Do you ever have the feeling your collection is 'complete'?

I would never have thought this day would come, but since I have Infusion d'Iris (2015) Eau de Parfum, I really feel as though I found my HG and that my collection is complete.

Of course I will still sample now and then, just because I find it interesting to smell- and learn and talk about scents, but I don't think I will ever come across something that I will love as much as this scent.

Do you ever have the same feeling after trying or buying a scent?

Oh wow I’m not there yet at all! I find so many things interesting. A lot of stuff I read about land on a “to smell” list and eventually on a wishlist. It must be great to have that peace of mind knowing you’re good now.

I'll second that 😂

I'll third that!!!!

Am in the process of transferring my Fragrantica Want List to my Wish List here. It will probably get to 300 scents. So many fumes, so little time.  😊

Mine is nearly complete.

I was looking for a worthwhile leather and citrus to replace Ombré Leather (2018) Eau de Parfum and my TdH fragrances once I run out.

Found both in Gasoleather and Risvelium. Once I purchase those, I have no need for more full bottles. If I really like something, I can get a 5-10ml decant and actually drain it.

Well, like I said: I'm still interested in new scents but from another perspective: Just out of curiousity and without the need to add something to my collection. Ofcourse I may stumble upon something I love even more than I already own (and I'm sure that will happen ), but I will no longer sample, driven by that 'Fear Of Missing Out'. And that does indeed give me some peace of mind actually . 

Not quite the answer but I am at a point where Im not getting any more actual bottles. I have too many (for me) to ever finish them. So IF I love a sample I get a 10ml. I get far fewer samples now though because I really love what I have? But my nose is continuing to evolve so I am getting samples of formerly challenging scents lol. 

I guess I have a waaaayyyy too wide taste in fragrances and I'm waaaaayyyy too curious to get my collection ever complete I'm afraid 😂 

I thought at some point but every week I have to admin I am addind one fragrance to that famous whishlist so...

I guess I never thought of my perfumes as a collection. I'm mostly into the hobby from an appreciation standpoint (even some of my favorite scents, I never want to own). I get more of an urge to sample than I do to buy bottles. But I will say that finding a scent I really love does quell the urge to sample for a few months!

I certainly hope I will reach a point soon where I feel like my collection is complete! 😅 I have 79 full-sized bottles now and I want to say that's enough, but I still have several samples I haven't tried yet that I may fall in love with 🤷‍♀️

Yes, I do. It's complete. I have everything I could possibly want in it. Now I'm looking at what I can get rid of (because I can never use up all my perfumes) 😺

Well, There are those who collect and there are collector "collectionist". Someone who collects items as a hobby.

For those who collect, "action of collecting random objects" the feeling of having a complete collection will come sooner or later., but for collector, "involves acquiring, organizing, and preserving items that hold personal significance or value" the feeling of having a complete collection doesn't really exist. due the desire to acquire more perfumes and colognes is often a key part of the enjoyment.

Those who love fragrances have a strong liking or passion for perfumes and other scented products, encompassing both the appreciation of the scents themselves and the broader cultural, emotional, and personal significance associated with them.

They will always look for them., though, your perfume wall cabinet is overfull. 😉

Yes I do. I have absolutely everything I want, maybe even more. Will I stop buying perfume? Of course not 🙂

But now I only buy what I consider special and valuable. 

I don't want my collection to get out of hand. There are 2 or 3 Bortnikoff fragrances I'd like a full bottle of, and 2 more of Francesca Bianchi's as welI. I want a Guerlain for some reason, probably Jicky. I also want to find a couple summer appropriate scents, something light and fresh maybe. I got a lot of aquatic samples coming. I have 8 fragrances in full bottles plus Cašmir Eau de Parfum I have both the parfum and EDP and a couple backups. I think I'll set a limit of 20 full bottles not including my back ups.

Looking at how my perfume quest is going right now, I may feel that my collection is complete once acquire every Loewe perfume that comes in their adorable Minecraft stained glass bottle ᕕ( ᐕ )ᕗ

I enjoy trying out new things, so my house is always full of decants, but thus far zero non-Loewe frags sparked any desire in me to buy a full bottle. Who knows what happens next though. Perhaps a new obsession is just around the corner.

I don’t feel like my collection is complete but honestly, I don’t feel the need for it to be.
I don’t even really think of it as a “collection” in the first place.
If I love a perfume enough to want a bottle, I’ll buy it. That’s it.
I don’t think about what might be missing, whether I’ve got all occasions covered, or what would make a smart addition.
That kind of systematizing just isn’t part of how I personally approach perfume at all.

I wish...

I agree with this. Personally, I do see my perfumes as a collection, however I am not having any goals to "complete" it or I don't systemize it as "functional wardrobe", but instead it consists of smells that I love and smells that make me feel good. Perfumes are more art and feelings for me than something rational.

I've got a scent for every occasion and season x10... but it doesn't stop me from adding to it!

Hahah, same! 😝👍

Yes, and I feel 100% certain about, every few years.  It’s just the feeling you described. I can’t image that a new, or new to me, perfume can possible please me as much as something I already have. 

I still love to read about perfume, and  sometimes test. Yet, I’m there again. I think there is no reason to buy anything besides replacements or backups (for discontinued) of favorites.

I resonate with a lot of what all of you are saying.

I don't aim for completion - I don't know what that would look like - but the more I sample, the fewer the ones that impress me to a point of wanting to own them.

I like to keep a manageable collection of perfumes I actually wear and enjoy. When my collection of anything (perfumes, socks, art supplies, yarn, books) starts exceeding its storage limits it starts feeling like more of a burden than a joy.

I tried "Un Jardin à Cythère | Hermès" the other day and its lovely, but the days I would reach for it I already have Eau des Merveilles Eau de Toilette . They're not the same, but they would occupy the same niche in my collection.

But also also! I do like challenging my tastes and discovering new artists and creators in the perfume space. There are two wolves inside me etcetera etcetera

These replies are very uplifting in a way. Curation has been becoming a dying art amidst the changing modes of cultural distribution, algorithms, and current Fomo economy, so its interesting to read different takes.

For me, I don’t really have a collection, as I’m still in the discovery stage of the fragrance journey. My nose has some more heavy lifting to do before it can settle down with anything yet.

Yes, but only only cause I’m broke and at this point redundancies would be inevitable, so I can’t really rationalize any new purchases…