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Perfume Chat Room, November 12

Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.

Today is Friday, November 12, and I’m taking my husband to get his booster vaccine later this morning, after physical therapy (he’s recovering from knee surgery and can’t drive). Wish us luck! The Christmas ads are proliferating, as are store decorations. In the past, I was a bit irritated by the displays that went up the day after Halloween, but this year I am enjoying them! I’m really ready to celebrate a more normal holiday season, as evidenced by a recent errand I ran to Target, which is completely overrun with holiday-themed everything — and not only did I not cringe, I beamed.

I keep seeing ads for gorgeous Advent calendars with lovely miniatures of various cosmetics and fragrances. The ones from Chanel, Dior, and Guerlain are spectacular! I’m not really tempted, though, because most of the calendars include many products I probably wouldn’t use. I’ve only ever bought one such Advent calendar; it was by Atelier Cologne, and each daily offering was a sample or mini vial of one of their scents. I may create my own Advent calendar for fun, and just fill one with minis and samples I haven’t tried yet, which would encourage me to work my way through more of them!

Have you ever bought a fragrance or cosmetic Advent calendar? Which one? Are you tempted by any of this year’s offerings?

Collection of beauty product Advent calendars, 2021
Advent calendars; image from oprahdaily.com

27 thoughts on “Perfume Chat Room, November 12”

  1. I have only bought one beauty Advent calendar – 2019, just before my no-buy year. Maybe lookfantastic – I don’t remember where it was from, just that I had a coupon code which made it more reasonable. Huge package. Lots of full size products – mostly skin care. I’m still using some of them, swapped away a few as well. I haven’t bought one since – first the no buy, then realizing that no matter how good the value, still tons of product that I won’t use. I’d rather just buy the one or two products that I really love. As for perfume – today is Sonoma Scent Studio Champagne de Bois, which is on my Favorites list. Only 7 more Fridays in the year, all plotted out – I can’t wait to wear some of these (although to be fair, many of them have already been worn as my 2nd perfume of the day – could not wait all year to wear.). I’m looking forward to wrapping up my project so I can wear my faves more than one day in a row!

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  2. What a great idea to make your own advent calendar! I have been working through my Eight & Bob and Kierin NYC discovery sets in anticipation of more samples on their way, including a Maison Crivelli set I ordered from Luckyscent the day they introduced it on their website.
    Hope the booster is uneventful!

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  3. Great idea on making one’s own advent calendar! I think I’ll do that this year. I just got a big lot of samples from ScentExplore’s online virtual convention coming up Dec. 3 and 4 and I think I have 25 of them so I could do a fragrance advent calendar. I also have makeup and skin care samples I need to use up so that would work too. Such a fantastic idea!!! Thanks! I looked at the Diptyque calendar, the Dior calendar and the Guerlain advent calendars and metaphorically drooled over all of them, but I couldn’t justify the expense for small containers of items. The Diptyque calendar is a work of art, of course, but it’s a lot of 10 ml bottles of scents I already own and tiny candles that won’t last long, so it wasn’t too hard to say no to that one.
    The Guerlain advent calendar this year is do die for and it has 4 or 5 10 ml bottles I believe of a number of the L’Arts et Matieres fragrances. And it’s gorgeous, gold and white with a beehive theme. I started to buy it and then cancelled the order. It’s just much too expensive, especially when I calculated that I could buy 3 lovely niche fragrances that are at the top of my wish list for the same price. I want Dusita’s Issara and Neela Vermeire’s Niral a lot more than I want that Advent calendar!

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  6. A DIY calendar is a brill idea but zIm not at all crafty & for me the beauty of s calendar is the squeak of excitement if not knowing what’s that days treat. There again with my hormone depleted and fibromyalgic brain I’d likely forget what I put in the home made calendar.
    I have got the Marks & Spencer one this year, as a sort of reclamation of my beauty regime after the s**t storms of 2020/21. I had always been a user of active skin care & it showed. Almost 2 years of a “who cares” minimalist regime & I look like Methuselah moved in!
    As the M&S beauty calendar is only £40 rather than £190 with a beauty spend of £30 it isn’t too spendy.

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    • I agree, M&S always has great treats for less! Sadly, we don’t have M&S here in the US, but I always visit at least once if I’m in London. My late mother was English and she was devoted to “Marks and Sparks”. I may use a refillable wooden Advent calendar I have that isn’t too childish, or I may decorate a plain one if I’m feeling extra crafty. For the surprise factor, I may just reach into this new package of samples sent to me by a lovely perfumista, grab one or two without looking, and put them in each little box!
      I keep trying to get into a better skincare regimen, but I’m too impatient, I think. I do ALWAYS wear a suncreen moisturizer, as I have since my early 20s. I have some of The Ordinary’s products and I quite like them.

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  8. Hey OH, A couple of years I have been given the L’Occitane Advent Calendar. All the body washes, soaps, body/hand lotions and fragrances got used but the skincare got gifted on.
    This year I bought online three Wooden Advent Calendars to fill with gifts and lollies. Given the measurements of the calendars I thought they would be quite roomy. Sadly, the little boxes are much smaller than their doors and even a Ferrero Rocher needs to be squished in firmly. The earrings and gift cards I bought do not fit and I’m bummed. I think I’ll have to wrap and number them separately.
    The idea is solid though and I’m now determined to find decent sized advent calendars. Maybe just the 12 days of Christmas ones. It’s my post celebration bargain shopping hope. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
    Portia xx

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  9. Ha! Great minds… 🙂
    As usually, I get to your Friday post only on a weekend, so I didn’t know you were writing about Advent calendars as well.

    I’ve never bought any of those. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure I realized before a couple of years ago that those existed (I mean, beauty ones – I always thought they were for food and kids toys). This year I was watching all those calendars and trying not to give in to the temptation. I would LOVE to get several of beauty calendars. And I’m even more attracted to small sized products than to full-size ones. But I really do not need any more products for testing: with the number of those that I already accumulated via GWPs and sample sets purchases, I could probably make at least a couple of those calendars. Now I need to carefully find time when to test all that I have without aggravating my skin allergies.
    But I really liked many of those that I saw.

    I hope your husband is feeling fine after the booster shot. I’ll probably get mine in December.

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    • Great minds do think alike! I think it’s because we’re getting swamped with advertising for the calendars. Which I don’t mind, actually, as they’re fun to look at. I agree, the beauty-focused ones seem to have caught on more recently in the US, though they’ve been a “thing” for a while in the UK and EU. The only ones that really pique my interest are the ones with lots of fragrances, because 1) I really don’t use many skincare products and 2) my makeup needs are few and simple, and many fashionable colors don’t suit my fair skin and age.

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  10. I have little or no interest in the Advent calendars, I’d prefer to buy a couple of things I really want, skincare or perfume. I’d probably use half the products in the calendar which is just too wasteful for my liking. Wow, I sound like I’m on my high horse. I also think that I’d cheat and open several doors at once seeing as I have zero self control when it comes to beauty or perfume goodies. I’m really late thinking about Christmas this year. It has sneakily crept up on me. Haven’t been in a shop other than a supermarket or pharmacy in ages. Must break out and remedy that. Good luck to hubby with the booster, hopefully not too many side effects.

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  11. I’ve bought advent calendars from an indie wax melt company a couple of times, it’s a fun way to try new scents. I’m not doing it this year, though. I saw the Guerlain advent and would love it, but like you, I don’t think I’d use all the products. Love your idea of making your own!

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  13. Pingback: A Scented Advent, Day 1 – Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities

  14. Pingback: A Scented Advent, Day 2 – Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities

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