Telekinec
Journey Into The World of Fragrances
6 months ago - 12/31/2024
4 3

Journal Entry: 2024 in Fragrances and A Goal To Preserve My Wallet

At the end of 2023, it was pretty clear I had a problem. After I had written my last Journal Entry: Into The Hobby of Fragrances article (part 1 can be found here), there was a little bit of introspection needed. I had over 20 bottles of perfumes in my collection, a few travel size fragrances that were still waiting to be tested, more than a hundred decants I hadn't tried yet and a ScentXplore box I hadn't opened nor tried since I had gotten it. I had also just gone through a big declutter. I realised I had bought too many bottles of perfumes that smelled nice, but weren't necessarily "loves". So much money wasted when I could have put it into something else. That's when it hit me: I needed strict guidelines to follow.

My end-of-the-year declutter allowed me to reassess how I reviewed perfumes and I had a clearer view of how to go about it (you can see my article on how I rate perfumes here). Only nine or better could make it into my collection going forward. Unfortunately, I felt it wasn't enough. That's when it hit me: I had to impose myself a low-buy, or at least limit what I was going to spend on perfumes each month. I also realised I had to limit the places where I could shop my fragrances because I was wasting way too much time checking out different perfumes and comparing them through review websites while I could have done other more meaningful stuff.

So these are the rules I came up with that I had to respect in 2024. At the end of the year, I'd reassess once again, see how the year had gone by and adjust accordingly.

  • Only shop at Sephora and Shopper's Drug Market for designer / Sephora exclusive brands (ex. Ellis Brooklyn, Kayali, Maison Margiela, Commodity, etc.).
  • Only shop at Etiket and Holt Renfrew for more niche offerings.
  • Limit myself to one full bottle and a travel size OR 75$ max. of individual samples OR a discovery set. If my full bottle of perfume comes from an exclusive line (for example Guerlain's Art et la Matière collection) then I can only buy this and nothing else for the rest of the month.
  • I can only have 48 full bottles of perfume total in my collection. No limits on travel size or samples.

I thought these rules would help me curate a solid collection of perfumes featuring an array of different notes for different occasions and different interpretations of my favorite notes (such as green tea or apples). I also hoped it would allow my wallet to breathe a bit more. This is a breakdown of all the months in 2024 and how it went.

MONTH 1 - January:
Total: 540.38$

Name + Size: Fève Gourmande from L'Art et La Matière (100ml)
Where it was bought: Holt Renfrew
Price (Including taxes): 540.38$
What happened: Took at trip to Montreal with my boyfriend and we had time to spare so we headed to Holt Renfrew. I wanted to try Tobacco Honey again (smelled it in 2023 when it came out and never made up my mind about it) and maybe check out other fragrances there. At the Guerlain counter, I saw they had Fève Gourmande out which I was curious about. The SA (over)sprayed one of my arm with Tobacco Honey and the other one with Fève Gourmande. I kept sniffing both of my arms and couldn't decide. My boyfriend prefered Fève Gourmande because he's not a fan of tobacco notes, so I had to rely on my feelings alone. We had to head out for supper, so I left and didn't buy anything. Throughout our meal, I kept sniffing the arm that had Fève Gourmande on it and finally realized I had to get it. Went back, bought a bottle and the rest is history. It's currently my most expensive fragrance in my collection, but it's also the one with the biggest dent. I've been wearing it a lot ever since I got it and one day might upgrade to the 200ml bottle if I can save my money for it. A purchase I do not regret!
Review can be found here for Fève Gourmande!

MONTH 2 - Febuary:
Total: 108.66$

Name + Size: Boardwalk Delight Eau de Parfum (10ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 46.57$
What happened: Saw there was a free sample of Sunkissed Dahlia with a purchase, a perfume I've been wanting to try out since it has been announced. Decided to buy a travel size of Boardwalk Delight to test it out further since I've been on the fence whether I want a full bottle or not and hopefully get a sample of the newest Skylar release with my purchase. Purchasing BD also allowed me to reach 2 500pts which gave me a free 100$ to spend on whatever I wanted which leads us to the next part ...
Review can be found here for Boardwalk Delight!

Name + Size: Apple Love (50ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (in-store)
Price (Including taxes): 62.09$
What happened: ... Where I spent the 100$ on a full bottle of Apple Love, fitting for the month of love! I've loved Apple Love ever since I first sprayed it on with a sample I got from Sephora. It's a different interpretation of apples, one that's sufficiently different from Kayali's version that I allowed myself to add it to my collection. The only problem was the longevity of the perfume and with a price of 154$CAN for a full bottle, I was a bit hesitant to buy it. The 100$ from the 2 500pts Rouge reward allowed me to buy this perfume without feeling too distraught by the price.
Review can be found here for Apple Love!

I could've bought another travel size, but decided against it as a chunk of my budget went towards Valentine's Day and my boyfriend's birthday gift. Buying Boardwalk Delight and Apple Love allowed me to clear a part of my wishlist.

MONTH 3 - March:
Total: 196.61$

Name + Size: Caligna (100ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (in-person)
Price (Including taxes): 196.61$
What happened: When we visited Etiket in-person mid-March, I gave a sale associate the challenge of finding a perfume for my boyfriend (as he's pretty picky) in the hopes that he'd grab a full bottle from the store. In the first lineup of fragrances he had to try, I spotted L'Artisan Parfumeur's signature bottle, but had never heard about Caligna, even though I have sampled a few of their offerings. My boyfriend smelled it on a strip of paper and immediately gave it to me, stating this one was going to be mine. He was totally right. Kept sniffing the strip while my boyfriend sampled the sale associate's chosen fragrances and I knew I had to go back home with a full bottle. The SA even told me it was their last bottle in-store and there was no other bottle in the warehouse. It was destiny. I later learned that it has been discontinued, which is kind of sad, but I have a 100ml of it which I will be thoroughly enjoying until its last drop!
Review can be found here for Caligna!

MONTH 4 - April:
Total: 621.86$

Name + Size: Love Delight, Perseus, Indigo Smoke, L'Etrog, L'Etrog Acqua, Italian Citrus, Pistachio, Pacific Rock Moss, Sunset Hour, Isvaraya, My Ju-Ju, Hacivat, Hacivat X, Tempfluo, Tero, Vain & Naïve, Zenne, Changing Constance, Clandestine Clara, Basilico & Fellini Eau de Parfum and I got free samples with purchase of Au Coeur du Désert, Cologne du Maghreb (2021), Golestan, Sundowner (All sample-size 0.7ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 101.88$
What happened: April is the month of samples! I decided to go forward with buying a handful of samples (20 + 4 free samples) from brands I have tried before (from my Decants list). Ordered those that had the most interesting notes to me. I do have a backlog of decants to try out, but I've been trying out a few and I was ready for more! I have bills and things to pay that are coming up in April and didn't really have any full bottles I wanted so getting samples was the thing to do so as not to waste my month away.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: Henry Rose discovery set including Char, Flora Carnivora, Jake's House, Queens & Monsters, Torn, Windows Down (All sample-size 1.5ml) and Dedcool discovery set including Fragrance Number 01 - Taunt Eau de Parfum, Fragrance Number 03 - Blonde Eau de Parfum, Red (Dakota), Sunlit Blooms, Xtra Milk, Milk (All sample-size 1.5ml) and I got a free sample with purchase of Juliette.
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 72.62$
What happened: Sephora Spring Sale and since I'm Rouge, I decided to go for the new discovery sets of brands that are now part of the Sephora family. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to snag the Forvr Mood discovery set as it went out of stock before the sale started and never came back during.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: "Torino21 | XerJoff", "Starlight | XerJoff", "Cruz del Sur II | XerJoff", Lumière Blanche, Sherwood, Marfa Eau de Parfum, Madurai, Lalibela Eau de Parfum, Cappadocia, "Gilded (Eau de Parfum) | Libertine Fragrance", Side Effect, Paragon and I got free samples with purchase of Damask Eau de Parfum, Muscat, Montabaco Rio (All sample-size 0.7ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 93.15$
What happened: This is pure impulsiveness on my part. Went for another round of samples through Etiket, buying a few more I thought I'd like while trying to lower my Watchlist. Shouldn't have done that but... yeah.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: The Maker Fragrance Library Discovery Set including Libertine, Lover, Fire, Naked, Stag, Wild, Paradiso (All sample-size 2ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 46.91$
What happened: Saw The Maker discovery set appear during the Sephora Spring Sale and decided to go for it because I broke my rules this month. At least, I guess I got it 20% off.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: Yuzu Zest (50ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 137.97$
What happened: 3 days before the end of the Sephora Spring Sale, we returned to the store for my boyfriend who needed to buy a cleanser, but also for me because I discovered my cleanser was drying my skin. While browsing around the store, we stumbled upon Yuzu Zest who wasn't there when the other two perfumes of the Blossom Collection had arrived earlier. I tested it on my skin and immediately fell for it. I have to admit I pondered on it for two days before deciding to go for it. Jo Malone perfumes usually have subpar longevity, but this one seemed to stick to my skin longer than what I was expecting for a citrus fragrance. I also think this interpretation of citrus was sufficiently different from those in my collection which is why I decided to buy it in the end. FOMO might also have played a part in my (semi) impulsive purchase because it's part of a LE collection.
Review can be found here for Yuzu Zest!

Name + Size: Vanille Iconique (30ml), Le Monde Gourmand Les Originaux Purse Spray Gift Set including Pistachio Brûlée Eau de Parfum, Macaron Rosé Eau de Parfum, Citron Glacé Eau de Parfum, Thé Matcha Eau de Parfum, Lait de Coco Eau de Parfum and Le Monde Gourmand Crème de la Crème Purse Spray Gift Set including Açai Baie, Chai Épicé Eau de Parfum, Crème Vanille Eau de Parfum, Miel Bébé, Santal Supreme Eau de Parfum (All 7ml travel size)
Where it was bought: Winners / Homesense
Price (Including taxes): 79.64$
What happened: My boyfriend and I went to Winners Homesense for something completely unrelated. Like always, I decided to pass by the beauty section and this is when I spotted the two Le Monde Gourmand discovery sets and the full bottle of Comptoir Sud Pacifique hidden behind a few generic / clone perfume bottles. Since I already have three of their perfumes in my collection, I figured the Vanille Iconique blind-buy would probably be successful. As for the Le Monde Gourmand discovery sets, I've always been curious about them, but never enough to go for the full bottles. Unfortunately, when we got back home, I discovered people often compared Vanille Iconique to Vanilla Woods, a perfume I've tried before but disliked. I tested Vanille Iconique on my boyfriend and they were right. The day after, I tested it out on myself and realized this blind-buy was a failure. Thankfully, my boyfriend loves Vanilla Woods and so he got a brand new bottle added to his collection!
Review can be found here for Vanille Iconique!

Name + Size: Giardini di Toscana Discover Set including Bianco Latte, Bianco Oro, Blu Indaco, Borabora, Celeste, Christos, Colonia Nobile, Rosso Radice, Rosso Rubino, Scintilla, Shabby Chic, Almafolia (All 2ml travel size) with Blessed Baraka, Néroli Oranger, Vanille des Afriques Intensivo (All sample-size 0.7ml) and I got free samples with purchase of Un Bel Amour d'Été, Tolu Eau de Parfum, Tanger (All sample-size 0.7ml).
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 89.69$
What happened: I promised myself I wouldn't buy outside of Etiket, Pharmaprix and Sephora, so when I learned Giardini di Toscana was coming to Etiket, I went for the discovery set right away. This allowed me to try out the renowned Bianco Latte and see how it compared to my Escapade Gourmande. Also received a few notifications that samples of coveted perfumes were back in stock and I needed a total of 75$ for free shipping so I went and bought them. This allowed me to lower my watchlist a bit.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

It is quite clear that the month of April was the month where I splurged way too much and where I did not respect my rules. I am (unfortunately) an impulsive person and I've come to realize I really like to try different perfumes which is why the bulk of my purchases this month were all about samples. I've told myself these are investments because they allow me to try a perfume for a few days and then decide if I want a full bottle or not. If it wasn't for the Sephora Spring Sale, I might also have avoided a few purchases too. Next few months, I'll be back to more reasonable purchases since the next Sephora Sale will be in Fall.

MONTH 5 - May:
Total: 345.68$

Name + Size: Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42 (10ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 50.59$
What happened: I really love Kayali as a brand and I find that Mona Kattan is a sweet person which is why I follow their releases and try to get my hands on them as soon as they're out so I can support them. Their marketing is on point and, for my part, their perfumes last a long time and project really well on my skin so I was curious to see how VRCS would react on me. Didn't want to go for a blind-buy, but I was lucky to get my hands on a sample through Sephora before its official release which is what decided me in getting a 10ml bottle. People have said it's part of the Kayali family with Wedding Silk Santal and Vanilla | 28 which I agree. I now have the trio in my collection (two mini bottles of Wedding SIlk Santal / VCRS and a standard 50ml full bottle of Vanilla |28)
Review can be found here for Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42!

Name + Size: Lumière Blanche (100ml), Steamed Rainbow (100ml)
Where it was bought: FragranceBuy.ca
Price (Including taxes): 295.09$
What happened: My review of Lumière Blanche mentions I bumped the perfume up on my To Try list as I saw it was on sale at Etiket. It doesn't mention what happened after which is that, unfortunately, I was too late once I decided I wanted a full perfume of it. It was no longer in-stock at Etiket and completely phased out from their inventory. I knew I really wanted to get my hands on a bottle of Lumière Blanche which is how I stumbled on FragranceBuy, saw they shipped to Canada and seemed legit from what I had read. I haven't been living under a rock completely: I've seen the website floating around, but up until now hadn't gotten too close to grey market website. This time it was going to be different. The prices are just... I was speechless (and still am). Saw they also had Steamed Rainbow and decided I'd be going for both as the combined price of both amounted to around what I would've had paid for Lumière Blanche alone even though it breaks my rule. Still saved me a lot of money which is why I might rely on this website a bit more in the future!
Review can be found here for Lumière Blanche!
Review can be found here for Steamed Rainbow!

MONTH 6 - June:
Total: 266.64$

Name + Size: L'Eau de Parfum (3ml) came with a free sample of Concrete Rain
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 15$
What happened: Cirque du Soleil is a canadian entertainment company that was born in Quebec in 1984 (province which I'm from). When I heard they were releasing a perfume, I was intrigued. I've had the pleasure of going to one of their shows (Tout écartillé, an hommage to Robert Charlebois in 2016). Although the songs of the show weren't my cup of tea, I was amazed by the artists' performance. I was thus curious to see what a perfume made by them could smell like. I also have to say that their bottle and packaging is truly a work of art! I tend to avoid buying decants or full bottles on Facebook fragrance groups as I'm wary of scammers (and maybe a bit too overly cautious), but someone posted about decanting their bottle of this fragrance at a fair price which is what made me go for it despite my initial fears. Thankfully, it was a positive experience and I got my hands on a small 3ml decant of it!
Review for each samples are available on the respective fragrance's Parfumo page!

Name + Size: Nota Sugar - L'Addiction (3ml)
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 15$
What happened: Saw this one floating around quite a few times, but with no opportunity to test it out I had kind of given up on it. That is when I saw a post from the same seller who sold me Cirque du Soleil's perfume decant who was decanting their bottle. Decided to go for it even though I should've read a bit more about the fragrance. Seems the reviews lean mostly negative or neutral. Oh well, at least I got to try a fragrance I don't usually go for!
Review for each samples are available on the respective fragrance's Parfumo page!

Name + Size: Vacay in a Bottle set includes Marrakesh In A Bottle Orange Blossom | 24, Maldives In A Bottle Ylang Coco | 20, Capri In A Bottle Lemon Sugar | 14, Maui In A Bottle Sweet Banana | 37 (All 10ml) came with Devotion Eau de Parfum (5ml) GWP
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 56.37$
What happened: Received a 100$ Sephora giftcard from my in-laws during my birthday in May. Didn't really need anything at that time so I was saving it. Was about to buy the set on Sephora at full price and my boyfriend reminded me I had the giftcard I hadn't used yet.
Review can be found here for Marrakesh In A Bottle Orange Blossom | 24!
Review can be found here for Maldives In A Bottle Ylang Coco | 20!
Review can be found here for Capri In A Bottle Lemon Sugar | 14!
Review can be found here for Maui In A Bottle Sweet Banana | 37!

Name + Size: Citrus Reverie (10ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 46.57$
What happened: When I heard Skylar was releasing a new perfume I was quite intrigued. I've pretty much explored the house thoroughly through their discovery set (haven't smelled any of the Scent Club fragrance though) so I was curious to test it out. Since my Kayali purchase turned out to be inexpensive, I splurged for this one too.
Review can be found here for Citrus Reverie!

Name + Size: Angels' Powder, Dirty Heaven, Dirty Rainbow, Dirty Rice, Drunk Lovers, Drunk Maple, Drunk Saffron, Fig Porn, Nuts, Indecent Cherry, Mad Honey, Nanatopia, and Sugar Addict (All sample-size 0.7ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 89.70$
What happened: Never ever thought I'd get the opportunity to smell AND try Borntostandout which I've heard so much about on social media, but here we are. Etiket has once again come through as one of the best niche perfumery shop and I just had to jump on the chance to get them and try them out. Etiket also sells two discovery sets from Borntostandout, but since I usually immediately know if I want a full bottle or not with Etiket's custom sample, I decided to go for those instead.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: Juice, Juice+, Juice- and Vanilla Skin Eau de Parfum with a free sample of Blanche Bête (All sample-size 3ml)
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 44$
What happened: Same person who sold me the Cirque du Soleil perfume and the Nota Sugar also had the three new Juice fragrances from Commodity and Vanilla Skin from Phlur. Since I've had a good experience twice with them, I decided to go for those instead of buying the 10ml travel sizes on Sephora.
Review for each samples are available on the respective fragrance's Parfumo page!

Another month where I (unfortunately) did not respect my rules. I have the (weak) excuse of having a 100$ Sephora giftcard to alleviate a bit of the cost, but I've got to admit I splurged a bit for the whole Borntostandout sampler set I got from Etiket. Never thought they'd become part of Etiket's offering which is why I immediately jumped on it. Will try to be more responsible in the coming months as I need to save for big things that are coming up in my life.

MONTH 7 - July:
Total: 89.70$

Name + Size: L'eau À la Rose, Ganymede Eau de Parfum, Vanilla in Armagnac, Velvet Tonka, Tabac Rose, Pas Ce Soir Eau de Parfum, Pas Ce Soir Extrait, Gris Charnel Eau de Parfum, Gris Charnel Extrait, Citrus Riviera, Bouquet de Hongrie Eau de Parfum and I got free samples with purchase of Chipmunk, Harvest Mouse and Hummingbird (All sample-size 0.7ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 89.70$
What happened: Another bag of samples! I didn't feel like spending big bucks for a full bottle. Decided to turn towards emptying my Watchlist which is why I acquired samples from Etiket. bdk Parfums have also entered Etiket's stores and some of their perfumes seemed interesting so I went for them. I tried to play it a bit more conservative since I need to save for my passport renewal and I'm returning part-time to school. I have also developped a passion for making mocktails which took a chunk out of my budget this month.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

MONTH 8 - August:
Total: 82.32$

Name + Size: Afternoon Delight and Amber Vanilla (10ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 82.32$
What happened: I got carried away by Maison Margiela's marketing when I should've waited for the reviews to roll in. It's not the amazing madeleine pastry scent I was expecting. Ended up smelling a bit off (you can see my complete impressions in my review of it). Thankfully, Amber Vanilla wasn't a failure as I've smelled it a few times in-store and finally decided to go for a travel size. Money is getting a bit tighter because I had a few things to pay and I'm returning to school soon, so even though I have full bottles in my wishlist, I decided to go for travel size perfumes instead.
Review can be found here for Afternoon Delight!
Review can be found here for Amber Vanilla!

MONTH 9 - September:
Total: 245.71$

Name + Size: Tobacco Honey (10ml)
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 45$
What happened: An upcoming trip to Montreal's Holt Renfrew made me think about Tobacco Honey which I have smelled in 2023 and also tested earlier this year (see January). Since I still had the scent on my mind ever since then, I started to search for a smaller size bottle. Don't want to be paying for a full bottle right now as even though I really liked the scent back then, I'm not sure it's a scent I'd wear a lot. Stumbled upon someone selling an official 10ml dabber on a Facebook fragrance group and thought it'd be a pretty compromise. If I ever finish the 10ml dabber, maybe I'll have made up my mind and it'll be a full bottle purchase worthy!
Review can be found here for Tobacco Honey!

Name + Size: Nida (8ml), A Grove by the Sea (0.7ml) and Ganymede Extrait (0.7ml) with free samples of Brooklyn, Los Angeles Eau de Parfum, Berlin (All sample-size 0.7ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 91.98$
What happened: Nida has been on my mind ever since i've seen an article about it (can't remember if it was on here or on Fragrantica). When it appeared on Etiket's website, I was disappointed to see there wouldn't be any samples since it's a LE perfume. Really wanted to try it since the notes seemed to be right up my alley. Decided to go for the travel size in the hopes that the blind-buy would be sucessful.
Review can be found here for Nida!

Name + Size: Candied Lychee (10ml) with free samples of Fucking Fabulous Eau de Parfum and Irrésistible Givenchy Eau de Parfum (2ml sample size)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 50.02$
What happened: If you're a Rouge and you reach 2 500pts at Sephora, you're entitled to a reward: exchanging those 2 500pts gives you a 100$ giftcard. I've been close to 2 500pts for a while since I've stopped over-spending there; my obsession with skincare, haircare and lipsticks has a bit died down since fragrances have taken up all my time. Spotted two Beauty Insider Challenges that would allow me to bring my point total over 2 500. Decided to go for Candied Lychee which I spotted way back when it started to leak because of influencers.
Review can be found here for Candied Lychee!

Name + Size: Côte d'Azur (10ml) and free samples of Carat Eau de Parfum, L'Eau Papier Eau de Toilette, L'Eau des Hespérides and L'Eau de Neroli (All sample size 2ml)
Where it was bought: Holt Renfrew (in-person)
Price (Including taxes): 24.44$
What happened: Took a trip to Holt Renfrew in Montreal and sniffed a few perfumes that were on my watchlist. I'm pretty close to clearing out my whole watchlist which is pretty much a feat to me! Côte d'Azur has been on my mind ever since I've been using Oribe products (thanks to Sephora!) so I decided I wanted to go for a travel size to get a feel for it. I also took the time to sample perfumes from brands at Holt that I've seen but never took the time to sniff and got myself a few samples from Diptyque, a brand that's very well loved on social media. I also got a sample of Carat from Cartier, a perfume presented to me by a salesperson when I was trying to sniff the La Panthère fragrance line.
Review can be found here for Côte d'Azur!

So I cheated a little bit and bought those four travel sizes during the last week of August right before September. Wanted to splurge a little bit before my return to school and also because I know money will be tighter in the future months. I did not respect my rules (again), but September is a complete no-buy month as those four travel sizes are my purchases for the whole month. Only three months before the year ends and I'm wondering which perfumes will make it in my collection...

Name + Size: Dolce Nissa, Infra Rose, Lemon Delight, Minty Mint, Poivre Rubis, Tuberotic (All sample size 2ml)
Where it was bought: Giveaway
Price (Including taxes): 0$
What happened: Thanks to this article here, I was able to win a discovery set from Superfumista on Parfumo! Mr. Sachs shipped the parcel as soon as I had given my choice for the discovery set and it arrived promptly. I'm quite eager to get my nose on them!
Review can be found here (complete article)!

Name + Size: Naked Laundry, Filthy Musk, L'Animal (All sample size 2ml)
Where it was bought: Borntostandout website (online)
Price (Including taxes): 28.27$
What happened: I was one of the 250 lucky people who got their hands on the trio of new fall collection releases. Haven't tried my other Borntostandout fragrances I got from Etiket (I know, I know), but decided I'd try them all when I'd have the time. I was pretty hyped to get these ones before most people and i'm eager to delve in this brand's perfumes!
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: Heraud with Mûre et Musc Extrême, Histoire d'Orangers, Tonka Blanc (All sample-size 0.7ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 6$
What happened: Etiket had free shipping on orders over 25$, I wanted the coconut chaï candle I've seen from t.lees and Heraud was now available on Etiket. Also got myself a few L'Artisan Parfumeur as I've fallen in love with a few of their perfumes and had to recheck them all to see if some had piqued my interest since last time (which was the case). Did I follow my rules? Once again not. One day, maybe I'll learn.
Review for each samples are available on the respective fragrance's Parfumo page!

MONTH 10 - October:
Total: 582.63$

Name + Size: Tobacco Honey (100ml)
Where it was bought: Guerlain (online)
Price (Including taxes): 557.63$
What happened: So I finally pulled the plug. I did. I'm still in shock at the time of writing this down. Tobacco Honey has been on my mind constantly ever since I got the dabber and I told myself that perfumes that remain stuck in my mind are worthy of a full bottle buy. Haven't had a lot of those recently. Been testing out a few samples and nothing has really stood out to me. Since the year is ending soon (it's going by faster than you know) and things are shifting (both in my work and my relationships), I figured I could treat myself with one big spend before the year ends. Might only be going for decants until the year ends to let my wallet breathe a little. I don't feel any shame or remorse, so I think it's fine. Still a pretty big spend, that's for sure.
Review can be found here for Tobacco Honey!

Name + Size: You Doux and You Rêve (All sample size 3ml)
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 25$
What happened: Bought those decants from a trusted Facebook fragrance group member. I've been curious to test these out as I've smelled the original You Eau de Parfum in-store (haven't done any review on it though) and although it's super hyped up, I don't really get the hype. Guess I could've waited until it came out at my Sephora, but the FOMO got to me. Will have to work on that in 2025...
Review for each samples are available on the respective fragrance's Parfumo page!

MONTH 11 - November:
Total: 177.16$

Name + Size: You Doux (50ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (in-person)
Price (Including taxes): 97.50$
What happened: Sephora Fall Sale happened and I couldn't miss the opportunity since I'm still Rouge and I get a 20% off. Decided to go for Glossier's You Doux that I tried a decant of in October. Not too expensive and good enough for my collection. My boyfriend came along for the ride and he decided to buy me the Miss Dior Parfum as he was tired of seeing me constantly sniff it when in-store. We went for the lowest size possible (the 20ml rollerball which was released a few weeks ago) because I'm still not sure whether I want a full size bottle or not and I didn't want him to pay such a high price for a fragrance i'm not sure about.
Review can be found here for You Doux!
Review can be found here for Miss Dior Parfum!

Name + Size: Fugazzi and Borntostandout® (All sample size 2ml)
Where it was bought: Borntostandout website (online)
Price (Including taxes): 29.07$
What happened: I was one of the 200 lucky people who got their hands on the duo of new collaboration collection releases. Haven't tried my other Borntostandout fragrances I got from Etiket (I know, I know), but decided I'd try them all when I'd have the time. I was pretty hyped to get these ones before most people and i'm eager to delve in this brand's perfumes!
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: Yum Boujee Marshmallow | 81 (10ml)
Where it was bought: Sephora (online)
Price (Including taxes): 50.59$
What happened: You know me, each time i'm aware of a Kayali fragrance, I need to get my hands on it and test it out. Unfortunately, it got stuck in transit as Sephora decided not to change shipping companies while Canada Post was on strike. I don't even know if I'll be getting it this year!
Review can be found here for Yum Boujee Marshmallow | 81!

MONTH 12 - December: (Bought during Black Friday)
Total: 273.36$

Name + Size: Vanille Abricot (30ml), Marfa Eau de Parfum (5ml), Moon Fever, Tamarindo, Kedu, Granada, Winter Palace (All sample size 2ml)
Where it was bought: FragranceNet.com (online)
Price (Including taxes): 111.93$
What happened: I was trying to get my hands on a few more Memo Paris fragrances ever since I fell down the rabbit hole of this brand. Tried to go through the official Memo Paris website, but the cost of shipping was almost the same price as the custom-made so I gave up. I stumbled on FragranceNet (which I have used once in the past) and saw they had a few samples of Memo Paris fragrance that interested me (especially Winter Palace) so I got those. To avoid paying shipping I also went for Vanille Abricot which I had already noted i'd be getting once my travel size would be over. With a 35% off my order thanks to the upcoming Black Friday, this was very worth! (Paid it in November, but was my purchase for December due to Black Friday)
Review can be found here for Vanille Abricot!

Review can be found here for Marfa!

Name + Size: APOM, Bukhara, Be My Cookie (All sample size 2ml) and Inlé Eau de Parfum (10ml) with free samples of Un Air de Bretagne, Encens Suave Eau de Parfum, Crystal Saffron Eau de Parfum (All sample size 2ml)
Where it was bought: Etiket (online)
Price (Including taxes): 118.43$
What happened: Wanted to benefit prom the Black Friday promo but forgot to read the fine prints that said the sale excluded decants. Still really wanted Inlé as a travel size so I decided to go for it anyways and get my hands on a few decants that were on my watchlist.
Reviews haven't all been done for those new samples.

Name + Size: Dipped in Chocolate (5ml sample size)
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 22$
What happened: I'm technically still waiting for this one since Canada Post is still on strike, although I paid for it in advance. Saw it on the Imaginary Authors official Instagram and pondered going for a sample of it. Someone on a Facebook group was decanting a bottle, so I decided to go for it since I've already tested A Whiff of Waffle Cone (2023) and people say it's the same, but with some added chocolate. Curious to see how it'll smell on my skin!
Review hasn't been done for this new sample.

Name + Size: Dream (3ml sample size)
Where it was bought: Facebook fragrance group
Price (Including taxes): 21$
What happened: I'm technically still waiting for this one since Canada Post is still on strike. It was the notes of this fragrance and a review from an influencer on Instagram that convinced me to go for a sample. Thankfully, someone on a Facebook fragrance group was decanting a bottle of it. I'm quite curious to see how it'll go. I got a discovery set from The Maker, but haven't gotten around to trying them out yet. Maybe this one will kickstart my discovery set testing!
Review hasn't been done for this new sample.

Boyfriend bought me:

As the end of the year draws to a close...

I'm also left with a few thoughts about my hobby during this year. It's been a great year of samples and sniffing new perfumes. I really love discovering new scents, but I've also realized I like going back to my collection. I want to keep a nice balance between trying out new fragrances and going back to my bottles. I'll probably be going through my collection once again in 2025 to tighten my reviews and my ratings, but also to see if my tastes have changed and if there are fragrances I wish to declutter. I'm pretty set on 48 being my magic collection number (it's also the numebr of fragrances that can fit on my acrylic display shelves in my bookcase). This gives me a lot of variety to choose from, but also keeps the number in the lower spectrum (I've seen many gigantic hoards) of a collection. I haven't gotten anxiety yet from having to choose a fragrance to wear during a given day since it often goes with my mood. I want to keep it that way.

I'm still trying to be more mindful of how I spend my money and I'm quite happy I decided to give discounters a chance despite my wariness. Most of you veterans know that discounters are the GOAT, but I was scared of getting scammed, having read a few horror stories on internet. I just need to be careful of whom I trust on Facebook fragrance groups and which discounters I'm inclined to trust (right now I have two with whom business has been great). Using discounters when available will also allow my wallet to breathe a little more (a few of my bottles are from discounters and I have been saving a pretty penny).

There are so many houses I've yet to try and so many fragrances that I want to put my nose on. I discovered a love for Memo Paris, something that will carry on in 2025 as I have a few samples I got from them that I have yet to try. Guerlain and Kayali still remain the king and queen of my stash with the biggest number of full bottles / mini bottles in my collection (although Memo Paris might be catching up in 2025...).

For those wondering:
- My greatest disapointment was probably Afternoon Delight by Maison Margiela. I had high hopes for this gourmand perfume that turned out pretty meh (to my nose).
- My most surprising discovery was probably Cappadocia by Memo Paris. This fragrance opened my eyes to what a beautiful saffron note could smell like. My boyfriend gifted me a bottle and I'm absolutely in love with everything (the scent, the packaging, the bottle).
- Tihota by Indult was probably the one I was most looking forward to wearing when the days became colder.
- The artistic scent I'm the most glad I got my hands on is probably Steamed Rainbow by D.S & Durga. Fleeting, yes, but also so correct in its theme.

Article is already pretty long, so I think I'll be ending it here. Took a year to make this article, but I'm glad I held on as I have a piece of my journey on internet (and for posterity). I'll be moving forward with this kind of article for keeping track of my collection in 2025. I wish you all a great holiday period and a wonderful New Year. May your wishes come through, may you get your nose on the scents you've been wishing to smell. Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave a comment if you want to! I'll be seeing you around :)

*** Cover from Jan Kahánek

4 Comments
LunarangstLunarangst 6 months ago
I’m obsessed with your introspection and inspired . Thank you for sharing :)
TelekinecTelekinec 6 months ago
Thank you for your kind words :)
CeesieCeesie 6 months ago
What a great post, great to build some discipline and have this kind of self reflection. You’ve got yourself a new follower.
TelekinecTelekinec 6 months ago
Thanks this means so much to me! It was a long project and I'm glad to have gone through with it :)

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