Wednesday, November 16, 2011

the truth: too much perfume

the currents - these are out at the moment and in regular rotation
i've been posting a "scent of the day" on facebook for a couple of weeks now. it was a kind of reaction to some facebook friends who post the song that's in their head when they wake up in the morning and i thought it would be funny. i've written before about my perfume collection but i never really owned up to how much perfume i really have. in fact, until i thought about this whole truth-telling thing, i never dared to count it. but now, i have. and it's not pretty. 47 different kinds.  on the bright side i will never have to buy perfume again as long as i live.

a peek in the perfume box
it took a decade to build up this collection, but bear in mind, i spent a few years passing regularly through an airport duty free. all of it is bought in duty free. not because the prices are better (i think they're pretty similar), but because they have the best selection - at least the good ones do. it's funny, i can pass by a department store perfume counter without even being tempted, but let me loose in the duty free in copenhagen or singapore and watch out!

the large majority of this collection was acquired before i began striving for a simpler, less consumer-oriented life and i'm proud to say that 2011 is almost over and i haven't bought any perfume at all. plus, i only bought one in 2010, so i have improved. i would actually donate some of it, but i'm not sure that the second-hand shops would take partial bottles.

as those of you who are friends with me on facebook know from the daily updates, i actually use perfume on a daily basis - and i don't tend to the wear the same one for two days running. i keep an ever-rotating collection out on the shelf in the bathroom and on the shelf in the bedroom - 5-6 each place - something to suit the season and any potential mood.

there are romantic scents, power scents for difficult meetings, feminine ones and unisex ones. there are ones which are bonded inextricably with memories of certain times and places. there really are only 1 or 2 that i don't ever use...jill sander sensations and calvin klein contradiction. both of those went weird on me when i was pregnant with sabin and i haven't been able to stand them since.

i recognize that this is probably a symptom of a larger disease of the soul, but i feel it's one that's in my past. and the daily enjoyment of my previous obsessive collecting actually lives on in a positive way, so although it was pretty excessive (wasn't everything in the naughties?), it wasn't all bad.

now it's your turn...what are you a little bit obsessive about collecting?

11 comments:

corinne said...

perfume is a great collection, I have friends with a similar penchant. I have found maybe 6 that I like and wear all the time, signature scents so to speak. My passion is kitchen gadgets. Kitchen electronics, kitchen widgets, dishes, tea pots on and on. On certain things I have duplicates. Last weekend I actually bought a 4 well mini-pie maker. I just bought waffle plates for a pannini press, on-line. I must stay out of Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table because I have no resistance, really. I even became a Pampered Chef Representative so I could buy all the stuff. My confession of the day!

c is for cape town said...

I think you should buy 5 more so that you have one for every week of the year :)

Jody Pearl said...

OMG I am so there!

Vintage tins is the first obsession that springs to mind.

I think I've been waiting my whole life to be asked this...just need a couple of days and one other post out of the way and I'll show you what I mean!

Anonymous said...

Cookbooks charm me. I have old ones from my mother's collection and new practical ones. And all sorts of specialty ones with recipes for dishes that I'll never make... but I needed to buy the cookbook anyway... for some reason.

Loredana said...

47...47 different perfumes! WOW! That makes me think that you kind of have 47 different types of personality. Let me explain (and yes this is a joke). Perfume scents differ a lot, although many people go for the same types of scents each time, romantic, clean, crisp and what other word they use to describe the scent of lavender, roses and fall rain in a bottle. But in all reality all perfumes smell differently regardless of the same "type". So you my friend have worse things going on than just buying loads of perfume from duty free shops, you have multiple identity disorder, LOLLLL....I KID!!

I have 3 bottles and most days I don't go spritzing myself with perfume. I always feel like i need a new scent for the year and a different scent for each season so I usually throw any thing out I know I won't use any longer.

--maria said...

WHAT! You need to do scent of the day on here.. or Twitter since I don't have a Facebook anymore. This reminds me of Monica and I's boss Mo. She was the one who turned me on to perfume. One of my favorite scents she got me.. Bond No. 9 Chinatown.. the bottle rocks! <3

will said...

Mmm. I've never bought perfume for myself and if gotten as a gift, I toss it as soon as possible. I'm just a soap and water person.

I tolerate perfume smells and have never understood the the belief that different scents equate to mood, romance, memory. That sounds like a successful marketing ploy.

I confess to buying perfumes for another person and her collection hovers around 6-8 favorite ones. Altho recently she mentioned simplifying to 2 or 3.

Buying new perfumes just got simpler.

What do I get obsessive about collecting?

• Ansel Adams photo books.
• Pocket knives
• Art paint brushes
• Cameras
• Designer furniture*

*check out hivemodern dot com

heidikins said...

I collect books and shoes. I've got almost 900 books and almost 200 pair of shoes.

I have 4 different perfume scents and I thought that was excessive. I bow to your collection. ;)

xox

Lost Star said...

Wow. That is a LOT of perfume.

I have three. Two solid lush ones, and Sunflowers, the perfume I grew up smelling as it is the one my Mum wears. Strong scent memories.

I'm not overly obsessive about collecting anything. I used to collect badges and postcards. I've started a small fat quarter collection though. That might get obsessive soon...

snippa said...

Impressive collection! I wear Body Shop Dreams Unlimited. I'm told it smells like DKNY - bargain!

Lisa-Marie said...

47 IS a lot, but i don't think it's too much. Smell is such an evocative, memory filled thing that I think fragrances cane be a very good addition to life!

I have the same thing with scented candles.