintage, but beautiful and I wanted to switch back to it) Both of which I remember seeing before I left. Either the person watching after the house took them (and nothing else? odd), or I hid them somewhere so fantastic that even I can’t find them. I’ve been through the closet several times and nothing. Anyhow…
Please enter me in the draw. I’m dying to see what it’s all about.
You’ll find them in the weirdest place – or else you’ll find them in a place so prosaic that it will seem weird.
It is always thus. 😉
xo >-)
Musette….you are soo right! ^:)^
In my set of samples that I refer to as use up but don’t rebuy, I discovered M.Micallef Hiver, which is absolutely amazing on me now that I’m postmenopausal. I immediately went online and got the last 100 ml bottle on the micallefusa site that was on sale. YAY!
Scents smell different on you after menopause? If so, how does one ever finally decide that a frag isn’t for them and can go to someone else?
Not sure you ever finally do. I know my body chemistry has changed quite a bit from my early 20s, when I started wearing perfume, to now (52). And of course sense of smell, and taste and perception change with age and exposure to new fragrances and their components. Some likes/dislikes are probably “forever,” but exploring is the main fun of the perfume journey.
I think scents smelled different on me after pregnancy. I can see how menopause would do it too.
Yeah–I’ve become really sensitive to sharp top notes but on the plus side I seem to now be a fixative–I can still smell Cuir Ottoman on my skin more than 24 hours after I sampled it and when I sampled I love Les Carottes it lasted about 15 hours when most reviews had it gone at about 4hours
Patty, I have *dreams* like your story here. It’s always so sad to wake up….
The other day I was shocked to discover I owned a decant of Atelier Colognes Bois Blonds. I got it during a hectic part of the summer and added it to my stash without any fanfare. That part of the summer must have been a lot more hectic than I thought it was.
Hi, Patty! Sounds like you hit the mother lode! Isn’t that the best feeling — like discovering buried treasure? My best find was pushed way to the back of a drawer of my antique bedroom chest: a boxed, partially used bottle of the original Must de Cartier parfum. And it still smelled pretty good. In fact, think I’ll go dig it up and dab a bit on right now. Thanks!
I just started a project today to spreadsheet and organise ALL my bottles, minis and samples–so I haven’t yet found the wonderful hidden something. I was taking a tiny break from the spreadsheet and read your post, which has inspired me to keep going with the sorting, and surely a forgotten treasure will eventually turn up.