My tips for a small curated collection (what I've learned)

Hello :) I don't think anyone needs to explain why a small collection is what works for them, just like someone doesn't need to explain why they don't want a capsule wardrobe. But here's reminders and tips for myself that I've noted down, to help keep me on track and remember what I've learned. Maybe it will be helpful to someone else, and certainly helpful for me to keep it posted so I can look back on it.

1. Know your tastes

Knowing what you like and don't like will help cut down what's on your radar.
I like sweet perfumes, so if a perfume doesn't have "sweet" listed in the top 3 places of the main accords on fragrantica, I won't bother because I know it won't be enough for me. Even if I still like the perfume and can appreciate the subtle sweetness, if it's not sweet-dominant, I won't wear it and it will be decluttered.
Also --> know what you don't reach for and why. Is it just not exciting enough? Do you feel like you always could have made a better choice when you put on that perfume?
Study the notes in perfumes you love, like, and even the ones you hate. That's how I put together the long, very picky list of notes that I always like, always hate, and the ones that depend..
You need your perfume to work for you.

2. Don't buy/keep very similar ones

If you have two perfumes that have very similar scent profiles, you will naturally have a favourite of the two, so only keep the favourite, even if the second is a close runner-up.
I've tested plenty of fragrances that I loved, but I already had something so similar in my wardrobe that I knew adding the other would make both of the perfumes shine less. Of course it's okay to bring the new one in if you know you do like it better than the similar one you already have.

3. Don't "save" your perfume

Don't wait for the fancy occasion that may only come twice per year. Don't save your discontinued fragrances (unless you're keeping them to sell later, lol) if the rate you're currently wearing them means they will never get used up. Have your fun with them now, and don't waste your money by not wearing what you love.

4. Get more out of them.

I have several ways of doing this:
a) Buy their paired lotions if you can- this definitely enhances wearing my absolute favourites. You can also buy the lotion as an alternative to buying the perfume (e.g. I decluttered Marshmallow Eau de Parfum but kept the lotion which is my preferred way of using the scent).
b) Make travel sprays of them - buy mini atomizers, print labels and stick them on. It will feel like you have the real travel-sized version, and you can keep your scent noticeable while you're out (especially good for me as I have a lot that don't last long). I have a video of making these here.
c) Layer them. I will never keep a perfume only because I like it when it's layered, but having a few fun layering combinations really does help get extra use out of several of them. I love Nirvana Amethyst and enjoy wearing it alone, and I love and enjoy wearing Heiress Eau de Parfum alone, but adding just a touch of Heiress to Nirvana Amethyst adds the most unique fresh sweetness to the smokyness and that combination is a 10/10 scent for me. I love Brit for Women Eau de Toilette and it's my most worn scent, but sometimes adding a touch of Illicit (which is gorgeous and addictive on it's own) gives the perfect amount of edge to it and I feel unstoppable.

5. Be picky with bottles

As I don't have many in my collection, every bottle stands out, and I will not for the life of me have another bottle in my collection that I don't like looking at, or one that I don't find good to use from a functional perspective. It's the reason I will stay away from the Cheirosa '62 body mists from now on (hate their bottles), and will be the reason I don't repurchase others such as Meow! Eau de Parfum (the cat head lid always falls off), SJP NYC Eau de Parfum (tacky bottle looks bad in my collection) and any from the Princess Eau de Toilette line (bad atomisers that shoot out at you, rather than mist the perfume).
Bottles that don't please my eye are always going to feel "off" in my collection, and bottles that aren't functional give a bad experience to applying your perfume.

6. Organise them

Have the ones on display being the ones that are good for the current season, and keep the rest stored away. For example, in summer, I need to see only the ones that suit the hot humid weather. If I have my heavy winter perfumes out, I will just get overwhelmed and feel like there's too much extra on display and I will start to dislike my winter ones just for sitting around for so long. It's the same reason I put away all of my winter clothes once it's warmer, so I only have my summer clothing on display in my closet.
I also organise my perfumes (on paper or in my head) by their occasion. Which ones I can wear to work, which ones are very daily ones, which are the fancy going-out ones, etc.
And organise them to what you like, and what you will use them for. I don't have a "freshie" category because I don't like standard freshies. I don't have a "boss lady" perfume because I want to be more crowd pleasing and approachable at work. I don't have a "seductive" perfume because I'm in a long term relationship and my partner doesn't really care what perfume I wear + doesn't like strong bold ones. My perfume categories focus more on being suitable for the weather- so a casual, work and fancy one for each season, more or less is what my organising looks like. And this would look entirely different for someone in a different climate.

7. Avoid getting a full size bottle when you do buy a new one.

This isn't possible for many, even most, perfumes, but the order of preference for trying and buying something new is:
1. Test in store (on paper first and then skin if you like it)
2. Buy a sample vial
3. Buy a decanted sample
4. Buy the smallest size you can (a travel-size, a mini, a 30ml, etc, up to 50ml and 100ml)
Most people consider it better value to get the 100ml immediately, and often the 100ml is the better looking bottle, so I understand that, but I now think that if I have not owned the perfume before, it's better value to buy the smaller size and not risk wasting more of the perfume if it ends up not working out for me. But again, probably not an issue if you tend to successfully regift or sell things.

8. Become good at ignoring perfumes

I don't keep many fragrances in my "To Test" or "Perfumes I Want" lists, and I frequently change them so I never really have a perfume bookmarked long enough for me to take action and buy it. I change my lists around so much because:
- I get extra picky with notes and often decide "actually I have no idea or expectation on what that would smell like so I don't really care about it", or "that one floral note is probably going to bother me so I'm not interested"
- I also look into the rating for which season it's best for, and often decide "It's yet ANOTHER one rated highly for autumn and I don't need another autumn perfume", or "When am I going to wear this winter perfume, when it's only cold for 1 month in my climate".
- If it's discontinued I will absolutely not bother with it because even if I love the perfume enough to hunt for it, it will always feel like a doomed relationship.
- If there's a considerable amount of very polarizing reviews, then I know I will probably not be happy with it. I actually gravitate towards inoffensive scents that a lot of people say are "basic" and "not unique". Even when I've loved a scent that is very polarizing and praised for uniqueness, it's never ended up being a long-term favourite.

9. You don't need backups.

Buying a backup of a discontinued perfume isn’t the best choice. I've done this once before with Black Star because it was the ONLY perfume I liked at the time. I hadn't tried many so I saw it as no other option than to buy a backup and I'm glad I did. But would i do it again for another perfume? No. I don't want that kind of attachment to a discontinued scent again.

And if I've not yet run out of the bottle I have? Just wait until its one more wear away from finished- like when the atomiser starts spraying air. It's no big deal to wait a week for a perfume to arrive. You have plenty to wear in the meantime

10. If you don't use it, you don't need it

If you love it so much, where is the dent? Why have you had it for a year but used about 2 ml? You don't need it babe.