Lord love a duck, I've been busy with my obsessions. A few months ago, I did a major purge of shoes that had been a long time coming. There was actually floor showing in my closet! I even had empty places in the shoe holder on the back of the door and in the shoe racks in the closet. Hmmm...what is the saying about nature abhorring a vacuum? Plus, there were vacancies in the colors required that absolutely needed fixing. I decided that I only want leather shoes. Ok, first it started with I only wanted leather boots, but it transgressed into shoes too. This one is totally justifiable, your feet don't breathe in faux and then they get colder and or hotter. I hit on the Crocs site when they were clearancing their old YOU line of leather dress shoes, that I had drooled over a couple of years ago when they were in the $200+ range. They are actually quite good looking, the inner Croc footbed is completely hidden and they have not only leather uppers, but are also leather lined. They still have a few over at 6pm.com if you don't believe me how gorgeous they can be. I did get a black leather boot from them while they still had them for $60, but they are low heeled. Very nice, but I no longer have any high heeled boots! Not to fear, two pairs are coming from DSW.com and I may even take one pair back. I hope they show up tomorrow. Booties, shooties, these were a must. I now have brown, black & light grey. Real patent leather shoes are to die for... the list goes on and on.

This was in combo with my overwhelming perfume craze, which morphed into a vintage perfume jag. There are now ones that I loved at the beginning of this, about 9 months ago, that I don't even like any more. Jimmy Choo, anyone? Thank goodness for eBay, of course I wouldn't have to sell so many on eBay if I hadn't bought so many there. I'm cutting it way back now, pretty much to ones that I know are wonderful and are also a wonderful price. But this is only because I now have a new forever kind of love...

.............    Pullips! Pullips! Pullips!

It's official, I've gone middle-aged crazy. Oh, and did I mention my pink hair? No? That's for another time then. I have gone bat shit crazy for Pullips, a spectacularly beautiful doll with eyes that shift from side to side and close or open. They do come in somewhat of a range of sizes and types, but for now, I'm into Pullips (the 12 inch girl doll) and Taeyangs, her official boyfriend. Oh, don't think that I don't know how ridiculous this sounds....

Have you heard of Blythe? 

 The originally by Kenner big head doll that the eyes shifted from side to side, and you could change the color of her eyes? I had found something online about her popularity several years ago and was intrigued. Yes, I wanted one, but not the price tag she carried at the time. (She hasn't gotten any cheaper). Instead I segued into Living Dead Dolls and that has been one of my many obsessions. Part of that was price and it just seemed like horror dolls were less scary than a grown woman playing with dress up dollies. I'm pretty much over the worrying about what people think thing, so I recently wondered again about the Blythe doll. Then I remembered when I had wanted a Blythe doll that there was a similar doll, and I rediscovered Pullips. Only this time, I fell hard. These are my first three beauties. I have some really fun character ideas and the dolls on the way for that. Stay tuned... as my collection grows and I get battier and battier. And, no, I wasn't kidding....

Tips for buying vintage scents and for eBay in general 

or: "Do your own damn research"

I've been an eBayer longer than most, around 17 years or so. I've bought a ton and sold a bit. Whatever my current obsession is, you can bet that I have some saved searches and I think I can pass along some  advice. There have been a lot of improvements, but what I've used as my guidelines are still working for me. I've actually read vintage perfume "experts" say not to buy on eBay. That's crazy stupid. They probably don't want you bidding against them. 

Don't spend more than you can afford to lose. As in you get shit for product, it's fake, it was misrepresented, it never gets to you, whatever. I believe that Paypal and eBay both have some better safeguards for buyers than they used to, but I haven't put it to the test in years. When I did, I lost out and got zip returned to me. Hence, I do not buy large screen state of the art electronic anything on eBay. Not worth the hassle when there are so many other sources for that type of thing. 

Check out the options other than eBay. Is what you are looking for still in production? Is it discontinued only recently? Try Amazon and see what the prices are there. Do a Google search and see what pops up. I do this even for old time vintage scents. eBay is not the only game in town, it is the BIGGEST. Sometimes that works in your favor, sometimes not. I have found some kick ass vintage perfume sources ala Google or by links at perfume blogs. Quirky Finds is one I can highly recommend. I hate to, because I think of her as my secret source that I want no one else to peruse and possibly buy what I want. But that is my human nature selfishness that I have been put on this earth to rise above. Fact is, if you have a good source, you want it to succeed or it won't be there long! And anyone can make a mistake, but a specialized source that will be around is more likely to be accurate in their assessment of an item. I have found bottles of a scent for $40 and less that were ALL going for $100+ on eBay at that time. Which brings up...

Be patient. Anyone that knows me, knows how ironic that is, coming from me. But, I'm also CHEAP. And to be cheap, sometimes you have to be patient. Do a search on eBay for your precious, then go to advanced search. There will be some fine tuning that you may or may not want to do. Make sure you check the box to save the search and get emails. I have so many that I frequently reach my limit and have to cull them. Eventually there will be an auction with bad timing (holidays can be your best auction friend) and you will get something that noone else noticed. Use Gixen or another eBay sniper. I tried Goofbay and lost several auctions that I was sitting, watching my bid NOT appear and they went ridiculously low too. Ibid wasn't much better. One great feature of eBay sniping agents: you can change your mind. You can retract a bid on eBay, but reserve it for the really serious mistakes and only once in a while. So far, I think Gixen is wonderful. I did see one time that they tried to bid and couldn't get through to eBay, they tried, it wasn't their fault.I did go ahead and pay a whopping $6 for their deluxe double server and it has paid off. Continue to search on Google and elsewhere. If you want something in demand at a reasonable price, you are going to have to spend some time on it. Probably. I've waltzed into some marvelous deals instantly. It helps if you've researched enough to know that it is marvelous and to snap it up if it is an instant buy. I usually read my search emails at 6:30 a.m. because that is when I get up during the week. Sometimes they are already gone, baby!

Do your own damn research. OK, this is a pet peeve of mine. Over the years and obsessions, I have been attached to many discussion board forums. Do NOT go to one and ask a question if you haven't at least tried to figure it out for yourself. What date is this bottle from? can be a question that you pay an expert to tell you and even then you probably don't know if the answer is correct. Look up old advertisements, uhh, eBay has tons of them for perfumes. If you see your bottle in a 1947 ad and a different bottle in a 1950 ad, you have a pretty good idea. Google it. Sorry if I sound like a broken record. (If you don't know why we use the phrase "broken record" you are young and savvy enough to Google that too.) There are some perfume history sites that can be very helpful. Tack on the word review to your search to get vintage perfume blogs that can be an amazing resource. Do NOT go to a perfume forum and ask where to get a bottle of vintage perfume. The answer is eBay. If you don't trust eBay, too bad for you. If you are at a forum  for opinions, please go for them happily and with my blessing.

In this category, realize that a lot of auctions are misnamed. I see a LOT of auctions that say vintage, but are in the current production bottle. They say discontinued and they are wrong. Oy vay. They probably are making an honest mistake. Even my beloved Quirkify has at least one bottle that the heading says vintage and it ain't. Then again, it may be in with the new scents and they don't realize they picked up an old rarity. Not so often, but it happens. Sellers also mispell, Goofbay and some others have a mispelled auction search. Sometimes I just play around with the spelling on eBay's search engine, and it has paid off me too. 

Think about it. You have a noodle, use it. Chanel is the most counterfeited perfume house in the world and has been for longer than my mother has been alive. And she's old.  Just because it is vintage doesn't make it genuine. And vintage bottles are frequently refillable, which makes their contents suspicious. You should be suspicious of Chanel and other high dollar scents. there are sites for spotting fake Chanels and they will scare you to death. Guess what they frequently use in the fake scent? Urine. Isn't that nice? I don't like paying full retail anything, but I have gotten to the point where I don't trust much o'nothing with the Chanel name unless it is from a certifiable Chanel dealer. Sephora here I come. Obviously, that is not going to get me a vintage scent though. So...look at the color of the scent. Old or new, if it is a different hue than the others in that same category, it is probably fake. The only reason I say probably is that it may have been properly stored and closer to the original color if it is vintage. But vintage scents usually started off with more color than the watery looking things you buy today. If it looks like water with piss in it, it may be, with a little bit of scent thrown in to fool you. If they only show one fuzzy picture that is suspicious right there. They should be showing you the bottom of the bottle, the top and anything else to verify it. If it looks like it was put together by a kindergartner in China, it may well have been. Longevity can also be a good clue with Chanel scents, most are notoriously long lived, even the vintage. Not so with fakes as I read it. That can be not as apt with other brands, many vintage are authentically fleeting. Hello...My Sin, for instance. 

On the other hand, if it is an auction for a popular drug store vintage and they are starting it off at $1.99, why would they go to the trouble of a fake product? It was probably Aunt Tilly's and she is now with the angels. The main reason for counterfeit is profit and that is usually in the more expensive and rarer items. Sometimes the bottles themselves help prevent faking. People may take the top off a Guerlain bottle and fill it with something, but they aren't as likely to have made a fake bottle too. And even the bottles empty are expensive, so why bother with peeing it? I'm sure it happens, it just isn't as common. If it ships from Asia, be cautious. Even 100% top sellers are not necessarily legit. People either don't know they've been conned or they don't/won't admit. I admit I have bought some questionable scents, although none that I know are fake. And yes, I have sold them again. On eBay, in fact. But here is the difference between a honest seller and one that may or may not be. One says "I only sell authentic 100% genuine products". The other says, I don't know. I bought this used and it may not be what it says it is. It may not smell the way it is supposed to, I don't have a comparison to judge it by. I have no problem with saying that or with someone who says it. A wrapped, sealed ancient vintage item can be trusted more easily also, unless it looks like it was done by that kindergartner. They sell wrapped sealed Chanel fakes, but I bet most of the sealed Lanvins are just fine. Especially since they usually sell at affordable prices. Unless it is one of the two rare Lanvins that I am hunting. 

Don't get caught up in an auction competition frenzy. This one is so basic that I almost forgot it. But especially if you are new to eBay, then it really needs to be mentioned. You've read this far, you know to do your research. Know what the going rate is, what is a good deal and what you are willing to pay. Even today, I occasionally forget this and it is pretty ingrained in me. When the bids start flying, it is easy to think "Oh no, you don't!" A bidding war usually ends in the "winner" paying a price that is over the going rate. It is not a victory if you have paid $60 for something that you could have paid $40 for an instant buy and gotten free shipping to boot. I'm notoriously forgetful when I want something. That is why I end up with three bottles of the same thing and then don't like it much. (All the research in the world isn't useful when you forget it). That is where Gixen is indispensible. Decide what that is worth to you and then stick to it. And if it is available in another auction or site for less, don't go over that amount. When I have a trusted source, I may be willing to pay more for that reliability, but even then I need a limit. And using Gixen, I have to remember one thing...I may win every single auction. Budget accordingly. I'm still working on that one. 

Collecting or hoarding?

Sometimes it is pretty hard to tell the difference. My husband has noticed I always buy two of everything. If I decide I must have a cashmere scarf, it ends up being at least two cashmere scarfs. I think it actually ended up being three, not counting the perfect one I lost at the mall. But sometimes you need a backup and sometimes you just aren’t sure which choice will be the best.  

So now, if I really like a scent, I need at least two bottles. Maybe more. Which would make a lot of sense if I was using them. However, I find myself not using the ones I love the most. The Guerlains are must haves, but the wearing is problematic. My life doesn’t seem to have important enough days to break out the good stuff! It seems deeply ingrained, and possible genetic. Or is it just our old survival skills being transferred to more frivolous “needs”?

My grandpa always needs a set of everything for “put back”.  Tshirts (remember when men wore them under their shirt?), socks, underwear. He would have an extra of them in the wrapper in his drawer. Open one package, he would need another! Silly, huh? And guess what I find myself doing with perfumes? Hmm….

Like many of us I have been on eBay a lot since this obsession went into full blossom. I see groups of old perfumes described as the estate of a collector, when the seller didn’t know the deceased. If it is for a relative, she will be called a pack rat or hoarder.  Ok, 22 bottles of the same perfume that we’ve never even heard of evaporating away in a closet somewhere could be excessive. Even for me. But I look at those 22 bottles with that primordial ooze left, and pangs of longing arise. I know how I would love to apply that brown syrup! And I would use that. It is the ones we have heard of that I get torn up about. That is one reason I love to buy used vintage scents, I have no qualms about those. Especially if it is something called Remarkable by Milnet. If it is called Shalimar…isn’t it a little too wonderful to use today? Or if it is a discontinued scent and I don’t have a put back.

And yet, I see bottles up for sale that still have the cords around the neck and nothing left in them. There is something so sad about that, like a doll that was bought to be kept in a box instead of loved and held. It waited and waited for use, for someone to at least sniff it, and finally gave up the last of its life inside the glass wall. Perfume is meant to be smelled or the purpose is lost. Concentration is wonderful, complete evaporation is not. I think I’ll wear a Guerlain. Tomorrow.

Adam's Rib by Lentheric

Why is this a Lentheric scent that is virtually unmentioned today? You will find reviews and mentions of Tweed, Confetti, Miracle and Shanghai for sure, but not this one. Could it be post-feminist sensibilities have led everyone to ignore that it even existed? Looking up Lentheric advertisements, you will certainly find it was advertised a lot back in the day. Presumably, that led to sales and popularity. And while not as common as Tweed, bottles are to be found and at fairly reasonable prices. Yet no mention on Fragrantica (alright they do omit a lot of the vintage stuff) and no mention on Basenotes either. The latter was surprising until I remembered that the God made woman second creation story is not preferable today. Which makes it quaintly attractive to me in my usual go against the flow way.

My bottle just came today, still wrapped in cellophane with a $2.00 price tag. Eau de toilette too, or rather, as they deem it: "toilet water". I should have photographed it before ripping it open, but I was so frenzied it didn't occur to me until I began writing this. The box is lovely, though it could be a great way of dropping the bottle and breaking it, if you don't expect it to lift off the base just like perfectly wrapped gifts on television. The box has a tie die effect, so that is fun. And the bottle is lovely in its simplicity, with gold lettering and fleur de lis. The cap is bakelite, I think, I am not an expert in anything, much less collectibles. The cap closely matches the box with green splotches reminiscent of the tie die effect, added gold sparkles and an embossed L with three fleur de lis around it. Tres chic.

Initial dousing is floral with an aldehydic kick that dissipates shortly to floral, floral, floral. Nothing discernible or recognizable, at least for me. (Remember my lack of expert status, I'm going to make it my moniker). Golden flower mix, not white, and just a bare trace of soap, in a pleasant way. Later comes the honeyed musk with some remaining floral tones. Hmmm....what does that sound like? I didn't think Shocking de Schiapparelli initially, but I did in the later stages. Very minimal sillage, which is typical for me with Lentheric; but it did last as a skin scent for 4-6 hours. Not bad for me and vintage. I don't have particularly dry skin, but it does crave a bath in pure scent. Every 2-4 hours for most vintage and many current scents.

I like Lentheric, or what it used to be. What it is now looks sad and vaguely appalling. Coty has its millions to comfort them if they ever stop to reflect and compare Chypre to Celine Dion. I haven't smelled either and in one case, don't want to. I'm pretty sure which one I would choose in a blind sniff test. If you are curious or testy about that, feel free to send a bottle of each and I'll set it up. Please. Anyway, Coty and Lentheric always were more affordable and I respect that. I admit it is easier to admire the affordability that has lasted the test of time to today's budget scents. But pink Tweed? Doesn't that scrape the bottom of the barrel? I love the pink Shalimar and I'm not afraid to admit it, I am not pink phobic. Though, Guerlain please, please don't do the Miss Dior switcharoo. Still pink Tweed just Pepto-Bismols me.

Back to the old Lentheric house that I like, I've only tried Tweed, Miracle and Adam's Rib. Of the three, Adam's Rib is by far the most different. Tweed and Miracle smell like they used a common Lentheric base and added to it to produce the variety. I'm betting on the same for Confetti and Shanghai, I should be receiving them soon. For Adam's Rib I got a little of it initally, but more fleeting. Like they used 1/8th of the base instead of 1/3rd. This guess might actually be true, it would make sense that Bouquet Lentheric is the base and they decided to sell just that for a while. Information of this kind seems hard to rummage out for this line, almost as difficult as a reference to Adam's Rib.

The Importance of Bottlery with Scent

I, like many others, am vastly influenced by the bottle and color of a perfume. The color is a psychological foreboding that usually becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. It is rare for my impression to clash with the physical color in front of me, though it does happen. I'm never sure how much of this is the perfumer's wish for the product to be bottled or tinted appropriately and how much is my own already determined mindset.

When they do not match, I am all too likely to overlook something  I would love. Lalique's Perles de Lalique is a good example. I see a white bottle, I think white flowers. I think white flowers = done to death/boring. Perles to me is a golden tobacco brown, and I love it to pieces. I would put it in a bottle with a leaf motif, with the leaf being of autumn turned coloring. As much as I adore this scent, the bottle disappoints. It was my first Lalique scent purchase and to come from the legendary glass works, the bottle is only so so. I bought it purely for the scent notes and reviews, in spite of the bottle. Conversely, White Soul by Ted Lapidus, is also a contradiction; but one I don't mind. The bottle is a delight. Tactile, shaped, single diamond, gold lettering - it works! This is a bottle I would be attracted to for it alone, blanc or not. Golden scent, touches of gold, hmmm... maybe this isn't as contradictory as I thought. Maybe this is just subtle perfection. Sometimes you don't know what you desire until you see it.

I do know that I desire red. Deep, passionate, burning into the essence of your very being red. Hermes Rouge, Trouble by Boucheron, these call to me on a primal level. I don't have them yet, but they are a'coming. Unfortunately, my lighter complection does not lend itself to wearing this amorous shade and I have a driver's license photo to prove it. But for scents, I can let myself go. I am buying those scents untested and if it is only for the bottle on my dresser, so be it. I do love the notes, and I did read reviews, as my budget isn't as madcap as my heart. Samsara by Guerlain is a double whammy. Red and Guerlain. How could it not be my first Guerlain? (Though far from my last, but so much as been written about this House that I tremble and so a passing reference will have to do). Other colors call out as well, purple, violet, peach. Blue tends to be a whoa, as I am so not an aquatic woman, in the olfactory sense at least. Midnight Poison looks great with my collection, and Angel is a long time fave, so I can safely say I am not anti-blue: but my cautionary sense goes up when I see it. I think we all have some stop signs in what we prefer scent wise and the color that might indicate it.

Mostly, vintage bottles remind me of what drek we have to wade through today, but there is the occasional modern masterpiece. Can I write an ode to the Alien bottle? And all of the many flankers? Has there ever been such beauty this side of a century? It glows, it shimmers. As I write this I see a corner of the bottle glinting and calling my name. Sorry, Alien Sunessence Saphir Soleil, I already applied Hypnotic Poison Sensuelle this morning. No direct light on my collection, and yet it picks it up anyway. What glory.


One bottlery feature (if this isn't a word, don't bother yourself, it should be) that is not dicussed nearly enough is the spray. I will go with splash for a parfum or of course, a vintage. Other than that, give me a spray and make it fine, please. Let me be able to control the compression, so that the size of the blast is not contrary to my choice. Please, no squirts that always seem to end with drippy fingers. This is so important, but all too frequently ignored. The cost of the perfume has almost no bearing on the quality of the nozzle, why would this be? This morning's application of Hypnotic Poison Sensuelle is an unfortunate reminder. Stick, stick, SPRAY. Maybe the pump needs priming? For the main part I eschew celebrity scents, but I happened to smell Hilary Duff's With Love in the store and when I found it at TJ Maxx, I spent all of ten dollars on it. My splurge gained me something I really enjoy and that includes the elegant (enough) bottle with a spray that employs just as smoothly as I could want. Discontinued though, perhaps I should go stock up....

Currently, I am consumed by scent. Previously, I have been consumed by scent in the form of niche perfume oils, primarily Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Wonderful scents there. But at the moment, I am on a perfume quest. I read about it every spare moment. I cruise eBay like a demented stalker that might miss the latest spotting of their celebrity. I am catching up on perfumes that launched when my back was turned, namely when I eschewed them because of my natural scent jag. Also, I am making up for the lost time when I worked in a scent free environment because of one coworker who didn't happen to mention her life threatening reactions until after she was hired. Do I sound callous? Well, she also wasn't very nice, so I quit trying to be compassionate.