Occasionally, I think back to the scents that captured my imagination years ago when I was just beginning my fragrant journey. The ones I had a chance to purchase before they were long-discontinued, or ones that I've always wanted to have in my collection but for whatever reason...I just haven't taken the plunge.
Maybe it's because I'm saving my pennies for the next best new thing, am afraid of not loving the particular perfume as much as I did back then...or just simply because I'm somehow thinking it won't get as much wear as anticipated.
The first perfume that comes to mind in terms of woeful regret, wishing that I had bought a bottle when it was readily available is Joop's All About Eve.
(Image taken from douglas.de)
When I travelled through Europe in the mid-nineties, this one was absolutely everywhere. I first sniffed it in Munich and fell in love. It stands out in my memory for several reasons. The first being that it is in my mind that link to the summer of '96, when I had high hopes about my future and was living out my dream of travelling through a continent that somehow felt more like home than North America ever did. (The fact that this was seemingly never launched in North America reinforced that).
The second reason was that it went completely against the grain of what I usually desired in a fragrance back then. My usual preference was the uber-clean, ozonic aquatic that was ubiquitious. All About Eve was the polar opposite of everything that I had coveted. With it's notes of caramel and apple, it was heady, sweet, and completely different. It had taken Europe by storm that summer, and when I came back to Canada and it was nowhere to be found, I was kicking myself for not christening my student Visa card and plunking down the 90 Deutchmarks for it. (Incidentally, I ended up using that Visa on the flight back. First purchase? The newly-launched Acqua di Gio, duty-free.)
My second regret, wishing that I had purchased vats of it when it was possible to do so (given how much this currently goes for via online auction, I might have been able to retire by now...) is The Body Shop's much-lauded Original Vanilla:
(Image taken from essential-oils-store.com)
At the time, I didn't understand what the huge deal was, why everyone was bemoaning the fact that this one was being re-formulated. After all, a vanilla is a vanilla is a vanilla, right? Turns out that I was wrong. This one has been virtually impossible to duplicate. A bit of sugar cookie, a blast of pure vanilla, and a touch of magic. It's the stuff that dreams are made of. Most recently, a pal of mine parted with a couple of mls of this to add to my collection. As soon as I sampled it, I was instantly transported back in time. High school Biology class, someone seated behind me doused herself with this on a regular basis. Still completely hype-worthy.
What say you, fellow perfumistas? What are the ones that got away in your fragrant world? Are they still readily available, or is the eternal quest on?
My biggest regret was not buying SABI. I am sure there are more but that's all I can think of at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI have The Body Shop Vanilla AND All About Eve...but I can certainly relate!