...It's odd sometimes how others will react to how many perfumes they find out I own. They can't seem to wrap their heads around the number at all. I've seen ladies show me their trays of perfumes that contain roughly 12-15 bottles and they are overwhelmed with that amount. But they don't look at perfumes in the same way that I do. For them, they simply pick up a bottle, spritz some on their decolletage, and they're good to go. They'll tell me their SO purchased it for them, so it's special for them. Ok, that's their version of enjoying fragrance. It's definitely not mine.I look at all of my bottles, my minis, even my notes on what I've sampled, as a sort of reference library. This is my hobby. It's what I do to relax, to give myself peace of mind, to take myself away. I truly enjoy perfume. What's even more fun for me, is using those perfumes in layering and creating new scents for myself out of what I already own. This past summer, I took a few months to create my own perfume from my own fragrances and my own fragrant oils. It was a labor of love and pure enjoyment of fragrance. The end result was something I can truly call my own.I use all of my fragrances, I love my hobby. It brings me happiness and that's all that matters to me. I'm always on the look-out for others to add. Why? Simply because of the sheer enjoyment and pleasure. This is what I have chosen. Others choose their hobbies, spend their dollars and people don't bat an eye because their hobbies are considered main-stream. Some people gamble at casinos and throw their money away, and still others consider that pleasurable. Perfumes are my vice, I enjoy their artistry through photography, through smell and through creating.

...RebeccaS:Thanks for sharing, nice alternative to existing sites. Unfortunately many brands are fake (grey in the list). When I choose such brand, the site says it is not supported, but why is it displayed in the list then? I still trust more to this batch code checker: http://checkcosmetic.netThe brands in gray are this: "The selected brand is not supported by CheckFresh.com.You can support the development of CheckFresh.com software by sending the found batch number. This information will help us improve the program." I found this particular checker to have certain brands that others do not. Of course, using alternative ones will cover all brands, and you should have the codes covered for anything, hopefully."

...Allure has these videos on YouTube called "Scent Of Desire" where they blindfold people and have them describe the people they are smelling. Has anyone seen them? Here is a link to the first one: http://youtu.be/z6yeeFfHXB0Can you blindly describe someone by smelling them?

...I much prefer "Spicebomb" over "Flowerbomb". Givenchy "Pi" is another. Elizabeth Taylor's "Passion for Men" has a different flavor that appeals to me rather than her "Passion" marketed for women. I'm not a floral person and never have been. I run the other way if a perfume is full of floral notes...

...I have two of the Al-Rehab oils and one of the Al-Rehab eau de Perfume natural sprays. I am finding the oils very unusual to work with, despite all the accolades from others. I agree, the oils take very long to get a result, perhaps I am too lazy to wait for a result, but I just don't enjoy the drydown as I do with a regular perfume. On top of that, I must put my nose to my skin just to get some type of idea of what I am really smelling for one called Dalal, which is a lemony butter cookie type of gourmand, and the other is very similar in being a skin scent, but it does radiate a bit better (Alauddin), which is a darker liquid that reminds me of almonds, woods and perhaps oud. It's definitely unisex. They are so inexpensive I didn't mind seeing what they were about. Now as far as the eau de perfume natural spray, I have Organdy, which is very similar to a cross between Organza and Organza Indecence. Now this one lasts a few hours and I'd love to find a matching oil. For $8, it was well worth it. I'm not really into the oil craze now that I've tried it, but I do like the perfume sprays.

...That's exactly what she does, because she used to work in the industry. Plus, she works on the perfume to get it to your specs, not some generic ideal, which is fantastic. When I sat down and started, she told me not to worry about taking my time. She said for me, it would take a number of sittings....lol. But I've had so much fun! Imagine designing your own perfume...it's really heaven.

...Should anyone ever visit the Poconos in Northeast Pennsylvania (USA), there is a boutique perfumery in a town called Scranton. It is called NOTE and is run by a woman who used to work with Firmenich. She creates perfumes now on her own, along with matching candles. But the best part of her shop is this. You can create your own perfume. You sit at a table where she has these little bottles of fragrance notes. You dip little paper strips into the bottles finding your favorite scents. You bundle them, wave the bundle in front of you and it creates the new scent. Eventually, you create your own perfect perfume unique to you. She then makes the perfume for you. So, for example, if you like vanilla, incense, myrhh, leather and tonka bean, she'll put these notes together in a perfume created just for you. She'll save the formula so you can re-order, too. What a fun place.NOTE Fragrances401 Spruce St.Scranton, PA 18503

...I'm waiting for a "Chapeau Bleu" , I love the bottle. The juice sounds wonderful, too.

...I don't remember my MIL wearing any perfume, but she would wear make-up. My mother and aunts (two lived downstairs) always wore perfumes, Chanel No. 5, Shalimar and Estee Lauder's Youth Dew in the blue rubberized bottle are the three that I remember. That first sniff of Shalimar is what sucked me into this orgy of perfumes as a little girl and I've never looked back....

...Bath & Body is ending this week-end. I stopped in today and they have lowered even the $4.00 items (bath gels and body lotions) now to 75% off, such as "Dark Kiss" and others that were originally the higher "sale price".

...Favorite: "Tobacco Vanille"Least Favorite: "Black Orchid"

...Awwww, congratulations for you M! That's wonderful news! You'll have your work cut out for you when the little one comes home.... ;) I have both cats and dogs and it's a house full. Pets are wonderful, aren't they? They are our families, that's for sure!

...From SystemeD's Collection:Favorite: MitsoukoLeast Favorite: La Premier Parfum Lolita Lempicka

...From Cryptics fabulous collection:I adore "Hypnotic Poison"but have never been able to wear "Aromatics Elixir"

...WolfM:(too big for side width)Oh, that is so me! Wherever did you find that?

...Interesting articles, Dulcemio. Thank you.30% is quite a difference, isn't it? Now, if only others would understand and appreciate this difference for what it actually is and realize not everyone can wear the same perfume and smell the same way. We may appreciate it on another, but on us, it just doesn't work out. No need to berate or constantly trash a perfume with words of negativity that don't actually describe it. (Unless it's really just that badly manufactured in some way, of course.)So many factors come into play when we wear our perfumes, we cannot please everyone, but only ourselves, really. We wear our perfumes and throw caution to the wind outside sometimes, never knowing who we might offend. The only time, it seems we are safe, is in our own homes, where we are free to spray away with abandonment. Outside, we are relegated to a spritz or two to enjoy on the sly so as not to offend a soul.

...Yes, Cryptic, questions like that are true. I guess it all depends on my mood, too, when I visit F. If I'm in a mood that needs a quick pick-me-up for a good laugh, I'll take a look at the forums. Sometimes there might be a valid post, of course, but many, many times there are questions that make me roar with laughter. They honestly do. One topic tho, that I do really like is the "finds at your local TJMaxx, etc.". It gives me an idea of what's out there currently.

...To be able to smell "Piesse & Lubin"...what dreams are made of, we can only imagine. How pure and unencumbered this potion must have been. I wonder, too, what type of woman wore it, since it seems a heavier perfume than we've been led to believe that women wore back then in the 1800's. I've always imagined women wearing the insipid floral waters that they dipped their handkerchiefs in courtesy Hollywood movies. Now I know real women existed that dared to exude raw sensuality. Thank you ScentFan, for these thoughts. I, too, love the orientals.

...I enjoy everything except florals. My perfume choice depends on the weather that day, where I might be going, what i have to do. During the day, I'll reach for my chypres, heavier orientals, the stronger stock I own. Later on, I'll switch to my gourmands, and usually at bed, use a light gourmand to drift off.Owning so many, I'll wear a few different ones daily. But to answer the question of preference, no, I enjoy them all, ezcept those heavy on rhe floral notes only.

...I think "Hanae Mori/Butterfly" has the potential. Elegant, low-key...it has many beautiful qualities.