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.