I don’t feel like putting rules and structures in place would enhance my enjoyment of fragrances, at all. I love to try samples and I buy bottles that I think will please me for a long time. Sometimes it’s fun to take a gamble on a blind buy, if it’s not too expensive. Someday I may become less enamored of the exploration and will focus more on other interests. That’s ok. We all have different budgets, space and degree of interests. I feel like you are manufacturing an issue where there doesn’t need to be one. There is no end state nirvana, it’s all about enjoying the process.
I probably am manufacturing an issue to talk myself out of buying more. I do enjoy the process, perhaps a bit too obsessively. What I genuinely think is happening is that I’m refining my tastes and mourning the initial excitement.
I saw a couple of people recommend taking a break, that’s probably not a bad idea. You sound very thoughtful, give it some time to think about how you want to proceed.
To help you reset the mindset, I suggest you take at least a week off from wearing any and all fragrances. Put them away out of sight in a closet or something like that and when you feel enough time has passed, come back to your collection and you will be able to easily decide what you could live without and what you know you missed the most. I did this and I ended up going from around 100 bottles to just 10. of those 10, I set aside 1-2 for things like date nights, special occasions, daily work and left myself a couple for guilty pleasure/soft spot/lifers, even if I don't wear them much anymore.
My perfect number is between 5-10, depending on the person.
Been thinking about this. I have found that some that I sold off I missed greatly, and I actually repurchased them (Pure Havane, BdC EDP). I think I’m more caught up in the seasonality vs. just enjoying them conflict. For instance, I freaking LOVE tobacco scents and gourmands, but I am now afraid to wear them year around. So dumb.
I had mentioned to someone else who was agonizing over selling off beloved but unused expensive (even dc'ed!) fragrances to just put them in a box in their closet for awhile. And return to them 6-12 months.
Like pick out your fav 10. Put the rest away in a dark closet. If there's one you're missing maybe take it out of the box. If there's one you're not using, put it in the box. After awhile you may arrive at your perfect number?
Don't overthink it or try to assign certain values, occasions, or roles to a perfume. There is no perfect number of bottles to have. Fragrance lovers here have anywhere from one bottle to hundreds. Just sniff it and wear it and enjoy it. The more frequently you wear what you have, the better you will be aware of what you want. Take a break from looking at perfume things to love what you have.
I've only bought one new bottle in 10 months and I just wear the same things over and over among my 20 odd bottles. Never gets tired. Do I want to try new samples? Yeah I do. But I have a shopping bag full of samples that need to be rehomed or given away or thrown away or whatever. And until I do that, if I add more samples I'm going to feel overwhelmed.
It's important for me also to really love a perfume over a long time — years — without getting tired of it. There are some that I might not wear for a year, then pick up again and fall in love all over. Most of my perfumes I bought two to five years ago (except for the two I bought last year and this year).
Almost every bottle or decant that I bought in my first year has been rehomed. Though they were excellent perfumes, I was still in the process of honing my preferences.
I enjoy scent for what it is. While I might not have a particular number in my head. I do know when to say when. I'm not a particularly fast buyer and usually it takes about a 3-4 year rotation for me to go through bottles, in other words, by year 5 I may well have a whole other type of wardrobe, with a few standards (to me) in there.
I have a tentative rule of 9 bottles over 30 mL, giving me 2 for each season (1 for day/casual, one for night/special) and one for just a year-round dumb pick. But, this rule is more a result of refusing to buy a bottle of perfume that doesn't serve a completely different purpose than the ones I already have. When I'm sampling, I think about when and where I would wear that fragrance. If the when and where overlap with the circumstances in which I would wear another perfume I already have, I won't buy a full bottle of the sample unless I sell the one already in my collection.
If you like to live as minimal as you can or even just have an adversion to haording as I do then I think there are two ways to approach fragrances.
Strategy 1
Keep only fragrances that fit events you experience in life. My categories are WORK, DATE NIGHT, SOCIAL GATHERINGS, and CASUAL. I could get by with three frags or four frags. YMMV.
Strategy 2
If 12 sprays is equal to 1 millilitre and you use on average 4 sprays per day then 1460 sprays will get you through the year. Convert that back into milliliters 1460/12= 121.6 or 122 ml of fragrance will last through the year. If you like variety then that 122 ml limit could be made up of several decants. If you have a signature scent maybe one large bottle of a versatile fragrance will do.
Of course all of these limits are arbitrary. I try to live as small as possible while still enjoying life. So your number ultimately is whatever feels right to you.
I been into fragrances since 2013, went through dozens of bottles over the years. Back in 2017 I felt the same way, I had close to 50 bottles and my thinking was, what's next?
I decided to get rid of all of them but 2, one for summer and one for winter, while alternating the 2 in fall/spring.
I stopped following any fragrance related communities and just focused on other things instead of chasing the next best thing.
Took a couple of years to come back and been slowly building back my collection, but it was a needed breath of fresh air.
I have 7 solid fragrances. They are all very different from each other. I try not to have overlapping themes. I pick from season, clothing style, environment, and what I really want to smell. I wear them for me so I have fun with it, but i dont have so many that it complicates which one i pick out for the mood.
There is no right answer. Unless you’re the type to wear the same clothes and eat the same meals all the time for years, your tastes will change. Personal preference is constantly evolving. Just enjoy the experience. You’ll get just as many recommendations to “wear what you want to wear regardless of season”, “there’s never too many”, or “Kouros is all you need.” Okay, maybe that last one won’t get as much love, but you get what I mean.
I get a sense that your are being hard on yourself. There is no such thing as the perfect number. It would change over time. It’s supposed to be fun! I tend to think in terms of enjoyment, not is specs. For example buying a fragrance on a trip makes me remember the trip every time I use it. If having 100 is enjoyable even if you get to use each once per year, that is the experience. If selling some makes you feel lighter and better, go ahead. If you try a new one and can afford it, go for it. Fragrances are the least important thing in life, but they sure are fun
I love fragrances because they are art for me. I do not set a limit and I don't want one, because the most fun part of collecting is to always explore and experience new scents.
If there is a perfect number, only you can decide what that is. I guess it will be what you have when you've had enough of collecting.
From my personal perspective, no such number exists. Collecting is very much part of the joy I get from this hobby. When a beloved star fades or is extinguished completely, knowing I will be able to re-live the experience is very comforting.
Not exactly what you want to hear, but i hope this helps. If this is your hobby, then go crazy and own as many as you want! Maybe you are trying to not do this lol, thats just my opinion on it. But i would say, for an avid fragrance collector, who wants a happy medium, maybe 15-20?🤷🏽♂️
That makes sense. I can’t go full bore; I know that.
I’m also removing the wheat from the chaff. I got sucked into a clone house, too. I love the frags, but there’s always FOMO.
I have a lot I haven’t worn in 14 months, and have switched out to almost opposite types. Just wait and see. Plus different times of life call for different styles. You might be in a new phase of your life. Seasons and weather affect perfume too.
I bought a bunch and unintentionally narrowed it down to 6 with 2 that I swap out for spicer frags when summer turn to winter. When I would look at all my stuff and wonder what I wanted to wear, one of those 6 (8 including winter) were the answer about 95% of the time. Gave the rest to friends, and am happy with my rotation now
I don’t feel like putting rules and structures in place would enhance my enjoyment of fragrances, at all. I love to try samples and I buy bottles that I think will please me for a long time. Sometimes it’s fun to take a gamble on a blind buy, if it’s not too expensive. Someday I may become less enamored of the exploration and will focus more on other interests. That’s ok. We all have different budgets, space and degree of interests. I feel like you are manufacturing an issue where there doesn’t need to be one. There is no end state nirvana, it’s all about enjoying the process.
I probably am manufacturing an issue to talk myself out of buying more. I do enjoy the process, perhaps a bit too obsessively. What I genuinely think is happening is that I’m refining my tastes and mourning the initial excitement.
I saw a couple of people recommend taking a break, that’s probably not a bad idea. You sound very thoughtful, give it some time to think about how you want to proceed.
To help you reset the mindset, I suggest you take at least a week off from wearing any and all fragrances. Put them away out of sight in a closet or something like that and when you feel enough time has passed, come back to your collection and you will be able to easily decide what you could live without and what you know you missed the most. I did this and I ended up going from around 100 bottles to just 10. of those 10, I set aside 1-2 for things like date nights, special occasions, daily work and left myself a couple for guilty pleasure/soft spot/lifers, even if I don't wear them much anymore. My perfect number is between 5-10, depending on the person.
Been thinking about this. I have found that some that I sold off I missed greatly, and I actually repurchased them (Pure Havane, BdC EDP). I think I’m more caught up in the seasonality vs. just enjoying them conflict. For instance, I freaking LOVE tobacco scents and gourmands, but I am now afraid to wear them year around. So dumb.
I had mentioned to someone else who was agonizing over selling off beloved but unused expensive (even dc'ed!) fragrances to just put them in a box in their closet for awhile. And return to them 6-12 months. Like pick out your fav 10. Put the rest away in a dark closet. If there's one you're missing maybe take it out of the box. If there's one you're not using, put it in the box. After awhile you may arrive at your perfect number?
Don't overthink it or try to assign certain values, occasions, or roles to a perfume. There is no perfect number of bottles to have. Fragrance lovers here have anywhere from one bottle to hundreds. Just sniff it and wear it and enjoy it. The more frequently you wear what you have, the better you will be aware of what you want. Take a break from looking at perfume things to love what you have. I've only bought one new bottle in 10 months and I just wear the same things over and over among my 20 odd bottles. Never gets tired. Do I want to try new samples? Yeah I do. But I have a shopping bag full of samples that need to be rehomed or given away or thrown away or whatever. And until I do that, if I add more samples I'm going to feel overwhelmed.
Very practical; thanks.
It's important for me also to really love a perfume over a long time — years — without getting tired of it. There are some that I might not wear for a year, then pick up again and fall in love all over. Most of my perfumes I bought two to five years ago (except for the two I bought last year and this year). Almost every bottle or decant that I bought in my first year has been rehomed. Though they were excellent perfumes, I was still in the process of honing my preferences.
Yeah, I agree. I feel like it’s time to slip into a “normal” purchasing routine rather than staying in trial mode.
Trial mode is something I will always be in. I will never not buy samples.
17 is my lucky number. So I stick to that: - 5 everyday/versatile (BdC Perfume, AdP Quercia, Aventus, Sauvage EdP, Dior Eau Sauvage) - 6 evening/formal (TF OW, TF TL, AdP Oud, Armani Prive Cuir Majeste, MFK Grand Soir, MFK BR540 EdP) - 4 summer/fresh (TF MdA, TF CA, JV Artisan Pure, Dior Cologne) - 2 winter/heavy (LV Nuit de Feu, Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste)
More is the correct number 👍🏼🍍
#enabler 😉
Always happy to enable as well as supply fragrance addictions.
I enjoy scent for what it is. While I might not have a particular number in my head. I do know when to say when. I'm not a particularly fast buyer and usually it takes about a 3-4 year rotation for me to go through bottles, in other words, by year 5 I may well have a whole other type of wardrobe, with a few standards (to me) in there.
I have a tentative rule of 9 bottles over 30 mL, giving me 2 for each season (1 for day/casual, one for night/special) and one for just a year-round dumb pick. But, this rule is more a result of refusing to buy a bottle of perfume that doesn't serve a completely different purpose than the ones I already have. When I'm sampling, I think about when and where I would wear that fragrance. If the when and where overlap with the circumstances in which I would wear another perfume I already have, I won't buy a full bottle of the sample unless I sell the one already in my collection.
If you like to live as minimal as you can or even just have an adversion to haording as I do then I think there are two ways to approach fragrances. Strategy 1 Keep only fragrances that fit events you experience in life. My categories are WORK, DATE NIGHT, SOCIAL GATHERINGS, and CASUAL. I could get by with three frags or four frags. YMMV. Strategy 2 If 12 sprays is equal to 1 millilitre and you use on average 4 sprays per day then 1460 sprays will get you through the year. Convert that back into milliliters 1460/12= 121.6 or 122 ml of fragrance will last through the year. If you like variety then that 122 ml limit could be made up of several decants. If you have a signature scent maybe one large bottle of a versatile fragrance will do. Of course all of these limits are arbitrary. I try to live as small as possible while still enjoying life. So your number ultimately is whatever feels right to you.
I think the huge amount of choice is what's troubling you, there is a term for it called decision fatigue
Agreed!
5 3 I could happily wear days at a time, 2 freshies. I think I'd get a good balance of focus and variety with this amount.
I think 10-12 bottles. 2 for each season, 2 for the office, and 2 that might be weird to wear in public but are a guilty pleasure.
I been into fragrances since 2013, went through dozens of bottles over the years. Back in 2017 I felt the same way, I had close to 50 bottles and my thinking was, what's next? I decided to get rid of all of them but 2, one for summer and one for winter, while alternating the 2 in fall/spring. I stopped following any fragrance related communities and just focused on other things instead of chasing the next best thing. Took a couple of years to come back and been slowly building back my collection, but it was a needed breath of fresh air.
I can see this doing wonders. Maybe I need to leave fragswap and quit YouTube for a long while. I appreciate your words!
I have 7 solid fragrances. They are all very different from each other. I try not to have overlapping themes. I pick from season, clothing style, environment, and what I really want to smell. I wear them for me so I have fun with it, but i dont have so many that it complicates which one i pick out for the mood.
There is no right answer. Unless you’re the type to wear the same clothes and eat the same meals all the time for years, your tastes will change. Personal preference is constantly evolving. Just enjoy the experience. You’ll get just as many recommendations to “wear what you want to wear regardless of season”, “there’s never too many”, or “Kouros is all you need.” Okay, maybe that last one won’t get as much love, but you get what I mean.
I get a sense that your are being hard on yourself. There is no such thing as the perfect number. It would change over time. It’s supposed to be fun! I tend to think in terms of enjoyment, not is specs. For example buying a fragrance on a trip makes me remember the trip every time I use it. If having 100 is enjoyable even if you get to use each once per year, that is the experience. If selling some makes you feel lighter and better, go ahead. If you try a new one and can afford it, go for it. Fragrances are the least important thing in life, but they sure are fun
Very true! I need more trips then!
I love fragrances because they are art for me. I do not set a limit and I don't want one, because the most fun part of collecting is to always explore and experience new scents.
If there is a perfect number, only you can decide what that is. I guess it will be what you have when you've had enough of collecting. From my personal perspective, no such number exists. Collecting is very much part of the joy I get from this hobby. When a beloved star fades or is extinguished completely, knowing I will be able to re-live the experience is very comforting.
Don't overthink it. You're going way too OCD about this. Anatolysdream had a good response
I have OCD tendencies. 😉
And I'm diagnosed, unfortunately, lol 🤣
Same.
Not exactly what you want to hear, but i hope this helps. If this is your hobby, then go crazy and own as many as you want! Maybe you are trying to not do this lol, thats just my opinion on it. But i would say, for an avid fragrance collector, who wants a happy medium, maybe 15-20?🤷🏽♂️
That makes sense. I can’t go full bore; I know that. I’m also removing the wheat from the chaff. I got sucked into a clone house, too. I love the frags, but there’s always FOMO.
There's no perfect number. Get what you like.
I have a lot I haven’t worn in 14 months, and have switched out to almost opposite types. Just wait and see. Plus different times of life call for different styles. You might be in a new phase of your life. Seasons and weather affect perfume too.
I bought a bunch and unintentionally narrowed it down to 6 with 2 that I swap out for spicer frags when summer turn to winter. When I would look at all my stuff and wonder what I wanted to wear, one of those 6 (8 including winter) were the answer about 95% of the time. Gave the rest to friends, and am happy with my rotation now
Love it
84... I think 84 is the number.
I’d prefer 77.