Do you stay away from some houses on purpose?
Do you keep away from very expensive (or morally questionable) brands?
Do you skirt temptation consciously?
My Answer:
Yes, I tried to stay away from some houses (notice the past tense?) for reasons of steering clear of temptation. What is the use of falling for some perfumes that are prohibitively expensive or limited or otherwise hard to get? It is setting myself up for heartache. There are so many lines that I have not tried yet that do not limit their releases, or charge the equivalent of three weeks of grocery shopping. I keep to that self-imposed rule for the most part, but recently Xerjoff crossed my path… enough said. š
What are your forbidden brands?
Olfactoria's Travels 
No forbidden brands for me, I will try anything once. Even if I know the cost of a bottle will be prohibitive and completely out of the question, that doesn’t deter me from sampling, especially if somebody wants to send me a sample. š
Good strategy, giving everything a chance once.
And I wouldn’t turn down a sample either… š
It seems like we are naturally drawn towards things that are rare; so, something that is very expensive (and therefore ownership of said thing might be rare in our social group) or something that is very limited is for those reasons very appealing! At least to me š
To answer the question, no. There isn’t a house I’m purposefully avoiding because of cost or limits on distribution. Heartache has happened, more than once: but it is better to have loved and lost… right?
(I’m looking at you Poivre 23! Why oh why is it a London exclusive???)
Better to have loved and lost – that is true!
A good reason to come to London, isn’t it? (Although you wouldn’t need convincing to go, I suspect. š )
But dee, you have a friend in London, you only have to say the word and Poivre 23 will be yours!
Temptress! š
Ha!
In a word, Yes. Except when it’s No.
That is, I normally have to purchase samples of everything except mainstream scents (used to swap, but it took so blasted much time that I gave it up), so I have to hunt down everything I want to try. Occasionally something from a house I’ve been avoiding shows up in a package, and if that’s the case I don’t mind trying it. However, I do avoid buying samples from houses that I know are expensive (By Kilian, Xerjoff), houses that make me feel unwelcome or whose philosophy I don’t like (Etat Libre d’Orange, Le Labo or JAR), or houses that I have bad luck with (Estee Lauder).
On the other hand, Amouages are very expensive, but the ones I’ve tried have been gorgeous and long-lasting and well-made, therefore better value than many other, less expensive, niche houses – so clearly, my strategy here is inconsistent.
Mals, you bring up an interesting point, there are indeed houses that make one feel unwelcome. You should think JAR is not at all interested in normal people.
Amouage is great value, a spritz or two get you through the day, some L’Artisans are nothing but a memory after two hours, so in the end investing in an Amouage makes sense.
This is an interesting question. I don’t have a logical reason for this (I will try anything regardless of logical considerations like limited edition, availability, price, etc.) but there are two houses that come to mind right away that I avoid. Miller Harris and CB I Hate Perfume. I can’t stand them, but it has nothing to do with their perfumes. I don’t really know what it is. I dislike the Miller Harris bottles, and I think CB I Hate Perfume is an idiotic name, but these seem like small reasons to have such a strong negative reaction. I am almost repulsed by them, even though I’ve never tested anything from either. So weird. Maybe I had a bad experience in a previous life or something. š
That is interesting. Such a strong reaction is always worth investigating.
I have to buy samples from many because of prices .I won’t buy any from Juliette Has a Gun because it goes against Quaker principles. It should be questioned by everyone , I know why it is called that but the association of beauty with firearms disgusts me.
I always thought JHAG to be an extremely stupid and unnecessary name as well, I understand your point of view, Angie, although I liked the perfumes a lot when I received samples from Dee. Too bad they chose such a questionable name and image.
I agree. I avoid this line for the same reason. You are the first person I have read who has actually come out and said it! Thanks Carrie.
Oops, angie I meant. Too quick for myself.
I forgot to mention that there are perfumes I will avoid because of dubious political connections . I won’t put names here but would tell you Birgit by message . I mean extreme right-wing views and these are British companies or aperfume named for a celebrity . I am sure many perfumistas would be quite shocked .
Now I am very curious of course, I would be glad if you emailed me.
Angie, this has really concerned me. If you don’t have any objection I’d be grateful to know the names of these companies if Birgit wouldn’t mind passing on the info.
Yep, I’m very interested too. If somebody can get the info to me somehow, I’d be grateful!
I avoid Bond No 9 because there are too many fragrances in the line, and the bottles are large and expensive. And I hear stuff about them that I don’t like. Also, I don’t know New York at all, so a lot of the place names are lost on me and I don’t feel motivated enough to research them.
I avoid Lutens because the bottles are large and expensive, or unobtainable. I have not liked the few fragrances that I have tried – too weird. I don’t mind trying weird, but not, so far, from Lutens.
I avoid ELD’O because … because … but I might cave in there, and try Like This. So many people seem to love it.
I’m generally not tempted to even obtain samples of these lines because what they all have in common is the quality discussed further up – I don’t feel welcome. I want to not just enjoy the fragrance, but feel good about my purchase, so I take an interest in the fragrance house – its history (if it has one) and the people who work for it. That is probably why I am strongly attracted to SSS and Tauer. Those houses are run by talented people doing what they love, and sharing it. They welcome you in and make it easy for you to buy their stuff.
Finally, I have particular test I apply to all fragrance websites, both makers and retailers: how easy is it to find out if they ship overseas, and how much does cost. If they hide that info because they are too lazy to care about selling to customers south of the equator, then I’m just too lazy to bother with them!
Okay, end of rant. Whew! I enjoyed that.
Good rant, Annemarie! You raise some great points, I always look for shipping options and costs first, before I even take a look at the perfumes, we are the same there! š
The feeling of being welcome by a house is important too. Indie lines do a great job there.
And btw, I never tried a Bond perfume either, except NY Oud from Dee, to not too great a success. They somehow just don’t kindle my interest at all.
I forgot about Bond no. 9- I can’t stand their perfumes, and I have other neg. associations with them too, so I guess I do avoid them!
Why avoiding something you don’t know? Everything deserves a chance. You never know.
Quite right, Anton! Sometimes I only try to protect myself from loving something too much! š
Thank you for commenting!
That’s the real issue. I’d like to wear a different perfume every day!
Oh, yes! Me too! š
You are right. But I like to be irrational in my perfume life. The rest of my life has to be so careful and well-organised. Sigh …
Well, I’m pretty much up for trying most things regardless of price because there is always the decant option, but I do proceed with caution! I have been putting off trying Parfums MDCI because – being the chypre lover I am – I’m sure to fall for a couple of those. Otherwise a combination of price and lack of interest has steered me away from bothering with the makers of “The Most Expensive Perfume in the World”, Clive Christian.
It is mostly disinterest that kept me from Clive Christian as well, I don’t fear I’d like any of their fragrances. MCDI is interesting and definitely on my radar in the future.
Another great question, another great discussion!
When I first got my perfumista training wheels, certain fragrance concepts/designs were my reasons for avoiding Smell Bent, Opus Oils and ELDO. I have since opened my mind a little. After all, it’s what’s IN the bottle that really matters.
The Smell Bent artwork makes me laugh now, Opus Oils has expanded their line way beyond “Charlie No.5” (I understand Charles Manson is almost a caricature of himself now, but imagine if someone put Jeffery Dahmer’s face on a bottle of perfume…) ELDO just seems to take itself way too seriously, but it’s probably just me taking all this too seriously. š
Other than that, Bond No.9 (I have tried to open my mind to this house) will probably never be sampled. They seem freakishly litigious and I just can’t support that.
Bond does really have an image problem among Perfumistas. EldO is not my taste as well, their imagery is so offputting, I don’t even give them a chance ( Like This excepted). And Jeffrey Dahmer on a perfume bottle, dear God, let us hope nobody is taking up that idea! š
I avoid anything that is marketed as “too expensive for most of you” and yes, this includes Xerjoff and Clive Christian. I think it is plain bad taste to put such a price tag. I know they probably are very good perfumes but I just can’t see what could be worth so much money except giving their clients the comfort of owning something very few people can. And this just borders getting political for me.
And I guess Bond No9 should fire their PR man because I avoid those too: so many of them and quite expensive too. I have tried 3 or 4 and I did love “Success is a Business in New York”.
I was kind of thinking that Le Labo is a little …. well bad taste too but then I tried their Oud 27 and that brought me to my knees. I like so many of their stuff now that I should probably have stuck with snubbing them.
To be perfectly honest, a big part of me does not want to try those expensive lines because there is a big chance I might like them.
I ignored Le Labo for the longest time, their hoopla and unnecessary city eyclusives made me not like them. But having visited their store in London, I grew a bit softer towards them. š
Your last sentence – that is the crux for me as well, I tell myself: Do not get involved with something you might not be able to pursue. š
I’ll sample any lines, but I don’t go to great lengths to try the more expensive lines since I hate to fall in love with something that I can’t afford. At the same time, I’ve received samples in packages of fragrances that I had ignored because of cost or unavailability that are now favorites. I’m pretty simple!
Sometimes samples just seem to find you, then it is meant to be. š
As a general rule, I’ll try anything once, if nothing else so I can make up my own mind about a brand. Which is to say…I have a few lines I have yet to explore (L’Artisan, JAR, Xerjoff among them) I have developed a fatal and reciprocated love for certain Amouages, and once, I got to try Clive Christian (and was thoroughly underwhelmed, if not by the price tag!)
The one line I have yet to feel any inclination at all to try is Bond no. 9. It may be that the juice is nice, it may be that they are created with all due care by famous perfumers, but I remember a ruckus in the perfume world some time ago over Bond no. 9 and that put me off…for life. I just might manage to survive, I think!
Meanwhile, there’s no shortage of new things to sample and new horizons to explore without Bond no. 9…
Price is a factor, of course, but I personally care less about price and more about quality, and since $100 is the ‘free’ :D, there are a lot of almost-free perfume houses who are all too willing to snare the unsuspecting into paying something that just doesn’t…deliver that magic carpet ride. I’ll pay if it’s good enough, unique enough, lasts enough…I’m a big fan of the Bang For My Buck principle (no relation to Marc Jacobs).
I will say that I avoid celebufumes like the plague. Oh, yes, how could I forget. Anything Hugo Boss. Just. No.
Haha, I had to laugh out loud about the Bang for your buck – no relation to MJ quip. š You did not try L’Artisan yet? I must send you decants of the l’Artisans I own next time! *scribbles it down*
I try to avoid everything from LVMH, L’Oreal and P&G, except maybe for the vintage stuff.
I dislike the way they have cheapened their once glorious fragrances and I try to avoid purchasing from companies that test their products on animals.
I understand, but that covers many, many perfumes…
But all the great niche houses are still available to you then, and hopefully also Hermes will stay out of LVMH’s clutches.
We can only hope so. The day LVMH buys Hermes apocalypse will arrive.
I would go and buy the entire Hermessence line before it lost its quality ingredients, but let’s not even think about that…hopefully Hermes prevails.
I was just talking about this with a few locals a couple of weeks ago. I “tried” to avoid expensive lines like Amouage, Xerjoff, By Kilian, but samples were given to me and I realized I was really missing out. I’m a grown-up and what I choose to do with my money is my business. If I want to save up and splurge on one of these bottles if I feel they are “worth” it. (So, far I haven’t, but By Kilian is in the near future).
Now with image, that is another thing. I know I will eventually give in, but I’m like JoanElaine. Some houses turn me off, but I know I’m too serious. I haven’t went out of my way to try ELdO because I don’t want to purchase a perfume with a penis on it. I like cheeky but that is a cry for attention. Smell Bent, BPAL, and a few other small perfume oil companies cross my comfort zone boundaries because of their names. I have tried them if I stumble across them.
I even know of people that won’t by JHaG because “gun” is in the name, even though they love all the scents. But, once again, we’re adults and we know what will feel comfortable doing with our money.
That is a pretty good argument. We are adults and not only can we choose what to do with our money, we are the ones who have to work hard for it too.
Your “moral” avoidances are very similar to mine.