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Do you keep backups?

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Do you keep backups? 7 years ago 2
I have a bad habit of falling in love with discontinued scents. I've learned the hard way that if it means enough to me, get a backup. Or two. Or four. Am I the only one hoarding scents or am I in good company? If so, what was backup-worthy to you? Are there scents of which you wish you had backups?

Off the top of my head I have 4 total bottles of Shalimar Parfum Initial, 2 TF Sahara Noir, 4 Fendi Fantasia, 3 Agent Provocateur L'Agent and 2 Bond No. 9 I ❤ NY For Holidays.
. 7 years ago 1
Since I had deleted ('edited out') my initial post, a re-post:
Yes, the sad experience with a fragrance I fell in love with, only to discover after perhaps 2 years that it was already discontinued ("Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille"), together with my inclination to be rather inflexible in my taste, made me think of securing another bottle if it can be found at a reasonable price. It's been the same with other consumables - take food, or cosmetics and skin care products as another significant group (where the search can be long and literally painful if one has atopic skin); every product I finally found to be just the one and perfect for me got discontinued.
Also, I feel reluctant to consume the only bottle of a fragrance if it's discontinued and it's only sold for a three-digit-price on auctions. I care less if I'll ever 'finish' a bottle or everything I have, I can't imagine perfumers wishing us to feel under pressure for their creation to be 'used up'.
Last edited by Anessa on 05.03.2018, 15:14; edited 3 times in total
The what and the why 7 years ago 1
Ooh, I have a backup of JS Fancy Nights, too!

I figured I asked a lot of questions so I tried to hold back. But you answered some other questions I wanted to ask! I was curious as to why we keep backups and what pushed us to go ahead and get the backup.

Like you, I went to the store where I got my original perfume (Aramis' Tuscany Per Donna) and it was gone. Granted, EL brought it back but it's a shadow of its former self now. Prices of the original on eBay are insane! It was the same scenario for Givenchy's Organza Indecence. There's no way I'm spending $200 for a 30ml bottle. It's just crazy. After that I swore I'd keep backups of the things I really love whenever possible.

As for what pushed me to commit to a backup of something? Usually, it's the price. I went crazy when FragranceNet had Eau de Shalimar for $10. I bought two backup bottles. Same for Fancy Nights, Shalimar Parfum Initial ($25 per bottle) and so on. Also, I do a lot of swaps and I have been swapping for backups lately. I have a backup of Shalimar Mexique that I could never have justified buying at its current prices. Thank goodness there was a kind soul who really wanted two unloved perfumes in my collection.

Thanks for replying!
7 years ago 2
I really wish I had backups of a few of my favorites but honestly cost keeps me from getting them. The only back ups I have are of some of my favorite cheapies. Not having a back up of my Black Cashmere is probably the one I regret not having more of the most.
Back ups 6 years ago 1
Oh yes, I keep back ups...when I love a scent and have worn it a few times with the results I desire...I immediately buy or chase ( when discontinued ) back ups...
6 years ago 1
I have back ups for loves and/or fragrances that are discontinued/ vintage.
Back ups for me include: Guerlain Insolence Eau Glacee, MMM Replica Lipstick On, several vintage bottles of Eau de Joy (Jean Patou).
Fragrances that I wish to back up include: Shalimar Souffle de Parfum, Fendi Furiosa, Estee Lauder Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss.
6 years ago 1
Afreimann:
I have back ups for loves and/or fragrances that are discontinued/ vintage.
Back ups for me include: Guerlain Insolence Eau Glacee, MMM Replica Lipstick On, several vintage bottles of Eau de Joy (Jean Patou).
Fragrances that I wish to back up include: Shalimar Souffle de Parfum, Fendi Furiosa, Estee Lauder Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss.

I've heard you sing the praises of Fendi "Furiosa" and I'm kicking myself for not picking up a 30ml bottle I saw at Marshall's when I had the chance. I know I sound like a skipping record when I say I'm in love with Fendi "Fantasia". I don't doubt "Furiosa" is just as drool-worthy. It breaks my heart that Fendi had jettisoned all perfumes from its portfolio.
6 years ago 1
Exciter76:
Afreimann:
I have back ups for loves and/or fragrances that are discontinued/ vintage.
Back ups for me include: Guerlain Insolence Eau Glacee, MMM Replica Lipstick On, several vintage bottles of Eau de Joy (Jean Patou).
Fragrances that I wish to back up include: Shalimar Souffle de Parfum, Fendi Furiosa, Estee Lauder Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss.

I've heard you sing the praises of Fendi "Furiosa" and I'm kicking myself for not picking up a 30ml bottle I saw at Marshall's when I had the chance. I know I sound like a skipping record when I say I'm in love with Fendi "Fantasia". I don't doubt "Furiosa" is just as drool-worthy. It breaks my heart that Fendi had jettisoned all perfumes from its portfolio.

I'm dying to try your beloved Fantasia! Yes, I also think it's completely tragic that they've stopped making perfume altogether. Such beautiful creations lost to the world!
5 years ago 1
Yes, when I really love a perfume and I am afraid it is going to be discontinued I buy a backup
5 years ago 1
A couple of Serge Lutens for sure, especially since they're creating new collection in the collection (Serge Noire, Cuir Mauresque, Chêne etc.. now in the "Gratte Ciel" collection) but also Frederic Malle like my beloved "Une Fleur de Cassie"..
5 years ago 1
I have 3 bottles of Siren I intend to use them less often Smile
5 years ago 1
Not really. If it's been discontinued... well, time to discover new options.
Must keep back up bottles 5 years ago 1
Oi, I must have back ups of certain scents. There are a few reasons why.

First are discontinued loves. I find price and availability are the two limiting factors here. My main back ups are from TRNP (Teone Reinthal Naturals), sinply because Teone reformulates things or stops making them. She finds some scents incomplete, or supplies dry up or change. I also have a couple of Guerlain back ups too.

Second are easy to source scents I love and fear will be changed or cease production. Things like Paloma Picasso edp, Youth Dew, Arpege, No 19 edt etc. I no longer seek these in vintage form, as I love their modern version too, but fear reformulation...again.

Last are the ones I use lots of, volume wise, and don't want to be without on a tight budget week. So, I buy them at super cheap prices when I see them and can afford them. Things like Chloe Nomade, La Vie Est Belle Eau Florale (now d/c) and Mon Guerlain. That way, I hope I will not be without access to that scent.
5 years ago
Yes, I have back up bottles of a few fragrances, although I do not recall all of them offhand. My collection has grown so large that I have to keep a written inventory now! (LOL) Really, that is a rather sobering thought about my propensity to collect perfumes. I could never use up even 10% of my collection in what is left of my lifetime, and I have slowed down on purchases.

If I find a discontinued fragrance I love very much, I will sometimes acquire a back up bottle of it should I run across one. I do not acquire back up bottles as often as I once did, though. I do not have enough space in my small home to store everything.

Most recently I acquired back up bottles of two new B&BW fragrances I love--One in a Million and Fresh Gardenia. I think I may have acquired a back up bottle of Rose, too, but I do not recall for certain! (LOL) At my age now, I have things on my mind that I want or need to take care of, and as soon as I do take care of them, I forget all about them. Whence I was young, I could recall so many more things in great detail over very long periods of time, but that has changed with age. I know a few other people who are like this as well. I imagine I may continue to purchase a back up bottle now and then, but I do not imagine it will happen very often anymore.
Re: The what and the why 5 years ago 1
Exciter76:

I figured I asked a lot of questions so I tried to hold back. But you answered some other questions I wanted to ask! I was curious as to why we keep backups and what pushed us to go ahead and get the backup....

As for what pushed me to commit to a backup of something? Usually, it's the price. \

Occasionally, price may prompt me to purchase a back up bottle of some fragrance or another if I truly love it, but I think the main reason most perfume lovers buy back up bottles is fear of running out of a beloved fragrance. Perhaps I should say "anxiety" instead of fear, though. For someone who already has far more fragrances than s/he can ever use, it does not make sense logically speaking, but I think anytime one buys back up bottles, one is acting out of emotion more than out of logic, yes?

I have wondered if collectors of things other than perfumes do the same thing. I do have one dear old friend who began collecting LPs many years ago. I think his collection was more focused at first, but eventually he began buying LPs simply because "I do not have that one." He does not use the Internet, mercifully, but he did ask me to keep an eye out for him on-line and in shops for a specific list of LPs. I recall once many years ago now that I came across a rather rare LP by Hulk Hogan who was a weight lifter or something. My friend had me purchase it for him and send it on to him. I have no doubt that he never played the LP. I believe it just went into his collection which by then had to have been at least 8,000 LPs and took up a significant portion of his beautiful home.

Personally, I have no interest in collecting LPs, but I realise he achieved some sort of satisfaction or pleasure from collecting all of those LPs even though he never listened to most of them. Collecting met some emotional need in him. I definitely think these sorts of purchase are driven by emotion, and perhaps underlying that emotion is a history of material and/or emotional deprivation.

For instance, over the course of my lifetime, I have known many people who purchased various types of commodities and never used them. It somehow comforted them just to know they had the items. With regard to certain items like place settings for example, I have seen people collect china, crystal, silver, etc., but they never used these items. If asked why they do not use the items, they would say "I am saving them to use for company." I think whence you sometimes see an item on eBay for example that is perhaps decades old and still in its original packaging and in pristine condition, it came from someone who saved it for company or special occasions that never happened. Eventually, they die, and some relative or reseller buys the items and puts them up for auction on eBay in the hope of making a profit on them. I think that is really sad. I met a perfume collector once who bought some beautiful vintage perfumes but then would never wear them because she felt she should save them. Save them for what? I do not think she herself knew why they should be saved.

I say, if you buy something wonderful, use it and enjoy it! Life is short babies! Enjoy every moment of it that you can, and do not deprive yourself of what you worked hard to buy. You might die tomorrow, and then it will be too late. Use your items instead of saving them because scavengers will only come in later and either use the items themselves or sell the items for as much money as they can, and you never bought the items so that they could end up benefiting someone you barely knew or never knew at all, did you? Give yourself permission to use and to enjoy using the things you acquire. Personally, I think there can be a lot of beauty in an old, partially or fully used bottle of perfume that shows its age and has an history. That is the Wabi Sabi aesthetic, and it can be very beautiful and poignant.

Sorry if I have gone off topic at all, but this is where questions about back up bottles always leads me. Smile
Re: The what and the why 5 years ago 1
Oriane:
Exciter76:

I figured I asked a lot of questions so I tried to hold back. But you answered some other questions I wanted to ask! I was curious as to why we keep backups and what pushed us to go ahead and get the backup....

As for what pushed me to commit to a backup of something? Usually, it's the price.

I met a perfume collector once who bought some beautiful vintage perfumes but then would never wear them because she felt she should save them. Save them for what? I do not think she herself knew why they should be saved.

I say, if you buy something wonderful, use it and enjoy it! Life is short babies! Enjoy every moment of it that you can, and do not deprive yourself of what you worked hard to buy. You might die tomorrow, and then it will be too late. Use your items instead of saving them because scavengers will only come in later and either use the items themselves or sell the items for as much money as they can, and you never bought the items so that they could end up benefiting someone you barely knew or never knew at all, did you? Give yourself permission to use and to enjoy using the things you acquire. Personally, I think there can be a lot of beauty in an old, partially or fully used bottle of perfume that shows its age and has an history. That is the Wabi Sabi aesthetic, and it can be very beautiful and poignant.

Sorry if I have gone off topic at all, but this is where questions about back up bottles always leads me. Smile

You bring up excellent points. Another reason I buy backups is because I use what I have so the threat of running out is real. I don't save anything for special occasions; I have no qualms wearing a vintage or a niche to do mundane tasks. You're right, life's too short to reserve the good stuff or speak the right words for the right time.
5 years ago
Agreed. I wear fragrance whilst doing housework and even whilst doing yard work. I do it for my own pleasure. I think that is what perfume is all about---doing something for yourself for your own enjoyment. Smile
3 years ago 1
I used to do it at the beginning of this hobby , now i don´t, now i realise that is another dissembled form of collecting more and more
3 years ago 1

Exceptionally yes ..... but I'm afraid to accumulate

3 years ago 1
Palmbeach

Exceptionally yes ..... but I'm afraid to accumulate

I understand the fear of accumulating too many bottles: the expense, the space taken up by these excess bottles, the realization that our tastes change over time and so on. I've since swapped some of my backup bottles, namely "Fancy Nights” and "Shalimar Ode à la Vanille - Sur la route du Mexique". I think if I was unable to rid myself of my excess bottles when the time came, I'd be less inclined to hoard backups.

3 years ago 1

Ah yes the fear of running out, even though we have dozens or even hundreds of bottles already. More than we will ever be able to finish. Typical hoarder behavior, of course. But still, that particular one must be in stock at all cost 😅 or two or three just to be sure 😅
In my case, that is Habit Rouge, Mitsouko, Egoiste, Kouros, Aramis classic and
Lalique’s Hommage a l’homme.
The list is still growing 😆



2 years ago 2

Only back up bottle I keep buying is Sahraa Oud. 

2 years ago 1

I am guilty of this if I really love a fragrance just a few from the top my head that I have back-ups for

Vanilla Diorama

Poison Girl EDT

Poison Girl Unexpected EDT

Joy Dior EDP

Libre EDP

Chance EDP

Flowerbomb EDP

La Vie est Belle EDT Florale

Si Intense EDP (2014 formulation)

Ghost Anticipation 

2 years ago 1

Yes, I have backups for Mahora, Gourmand Coquin and Vanille de Tahiti.

2 years ago
Grammy

Yes, I have backups for Mahora, Gourmand Coquin and Vanille de Tahiti.

Omg, I wish I had a backup of Les Élixirs Charnels - Gourmand CoquinLes Élixirs Charnels - Gourmand Coquin! It's my favorite chocolate fragrance.

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