Journal Entry: Into The Hobby of Fragrances (Part 2)

This is part 2 of my (27F) series of journal entries into this amazing hobby. You can find part 1 here! It's been almost 2 months since I've written my first entry, so I thought it was time to take a look at my ever-growing collection and reflect on things that have changed since then.
I won't be reviewing again those that were in my first entry. If they're still here, they still have a cozy place in my heart and nothing has really changed. Here are the perfumes I have kept since then:

• Cloud by Ariana Grande
• J'adore by Dior Eau de Parfum
• Sol Cheirosa '62 by Sol de Janeiro
• Green Tea by Yves Rocher

Here are my new additions with a few thoughts about them. You can read my complete in-depth reviews on various websites where I'm active (Fragrantica, Parfumo, Reddit):

Clean - Summer Day (full bottle): I recently received this one, along with four other miniature sized bottles of Clean perfumes, as a gift from one of my coworker who heard I was into perfumes. Haven't had time to test it out yet, but will probably be doing so in the coming weeks!

Dior - J'adore Parfum d'eau (full bottle): I finally bit the bullet and bought a full bottle. It was in fact my first full bottle purchase of 2023. If you can recall, the EdP was a mistake because I thought I was buying the Eau de Parfum. It's such a nice sweet, creamy and soft smelling white flowers scent. After a few months being into perfumes, I can now (ironically) say I prefer the Eau de Parfum because it smells stronger and longer, but the Parfum d'Eau is better during cold weather for its creamy aspect. I'll still be keeping both bottle until one runs out and I'll decide later on which one I'm keeping and which one I'm getting rid of.

Kayali - Eden Juicy Apple | 01 (mini bottle): Discovered through the Kayali discovery sampler set my boyfriend got me for Christmas. Some say it's artifical and synthetic like shampoo, but to my nose it borders that line without ever crossing over. It's a sweet ripe, juicy apple scent to my nose. I can almost taste the lovely fruit and it makes me want to take a bite out it. When I want to feel positive, bright and uplifted, this is my go-to scent. I love the fact that it's pretty linear so I can layer it with other perfumes, but it's also a nice scent to wear on your own.

Kayali - Sweet Diamond Pink Pepper | 25 (mini bottle): Discovered through the Kayali discovery sampler set my boyfriend got me for Christmas. At first I didn't really like it because of the weird metallic tang my nose detected, but the scent finally ended up growing on me. It's a pretty nice feminine rose scent with just a touch of peppery zing. I wear it when I want that confident, feminine and sexy vibe going. I decided to test it out further with a 10ml mini bottle and if the test turns out positive I might just move on to a 50ml bottle! It's also the first rose fragrance I officially added to my collection.

Kayali - Utopia Vanilla Coco | 21 (mini bottle): Discovered through the Kayali discovery sampler set my boyfriend got me for Christmas. It's another Kayali that ended up growing on me. At first, there was this powdery and lactonic coconut note that gave me sunscreen vibes, but the white flowers beneath it all ended up making me like the scent. It's the best coconut scent I've smelled yet. I'm still not sure I'll be adding a full bottle to my collection, but I decided to give it another go and test this one out during spring and summer.

Kayali - Vanilla | 28 (full bottle): Discovered through the Kayali discovery sampler set my boyfriend got me for Christmas. It's now one of my classic and an unbeatable staple in my collection. As soon as I finish my 50ml bottle, I'll be moving on to a 100ml bottle (first 100ml bottle of my collection!). I absolutely love it. It's a sweet, smoky, slightly spicy vanilla that can be worn alone or layered with others. There is a medicinal scent that comes through when you first spray it but it rapidly dissipates. I wear it to work, on a day off and even to bed. If, at first, Cheirosa '62 was my signature scent, this one has now taken its spot. It gives me luxurious, opulent and feminine vibe (although it is unisex, I tested it on my boyfriend). It's on the heavier side which means I might have to retire it during the warmer weather, but it'll be coming back for sure!

Lancôme - Idôle (travel size): Since I loved Idôle Aura so much, I had to test the original and settle which one I'd add to my collection (I don't want too many OGs and their flankers because of my limited space). I sprayed it on once (and loved it so far), but haven't had the chance yet to test it out completely. I'll be reviewing it soon.

Lancôme - Idôle Aura (travel size): I discovered Aura before trying out the original one. I wanted to explore my newfound love of rose perfumes (I disliked them at first because most fell into the powdery teritory) and when I stumbled upon this one, I was immediately swept away. There's this intricate, delicate, yet complex interpretation of salted roses with vanilla. I now understand why it's a beloved classic by many. It gives delicate and lovely feminine vibe. I absolutely wanted to add at least a 10ml travel size to my collection. I might end up getting a full bottle later down the road, but at the same time I've heard the bottle is impractical since it doesn't stand up on its own. I'll have to see. To be continued...

Maison Margiela Replica - Under The Lemon Trees (travel size): This is my second rose scent I've acquired. I got the opportunity to test it out in store on a paper strip and I immediately sntached a 10ml travel bottle to test it out further at home. It's a refined and sophisticated lemon and rose fragrance. The mix of green tea and spice at the beginning give it a very zesty and fresh vibe. It later develops in this nice fragrant rose that feels very mature and elegant. It'll probably become a staple in my collection for spring and summer. I might end up getting a 30ml bottle when I finish my travel size.

Mugler - Angel Nova (EdT) (full bottle): Well this is the story of another mistake, back when I didn't know the difference between the original and its flankers or the difference in different perfume concentration. Although I wanted a raspberry and rose scent with the Eau de Parfum, I have grown to like this Eau de Toilette. The litchi is almost non-existent on my skin, but the rose here is young and soft. It avoids the powdery territory I hate so much thanks to its other accord and it remains an inoffensive perfume for those times where you want to smell nice but not too strong. I'll have to decide between this one and the Eau de Parfum (when I get my hands on a bottle), but for now this one scratches a need I didn't know I had for soft, sweet woody rose fragrances.

Skylar - Fall Cashmere (full bottle): I know Skylar is mainly known for Vanilla Sky, but this one is so underrated. Whenever I smell it, I find myself picturing a lovely warm and comforting black chaï tea. The spices are nice and cozy: it's a perfect fragrance for fall and the cold beginning of winter. I know some people have said it smells like a generic candle (because of the overused cinnamon note) and is a bit synthetic, but to my nose, there's this complex and elevated scent I can't help but smile at everytime it reaches my nose. It has become a classic and a staple in my collection.

Skylar - Peach Fields (travel size): This one finally ended up growing on me. At first, I found it too soft, too subtle and was expecting a peach-centric scent. I was disapointed but ended up reaching for it more and more. I finally realized it was a lovely woody and fruity scent. Peaches and osmanthus intertwined and created this cozy and envelopping fragrance that can be worn during colder months. I'm curious to see how it'll perform in hotter weather, but I might just be picking up a full size bottle when I finish the rollerball.

The 7 Virtues - Vanilla Woods (travel size): In search of a nice vanilla perfume to add to my collection, I stumbled upon this one. When I first rolled it on my skin, a strong pear scent immediately came out. It was sweet and juicy, just a little bit tart. After a few minutes, the pear became a bit smoky and slightly woody. Unfortunately, it's not a vanilla scent on my skin because the pear is just so overpowering. It's one of the fruits I do love to eat, but I don't know if I want to smell it on me. The jury is still out on if I'll be keeping it to my collection (I'll have to retest it again), but until then it's a part of it.

I realized that although I love my gourmand perfumes, I'm also able to enjoy fruity and floral ones. I also seem to enjoy fresh accords, so there's a type I have yet to explore. I want to explore scent families I don't have in my collection to experiment and develop my nose. My goal is to have a solid and diverse collection of perfumes for every mood and type of weather.
I'm still acquiring samplers when I buy stuff through Sephora as much as possible. At the moment, I have a backlog of over 20 sampler vials of perfume I got through Sephora's gifts with purchases and free samples when buying stuff. I'll have to go through them at one point.
I have noted a few discovery sets from brands I want which I'll be obtaining slowly but steadily (I recently finished reviewing the Kayali discovery sampler set!). I don't want to burn myself out constantly reviewing fragrances so I've been spacing them out and just enjoying my own collection in between. The Commodity Expressive discovery set is the next set I'll be evaluating and I'm pretty hyped for it.

I have noted a few 10ml travel bottles I wish to acquire (because I haven't gotten sampler vials of those) which I'll be buying in the following months. I now prefer passing through travel size perfumes before getting full bottles. It's quite an expensive hobby and I've realized I only want full bottles of those I consider iconic and staples of my personal collection. I'm quite eager to see what i'll be getting my hands on un the upcoming months!

I've calmed my urges to spend for full bottles by establishing a few rules I'm following closely. I finally realized I really do love buying travel sizes. They allow me to test perfumes a few times and decide at the end if I wish to go forward with a full bottle. They also don't take as much space as a full bottle. It,s unfortunate that not every perfume has a travel size, it would make things a lot easier. Along the way, I also realized that it's okay to keep a travel size if I like a perfume, but do not love it. Social media really does give you the urge to splurge on full bottles and have amazing displays, but I'm just not there (space and budget doesn't really allow me to). I still love my collection a lot, even though it's not ''Instagram worthy''.

Hope you enjoyed my little journal entry. Stay tumed for my part 3 that will be coming up in a few months!

*** Cover from Jess Bailey