Woo Hoo! Let’s see how my month went for November New Idea 2023. Shit is getting real. I’ll be honest, can’t wait to get back to my collection full time. I’m thinking though how many new additions there are to my TO BUY LIST. HA! Not exactly through the roof over the last 11 months but it has grown substantially longer. Can’t believe we are here in December, the end is night. WOO HOO!
October New Idea $50 Surrender To Chance Voucher Winner = Alityke
Email me: portia (underscore) turbo (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au
I’ll send your voucher out ASAP
November 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 November New Idea 2023 went…..
FiF: First in Fragrance, LiP: Libertine Parfumerie, LKNU: Aussie Retailer, LS: LuckyScent, MPS: My Perfume Samples, MS: Manufacturers Sample, P1: Perfume 1, PG: Perfumista Gift, PP: Posh Peasant, RK: Ruth K, SF: Splash Fragrances, SG: Split Group, STC: Surrender To Chance, TPC: The Perfumed Court
- Day: Versace Versus Uomo: PG: Like a Korean bathhouse. Vintage masculine with salty water and a bunch of herby citruses. It sweetens and warms in dry down. Lasted ALL DAY! Like
Bed: Tom Ford Ombre de Hyacinth: MS: Cool, dewy florist fridge flowers and greenery. This sample made me buy my bottle. Nice to use it up. Love - Morning: Parfum d’Empire Mal-Aimé: LKNU: OOOHHHHH Celery, cactus and tea on first whiff. So interesting. Very florist fridge. Ha! Just looked at the notes, I’m SO wrong. LOVE
Bed: Xerjoff Uden Overdose: STC 1ml: This is fine if it cost $150-200 but it’s more than double that. It’s nice. Like - Day: Imaginary Authors Slow Explosions: LKNU: Strangely fizzy opening with a dark, new leather smell underneath. Compelling version of the rose, saffron, leather trope. Love
Bed: Amouage Bracken Woman: RK 10ml: This was such a meh for me on original sniff. Wasn’t till I started wearing it to empty the decant that I’ve fallen madly in love and succumbed. Weird assed smoky green with warm vanilla amber beneath. Bought a bottle, even though I can’t remotely afford it right now. LOVE
Finished Annick Goutal Encebns Flamboyant Shower Gel
- We go to Jin’s brother’s wedding in Slovakia today. I’ll try and perfume thunk but it probably won’t happen. Just too much excitement. Fingers crossed.
- Away
- Away
- Away
- Serge Lutens Santal Majuscule: STC 1ml: Creamy sandalwood.
- The Strange South Cafe EdP: STC 1ml: I have no memory of how this smells. Too busy living.
- Death and Floral The Sweater We Buried You With Is Hanging In My Closet: STC 1ml: A very vanilla rich amber sandalwood. I could go through a bottle in a season and think it could make an amazing signature.
- Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore: STC 1ml: GORGEOUS!
- Away
- Nicolai New York Intense: STC 1ml: Traditional citrus/lavender with mossy base. So debonair.
- Away
- Alkemia Perfumes St. Louis Cemetery #1 Perfume: STC 1ml: Delightfully mossy petrichor.
- Alkemia Perfumes Hexennacht: STC 1ml: This smells like the smoky leftovers of Turkish Coffee dirt. Jin hates it but I freaking LOVE it. So gorgeous, smoky and dark.
- Marie Laveau Perfumes Black Baccara: STC 1ml: Rich and witchy amber.
- Nishane Passion Chocolate: STC 1ml: As described. So chocolatey.
- Possets Perfumes Xmas in New Orleans: STC 1ml: I put this on, huffed myself madly and forgot to write how it smelled by the end of the day. My terrible memory says amber Xmas. SOZ
- Away
- Away
- Sigilli Khanbaliq: STC 1ml: Aquatic, salty amber and sharp woods. I WANT THIS SO MUCH. On the To Buy List
- Orto Parisi Terroni: More woody amber with some very nice fruity bells and whistles.
- D S & Durga Foxglove: STC 1ml: Citrus backed by iris and leathery immortelle. This is very nicely done. Beautifully wearable.
- Amouage Figment Man: SG 10ml: More than half leaked in my travel box during the flight. This monster has haunted the whole holiday. Wearing it has not been terribly enjoyable because of it. Swampy green awfulness.
- Mancera Black Vanilla: STC 1ml: Vanilla with a few bells and whistles. Wears so beautifully. GORGEOUS!
- Away
- Away
- CB I Hate Perfume Burnt Wood: STC 1ml: As described
- Ephemera by Unsound Drone: Salty hay and woods over lashings of dark patchouli. Fabulous
This months splurge: I’m saving myself for Paris but I did collect two of Freddie Albrighton’s perfumes in London that I’d bought and had sent to our club. Also a Bois de Sauce shower gel on sale at Yves Rocher in Istanbul. OMG! Nearly forgot a TKMaxx Miller Harris that’s packed away since London shopping with Jin and Tara.
Considering I’m on holidays I’m calling this month a win! Sure the last two days didn’t hit a five, so what? So please leave a comment with something you thunked in November for November 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, September
From a dear friend I just received a whole bunch of samples. I went from three weeks of daily wearing of Cristalle EDT (early Christmas gift from hubby) to now thunking a sample a day. I think I will continue this into 2024 and perhaps do a full year of sample and decant thunking.
This is great! Wont lie, the Figment Man made me laugh, some great stuff in there. Thunked a couple of dc’s only in Nov, but the standout for me was Masque Milano’s Kintsugi. Admittedly i had been wearing it here and there over the last few months, but a stunningly well balanced ashy, slightly leathery rose. No jam, fresh rose, a touch of violet leaf for crispness. Just brilliant. Recently grabbed a FB.
Hey Cloying_Anosmia,
Kintsugi is bloody gorgeous. I’ve been lemming a bottle for ages.
Glad to give you a laugh too.
Portia xx
The discipline you’ve had through all of this! And your travels! Makes my head spin, you globe trotter! I hope you are in the midst of another lovely trip, or planning for one, can’t believe 2023 is almost over.
Heya March,
Thanks. I’m so excited to finish this and move back to my bottles in 2024.
Just got home this morning from 5 amazing weeks of adventuring. Already done some cleaning and started the laundry washing. Three loads down and maybe the same to go. We had a mate looking after the apartment and dog so all the bed linen and towels are getting their wash done too.
2024 is going to be much less travel. Four 2023 international event holidays has drained all the play money and made a small dent in our savings. It was so worth it but what I really want to do for the next 12 months is stay home, work, be domestic and enjoy my small, comfortable life.
HUG
Portia xx
The Tom Ford Hyacinth sounds beautiful– that’s a note I love. Nicholai New York was Luca Turin’s signature scent for several years according to one of his reviews in the Guide. I need to sniff the D.S. & Durga Foxglove, too. That sounded really nice. I thunked a shower gel of Truth or Dare — beautiful tuberose, and a Mario Badescu Rose shower gel. Thanks for the reviews, Portia!
Hey DinaC,
I also have a Truth or Dare shower gel on the go right now. Only a couple of them left and I’m done. It’s gorgeous, eh?
Portia xx
Please tell us more about the Slovakia wedding! This month I pushed up my sleeves and sadly thunked some fb’s that had gone off. It needed to happen and I think there were six total. Also set aside around ten more that no longer ring my bell, they will go up for swap and RAOKs. Only a couple of samples thunked–Eva Longoria Eva and Escada Desire Me.
OH NO BVerbenaLuvvr, losing bottles to turning is a heartache.
Good luck with pushing those unworn beauties to new homes. Two thunks is still two wins.
Portia xx
Good thunking considering travel! Some interesting ones for sure. I thunked exactly one sample – Ashoka, it was passed to me and just needed to be used up. Love it, but just not buying much these days. For 2024 I may pick up your project with the caveat of no rewards, just trying to mostly empty my sample collection. I have been on a tear recently getting rid of stuff from my house (we have an active free cycle/sales thing for my community on FB) and my porch has been looking like a garage sale lately. (Still so much to do!)
Thanks MMKinPA,
Ashoka! One of my great loves. I was lucky enough to smell some of the early Mods as it was being created.
YAY for getting stuff out that is just clutter. Love that your community does that. Household thunking.
Portia xx
That’s a respectable number of thunks, especially if you were on holidays. I hope Europe treated you well:) I haven’ tried anything by Death and Floral, but very curious now.
I thunked seven mf samples and a handful of STC decants. Splurged on two bottles and a Grandiflora sample set.
Eris Scorpio Rising: sexy spices, perfect intensity. Love! Bought a bottle.
Eris Green Spell: magical green. Love&want this too! I need to stop sampling this brand, because so far I have loved every single on of them and I really do not need any more bottles.
Les Indemodables Vanille Havane: high-quality vanilla amber heaven! Love!!! This brand deserves more love and attention.
Elisire Jasmin Paradis: fruity, fresh nonindolic jasmin
Maya Njie Tobak: still lovely, but I already have Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac which ticks the same box.
Vanilj: pleasant mildly spicy, cool vanilla with cardamom.
Nordic Cedar: I assume this is very heavy on iso super E as I can smell only very soft hint of spices.
Bunch of STC decants (the draw prize), my favourite was Zoologist Cockatiel (ordered a beautiful limited edition bottle to reward myself for behaving like a responsible adult even in the middle of an epic shitstorm). I also really enjoyed the Arielle Shoshanas.
CONGRATULATIONS on adult behaviours in shit storms Finanna. That’s a rare case and you should be proud.
Glad you found some loves this last month and that you enjoyed your STC wins.
Hugs
Portia xx
No thunks here. Hope the trip was a blast! That Death and Floral name. Ran off to look at website. Will you do day 1 and day 365 pictures when you finish — ie, what the stash looked when you started and finished?
I second that
DAMN! I didn’t think to photograph the whole catastrophe Cinnamon. That would have been awesome.
The trip was unbelievably wonderful. It’s going to take the next 6 months to percolate it all. Even now Jin and I are looking at each other and remembering amazing little moments.
Sadly the stash does not look as depleted as I hoped it would. There is a long way to go. The thought occurred That I might do it next year but I’ve REALLY missed wearing my bottles so maybe 2025.
Portia xx
November was a complete bust for me. After mum’s death I didn’t really wear much. Too afraid to tether an olfactory memory to sadness & loss. So nothing thunked this month.
I can’t believe I won the October voucher! Thank you ??
Congratulations on the voucher Alityke, I’ll get that off to your email ASAP.
Losing parents is bloody hard. We are with you.
Portia xx
No rush
I thanked a 1ml decant of Jubilation 25 extrait. But dropped my decant of Rose de Nuit in my bathroom and it went all over, so no win there. My bathroom still smells like a slutty rose but it’s fading. Rose de Nuit is so pungent.
HA! Slutty rose! The ONLY kind of rose to have lingering in the bathroom Eldarwen22. HA HA HA!
Love it.
Portia xx