I think it’s so incredibly amazing that you used up 25 fragrances for the year. I really appreciate the way you track all the milestones through graphs.
I appreciate that you share what you spent. I feel like there is a hidden aspect in the fragrance community around this. I kind of understand why, if you admit you're spending lots on fragrances people will come for your throat but this is also an expensive interest to have. I think this is especially true around niche fragrances that can cost exorbitant prices yet we see people with shelves and shelves of them as if they are $4 body mists on bargain discount. The RUclips community gives a truly distorted sense of things people can access. It's very similar to the beauty community in that regard.
Yes I think it's hidden too, much more than in the makeup community. It needs talking about because of people see channels hauling niche fragrances and have no idea whether or not they are gifted, it can appear people are spending £1000s per video. Some people literally are... If so, that's up to them, but I just can't afford that. I don't have the spare cash to spend that much, so I have to budget, that's why I buy secondhand if I can and also why I resell what I don't love. Thanks for watching ❤️
@@nadia562010 she is also married, so her husband may help with that and or, she may also work a good job where she can afford her luxury items. Have you ever thought of that
I don't think you're being hard on yourself at all. It's your money, your collection, your experience with fragrances. You get to create guidelines that work for you. Thanks for sharing your approach for the year! 🥳🥳🥳
Yes it's everyone's choice what they buy, use and declutter, it's their cash. I am feeling like I know what I want from fragrance now, I've learnt I love sampling and I don't need lots of bottles and need to weed out what I don't truly love. 🥰
Thank you ❤️ that means a lot! I really try to be open and honest about my thoughts and feelings on what I see on RUclips and I do just try to be me. Thanks for watching 🥰
This is my type of content!!! I love self reflection. 💗 I love when you totally call us out! I'm a couple minutes in and I already know I'm going to feel personally attacked! I'm here for it though. 😬
Oh hopefully not Carmen! 😂 I'm roasting me, not others 😂 I really feel like I've learnt a lot over the last few years with fragrance buying and seeing what I end up loving and using and what I don't. It has taken time though and it's really ok for me to have made mistakes and learnt from them.
Put yourself on a no buy. I have for 6 mths, Jan - June. I have and it’s easier than you think. Also, focuses your mind on using what you’ve got already
Hi Sarah, yes, I've not bought anything since November so going well 😊 I was planning for just December and January but who knows. I have been getting to know my new purchases, I've been enjoying it so far! 🥰
Kudos Dr. Smith! This beautiful, fun, therapeutic journey we're on can be a rabbit hole! How timely, and pertinent a video. I can't imagine the cost to those who regularly engage in hauls, citing sales, points, and other buying incentives. Can they truly afford this I wonder. Also, when is what we own, enough? How many similar fragrances are really necessary? Personally, I'm a bb poster child of fails! I donate buys that simply won't ever be worn. Enter, my love of sampling. Niche purchases aren't always feasible, but I sample many, and enjoy it. On occasion, I really want a FB, but it's unlikely to become a reality. I'll repurchase larger samples. It's still less costly It really boils down to accountability, self control, and learning from our mistakes. I would like in depth reviews of perfume notes/accords, and pairings. The history of the various houses is also of interest to me. Sniff and review videos get monotonous at times. I now limit my subscriptions. Francine
Hi Francine, yes I think we're on the same page. I sample lots of niche and love a small proportion of it, but the cost sometimes is totally unjustifiable for me, £300 for a bottle is ridiculous. I also think if I don't think I'd stop at just a few. Sampling is such a huge joy and I can see buying decants as a way to enjoy fragrances that you don't want to spend a fortune buying a full bottle of. I am really interested to look into some history too. I do think there are quite a few videos out there already though so I need to think how to present things like that. Thanks for your suggestions! 🥰
Dr. Claire, thanks so much for making this video! It’s been so helpful as I continue to work on my goals for the year. I’ve created a spreadsheet to track my use and remind me to finish perfumes rather than hoard those last few drops or even lose some in the back of the cupboard! I feel like I have fallen into the trap of bargain hunting for fragrance rather than buying what I really want or buying a dupe when nothing compares to the original (IMO). I mentioned on Carmen scentrix’s channel that I have multiple boxes full of perfume samples and I plan to use those this year when I get the urge to buy something or just want something new. I’m going to reflect on what’s driving that urge rather than trying to satisfy it instantly. I’m also reading more literature and stepping away from hauls and influencer style fragrance channels.
Hi Sally! That sounds like an absolutely fabulous plan! I love the idea of reaching for samples rather than buying new bottles and targeting bottles to finish them off, those are great ideas 🙂 using a spreadsheet is really useful because you can easily get lots of different types of information from it. I really wish you the best of luck in achieving your goals in 2023! 🥰
2022 turned out to be the year of figuring out what I like. I think 2023 will have a more narrow focus of finding a fragrance that has the notes I like, blended in a way that works for me - so more sampling.
Yes! If you are looking for your perfect fragrance within a particular scent profile, it can take a while to find it. Fab to know what you enjoy and what you want though, definitely more than half way there! Good luck and thanks for watching ❤️
I totally agree I'm also don't like the idea of letting a perfume "grow" on me. In no other part of life I do that and also it stress me to have so many perfumes I feel this rush to use and finish those I don't like instead of just enjoying using a few perfumes I love
Yes this was totally me last year. Finishing mostly the ones I wasn't in love with, I need to just enjoy what I enjoy and wear those and be a little more prepared to declutter rather than finish bottles! I hate decluttering but I think I will smell better if I do it more often 😂
I need to stop the redundancy. I don’t need 14 bottles of perfume that all basically smell the same. Do I love them? Yes! I just don’t need that many of something that smells so similar, most people wouldn’t know they are different. I am sampling more, and I think it’s saving me a lot of $$$. It’s keeping my impulse buying way down, and I am not buying things that are just “meh” to my nose. I’ve sampled a lot that I found atrocious, too. Notes were iffy on most of those, so I would never have blind bought them anyway. But I do enjoy the opportunity to try things that I might actually love. ❤
It's strange but absolutely nothing stops me buying as much as sampling! It makes me super picky 😂 I agree I also don't want similar fragrances in my collection. I will probably declutter one because of that. I really hope you achieve your perfume goals for 2023! Thanks for watching ❤️
I think it's great to be conscious and I wish more creators would be open about these topics because it's kind of a rabbithole for viewers when they see the questionable spending habits and maybe want to recreate that kind of collection. Have a great week! :)
Thank you 😊 yes, I totally agree. You start to ask yourself whether buying several bottles a month is actually most people's reality but I think mostly it isn't, it's just RUclips. Gifted and undeclared fragrances don't help to dispel that thought either... I just want to focus on buying only what I really love this year and sampling lots this year ☺️
Everything you said resonated with me Dr Claire and with most of your viewers I should imagine, fragrance freaks that we are 😂 I'd love to see you reviewing samples, but not first sniff. I'd prefer to hear your opinion after you've tested it for a few days as first impressions can be misleading. I've bought lots of samples this year, many niche, and I've found the problem is I have spent a LOT of money. I could've bought a couple of super expensive fragrances with the money I've spent on samples. I'm so impressed with how little you have spent on fragrance this year. You're certainly a bargain hunter! Good luck with your 2023 goals - I look forward to seeing how you get on 💖
Yes sampling can be extremely pricey, I'm privileged to be sent so many by other people, so it's less expensive for me. I do try to buy secondhand and I always resell if I don't gift on fragrances. In that way sometimes I buy low and sell high, but it's luck for sure. I do have a per bottle limit but I have fallen in love with some pricey ones so that limit will likely increase this year 😂 I hope to do some sampling videos and yes I also prefer more measured reviews. My first impression can be vastly different to my final thoughts. Thank you for your thoughts 🥰
You don't overspend because you are intelligent and spend wisely. I also buy strategically, only during sales or using my customer fidelity- points at my favourite perfume store. We both buy more using the brain 70% than the heart 30%. My goal this year is to enjoy more the fragrances I already have♥️
That's a fab goal and yes you are right. I don't want 100 bottles of crazily priced fragrance. I wouldn't feel good about owning it. you make a fab point. I also tend to shop like that. I have stuff I am interested in and I wait to get the best deal most of the time. 🥰
Hi Claire, I'm literally 5 minutes in and already love this video 🙂 would love to see more sampling videos, I've really enjoyed the ones you've done, and Noura from MyWay does a regular series of sampling hyped up niche fragrances which I absolutely love. I think it shows a much more realistic view of what many perfume lovers actually do - in that not all scents we smell are AMAZING and INTOXICATING, and many are nice / alright or underwhelming even. It also encourages people to describe fragrances better and I really enjoy that as a viewer. I think the idea behind this video is exactly the kind of content I like also - I too am often quite contemplative about trying to better my habits to bring maximum joy, and know I've slipped a bit in the last month or two - I have a one in, one out bottle policy but have been acquiring more than I've been decluttering and the balance has tipped, so need to work out how to address this so I don't continue.
Thank you! I really wasn't sure if people would like this video, but I'm trying to be totally honest with myself and trying to work out what I want and what I enjoy from fragrance, I find my relationship with it and its combination with my environmental beliefs a little difficult sometimes. Totally with samples! I would say 40% of stuff I try is nnn, 40% like but underwhelmed, 10% dislike and 10% like a lot to love, sampling really shows you how rare it is to love something. I think I've struggled to make a story of sampling perfumes. I actually recorded a sampling video back in September, edited the whole thing and still never uploaded it 🤦♀️ I need to find a way to make them feel connected rather than random. And same, I totally slipped up with how much I was buying in October and November cos I felt like I'd finished loads of bottles and felt like I could buy some to replace them, but it just meant I have too much again! 🤦♀️
I find your reflections and goals to be very thoughtful and indicative of how you want fragrance to play a role in your life- in a meaningful way to love perfume. I want to “shop my stash” and rediscover what I already have this year, and let go of what I don’t love. I completely relate to your point about not even really knowing well what you already have, and that’s not how I want to be ❤
Thank you Lauren! Yes, I am only just trying some samples that I got nearly a year ago, it's ridiculous, I need to catch up... Not acquire more. I want to make more videos about what I've tried, even if I don't personally love them, because I think that's still helpful. And yes! I just want to get to know my collection because if I don't love it or it isn't incredibly sentimental, it's going... Shopping my stash will definitely be something I will be doing more of this year! Thanks for watching as always! 🥰
Yeah 2023 is still a bit of a shock 🤣 I do think I am feeling more at ease this year with my consumption. I do think that I want to declutter though and buy smaller bottles generally. I don't need 100ml of most things... 😊
Happy Saturday Dr. Claire. What a wonderful video. Your reflections were thoughtful and thought provoking. I am an oddball because I don’t “collect” anything anymore as my focus turns toward retirement and downsizing. I own a little over 100 bottles. There are a few that I purchased and some that were given to me that I will be selling or gifting. I’m also going to do the same with some samples and decants. One thing I also plan to do is check for any redundancies. I will always love perfumes and I’m thankful that I’m in a place in life that I ca fully enjoy them (I work from home full time) without restrictions. Ultimately we all have to find our happy place and you’ve given us loads of things to consider in our quest to achieve that.
Thank you! ❤️ Yes! Our happy place! That's a great way to put it! This is really it isn't it? I don't want to feel like I am buying too much for me to be comfortable and I want to buy things I truly love! That's the crux of it. Everyone needs to do what makes them happy and comfortable with their "collections" and that's likely to be different for everyone ☺️ have a lovely weekend Faith ☺️
I’d love to see more sampling videos! With inserting a picture of the perfume, there really isn’t a difference for me if the RUclipsr physically has the bottle or not I get a week’s wear or more out of carded sample sprays
Yes I have been trying to talk more about samples in my recent videos. I included 4 samples this week's video, but I am perhaps not making specific videos called sampling as much still, I will do some though! Thanks for your thoughts and for watching ❤️
I’d love to see more sampling videos. I have seen SmurfyGirly and The Top Note do in depth sampling. Quick Fragrance Reviews (aka Fragrance Notes) focuses on sampling one fragrance at a time, then reviewing it. The format is similar each review. Hope this helps.
Smart video! Your goals are reasonable and a good reality check for me too. I’ve been trying to wear a different scent each day and I find myself pining for certain ones I want to wear again. Maybe a video on what you do with the fragrances you declutter?
Yes me too, the whole of January so far, a different one each day and sampling. I do often want to wear the same one as yesterday if I've loved it! I will consider a video on selling perfumes. It's something that is a bit of grey area in the UK with unclear postage regulations etc.
It hasn't sunk in it is 2023 for me either! Honestly I don't want to think about how much I spend on fragrances and it gets hard when a lot of them are purchased by my mom because she thinks they're pretty, lol. I'm impressed you are able to keep track and add it all up!
I write it down as I go, or I try to, I know if I don't track it, I will buy more because I simply don't realise how much I already bought 🤦♀️ your mum sounds really into perfume ☺️
Great video. My forcing mechanism was moving and having to pack all my fragrances and feeling sick about how much I spent/owned and didn’t wear them. I also have similar goals to maintain sampling, keep a 100 bottle limit, no blind buys, and have been slowly getting rid/resell the ones I’m just not wearing. 👏❤
Thank you 😊 I've not moved house for 10 years so yes, I bet that would be a big shock if I did. I know I have a channel, but I do think 100 bottles is the point at which I think my collection is overwhelming. I hope to get back to around 100 over the next year or so, but it will take time. Thanks for watching ❤️
I love your gifs. They're so funny and appropriate. No matter how much or how little we have, we all end up spending too much on perfume! Comes with the territory :)
My resolution is to do much less blind buying. I am with you wholeheartedly. I’d much rather sample 20 perfumes then buy a bottle and I’m getting more cutthroat on perfume purchases. Like you, I’m going to buy less fragrances that are a good deal that I might not love and save that money for perhaps something more expensive that I love.
Yes, sampling is an absolute joy isn't it? I really have been having lots of fun trying stuff out and I really want to share that more in videos ☺️ buying stuff that doesn't set your world on fire happens more and more as you try more fragrances, but I guess experiences need to be framed by price point too. It's a difficult one to pitch right, because of course if something costs £40 Vs £250 you will expect totally different basic standards from each and will be far pickier and harsher on a more expensive fragrance. 😊
I needed this video! I just purchased 4 bottles off Fragrancenet at a time when I’m not even wearing perfume for medical reasons. That urge can be quite insidious! I really respect your honest and brave reckoning - I know it has helped me and many others! 🥰💕 Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi Brooke, oh I hope you are ok. I know! The endless scrolling 😂 i think it's just not worth beating yourself up about and moving on and trying to set yourself some guidelines. If buying lots of fragrance makes you happy then there's zero problems unless money is an issue. We all need some joy in our lives and that can sometimes be a new fragrance 🥰 yes you too! Have a lovely week!
@@dr.claire.perfume Yes, all is well - no worries! The endless scrolling is REAL 😂😂😂 You’re absolutely right - there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to shopping habits. That said, doing a bit of an accounting every now and then and adjusting accordingly can be a really healthy habit! I appreciate your video so much and I will be doing a bit of a once over on my spending habits this year, as well. 🥰
I’ve only recently really got into fragrances but I can already tell it could easily become a problem! I don’t blind buy but I already spend a fortune on sampling - I do really enjoy the process and like trying so many, mainly realising the hyped fragrance I watched multiple videos wasn’t all that …. but even sampling quickly adds up 😂 This video was great. 1. For me I am going to set a monthly sampling budget, and 2. only buy small sized bottles of the ones that pass the sampling test - even though it feels like it’s bad value for money £ per ml …since I’ve never yet got through a 100ml bottle. Look forward to the follow up to this next year! ❤
Hi Sally! Thank you! Really glad that you enjoyed this! Yes me too, I've been sampling so far this year, but yes, it can get expensive! I remember when I began getting into fragrance, I'd see people rave about certain perfumes and think they must be amazing, then try them and just not get the love. I guess it's a RUclips thing in some way, people are always overly positive because viewers don't like negativity (even when measured and justified) also there's that feeling that if you've bought something and chosen it, you can't not like it, but yes, certainly also a lot of gifted bottles that go undeclared. There are particular brands where there are waves of videos about, e.g. commodity back in April when they were giving out freebies. I agree that it takes ages to get through a 100ml bottle. The few that I've finished have either been partially used when I got them or very short lasting fragrances. It also really annoys me when the smaller bottles are double the larger bottle's price per ml. I feel like I am being fleeced. Thanks for watching ❤️
Hi Claire Excellent video. I love blind buys, but sometimes they are a miss I usually get the small bottles. Sometimes they turn out to be a no no. So this year will use what I already have. There are so many new brands coming out and it’s over whelming. When I enjoy a fragrance and finished it. I will not buy it again. So this year it’s a no no to blind buys!
Hi Yvonne! Thank you ☺️ yes I think I'm similar, I rarely repurchase, I just want to try something new most of the time. I haven't bought anything since November so far, but I'm not sure how long that will last. Good luck with your no buy! I'd be really interested to know whether you finish any fragrances this year. Thanks for watching 🥰
Dr. Claire Smith perfume Rules are the best especially in these crazy economic circumstances. I really admire your process ❤ Thank you so much for sharing ❤😘
Claire I have stopped blind buying. I usually am disappointed in them. My goal is to try and not buy unless I e finished a favorite OR I’ve smelled it in a shop or on someone and I can’t live without it. In addition I’d like to try and use up some perfumes I like but wouldn’t rebuy. Whittle my collection down. I’ve taken to gifting bottles also to family members who couldn’t or wouldn’t buy perfume.
Yes I would also like to reduce the amount I have by using some up. I would love a little bit less. 115 bottles is feeling a few too many right now. Gifting the excess is a great idea! 🥰
Great video, Claire. Yes, I appreciate sampling videos! By brand is great and I like them otherwise as well. I also want to spend on what I really love and not just grab up deals. I did much much better last year. And I like limiting my collection as well. One in, one out. You did great! Ty 💙
Thank you Tina! Yes I think I have improved too! I really feel much more discerning these days, even with great deals. I am learning what I love and appreciate and I also know I don't need large bottles of very much at all. I wish you luck with your fragrance collection in 2023! Thanks for watching as always ❤️
I think resolutions are great but don't beat yourself up when you fail to follow them strictly. I made a decision a year or more ago to always have my collection below 50 bottles and I have managed because I have been buying less and sampling more. Plus just being honest with what I absolutely love. I can't wait to see your declutter and wishlist videos.
That's a great attitude. I am trying to get back to 100 bottles, but it might take some time 😂 I have definitely been holding onto stuff so I think a declutter is needed!
Oh Claire I wish I was as organised as you. I keep a daily journal of what I use but frightened to think what I've spent. I tend to hoard my old loves incase they are discontinued. 😭. Im deffo stopping blind buying tho coz its getting out of control. Lots of shops don't do samples anymore tho. Its just a quick spray from testers but thats not much help. I also have a full shelf of 'blasts from the past' for nostalgic purposes. If you do a declutter give me a heads up 😉😉🥰🦊
Hey Melanie! I will definitely be decluttering, a few have gone already, I'm trying to be more ruthless 🙈. Yes trying in store is something you have to do multiple times to get any idea of how a fragrance smell, it's not the same as a sample at all! I also want to reduce the blind buying this year. Good luck to you too with that! 🥰
Hi Claire-thank you for sharing about your fragrance collection. I started buying perfume in 2020 during the pandemic. Perhaps I felt a a bit of sensory deprivation. I mainly blind bought fragrances, not a crazy amount. Before that I got one perfume bottle a year at most. Sampling so many perfumes and learning so much about the notes on Fragrantica and from other bloggers really was educational. Now I actually know what notes I love and what won’t be my cup of tea:). I also learned that you have to try perfume on your skin to see if it works with your chemistry. I understood perfumes are therapeutic and an artistic pursuit. Now I try to limit buying them, but I am still discovering fragrances I love and want to own. I rarely if ever blind buy. If I do, I do research by reading lots of reviews. Best of luck to you in the new year!
Yes me too! Blind buying started when I couldn't go to stores and smell them, and now look 🤣 Sampling is really critical isn't it? And yes I totally agree, trying on skin and multiple times is totally the way to go! The more you sniff, the more you can work out what you probably will or won't like for sure! Blind buying shouldn't be an art form but I'm afraid you do improve at it as you do it more and that is what makes it a little addictive I think 😉
@@dr.claire.perfume yes, I tried to only stick to 15 or 20, but who are we kidding here. I still won’t buy if I don’t absolutely love it. But I love perfume and it’s a hobby. So yeah, it’s a tough habit to break. 😁🙃
Hello lovely! This is such a great topic. Most people outside RUclips don’t have these big collections. I always laugh at my friends reactions to the size of my perfume collection 😅 56 bottles naughty, naughty 😂
Yes, being on RUclips does make you buy more and I still feel excluded from certain types of videos because of not having a huge collection. If you do notes videos, having a lot to choose from is really critical, but I guess samples also work too, it's just harder to keep track. I find mine get very jumbled. 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume oh yeah, my collection is not huge either. Compared to many fragrance enthusiasts on RUclips it’s pretty small but to my friends in real life, it’s shocking lol
Great video as always Claire! I think if there is anything I have learned from my perfume addiction its that it has taught me to stop the blind buys for now. I am almost always more disappointed than satisfied with those purchases 😒. Another lesson is to stop being influenced to buy the latest hyped perfumes. Most of them are nauseously sweet and too young for me😆 I think as I get older I am more appreciative of greener fragrances.
Thank you! Yes I agree, I really don't rush for new releases because usually when I do sample them, I'm underwhelmed. I tried so many new releases last year and out of the designer ones, I liked Elie Saab le parfum Lumière, Narciso Rodriguez for her musc noir rose and issey miyake drop d'issey l'eau. That is literally it 😂 it's not a good hit rate. Green is a really interesting fragrance category that is generally underrepresented in the world of super sweet gourmands being popular. Hopefully trends will do a bit of a 180 eventually! 🥰
Thank you ! My resolution is to track what I buy, to buy less bottles and samples and to use what I have. I plan to use the same one for a long period too. A little bit like you, but I don't plan to pay more on each fragrance, I enjoy a good deal.
Sounds a fab plan! I also like a good deal, I think what I mean is, I won't rule out particular brands because they are above my ceiling price for retail. I will add them to a wishlist and wait for a good deal if I truly want them ☺️ thanks for watching ❤️
Hello Claire, I think your goals are all good and also achievable. I have to say buying or saving for better perfumes will slow down the number that come into your collection quite drastically. I have noticed the differences in quality the more I smell samples. Skin tests are always quite different then just spraying on a paper strip. Doing both makes a big difference as skin chemistry can effect what we smell. Making the requirement of testing before purchasing can slow things down a lot! 😅 Unfortunately it can be hard to get samples of perfumes if they aren't locally available. Most of my impulsive 'cheapie' blind buys are the fragrances I tend to like less because they have harsh materials that irritate me, they sometimes have very poor performance or they were simply not what I expected when I looked at the fragrance notes. Buying samples can be costly though... So I try to get perfumes from places I can select free samples of perfumes I want to test. It slows me down on testing and buying full bottles, but also makes purchasing way more successful. Making a wish list and only shopping from that helps too. I am trying to get better with some of the same bad habits. But... When I heard yesterday that a perfume I wanted to sample, couldn't and has been quite hyped is possibly discontinued from watching videos yesterday, gave me full FOMO. I impulse purchased a bottle. I sure hope it's worth it. 😬 It was a lot lower on my wish list because it only became available in the fall of 2022 and I hadn't smelled it. So... Full example of the power of that and those feelings. Now I have to wait and save up for a bottle I know I want because I tested it first. 🙃 Live and learn. 🤔 Your reselling sounds like you have been quite successful! That money can be put back into a bottle you want. I think I am going to start focusing on trying to fill 'holes' in my collection where I don't have certain fragrance notes. Unless it's a note I can't stand... Thanks for your video Claire! - Jenn
Wow Jenn I am really curious to know what that fragrance was now! I think with possibly discontinued ones, it's now or never isn't it?! You just feel you have to go for it. Also if you don't enjoy it and need to resell, they are often worth a lot more. E.g. Balenciaga Florabotanica is worth crazy amounts now. I guess it just depends whether the rumour is true. I do think trying to blind buy less will really help. I am a bit trigger happy sometimes 🤣 a wishlist is definitely needed. You sound crazily organised and so sorted! 👌 Thanks for watching as always. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume and also strangely... The retailer just sent an email telling me they they had shipped out the free gift with purchase (which I could care less about), but not the actual perfume. 🤔😬I hope they still have one to send me? At least I wasn't charges for the fragrance yet.
I think this video is great and your goals are really well thought out without adopting an "extreme" measure like a no buy or minimalism. Sometimes realistic goals work better than drastic ones 😁 i might steal some or all of your goals
Go for it! I know for sure a no buy or extreme declutters are not going to work for me. If I can buy less and just think about what I want more, I will be happy 😊 thanks for watching ❤️
I love sampling videos! I think like it's the best way to go if you have a lot of fragrances, I pretty much only buy samples now 😂 Maybe you could do by theme as well as brand? Like order a few you think would fit for season/day out/job interview and let us know your thoughts on them? Also yeah I do find it a bit overwhelming when people are buying a full bottle every week! I don't know how I'd get through it all lol
That's a good idea! I'm not sure how successful I would be at predicting but might be fun! Yes for sure, one a week is totally overwhelming! I'm slowing down and sampling in 2023 ☺️ Thanks for watching 🥰
You are the numbers girl and i am in awe of you and how you record every detail of your buying spending and life in general !! I wish I had recorded my spending ! Having said that I am definitely on a much more healthy spending ( for me personally) in 2022
Yes me too, post pandemic, I don't really spend much at all. I used to buy lots of clothes and makeup, but since then I just don't really. I think I find it easy to record cos I have a spreadsheet on my phone where I record which fragrance I wear each day too, so everything is together! I am truly not that organised 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume we tend to have strong points in our lives that we focus on and that’s great 😁I was spending more on handbags before the pandemic 😷
I like your approach. You have taken a good look at yourself and it seems you know yourself very well. It makes so much sense to me to figure out what about this hobby it is that you love, and do more of that and eliminate/cut back on the parts of the hobby that gives you any negative feeling. I only really started collecting fragrances as a hobby in late 2021 and my collection has quickly grown slightly above the 50 fragrances that I had "allowed" myself to own. So I am taking a step back from purchasing this year. Instead I have divided the year into 12 categories. So for me January is all about my winter travel sprays/ minis and decants. I will go through them, use some up and declutter others. February is going to be about winter full bottles. March about my oil perfumes and then I will repeat the process for each season. I do have quite a few fragrances on my wishlist, both full bottles and samples. But I have written down a list of fragrances I would love to buy, and then made little deals with myself. Like I want to buy Montale vanilla cake, but I have a dupe oil and a similar vanilla bodyspray already, so I can not buy that perfume before those two are either used up or rehomed. My plan is to end up with a more curated collection of only my favorite scents. I do like quite a few different types, so it doesnt make sense for me to have like 5 baccarat rouge dupes and 5 variations of cherry etc. I'm going to narrow it down eventually to just 1 or 2 instead of going ham and buying 5 takes on the same note. hope that made sense :)
Yes that's exactly the type of thing that I need to do! I love this approach! I also have certain categories that I love and feel like I want some choice in and then others where I feel like I'm happy with what I have. And yes, making yourself look at what is similar and having those conversations with yourself, making deals, is for sure the way to make sure you think about and plan what you buy. I absolutely love sampling right now, so I'm going to spend more on that and scale back on larger bottles. Thanks for watching and for your very insightful comment! 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Thank you so much for your kind reply:) I really enjoy watching your videos. I love your approach to this hobby and your passion and ideas when it comes to video content. It is for sure also going to be the year of sampling for me :)
I own 20 bottles of perfume (including 10 ml bottles). And 32 fragrance mists (mostly Bath and Bodyworks). I plan to declutter so that I eventually have maybe 15 fragrance mists. I want to spend more money on getting quality perfumes, rather than mists (that often end up disappointing me). And want to spend way less money at Bath and Bodyworks overall.
Yes I used to have a few body mists but Ive resold all but one now which I am just using up, they are easy to collect. I just tend to get them in giftsets at Christmas mostly. I hope you manage to achieve your 2023 goals! Good luck with reducing your BBW spend! 🥰
I appreciate you for sharing these resolutions. I have resolved to go forward with a "one in, one out" approach to my fragrance buying. I'm finishing or guving away a bottle or sample for each one I buy. My collection is pretty large, and I too want to focus on using what I have. Tfs.
That sounds like a fab idea! I hope it it easy to achieve. I am going to start with a mild declutter and see how I go. I didn't buy anything since November still, so I'm feeling good about that! 😊 Thanks for watching ❤️
It's very interesting when people do a haul and say it's "small" then show up to 5. As someone who used to buy around 3 a month 😬 even I know that's too much. Even 1 a month is plenty as, like you say, it takes a while to get through!
Yes, it's a lot isn't it? I feel like I am buying to much because if I can't try it and get to know it enough in a reasonable amount of time, then there's a problem... Perfumes are there to be worn! 🙂
@@dr.claire.perfume exactly! I'm in no place to judge how many fragrances someone accumulates and I live vicariously through the huge haulers but I think language matters
Yes I agree, it's what is ok for the person concerned. The only other issue that is relevant I guess is the environment and whether the fragrances will be passed on if not used or wanted.
Appreciate for bringing this to light and sharing this as a reminder. I believe that also with regards to fragrances, we should also look at quality over quantity. I agree with that many do not disclose the amount of money spent on fragrances on RUclips, but again, there are some exceptions. Thanks for sharing this interesting video 💖💖💖💖
Quality over quantity is definitely the way to go! Actually the reason I filmed this type of video last year was because I'd just hit 1K and I wanted to show new channels how much I'd spent on fragrance and how that had made me feel as a warning. It takes a lot of money sometimes to have a channel and actually most people spend much more than me, but the idea really was that you can feel a little sucked in by this hobby and it's really easy to get far down the fragrance rabbit hole before you realise.
@@dr.claire.perfume Totally agree with you on this. Also normal people can end up this rabbit whole and not know how to exit from it. Obviously this can turn into addiction as well for some.
Yes for sure. I think it's good to know there are other people who feel like this and for people not to feel embarrassed but to just try to find strategies to help. ☺️
I also have a tendency to blind buy. Because its too difficult to get samples. Happily it has worked out for me so far, but I wouldn't bargain on my luck continuing 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yes, sampling can be very difficult and actually also expensive! I've had some very mixed luck with blind buying, but mostly it's been positive 😊 I hope your good luck continues 🥰
This is definitely the way to make us accountable for our buying habits . I have had to pull myself back and realize it’s just not good for my mental health ( or my pocket 💰)
Gret video! I want to use more of what I have, sell things I don't use, less blind buying and I have given myself a budget which is 1/3 of last year's spend. Let's see how it goes.
Good luck! I really hope you meet your goals, but don't beat yourself up if you don't. Being kind to yourself is also very important. Selling things you don't use is extremely satisfying ☺️ thanks for watching ❤️
Thank you for your video. I definitely bought too much perfume last year which I feel a bit guilty about. My mother had cancer and my poor hubby was ill with covid and then snapped his achilles. In retrospec, I think it was a weird coping technique. Anyway I think I have enough and like you say, I want to enjoy what I have.
Hi Catherine, Im sorry to hear that. I do think I buy more perfume when I am stressed, so I totally understand that! I hope you can get lots of use out of your 2022 purchases and that 2023 is a better year for you. 🥰
I had a very similar 2022 to you, I think, I lost track of which year you referred to where you started samplingore and buying smaller bottles lol My downfall was I also buy cheaper stuff, like you seem to do, so I ended up justifying travel sprays of bottles I had no prior interest in. But for >£20, I suddenly wanted it. That's one thing I want to change.
Sampling is really something I started to get into in 2021 and it's just grown to something I do nearly every day now! I think I need to move some of the fragrances out that I don't love so there is room to enjoy the ones that I do. I will also try to buy based on a wishlist and look for what I truly want at the best price. Good luck for your 2023! ❤️
I admire your honesty about how much you've spent on fragrances, I am totally agree with you. I will be in a no buy/ low buy this year, after i watched your videos of "does perfume expire?" And i also have a perfume that went off so fast, i came to realize that it such a waste of money was'nt it? i regret not wearing that perfume that much 😩 So far i have only two bottles i bought this january, i also plan to spend more wisely like you did on your sampling or if there is a travel sizes that will be more easy for me to finish up 🙂♥️
Yes I look at my collection and just wonder how much will expire before I ever get to it! I've only bought one bottle so far this year and that was a 30ml. Sampling and travel sprays feel like the way to go for me 😉 I hope you are well Rin ☺️ thanks for watching ❤️
I’m so excited to see you do another declutter !! I will probably buy a couple of perfumes when I come over to England because I can’t find them here /or difficult to find at a good price
I really love this type of content that tracks & makes account of how many fragrances perfume collectors buy. I am personally setting a budget for fragrances for 2023 that is lower than what I spent in 2022 & 2021. I have a short wishlist for this year with 2 or 3 niche perfumes that will be taking the bulk of my alloted money and maybe leave a bit for any fragrance that I absolutely fall in love with. I will be decluttering my collection and finishing off perfumes to keep it at a 35-40 bottle collection at most 😊
Sounds a fab plan! I think writing a wishlist for me will be really important to keep me on track ☺️ 35-40 sounds a really manageable size but great for a bit of diversity too! I hope you achieve your perfume goals in 2023! 🥰
It’s the most complete video on perfume there can be! 🙂 You touch every subject here. 👍🏻 But I think I’m the bunny hiding my eyes who doesn’t want to know how much money goes in this hole! 😆 I’m trying to buy one or two bottles max per month this year. Let’s see if I can achieve this goal. I also want to declutter but fragrances are so hard to sell here I might as well just keep them in my collection… Have a good weekend Claire!
1/2 a month would be a huge achievement for me compared with 2022. My buying seems to come in chunks. Nothing for a few weeks, then a few. 🤦♀️ Yes I understand fragrances can sometimes be hard to sell or just not worth selling actually with the hassle. It's good to have some fragrant friends, although sometimes I think, wow I wouldn't gift that to anyone 😂 if it's something I truly dislike 🤣 Have a fab weekend too Julie 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume okay so I’ve created a spreadsheet for my purchases! 😆 Wasn’t going to but I just came back from the shopping center where I picked up Sable Fauve by Yves Rocher and since this purchase already brings me to my « two bottles max per month », I thought it would be a good time to start keeping track… so here we go! 92$ spent in January! 😬 How many days before the end of the month? 😅😅😅
Hello Claire, love your honest and detailed review about your goals and your experiences or your fragrance journey 👍 I often enjoy sampling perfumes more than new the bottles I buy 😅 I need the variety 😉
You have made so many great points Claire! I think you’re being a little hard on yourself but I admire the goals and plans you set forth. My #1 resolution when it comes to fragrances is to declutter more. I have some that need to go. I thoroughly enjoyed this video! 😍❤️
This video was so well thought out. Hope you achieve all of your goals. My main goal this year is to make the 4 perfume purchases this year from my 2022 wishlist. And keep my eyes open for interesting releases. Also have my eye on purfumes from existing brands and interested in sampling a few of them. Don't want to grow my collection too much as I am close to 50 bottles and I don't want too many more than that.
Yes stay around 50! Oh I miss being at 50 😂 you can easily wear them all and enjoy them all but you have enough to have the diversity too 👌 just perfect! 🥰
It does lower our standards when we blind buy !! I’m really enjoying a lot of my perfumes at the moment ,I am going to monitor which ones I don’t reach for in the next few months and declutter down to about 25 This was amazing to watch Hugs ❤
Hi Claire, I find this topic endlessly fascinating. I'm just curious, where to you source your samples from? Successful sampling is great, but I find it can be really expensive as well. And I have to be very disciplined to keep an overview of all the samples because many of the homemade variety evaporate before I get around to using or reselling them if I lose track. My samples seem to multiply exponentially. Like expensive, nice-smelling Gremlins. This for talking so openly about this. I marvel at how much mileage you get out of 500 pound per year investment!
I mostly get samples from other people in the perfume community which is amazing, people are so generous. But I know not everyone can do that and yes I have some sampler kits and they are pricey. I have also bought them secondhand on eBay. I have definitely been super thrifty, mostly buying secondhand and reselling, but I think it's time not to be quite so thrifty any longer though. It's really hard when you first start a channel on RUclips, the cost is a lot if you don't have a decent collection beforehand, and that is yet another reason I do this kind of video, to show people starting that you don't have to spend astronomical amounts of money and you can still enjoy perfumes and make videos! Thanks for watching and I hope you continue to enjoy sampling in 2023. 🥰
Thanks to your video I have decided to track my spending judiciously this year and to try harder to sample. I'll let you know how I did at the end of the year! Thanks for the inspiration! I would love to see more sampling videos, by the way!
Great video, Claire. I love seeing smaller, carefully curated and well loved perfume collections. Last year (2022) I bought very few perfumes, but I am enjoying my small collection so much more! I have about 50 now that I've decluttered. xx
Thank you! Yes I agree, I feel like 50 is a good size. Diverse but manageable ☺️ I just want to buy fewer full bottles this year. Thanks for watching ❤️
Hi! I'm mostly sampling, if I bought full bottles they'd soon last for a 100 years. I like both sampling by house and sampling by notes/similarity. Overall, I think by sampling videos based on notes/similarity are more informative because that helps people find a perfume when they're looking for something specific. I'm especially interested in similar notes comparison between designer and niche houses and cheap vs. expensive comparisons. I've personally made bad experiences with designer fragrances, the ones for men often have this one awful synthetic note in them that you can smell *on the outside of the sprayer* - it smells like a mixture of melon and cucumber. Do you know this smell? For me, it is a sure sign I won't like the perfume. Better niche fragrances tend to not have this note in their base.
I think maybe the smell you are referring to on the outside of bottles could be calone or a derivative, that is that kind of light fruity fresh green watery smell... Lots of people dislike it. It was used a lot in the 90s. Do you think that might be it? Sampling is definitely the way to go isn't it? Nothing makes me buy so little as sampling 🤣 I just really enjoy trying new stuff and I seem to get super picky when I'm trying new fragrances. There are a small group of ones that I have loved though! Those are some fab points about sampling videos. Comparisons between designer and niche are really interesting and yes, I sometimes just want a fragrance with a particular note and will watch videos making comparisons to try to find the one for me, so yes, that is definitely a way to approach it too! Thank you for your really helpful comment. 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume light fruity green watery smell sounds very much like it. Maybe it's Calone, I'll investigate further. Thanks for making your videos, they're informative and entertaining!
I have just stopped buying fragrances. Just cold turkey. Withdrawal is real. I was done after purchasing Black Opium and not liking it earlier this month. I had placed the order in December and because of where I live it arrived in January. So far I haven't made one single fragrance purchase...not an actual perfume, not a body mist, candle, shower gel, fragrance oil.... I just have so many it's hard to use up and I like to associate events with fragrances. Kinda hard when you own so much you want to give them all use. I kinda miss those days when I owned two body mists and one perfume and would only purchase more when they were done. And no. I don't think you're being too hard on yourself. You've realised you're not enjoying your collection the way you want to you've decided to remedy the situation.
Was that the new Black Opium flanker or the original? That did take a long time to arrive! I've not bought anything since November, it's not been deliberate but I just wanted to slow down on purchasing. I know what you mean, I feel like I enjoyed having about 30 fragrances and I would like to get below 100 fragrances again for sure. Thanks for watching and good luck with your goals for 2023! ❤️
It was the original Black Opium. I got a sample of the intense and it didn't last and read reviews that the original lasted longer-not true. Abysmal performance. I live in the Caribbean and order from sephora in the US....takes about two weeks for me to receive anything ordered.
great video, i've been thinking along similar lines myself, about how much perfume i have vs. how much i need and/or actually use. i buy a lot of samples myself and have always loved sampling a lot in general, but in recent years i've been blind buying more too. i would love a sample video. either themes, houses, notes or just random. it doesn't really matter, i don't think.
Thank you! ❤️ I am coming to believe that a lot of people are feeling like this. The blind buying really is quite a thing with me and I want to reduce the amount I do it and make my purchases more considered. I sample a lot of fragrances but I'd say I rarely fall in love with many. I am also thinking along the same lines as you with just how much I have, I think having a smaller, more curated collection would make me more satisfied than having lots of lots of bottles. Thanks for watching and for the feedback on the sample videos 👍
Great video and goals, Claire, I totally agree, thank you for sharing your thoughts. ❤ I struggle with the same bad habits in the last 2-3 years, falling deeper and deeper in the rabbit hole. But I have another, a more sick one: I tend to get too easily on certain perfume brands and I'm just stuck in it for months. I always have a current obsession... If I buy a perfume that I like I have to check/try/buy other perfumes (or at least purchase many samples) from the same brand. So I had f.e. a 'Mugler-era', a Montale-, a CK-, a Chanel-, a SJP-, a ELDO-, and most recently a 'Guerlain-era'.🤪 Its' just ridiculous 🙄that has no sense at all, I must stop. So for now that's my biggest challenge for 2023.😉
I know what you mean, I got totally obsessed with Reminiscence. I did stop once I'd bought all three of that particular fragrance line though, I did look at others, but managed to stop myself, I knew there was a high risk with blind buying more that I wouldnt love them. Guerlain is a huge huge rabbit hole. They have some very diverse fragrances and require a lot of sampling to find something you love. They also release a lot per year, so that is a difficult house to become obsessed with because there's always something new to try. Best of luck with your resolutions but take it easy on yourself too! Thanks for watching as always 🥰
Thanks Claire, I love this type of perfume content as I too am constantly reflecting on what I do within this hobby and really trying to find the right balance. Please don't be hard on yourself! X
Thanks! Yes I think that's the thing isn't it? Balance. I might review the odd fragrance but I don't want a house full of perfume. I just don't have the room or the budget, so I want to sample and be more mindful of what I bring in. I hope you achieve your perfume goals in 2023 🥰
I really enjoyed this and applaud you for doing it! I keep a close track of what I purchase, and I am all for being honest with myself about what I bring into my life, what it costs and whether I actually love and use it. If I don't reach for it and absolutely love it, then it has to go. My goals for 2023 include allowing myself one discovery set / sample order /small travel size per month max. A budget of £30-£40 per month tops. I don't really want to bring in any full bottles til my birthday in July. If I do buy full bottles, say one is £100 for example, then that takes up say 3 months of my perfume budget. I would also like to see you do sampling videos. I Iike the first impressions format, where you say what you sniff and then look up notes and compare, they are fun. But I also like the type where you have already worn them and go over retrospectively what they were like. I sample a lot myself so I really appreciate detailed sampling videos rather than big hauls where creators just go "and I got this, and then I got this" etc.
Yes I have done videos titled as hauls ages back, but ultimately they are only filmed after several wears because I really don't enjoy videos where people simply list what they've picked up, I find it pointless. I've tried to move away from the haul format. Im not saying I'll never do one ever again but right now it's not in the plans. I filmed a sampling video back in September, edited it and never posted it. I should maybe look at it again. I like your sample budget, and just saving bottle buying for special occasions 👌 that is a great idea. Makes them really memorable and also really considered and thought about! ❤️
Thank you ❤️ yes I am trying! Ive not bought anything since November, I'm just trying to get to know what I have for now! Thanks for watching as always! 🥰
@Claire Smith the pleasure is mine, sweetie 😘 I've switched to samples, decants and small bottles in the second half of the year, and I'm also trying to use what I have already. I've been layering two or three fragrances at a time to make it faster 😆
Yes I've got my select bunch this year, but there is one that I definitely won't repurchase, not because I dislike it but because I've just worn it a lot and want to move on. I might do a video on bedtime fragrances 😉
Also you know what I was thinking I really got into fine French perfumery. I started with clones mainly, some not so good big thick oily ones that cost as much as the actual fragrance. Super strong... But lacked any elegance or transformation. A painting without paint strokes just a heavy over hued print slapped on. Saying that there were some good ones about. I don't know why I wanted to tell you that, would make a great advert 🙄 But yes as we get more into it we spend more on less, we do go for something more beautifully made, something that is more than a fragrance I guess 😜 Fab video, just a random musing 😉
🙊 Those clones sound overpriced and not that good... 🙊 You make me want to try them 😜 Yes, I am holding out for some special ones this year 😊 but I'm sure I also won't forget my designer roots 😂
Yes I have definitely reduced my blind buying, but it's not gone entirely. I guess sometimes things are just hard to sample and are easily resold, but that's not always the case! Bad blind buys certain make you rethink doing it at all. Thanks for watching ❤️
I love this topic! I'm afraid to do the math but I don't mind revealing how much I spent. I do think that it's in correlation with how much I make (if I would make more money I'd probably have spent more)
Yes, for me it would be fine for it to be more. I just want to monitor it. I do think it would be interesting to see someone from a channel that does hauls regularly to say how much they spend and how much they recoup through reselling or RUclips income, I bet in some cases the affiliate links and the RUclips income more than pay for the hauls. 🤷♀️
@@dr.claire.perfume Absolutely. I know that "makeup influencers" get almost all their makeup from PR. Personally I rather spend my own money and give the real truth, my channel is for entertaining purpose only and maybe a little getting to know people "like minded". But I'm okay with Armani sending me free stuff😸
Yes Armani are clearly ok to send 😂 but yes, pr feels a bit random doesnt it? If someone didn't choose to buy it, it makes you wonder why they are talking about it now it's free. 😂
I was a big reckless buyer when I first started out. Then I dunno I got wise. I think last year I'm not wholly sure but in May I went mental and then again in December even blind buying 😱 but I've learnt to only get what I really want. Obviously if you take out one particular brand I was probably gifted maybe 5% in that year. I'd say I'm really lucky with that, keeps my own fragrances special and it's a nice surprise but tbh as we know I certainly never expect any. I am with you with the sampling, so much more fun. And saves us a fortune and less waste. Defo do the sampling. Random sampling is fab. Half way through, the eye make up magic is pretty cool and loving the bat clouds again. Using up bottles, yea I'm a failure. They'll be in my Will, Aj will smell very good as she tucks into her previous slave. I know you rotate well and have a wise collection of partials but I can't imagine ever using a whole bottle. Plus u know me, I'd hoard it 🤣. The liking and loving is so true the more we smell. I defo concentrate on buying loves. My net spend was definetly minus £fartoomuch but fewer bottles. I need you to do my accounts for me. And haha Claire for £5.78 you can get a bean but can't heat it up as it would cost you double 🤣. Fab introspective video
Thank you! Yes, I go through sensible and mad stages with purchasing. I think being ill in November and Seb not being keen on me doing RUclips, combined with filming that empties video really pushed me into buying more. I'm still trying out my purchases 😂 You did go Amouage crazy at one point, I think it seems to have calmed now though. I've not bought anything since November and I think that's a good thing. It's good to space them out. Haha, yes the storage unit you probably now need to hire for the entire back catalogue of a particular perfume brand 🤣 I have enjoyed trying them though! They have been much better than I imagined. I filmed a sampling video back in September and never posted it, the film quality was not great. Maybe I should just post it mid week? I'm not sure. When Aj calls me and tells me she's devoured you, we are splitting the fragrance between us 😉 she's not that keen on leather except on sofas, so I get those ones, she's keeping the violets though, she will flog the rest and move to Blenheim palace. Yes I agree, £6 a week is nothing really in the rip off times that we now we live in, I mean it's only 0.0001% of Zahawi's tax bill 🤣. I am actually astounded I've managed to buy so much with so little and so many ones that I've enjoyed too. Being more mindful of what you truly want is the way to go. 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume yea we need them moments of madness to really wake us up and look at what the heckers we are doing and need to be more focused and sensible. Haha yes she'll keep the good ones 😜 she'll definitely love in luxury. Oh yes u need to post the video. Maybe not as often as lazy me at the moment. I need to get some energy back. And yes with that November, January and December for me are no coincidence. Its that grim need comfort time of year isn't it. And yea when we break it down we ain't spending too much a year. Never mind his tax bill doesn't scratch the surface of paying to heat his stables on us as millions literally freeze to death... What a man 😉
Haha I will revisit the video, it wasn't blind, it was just some samples I'd tried, I look very odd in that video, like I've been living in the wild. I think it was just before I had my hair cut. I am worried I might have accidentally deleted it, I had a huge purge for more space the other week... Zahawi just needs to go (and probably quite a few others that might have also broke tax rules or laws).
Personaly I love sampling, and I actually don't mind what the "order"/ "theme" of their review. I think that is more responsible way to get to know perfumes. For some reason (for my channel) those video tends to be less viewed than "huge affordable perfume haul" (the magic words😸), but I'm walking to my own beat of the drum and still buying mostly samples. And most of perfumes are not up my alley so I glad I don't have more than 1-2ml of them. Here (in Israel) it's kind of hard to sell used perfume and the hassle doesn't worth my time so I prefer to smell in stores, sample, and only then buy (and even with all these measures I still don't like some of them.
Same, I don't really buy much that's expensive. And you never entirely know until you get a bottle, even with sampling. But yes, sampling videos get so many fewer views and that's why they are underrepresented on RUclips. Hauls are more searched for and that's why people do them.
@@dr.claire.perfume Plus it doesn't encourage consumerism. I feel that some channels are big only because of doing these huge hauls at least once a month but don't give extra value or even a real honest review.
I agree, you wonder just how much they have tried the fragrances before they talk about them... I've unsubbed from some channels that simply do the haul-declutter cycle on a monthly basis. It's not helpful.
Hi Claire ! That was interesting ! Indeed I think we have some common goals. Mine for this year is to stick more to my wishlist and to sample more (less blind buy and more brands discoveries). I had a really expensive fragrance sitting on this wishlist for a while and in the end I was able to find a good deal on it and get it. I like the idea of a wishlist also because it prevents me from buying on an impluse at first snif. I spend more time with my fragrance sample before deciding myself. And sometimes a few years pass before I can have it 😅
Hi Karine 😊 sampling is fab isn't it? It always makes me super picky 😂 and yes finding a new brand you love is exciting! Waiting it out for those good deals takes a while sometimes but I'm happy you've got the one you were waiting for! Thanks for watching ❤️
Claire!! Wow. I’m actually extremely impressed by this. Two things, I appreciate your honesty here. I’m not opposed to really sharing what I spend on perfume but I haven’t yet. I make jokes about spending all my money on perfume and they’re not really jokes. 🫣 Totally floored by your total money spent for the year. I’ll say, that amount is closer to my monthly in 2022. So, from my perspective, it seems you’ve got this in a really good place. Congratulations! Another amazing video. ✌🏻🕺🏼♥️
Yes I do mostly buy secondhand if at all possible but I do tend to sample rather than buy full bottles. I don't have a lot of room and I don't want my collection to be more than around 100 bottles ideally, I find it overwhelming, but some of my collection are sentimental to me so this is where the problems like, because those take up physical and mental room! I really don't think my spending is an issue at all. I would be happy to spend more and I feel like this year, I want to buy fewer bottles and certain blind buy much less. My ultimate aim would be to be able to know a long term love from short term fancies. Sometimes I find it difficult to tell! Thanks for watching Richard 🥰
My resolutions are almost the same as yours😸 I've already filmed a video back in Dec but still didn't edit it😹😹 so I guess my resolution is being more consistent I think that you're very calculated and well planned and I love that espically in this sphere of... well consumerism. I look up to you so I don't think you should change. I wish there were more people that deep think like that🧡🧡
Thank you! Clearly my smokescreen of the appearance of organisation is working 😂 I have really made an effort this year to be different from other things I see on RUclips and to be truer to who I am and my values, so yeah, I'm trying not to give in to spending crazy amounts of money on fragrance, and I buy mostly secondhand, but I do find with more sampling I am getting a lot more picky, so stuff is likely to get more expensive 😂 thanks for watching ❤️
I totally understand you. I feel guilty too when I spend a lot of money on perfume or cosmetics in general since they are not what you would call necessities. The only things I spend money on without thinking twice are books. On the other hand since you buy fragrances with your own money I don't see why you should feel guilty. I am a mother of two teenage girls and subconsciously I feel that every time I buy something a bit pricey for myself I deprive them of something even though I know this is not the case. As for my wishlist I would like to buy carnal flower, oud bouquet and fracas by Robert Piguet.
Yes I think to myself that I could be spending the money on doing something with my husband or seeing friends, sometimes there is just more to life than another bottle of fragrance but I think my main goal is to just buy less but what I truly love. The split priorities with spending when you have children are even greater I think but actually you also need to treat yourself occasionally and look after you too. I would love to try Carnal Flower and lots of Frederic malle in general! I hope you get some of your wishlist this year! ❤️
Too rude I think with mine. I dropped a sample the other day, that happens nearly every video. I might just leave in my klutz behaviour for the next one. 😉
I think sampling videos would be great. They could be both by brand and by fragrance notes. I've gotten a little cynical I think watching other perfume videos -- they're always hauling several fragrances, then a month or two later decluttering them. Or claiming "RUclips" made me buy this. This sounds more like material to put on the sites; they need something to talk about to attract viewers. My goal last year was to expand my perfume collection. it consisted of classic French fragrances. I was totally ignorant of what new perfumes were available or the sudden growth in niche houses.. I tried to go about this in the most cost-effective manner, by sampling or buying high-quality dupes from Dua. They also recreate original formulations of classic perfumes so you can judge how the perfume was first devised, prior to all the reformulations that seem to go on. They also produce their own fragrances. The CEO and founder is Mahsam Razam who was trained in Dubai. I trust their expertise over other dupe houses that may not be that well-trained or use quality ingredients. You can purchase fragrances in a vial size -- larger than 10 ml or their standard bottle size is 30ml. So you don't have to struggle to use up a 100ml size.
I do think a fragrance haul is a standard video idea for RUclips and actually that is something people als search for to watch, so I completely understand why channels do them and that the whole thing is a positive feedback loop. I did used to film haul videos, but they would generally be a review of 3 fragrances that I'd usually had and been trying out for quite some time. I have moved away from haul videos since early 2022, but I won't rule out ever doing another. I agree thought that creators need to be more creative than simple reviews or hauls all the time. Going back the classics sounds interesting. I went through a stage of trying some of the more classic Guerlain fragrances (obviously reformulated) but in general, they weren't for me. I see the attraction though, the history is very striking and makes them iconic. Dua sounds like they are doing a good job. They were available in the UK at one point but I think they left or had some issue because each time I've checked they have been out of stock or not around. Dupes are a fab and less expensive way to try particular note profiles that you might be unsure about too 🥰
This was a very thoughtful assessment ❤ I loved your breakdown equating your spending to x amount of coffee per week. I personally don't view the amount you spent as absurd or abnormal. I think it's totally reasonable to spend that amount on a passion in one calendar year- eg books, art supplies, perfume, etc- many hobbies would actually spend more, on average. (However, I also love fragrances, so might be a bit enabling, lol). In 2023, I'm going to allocate myself a certain dollar amount and # of fragrances per season. I think it will be helpful to try to loosely stick to 4 quarters and it will also give me something to look forward to, knowing that when the season changes, I get to switch things up with a few new and exciting frags. I'm also going to be mindful of letting go of the ones that I just don't reach for (and know in my heart that I probably never will).
Thank you! That sounds like a really sensible way to go about dividing up your perfume budget 👍 I agree, I don't think I spend a lot considering I have a channel and this is my main hobby. I'm happy with spending that much, but I would like to buy fewer bottles of fragrance overall. I do need to be more willing to declutter what I don't love too. Thanks for watching ❤️
Love the goals you set for yourself, I can say that for myself I’m trying to not Declutter as much only because things I’ve hated I now love ❤️ I’m rotating more and have not purchased anything (purchases were made in 2022) I also think being on RUclips sort of puts “pressure” to keep up with the new trends in perfume 😏 it can become pricey and out of control! Love that you speak on this topic I would love to know your thoughts on the pressure to keep up here on RUclips lol ( it’s real though) 😉🤗
Yes for sure there is pressure, I did talk about that but edited it out actually 🤦♀️ I think in general, I am someone who buys stuff for me rather than to review, so in most cases I don't bow to pressure any more. I do feel it though. I've also not bought anything since November and I didn't get fragrance for Christmas either. I am just catching up with what I bought last year 😅 I'm also hesitant to declutter because in some cases my taste has also done 180s, but it's worked both ways recently, some things I thought I loved back in 2021, I'm now not so sure. 🤷♀️ Thanks for watching ❤️
@@dr.claire.perfume same here Claire I over spent last year I still can do about 3 hauls lol something about perfumes keeps us wanting more I have to say it has done great things here! We get to connect and share our love of fragrances together 🤗😉
Hi Jackie, I'm actually not sure for places other than the UK, I'm sorry about that! I agree, sampling can be expensive sometimes. I hope you find somewhere good 😊 have a lovely weekend 🥰
I think it’s so incredibly amazing that you used up 25 fragrances for the year. I really appreciate the way you track all the milestones through graphs.
What can I say? I'm an obsessive scientist 😂 I love a graph! 😂
I appreciate that you share what you spent. I feel like there is a hidden aspect in the fragrance community around this. I kind of understand why, if you admit you're spending lots on fragrances people will come for your throat but this is also an expensive interest to have. I think this is especially true around niche fragrances that can cost exorbitant prices yet we see people with shelves and shelves of them as if they are $4 body mists on bargain discount. The RUclips community gives a truly distorted sense of things people can access. It's very similar to the beauty community in that regard.
Yes I think it's hidden too, much more than in the makeup community. It needs talking about because of people see channels hauling niche fragrances and have no idea whether or not they are gifted, it can appear people are spending £1000s per video. Some people literally are... If so, that's up to them, but I just can't afford that. I don't have the spare cash to spend that much, so I have to budget, that's why I buy secondhand if I can and also why I resell what I don't love. Thanks for watching ❤️
@@nadia562010 she is also married, so her husband may help with that and or, she may also work a good job where she can afford her luxury items. Have you ever thought of that
I don't think you're being hard on yourself at all. It's your money, your collection, your experience with fragrances. You get to create guidelines that work for you. Thanks for sharing your approach for the year! 🥳🥳🥳
Yes it's everyone's choice what they buy, use and declutter, it's their cash. I am feeling like I know what I want from fragrance now, I've learnt I love sampling and I don't need lots of bottles and need to weed out what I don't truly love. 🥰
Wise woman talking! I agree with Veronica! You do you! 😉
Claire you are the most genuine in the fragrance community. Keep shining bright!
Thank you ❤️ that means a lot! I really try to be open and honest about my thoughts and feelings on what I see on RUclips and I do just try to be me. Thanks for watching 🥰
This is my type of content!!! I love self reflection. 💗
I love when you totally call us out! I'm a couple minutes in and I already know I'm going to feel personally attacked! I'm here for it though. 😬
Oh hopefully not Carmen! 😂 I'm roasting me, not others 😂 I really feel like I've learnt a lot over the last few years with fragrance buying and seeing what I end up loving and using and what I don't. It has taken time though and it's really ok for me to have made mistakes and learnt from them.
Put yourself on a no buy. I have for 6 mths, Jan - June. I have and it’s easier than you think. Also, focuses your mind on using what you’ve got already
Hi Sarah, yes, I've not bought anything since November so going well 😊 I was planning for just December and January but who knows. I have been getting to know my new purchases, I've been enjoying it so far! 🥰
Kudos Dr. Smith!
This beautiful, fun, therapeutic journey we're on can be a rabbit hole!
How timely, and pertinent a video.
I can't imagine the cost to those who regularly engage in hauls, citing sales, points, and other buying incentives.
Can they truly afford this I wonder. Also, when is what we own, enough? How many similar fragrances are really necessary?
Personally, I'm a bb poster child of fails!
I donate buys that simply won't ever be worn. Enter, my love of sampling. Niche purchases aren't always feasible, but I sample many, and enjoy it. On occasion, I really want a FB, but it's unlikely to become a reality. I'll repurchase larger samples. It's still less costly
It really boils down to accountability, self control, and learning from our mistakes.
I would like in depth reviews of perfume notes/accords, and pairings. The history of the various houses is also of interest to me. Sniff and review videos get monotonous at times. I now limit my subscriptions.
Francine
Hi Francine, yes I think we're on the same page. I sample lots of niche and love a small proportion of it, but the cost sometimes is totally unjustifiable for me, £300 for a bottle is ridiculous. I also think if I don't think I'd stop at just a few. Sampling is such a huge joy and I can see buying decants as a way to enjoy fragrances that you don't want to spend a fortune buying a full bottle of.
I am really interested to look into some history too. I do think there are quite a few videos out there already though so I need to think how to present things like that. Thanks for your suggestions! 🥰
Dr. Claire, thanks so much for making this video! It’s been so helpful as I continue to work on my goals for the year. I’ve created a spreadsheet to track my use and remind me to finish perfumes rather than hoard those last few drops or even lose some in the back of the cupboard! I feel like I have fallen into the trap of bargain hunting for fragrance rather than buying what I really want or buying a dupe when nothing compares to the original (IMO). I mentioned on Carmen scentrix’s channel that I have multiple boxes full of perfume samples and I plan to use those this year when I get the urge to buy something or just want something new. I’m going to reflect on what’s driving that urge rather than trying to satisfy it instantly. I’m also reading more literature and stepping away from hauls and influencer style fragrance channels.
Hi Sally! That sounds like an absolutely fabulous plan! I love the idea of reaching for samples rather than buying new bottles and targeting bottles to finish them off, those are great ideas 🙂 using a spreadsheet is really useful because you can easily get lots of different types of information from it. I really wish you the best of luck in achieving your goals in 2023! 🥰
2022 turned out to be the year of figuring out what I like. I think 2023 will have a more narrow focus of finding a fragrance that has the notes I like, blended in a way that works for me - so more sampling.
Yes! If you are looking for your perfect fragrance within a particular scent profile, it can take a while to find it. Fab to know what you enjoy and what you want though, definitely more than half way there! Good luck and thanks for watching ❤️
I totally agree I'm also don't like the idea of letting a perfume "grow" on me. In no other part of life I do that and also it stress me to have so many perfumes I feel this rush to use and finish those I don't like instead of just enjoying using a few perfumes I love
Yes this was totally me last year. Finishing mostly the ones I wasn't in love with, I need to just enjoy what I enjoy and wear those and be a little more prepared to declutter rather than finish bottles! I hate decluttering but I think I will smell better if I do it more often 😂
I need to stop the redundancy. I don’t need 14 bottles of perfume that all basically smell the same. Do I love them? Yes! I just don’t need that many of something that smells so similar, most people wouldn’t know they are different.
I am sampling more, and I think it’s saving me a lot of $$$. It’s keeping my impulse buying way down, and I am not buying things that are just “meh” to my nose. I’ve sampled a lot that I found atrocious, too. Notes were iffy on most of those, so I would never have blind bought them anyway. But I do enjoy the opportunity to try things that I might actually love. ❤
It's strange but absolutely nothing stops me buying as much as sampling! It makes me super picky 😂 I agree I also don't want similar fragrances in my collection. I will probably declutter one because of that. I really hope you achieve your perfume goals for 2023! Thanks for watching ❤️
I love how orderly you are. You’re also right on sampling. If fragrances are not gifted it’s the best way to do staff.
Sampling saves so much money! I can't tell you how many hyped fragrances I've sampled only to be quite disappointed 😂
I think it's great to be conscious and I wish more creators would be open about these topics because it's kind of a rabbithole for viewers when they see the questionable spending habits and maybe want to recreate that kind of collection. Have a great week! :)
Thank you 😊 yes, I totally agree. You start to ask yourself whether buying several bottles a month is actually most people's reality but I think mostly it isn't, it's just RUclips. Gifted and undeclared fragrances don't help to dispel that thought either... I just want to focus on buying only what I really love this year and sampling lots this year ☺️
Everything you said resonated with me Dr Claire and with most of your viewers I should imagine, fragrance freaks that we are 😂
I'd love to see you reviewing samples, but not first sniff. I'd prefer to hear your opinion after you've tested it for a few days as first impressions can be misleading.
I've bought lots of samples this year, many niche, and I've found the problem is I have spent a LOT of money. I could've bought a couple of super expensive fragrances with the money I've spent on samples.
I'm so impressed with how little you have spent on fragrance this year. You're certainly a bargain hunter!
Good luck with your 2023 goals - I look forward to seeing how you get on 💖
Yes sampling can be extremely pricey, I'm privileged to be sent so many by other people, so it's less expensive for me.
I do try to buy secondhand and I always resell if I don't gift on fragrances. In that way sometimes I buy low and sell high, but it's luck for sure. I do have a per bottle limit but I have fallen in love with some pricey ones so that limit will likely increase this year 😂
I hope to do some sampling videos and yes I also prefer more measured reviews. My first impression can be vastly different to my final thoughts.
Thank you for your thoughts 🥰
You don't overspend because you are intelligent and spend wisely. I also buy strategically, only during sales or using my customer
fidelity- points at my favourite perfume store. We both buy more using the brain 70% than the heart 30%. My goal this year is to enjoy more the fragrances I already have♥️
That's a fab goal and yes you are right. I don't want 100 bottles of crazily priced fragrance. I wouldn't feel good about owning it. you make a fab point. I also tend to shop like that. I have stuff I am interested in and I wait to get the best deal most of the time. 🥰
Hi Claire, I'm literally 5 minutes in and already love this video 🙂 would love to see more sampling videos, I've really enjoyed the ones you've done, and Noura from MyWay does a regular series of sampling hyped up niche fragrances which I absolutely love. I think it shows a much more realistic view of what many perfume lovers actually do - in that not all scents we smell are AMAZING and INTOXICATING, and many are nice / alright or underwhelming even. It also encourages people to describe fragrances better and I really enjoy that as a viewer. I think the idea behind this video is exactly the kind of content I like also - I too am often quite contemplative about trying to better my habits to bring maximum joy, and know I've slipped a bit in the last month or two - I have a one in, one out bottle policy but have been acquiring more than I've been decluttering and the balance has tipped, so need to work out how to address this so I don't continue.
Thank you! I really wasn't sure if people would like this video, but I'm trying to be totally honest with myself and trying to work out what I want and what I enjoy from fragrance, I find my relationship with it and its combination with my environmental beliefs a little difficult sometimes.
Totally with samples! I would say 40% of stuff I try is nnn, 40% like but underwhelmed, 10% dislike and 10% like a lot to love, sampling really shows you how rare it is to love something. I think I've struggled to make a story of sampling perfumes. I actually recorded a sampling video back in September, edited the whole thing and still never uploaded it 🤦♀️ I need to find a way to make them feel connected rather than random.
And same, I totally slipped up with how much I was buying in October and November cos I felt like I'd finished loads of bottles and felt like I could buy some to replace them, but it just meant I have too much again! 🤦♀️
I find your reflections and goals to be very thoughtful and indicative of how you want fragrance to play a role in your life- in a meaningful way to love perfume. I want to “shop my stash” and rediscover what I already have this year, and let go of what I don’t love. I completely relate to your point about not even really knowing well what you already have, and that’s not how I want to be ❤
Thank you Lauren! Yes, I am only just trying some samples that I got nearly a year ago, it's ridiculous, I need to catch up... Not acquire more. I want to make more videos about what I've tried, even if I don't personally love them, because I think that's still helpful.
And yes! I just want to get to know my collection because if I don't love it or it isn't incredibly sentimental, it's going... Shopping my stash will definitely be something I will be doing more of this year! Thanks for watching as always! 🥰
I haven't accepted that it's 2023 either! 🤣 Feeling guilt is definitely a sign to reevaluate some habits and behaviors.
Yeah 2023 is still a bit of a shock 🤣
I do think I am feeling more at ease this year with my consumption. I do think that I want to declutter though and buy smaller bottles generally. I don't need 100ml of most things... 😊
@Claire Smith totally! I'm moving to smaller bottles too. When available
It's so annoying when companies only make larger sizes! 🤷♀️
Happy Saturday Dr. Claire. What a wonderful video. Your reflections were thoughtful and thought provoking. I am an oddball because I don’t “collect” anything anymore as my focus turns toward retirement and downsizing. I own a little over 100 bottles. There are a few that I purchased and some that were given to me that I will be selling or gifting. I’m also going to do the same with some samples and decants. One thing I also plan to do is check for any redundancies. I will always love perfumes and I’m thankful that I’m in a place in life that I ca fully enjoy them (I work from home full time) without restrictions. Ultimately we all have to find our happy place and you’ve given us loads of things to consider in our quest to achieve that.
Thank you! ❤️ Yes! Our happy place! That's a great way to put it! This is really it isn't it? I don't want to feel like I am buying too much for me to be comfortable and I want to buy things I truly love! That's the crux of it. Everyone needs to do what makes them happy and comfortable with their "collections" and that's likely to be different for everyone ☺️ have a lovely weekend Faith ☺️
I’d love to see more sampling videos!
With inserting a picture of the perfume, there really isn’t a difference for me if the RUclipsr physically has the bottle or not
I get a week’s wear or more out of carded sample sprays
Yes I have been trying to talk more about samples in my recent videos. I included 4 samples this week's video, but I am perhaps not making specific videos called sampling as much still, I will do some though! Thanks for your thoughts and for watching ❤️
I’d love to see more sampling videos. I have seen SmurfyGirly and The Top Note do in depth sampling. Quick Fragrance Reviews (aka Fragrance Notes) focuses on sampling one fragrance at a time, then reviewing it. The format is similar each review. Hope this helps.
I watch the first two, but I will check out the third! Thank you 😊
I definitely want to curate my collection and only buy the ones I love. Definitely more samples for me this year. Great goals. ❤
Thanks Jax! ❤️
Smart video! Your goals are reasonable and a good reality check for me too. I’ve been trying to wear a different scent each day and I find myself pining for certain ones I want to wear again. Maybe a video on what you do with the fragrances you declutter?
Yes me too, the whole of January so far, a different one each day and sampling. I do often want to wear the same one as yesterday if I've loved it! I will consider a video on selling perfumes. It's something that is a bit of grey area in the UK with unclear postage regulations etc.
I feel like this is a guilty pleasure and if it makes you happy then this is the most important! 😁
Totally! I am very happy to spend £8 a week on it, it brings me joy! 😊
It hasn't sunk in it is 2023 for me either! Honestly I don't want to think about how much I spend on fragrances and it gets hard when a lot of them are purchased by my mom because she thinks they're pretty, lol. I'm impressed you are able to keep track and add it all up!
I write it down as I go, or I try to, I know if I don't track it, I will buy more because I simply don't realise how much I already bought 🤦♀️ your mum sounds really into perfume ☺️
Great video. My forcing mechanism was moving and having to pack all my fragrances and feeling sick about how much I spent/owned and didn’t wear them. I also have similar goals to maintain sampling, keep a 100 bottle limit, no blind buys, and have been slowly getting rid/resell the ones I’m just not wearing. 👏❤
Thank you 😊 I've not moved house for 10 years so yes, I bet that would be a big shock if I did. I know I have a channel, but I do think 100 bottles is the point at which I think my collection is overwhelming. I hope to get back to around 100 over the next year or so, but it will take time. Thanks for watching ❤️
I love your gifs. They're so funny and appropriate. No matter how much or how little we have, we all end up spending too much on perfume! Comes with the territory :)
Thank you 😊 Yes, it's easy to just buy more. I am actually fine with spending more than I have been, but I would like to buy fewer bottles overall.🥰
My resolution is to do much less blind buying. I am with you wholeheartedly. I’d much rather sample 20 perfumes then buy a bottle and I’m getting more cutthroat on perfume purchases. Like you, I’m going to buy less fragrances that are a good deal that I might not love and save that money for perhaps something more expensive that I love.
Yes, sampling is an absolute joy isn't it? I really have been having lots of fun trying stuff out and I really want to share that more in videos ☺️ buying stuff that doesn't set your world on fire happens more and more as you try more fragrances, but I guess experiences need to be framed by price point too. It's a difficult one to pitch right, because of course if something costs £40 Vs £250 you will expect totally different basic standards from each and will be far pickier and harsher on a more expensive fragrance. 😊
I needed this video! I just purchased 4 bottles off Fragrancenet at a time when I’m not even wearing perfume for medical reasons. That urge can be quite insidious! I really respect your honest and brave reckoning - I know it has helped me and many others! 🥰💕 Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi Brooke, oh I hope you are ok. I know! The endless scrolling 😂 i think it's just not worth beating yourself up about and moving on and trying to set yourself some guidelines. If buying lots of fragrance makes you happy then there's zero problems unless money is an issue. We all need some joy in our lives and that can sometimes be a new fragrance 🥰 yes you too! Have a lovely week!
@@dr.claire.perfume Yes, all is well - no worries! The endless scrolling is REAL 😂😂😂 You’re absolutely right - there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to shopping habits. That said, doing a bit of an accounting every now and then and adjusting accordingly can be a really healthy habit! I appreciate your video so much and I will be doing a bit of a once over on my spending habits this year, as well. 🥰
Oh good! Happy to hear that ☺️ good luck with your perfume accounts! 🥰
I’ve only recently really got into fragrances but I can already tell it could easily become a problem!
I don’t blind buy but I already spend a fortune on sampling - I do really enjoy the process and like trying so many, mainly realising the hyped fragrance I watched multiple videos wasn’t all that …. but even sampling quickly adds up 😂
This video was great.
1. For me I am going to set a monthly sampling budget, and 2. only buy small sized bottles of the ones that pass the sampling test - even though it feels like it’s bad value for money £ per ml …since I’ve never yet got through a 100ml bottle.
Look forward to the follow up to this next year! ❤
Hi Sally! Thank you! Really glad that you enjoyed this! Yes me too, I've been sampling so far this year, but yes, it can get expensive!
I remember when I began getting into fragrance, I'd see people rave about certain perfumes and think they must be amazing, then try them and just not get the love. I guess it's a RUclips thing in some way, people are always overly positive because viewers don't like negativity (even when measured and justified) also there's that feeling that if you've bought something and chosen it, you can't not like it, but yes, certainly also a lot of gifted bottles that go undeclared. There are particular brands where there are waves of videos about, e.g. commodity back in April when they were giving out freebies.
I agree that it takes ages to get through a 100ml bottle. The few that I've finished have either been partially used when I got them or very short lasting fragrances. It also really annoys me when the smaller bottles are double the larger bottle's price per ml. I feel like I am being fleeced. Thanks for watching ❤️
Hi Claire Excellent video. I love blind buys, but sometimes they are a miss I usually get the small bottles. Sometimes they turn out to be a no no. So this year will use what I already have. There are so many new brands coming out and it’s over
whelming. When I enjoy a fragrance and finished it. I will not buy it again. So this year it’s a no no to blind buys!
Hi Yvonne! Thank you ☺️ yes I think I'm similar, I rarely repurchase, I just want to try something new most of the time. I haven't bought anything since November so far, but I'm not sure how long that will last. Good luck with your no buy! I'd be really interested to know whether you finish any fragrances this year. Thanks for watching 🥰
Dr. Claire Smith perfume Rules are the best especially in these crazy economic circumstances.
I really admire your process ❤
Thank you so much for sharing ❤😘
Hi Souad! Yes! I really want to enjoy what I already have and sample a lot again this year. I hope you are doing well. 🥰
Claire I have stopped blind buying. I usually am disappointed in them. My goal is to try and not buy unless I e finished a favorite OR I’ve smelled it in a shop or on someone and I can’t live without it. In addition I’d like to try and use up some perfumes I like but wouldn’t rebuy. Whittle my collection down. I’ve taken to gifting bottles also to family members who couldn’t or wouldn’t buy perfume.
Yes I would also like to reduce the amount I have by using some up. I would love a little bit less. 115 bottles is feeling a few too many right now. Gifting the excess is a great idea! 🥰
Great video, Claire. Yes, I appreciate sampling videos! By brand is great and I like them otherwise as well. I also want to spend on what I really love and not just grab up deals. I did much much better last year. And I like limiting my collection as well. One in, one out. You did great! Ty 💙
Thank you Tina! Yes I think I have improved too! I really feel much more discerning these days, even with great deals. I am learning what I love and appreciate and I also know I don't need large bottles of very much at all. I wish you luck with your fragrance collection in 2023! Thanks for watching as always ❤️
I think resolutions are great but don't beat yourself up when you fail to follow them strictly. I made a decision a year or more ago to always have my collection below 50 bottles and I have managed because I have been buying less and sampling more. Plus just being honest with what I absolutely love. I can't wait to see your declutter and wishlist videos.
That's a great attitude. I am trying to get back to 100 bottles, but it might take some time 😂 I have definitely been holding onto stuff so I think a declutter is needed!
Oh Claire I wish I was as organised as you. I keep a daily journal of what I use but frightened to think what I've spent. I tend to hoard my old loves incase they are discontinued. 😭. Im deffo stopping blind buying tho coz its getting out of control. Lots of shops don't do samples anymore tho. Its just a quick spray from testers but thats not much help. I also have a full shelf of 'blasts from the past' for nostalgic purposes. If you do a declutter give me a heads up 😉😉🥰🦊
Hey Melanie! I will definitely be decluttering, a few have gone already, I'm trying to be more ruthless 🙈. Yes trying in store is something you have to do multiple times to get any idea of how a fragrance smell, it's not the same as a sample at all! I also want to reduce the blind buying this year. Good luck to you too with that! 🥰
Hi Claire-thank you for sharing about your fragrance collection. I started buying perfume in 2020 during the pandemic. Perhaps I felt a a bit of sensory deprivation. I mainly blind bought fragrances, not a crazy amount. Before that I got one perfume bottle a year at most. Sampling so many perfumes and learning so much about the notes on Fragrantica and from other bloggers really was educational. Now I actually know what notes I love and what won’t be my cup of tea:). I also learned that you have to try perfume on your skin to see if it works with your chemistry. I understood perfumes are therapeutic and an artistic pursuit. Now I try to limit buying them, but I am still discovering fragrances I love and want to own. I rarely if ever blind buy. If I do, I do research by reading lots of reviews. Best of luck to you in the new year!
Yes me too! Blind buying started when I couldn't go to stores and smell them, and now look 🤣
Sampling is really critical isn't it? And yes I totally agree, trying on skin and multiple times is totally the way to go! The more you sniff, the more you can work out what you probably will or won't like for sure! Blind buying shouldn't be an art form but I'm afraid you do improve at it as you do it more and that is what makes it a little addictive I think 😉
@@dr.claire.perfume yes, I tried to only stick to 15 or 20, but who are we kidding here. I still won’t buy if I don’t absolutely love it. But I love perfume and it’s a hobby. So yeah, it’s a tough habit to break. 😁🙃
The most honest perfume video ever
Thank you! Yes no one else seems to discuss this really... Thanks for watching ❤️
Hello lovely! This is such a great topic. Most people outside RUclips don’t have these big collections. I always laugh at my friends reactions to the size of my perfume collection 😅 56 bottles naughty, naughty 😂
Yes, being on RUclips does make you buy more and I still feel excluded from certain types of videos because of not having a huge collection. If you do notes videos, having a lot to choose from is really critical, but I guess samples also work too, it's just harder to keep track. I find mine get very jumbled. 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume oh yeah, my collection is not huge either. Compared to many fragrance enthusiasts on RUclips it’s pretty small but to my friends in real life, it’s shocking lol
Oh yes! People at work think I'm insane 😂
Great video as always Claire! I think if there is anything I have learned from my perfume addiction its that it has taught me to stop the blind buys for now. I am almost always more disappointed than satisfied with those purchases 😒. Another lesson is to stop being influenced to buy the latest hyped perfumes. Most of them are nauseously sweet and too young for me😆 I think as I get older I am more appreciative of greener fragrances.
Thank you! Yes I agree, I really don't rush for new releases because usually when I do sample them, I'm underwhelmed. I tried so many new releases last year and out of the designer ones, I liked Elie Saab le parfum Lumière, Narciso Rodriguez for her musc noir rose and issey miyake drop d'issey l'eau. That is literally it 😂 it's not a good hit rate. Green is a really interesting fragrance category that is generally underrepresented in the world of super sweet gourmands being popular. Hopefully trends will do a bit of a 180 eventually! 🥰
Wow I love the graph to track how much bottles of fragrances you bought in a year
Haha it's tongue in cheek but I'm not sure anyone got it 😂
Thank you ! My resolution is to track what I buy, to buy less bottles and samples and to use what I have. I plan to use the same one for a long period too. A little bit like you, but I don't plan to pay more on each fragrance, I enjoy a good deal.
Sounds a fab plan! I also like a good deal, I think what I mean is, I won't rule out particular brands because they are above my ceiling price for retail. I will add them to a wishlist and wait for a good deal if I truly want them ☺️ thanks for watching ❤️
Hello Claire,
I think your goals are all good and also achievable.
I have to say buying or saving for better perfumes will slow down the number that come into your collection quite drastically. I have noticed the differences in quality the more I smell samples. Skin tests are always quite different then just spraying on a paper strip. Doing both makes a big difference as skin chemistry can effect what we smell. Making the requirement of testing before purchasing can slow things down a lot! 😅 Unfortunately it can be hard to get samples of perfumes if they aren't locally available.
Most of my impulsive 'cheapie' blind buys are the fragrances I tend to like less because they have harsh materials that irritate me, they sometimes have very poor performance or they were simply not what I expected when I looked at the fragrance notes.
Buying samples can be costly though... So I try to get perfumes from places I can select free samples of perfumes I want to test. It slows me down on testing and buying full bottles, but also makes purchasing way more successful. Making a wish list and only shopping from that helps too.
I am trying to get better with some of the same bad habits. But... When I heard yesterday that a perfume I wanted to sample, couldn't and has been quite hyped is possibly discontinued from watching videos yesterday, gave me full FOMO. I impulse purchased a bottle. I sure hope it's worth it. 😬 It was a lot lower on my wish list because it only became available in the fall of 2022 and I hadn't smelled it. So... Full example of the power of that and those feelings. Now I have to wait and save up for a bottle I know I want because I tested it first. 🙃 Live and learn. 🤔
Your reselling sounds like you have been quite successful! That money can be put back into a bottle you want.
I think I am going to start focusing on trying to fill 'holes' in my collection where I don't have certain fragrance notes. Unless it's a note I can't stand...
Thanks for your video Claire!
- Jenn
Wow Jenn I am really curious to know what that fragrance was now! I think with possibly discontinued ones, it's now or never isn't it?! You just feel you have to go for it. Also if you don't enjoy it and need to resell, they are often worth a lot more. E.g. Balenciaga Florabotanica is worth crazy amounts now. I guess it just depends whether the rumour is true.
I do think trying to blind buy less will really help. I am a bit trigger happy sometimes 🤣 a wishlist is definitely needed. You sound crazily organised and so sorted! 👌 Thanks for watching as always. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume
It's YSL Baby Cat
@@dr.claire.perfume
and also strangely... The retailer just sent an email telling me they they had shipped out the free gift with purchase (which I could care less about), but not the actual perfume. 🤔😬I hope they still have one to send me? At least I wasn't charges for the fragrance yet.
Weird! Well I really hope you get it! Babycat sounds great actually. I'd love to try that and caftan. ❤️
I think this video is great and your goals are really well thought out without adopting an "extreme" measure like a no buy or minimalism. Sometimes realistic goals work better than drastic ones 😁 i might steal some or all of your goals
Go for it! I know for sure a no buy or extreme declutters are not going to work for me. If I can buy less and just think about what I want more, I will be happy 😊 thanks for watching ❤️
I love sampling videos! I think like it's the best way to go if you have a lot of fragrances, I pretty much only buy samples now 😂 Maybe you could do by theme as well as brand? Like order a few you think would fit for season/day out/job interview and let us know your thoughts on them?
Also yeah I do find it a bit overwhelming when people are buying a full bottle every week! I don't know how I'd get through it all lol
That's a good idea! I'm not sure how successful I would be at predicting but might be fun!
Yes for sure, one a week is totally overwhelming! I'm slowing down and sampling in 2023 ☺️ Thanks for watching 🥰
You are the numbers girl and i am in awe of you and how you record every detail of your buying spending and life in general !!
I wish I had recorded my spending !
Having said that I am definitely on a much more healthy spending ( for me personally) in 2022
Yes me too, post pandemic, I don't really spend much at all. I used to buy lots of clothes and makeup, but since then I just don't really. I think I find it easy to record cos I have a spreadsheet on my phone where I record which fragrance I wear each day too, so everything is together! I am truly not that organised 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume we tend to have strong points in our lives that we focus on and that’s great 😁I was spending more on handbags before the pandemic 😷
I love handbags, I would still love a Mulberry Alexa all these years later 😂 or a Chanel 2.51 😉
I like your approach. You have taken a good look at yourself and it seems you know yourself very well. It makes so much sense to me to figure out what about this hobby it is that you love, and do more of that and eliminate/cut back on the parts of the hobby that gives you any negative feeling. I only really started collecting fragrances as a hobby in late 2021 and my collection has quickly grown slightly above the 50 fragrances that I had "allowed" myself to own. So I am taking a step back from purchasing this year. Instead I have divided the year into 12 categories. So for me January is all about my winter travel sprays/ minis and decants. I will go through them, use some up and declutter others. February is going to be about winter full bottles. March about my oil perfumes and then I will repeat the process for each season. I do have quite a few fragrances on my wishlist, both full bottles and samples. But I have written down a list of fragrances I would love to buy, and then made little deals with myself. Like I want to buy Montale vanilla cake, but I have a dupe oil and a similar vanilla bodyspray already, so I can not buy that perfume before those two are either used up or rehomed. My plan is to end up with a more curated collection of only my favorite scents. I do like quite a few different types, so it doesnt make sense for me to have like 5 baccarat rouge dupes and 5 variations of cherry etc. I'm going to narrow it down eventually to just 1 or 2 instead of going ham and buying 5 takes on the same note. hope that made sense :)
Yes that's exactly the type of thing that I need to do! I love this approach! I also have certain categories that I love and feel like I want some choice in and then others where I feel like I'm happy with what I have. And yes, making yourself look at what is similar and having those conversations with yourself, making deals, is for sure the way to make sure you think about and plan what you buy.
I absolutely love sampling right now, so I'm going to spend more on that and scale back on larger bottles. Thanks for watching and for your very insightful comment! 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Thank you so much for your kind reply:) I really enjoy watching your videos. I love your approach to this hobby and your passion and ideas when it comes to video content. It is for sure also going to be the year of sampling for me :)
@@LoevensRambles 🙌👍
I really enjoyed this self reflective video.. "old habits die hard" 😆
It's true, I think it will take me a while to change for sure. This won't be over just a year. Thanks for watching ❤️
I own 20 bottles of perfume (including 10 ml bottles). And 32 fragrance mists (mostly Bath and Bodyworks). I plan to declutter so that I eventually have maybe 15 fragrance mists. I want to spend more money on getting quality perfumes, rather than mists (that often end up disappointing me). And want to spend way less money at Bath and Bodyworks overall.
Yes I used to have a few body mists but Ive resold all but one now which I am just using up, they are easy to collect. I just tend to get them in giftsets at Christmas mostly. I hope you manage to achieve your 2023 goals! Good luck with reducing your BBW spend! 🥰
I appreciate you for sharing these resolutions. I have resolved to go forward with a "one in, one out" approach to my fragrance buying. I'm finishing or guving away a bottle or sample for each one I buy. My collection is pretty large, and I too want to focus on using what I have. Tfs.
That sounds like a fab idea! I hope it it easy to achieve. I am going to start with a mild declutter and see how I go. I didn't buy anything since November still, so I'm feeling good about that! 😊 Thanks for watching ❤️
It's very interesting when people do a haul and say it's "small" then show up to 5. As someone who used to buy around 3 a month 😬 even I know that's too much. Even 1 a month is plenty as, like you say, it takes a while to get through!
Yes, it's a lot isn't it? I feel like I am buying to much because if I can't try it and get to know it enough in a reasonable amount of time, then there's a problem... Perfumes are there to be worn! 🙂
@@dr.claire.perfume exactly! I'm in no place to judge how many fragrances someone accumulates and I live vicariously through the huge haulers but I think language matters
Yes I agree, it's what is ok for the person concerned. The only other issue that is relevant I guess is the environment and whether the fragrances will be passed on if not used or wanted.
Appreciate for bringing this to light and sharing this as a reminder. I believe that also with regards to fragrances, we should also look at quality over quantity. I agree with that many do not disclose the amount of money spent on fragrances on RUclips, but again, there are some exceptions. Thanks for sharing this interesting video 💖💖💖💖
Quality over quantity is definitely the way to go! Actually the reason I filmed this type of video last year was because I'd just hit 1K and I wanted to show new channels how much I'd spent on fragrance and how that had made me feel as a warning. It takes a lot of money sometimes to have a channel and actually most people spend much more than me, but the idea really was that you can feel a little sucked in by this hobby and it's really easy to get far down the fragrance rabbit hole before you realise.
@@dr.claire.perfume Totally agree with you on this. Also normal people can end up this rabbit whole and not know how to exit from it. Obviously this can turn into addiction as well for some.
Yes for sure. I think it's good to know there are other people who feel like this and for people not to feel embarrassed but to just try to find strategies to help. ☺️
I also have a tendency to blind buy. Because its too difficult to get samples. Happily it has worked out for me so far, but I wouldn't bargain on my luck continuing 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yes, sampling can be very difficult and actually also expensive! I've had some very mixed luck with blind buying, but mostly it's been positive 😊 I hope your good luck continues 🥰
This is definitely the way to make us accountable for our buying habits .
I have had to pull myself back and realize it’s just not good for my mental health ( or my pocket 💰)
Yes, I don't mind about the money I spend, but I don't want fragrances I never reach for or ones I just don't like. 🥰
Gret video! I want to use more of what I have, sell things I don't use, less blind buying and I have given myself a budget which is 1/3 of last year's spend. Let's see how it goes.
Good luck! I really hope you meet your goals, but don't beat yourself up if you don't. Being kind to yourself is also very important. Selling things you don't use is extremely satisfying ☺️ thanks for watching ❤️
Thank you for your video. I definitely bought too much perfume last year which I feel a bit guilty about. My mother had cancer and my poor hubby was ill with covid and then snapped his achilles. In retrospec, I think it was a weird coping technique. Anyway I think I have enough and like you say, I want to enjoy what I have.
Hi Catherine, Im sorry to hear that. I do think I buy more perfume when I am stressed, so I totally understand that! I hope you can get lots of use out of your 2022 purchases and that 2023 is a better year for you. 🥰
I had a very similar 2022 to you, I think, I lost track of which year you referred to where you started samplingore and buying smaller bottles lol
My downfall was I also buy cheaper stuff, like you seem to do, so I ended up justifying travel sprays of bottles I had no prior interest in. But for >£20, I suddenly wanted it. That's one thing I want to change.
Sampling is really something I started to get into in 2021 and it's just grown to something I do nearly every day now! I think I need to move some of the fragrances out that I don't love so there is room to enjoy the ones that I do. I will also try to buy based on a wishlist and look for what I truly want at the best price. Good luck for your 2023! ❤️
I admire your honesty about how much you've spent on fragrances,
I am totally agree with you.
I will be in a no buy/ low buy this year, after i watched your videos of "does perfume expire?" And i also have a perfume that went off so fast, i came to realize that it such a waste of money was'nt it? i regret not wearing that perfume that much 😩
So far i have only two bottles i bought this january, i also plan to spend more wisely like you did on your sampling or if there is a travel sizes that will be more easy for me to finish up 🙂♥️
Yes I look at my collection and just wonder how much will expire before I ever get to it! I've only bought one bottle so far this year and that was a 30ml. Sampling and travel sprays feel like the way to go for me 😉 I hope you are well Rin ☺️ thanks for watching ❤️
I’m so excited to see you do another declutter !!
I will probably buy a couple of perfumes when I come over to England because I can’t find them here /or difficult to find at a good price
Yes! I bet Guerlain fragrances are much cheaper here, especially with the exchange rate now. 👌
I really love this type of content that tracks & makes account of how many fragrances perfume collectors buy. I am personally setting a budget for fragrances for 2023 that is lower than what I spent in 2022 & 2021. I have a short wishlist for this year with 2 or 3 niche perfumes that will be taking the bulk of my alloted money and maybe leave a bit for any fragrance that I absolutely fall in love with. I will be decluttering my collection and finishing off perfumes to keep it at a 35-40 bottle collection at most 😊
Sounds a fab plan! I think writing a wishlist for me will be really important to keep me on track ☺️ 35-40 sounds a really manageable size but great for a bit of diversity too! I hope you achieve your perfume goals in 2023! 🥰
It’s the most complete video on perfume there can be! 🙂 You touch every subject here. 👍🏻 But I think I’m the bunny hiding my eyes who doesn’t want to know how much money goes in this hole! 😆 I’m trying to buy one or two bottles max per month this year. Let’s see if I can achieve this goal. I also want to declutter but fragrances are so hard to sell here I might as well just keep them in my collection… Have a good weekend Claire!
1/2 a month would be a huge achievement for me compared with 2022. My buying seems to come in chunks. Nothing for a few weeks, then a few. 🤦♀️
Yes I understand fragrances can sometimes be hard to sell or just not worth selling actually with the hassle. It's good to have some fragrant friends, although sometimes I think, wow I wouldn't gift that to anyone 😂 if it's something I truly dislike 🤣
Have a fab weekend too Julie 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume okay so I’ve created a spreadsheet for my purchases! 😆 Wasn’t going to but I just came back from the shopping center where I picked up Sable Fauve by Yves Rocher and since this purchase already brings me to my « two bottles max per month », I thought it would be a good time to start keeping track… so here we go! 92$ spent in January! 😬 How many days before the end of the month? 😅😅😅
@@julieg_quebec-julesselivre8641 🤣 I need to start a spreadsheet club and yes, not many left, you'll be ok! ❤️
Great video Claire 👍 I’m going to have a big declutter myself!
Thank you! ❤️ Oh good luck, declutters are sometimes quite hard to get going with! 🥰
I need to stop buying so many fragrances myself…. I bought tons of fragrances last year and didn’t even get a chance to do a review on them yet.
Yes, it's hard to keep up sometimes, you will get to them though ☺️
Hello Claire, love your honest and detailed review about your goals and your experiences or your fragrance journey 👍
I often enjoy sampling perfumes more than new the bottles I buy 😅
I need the variety 😉
Hi Heidi! Thank you! Sampling is a huge joy isn't it? I even love when I hate something 🤣
You have made so many great points Claire! I think you’re being a little hard on yourself but I admire the goals and plans you set forth. My #1 resolution when it comes to fragrances is to declutter more. I have some that need to go. I thoroughly enjoyed this video! 😍❤️
I feel like everyone can probably declutter a few they're not loving, I certainly feel like my next declutter is overdue! Thanks for watching ❤️
This video was so well thought out. Hope you achieve all of your goals. My main goal this year is to make the 4 perfume purchases this year from my 2022 wishlist. And keep my eyes open for interesting releases. Also have my eye on purfumes from existing brands and interested in sampling a few of them. Don't want to grow my collection too much as I am close to 50 bottles and I don't want too many more than that.
Yes stay around 50! Oh I miss being at 50 😂 you can easily wear them all and enjoy them all but you have enough to have the diversity too 👌 just perfect! 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Right!? Lol. I will. I love new bottles and travel sprays but I really love trying samples and getting a feel for the product.
It does lower our standards when we blind buy !!
I’m really enjoying a lot of my perfumes at the moment ,I am going to monitor which ones I don’t reach for in the next few months and declutter down to about 25
This was amazing to watch
Hugs ❤
Thank you! I think that's a really fab plan. 👌
Great video. I’m too scared to count how much I’ve spent. Some people seem to have unlimited budgets 🙀🌸
Yes, they seem happy to haul many niche fragrances at a time. If they aren't getting pr, I find it astounding. 😂
Hi Claire, I find this topic endlessly fascinating. I'm just curious, where to you source your samples from? Successful sampling is great, but I find it can be really expensive as well. And I have to be very disciplined to keep an overview of all the samples because many of the homemade variety evaporate before I get around to using or reselling them if I lose track. My samples seem to multiply exponentially. Like expensive, nice-smelling Gremlins. This for talking so openly about this. I marvel at how much mileage you get out of 500 pound per year investment!
I mostly get samples from other people in the perfume community which is amazing, people are so generous. But I know not everyone can do that and yes I have some sampler kits and they are pricey. I have also bought them secondhand on eBay.
I have definitely been super thrifty, mostly buying secondhand and reselling, but I think it's time not to be quite so thrifty any longer though. It's really hard when you first start a channel on RUclips, the cost is a lot if you don't have a decent collection beforehand, and that is yet another reason I do this kind of video, to show people starting that you don't have to spend astronomical amounts of money and you can still enjoy perfumes and make videos! Thanks for watching and I hope you continue to enjoy sampling in 2023. 🥰
Thanks to your video I have decided to track my spending judiciously this year and to try harder to sample. I'll let you know how I did at the end of the year! Thanks for the inspiration! I would love to see more sampling videos, by the way!
Thank you and best of luck with tracking how you do this year! 🥰
Great video, Claire. I love seeing smaller, carefully curated and well loved perfume collections. Last year (2022) I bought very few perfumes, but I am enjoying my small collection so much more! I have about 50 now that I've decluttered. xx
Thank you! Yes I agree, I feel like 50 is a good size. Diverse but manageable ☺️ I just want to buy fewer full bottles this year. Thanks for watching ❤️
Hi! I'm mostly sampling, if I bought full bottles they'd soon last for a 100 years. I like both sampling by house and sampling by notes/similarity. Overall, I think by sampling videos based on notes/similarity are more informative because that helps people find a perfume when they're looking for something specific. I'm especially interested in similar notes comparison between designer and niche houses and cheap vs. expensive comparisons. I've personally made bad experiences with designer fragrances, the ones for men often have this one awful synthetic note in them that you can smell *on the outside of the sprayer* - it smells like a mixture of melon and cucumber. Do you know this smell? For me, it is a sure sign I won't like the perfume. Better niche fragrances tend to not have this note in their base.
I think maybe the smell you are referring to on the outside of bottles could be calone or a derivative, that is that kind of light fruity fresh green watery smell... Lots of people dislike it. It was used a lot in the 90s. Do you think that might be it?
Sampling is definitely the way to go isn't it? Nothing makes me buy so little as sampling 🤣 I just really enjoy trying new stuff and I seem to get super picky when I'm trying new fragrances. There are a small group of ones that I have loved though!
Those are some fab points about sampling videos. Comparisons between designer and niche are really interesting and yes, I sometimes just want a fragrance with a particular note and will watch videos making comparisons to try to find the one for me, so yes, that is definitely a way to approach it too!
Thank you for your really helpful comment. 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume light fruity green watery smell sounds very much like it. Maybe it's Calone, I'll investigate further. Thanks for making your videos, they're informative and entertaining!
@@ericspace8816 thank you! 😊
I have just stopped buying fragrances. Just cold turkey. Withdrawal is real. I was done after purchasing Black Opium and not liking it earlier this month. I had placed the order in December and because of where I live it arrived in January. So far I haven't made one single fragrance purchase...not an actual perfume, not a body mist, candle, shower gel, fragrance oil.... I just have so many it's hard to use up and I like to associate events with fragrances. Kinda hard when you own so much you want to give them all use. I kinda miss those days when I owned two body mists and one perfume and would only purchase more when they were done.
And no. I don't think you're being too hard on yourself. You've realised you're not enjoying your collection the way you want to you've decided to remedy the situation.
Was that the new Black Opium flanker or the original? That did take a long time to arrive! I've not bought anything since November, it's not been deliberate but I just wanted to slow down on purchasing.
I know what you mean, I feel like I enjoyed having about 30 fragrances and I would like to get below 100 fragrances again for sure.
Thanks for watching and good luck with your goals for 2023! ❤️
It was the original Black Opium. I got a sample of the intense and it didn't last and read reviews that the original lasted longer-not true. Abysmal performance. I live in the Caribbean and order from sephora in the US....takes about two weeks for me to receive anything ordered.
Oh yes got weather kills lots of fragrances unfortunately...
great video, i've been thinking along similar lines myself, about how much perfume i have vs. how much i need and/or actually use. i buy a lot of samples myself and have always loved sampling a lot in general, but in recent years i've been blind buying more too. i would love a sample video. either themes, houses, notes or just random. it doesn't really matter, i don't think.
Thank you! ❤️ I am coming to believe that a lot of people are feeling like this. The blind buying really is quite a thing with me and I want to reduce the amount I do it and make my purchases more considered. I sample a lot of fragrances but I'd say I rarely fall in love with many. I am also thinking along the same lines as you with just how much I have, I think having a smaller, more curated collection would make me more satisfied than having lots of lots of bottles. Thanks for watching and for the feedback on the sample videos 👍
Uh oh! 😂 I am definitely trying to be careful about my collection. Interested in hearing your thoughts.
Yes I really want to reduce how much I buy this year, I don't mind about the spend, but just fewer bottles I think ☺️
This is a great new year's resolution! ❤
Thank you 😊
I’m so ready for this! 😊
Hello! 😊
Great video and goals, Claire, I totally agree, thank you for sharing your thoughts. ❤ I struggle with the same bad habits in the last 2-3 years, falling deeper and deeper in the rabbit hole. But I have another, a more sick one: I tend to get too easily on certain perfume brands and I'm just stuck in it for months. I always have a current obsession... If I buy a perfume that I like I have to check/try/buy other perfumes (or at least purchase many samples) from the same brand. So I had f.e. a 'Mugler-era', a Montale-, a CK-, a Chanel-, a SJP-, a ELDO-, and most recently a 'Guerlain-era'.🤪 Its' just ridiculous 🙄that has no sense at all, I must stop. So for now that's my biggest challenge for 2023.😉
I know what you mean, I got totally obsessed with Reminiscence. I did stop once I'd bought all three of that particular fragrance line though, I did look at others, but managed to stop myself, I knew there was a high risk with blind buying more that I wouldnt love them. Guerlain is a huge huge rabbit hole. They have some very diverse fragrances and require a lot of sampling to find something you love. They also release a lot per year, so that is a difficult house to become obsessed with because there's always something new to try.
Best of luck with your resolutions but take it easy on yourself too! Thanks for watching as always 🥰
Thanks Claire, I love this type of perfume content as I too am constantly reflecting on what I do within this hobby and really trying to find the right balance. Please don't be hard on yourself! X
Thanks! Yes I think that's the thing isn't it? Balance. I might review the odd fragrance but I don't want a house full of perfume. I just don't have the room or the budget, so I want to sample and be more mindful of what I bring in. I hope you achieve your perfume goals in 2023 🥰
I really enjoyed this and applaud you for doing it! I keep a close track of what I purchase, and I am all for being honest with myself about what I bring into my life, what it costs and whether I actually love and use it. If I don't reach for it and absolutely love it, then it has to go.
My goals for 2023 include allowing myself one discovery set / sample order /small travel size per month max. A budget of £30-£40 per month tops. I don't really want to bring in any full bottles til my birthday in July. If I do buy full bottles, say one is £100 for example, then that takes up say 3 months of my perfume budget.
I would also like to see you do sampling videos. I Iike the first impressions format, where you say what you sniff and then look up notes and compare, they are fun. But I also like the type where you have already worn them and go over retrospectively what they were like. I sample a lot myself so I really appreciate detailed sampling videos rather than big hauls where creators just go "and I got this, and then I got this" etc.
Yes I have done videos titled as hauls ages back, but ultimately they are only filmed after several wears because I really don't enjoy videos where people simply list what they've picked up, I find it pointless. I've tried to move away from the haul format. Im not saying I'll never do one ever again but right now it's not in the plans. I filmed a sampling video back in September, edited it and never posted it. I should maybe look at it again.
I like your sample budget, and just saving bottle buying for special occasions 👌 that is a great idea. Makes them really memorable and also really considered and thought about! ❤️
“Spend time enjoying what I have “ …yessss🙌GOALS! 🌹🥰 Loved this content and agree with all of your fragrance resolutions for 2023 💯
Thank you ❤️ yes I am trying! Ive not bought anything since November, I'm just trying to get to know what I have for now! Thanks for watching as always! 🥰
@Claire Smith the pleasure is mine, sweetie 😘 I've switched to samples, decants and small bottles in the second half of the year, and I'm also trying to use what I have already. I've been layering two or three fragrances at a time to make it faster 😆
@@sweetsimpleslowlife2709 🤣 I wear fragrances to bed to finish ones I'm not loving.
@Claire Smith oh dear...I'm only wearing scents I enjoy to bed... to relax and feel comfy 😌
Yes I've got my select bunch this year, but there is one that I definitely won't repurchase, not because I dislike it but because I've just worn it a lot and want to move on. I might do a video on bedtime fragrances 😉
Also you know what I was thinking I really got into fine French perfumery.
I started with clones mainly, some not so good big thick oily ones that cost as much as the actual fragrance. Super strong... But lacked any elegance or transformation. A painting without paint strokes just a heavy over hued print slapped on. Saying that there were some good ones about.
I don't know why I wanted to tell you that, would make a great advert 🙄
But yes as we get more into it we spend more on less, we do go for something more beautifully made, something that is more than a fragrance I guess 😜
Fab video, just a random musing 😉
🙊 Those clones sound overpriced and not that good... 🙊 You make me want to try them 😜
Yes, I am holding out for some special ones this year 😊 but I'm sure I also won't forget my designer roots 😂
@@dr.claire.perfume exactly at the end of the day what's good is what's good whatever "type" they are 😊
🙌
I try not to blind buy perfume anymore cos most of the time I don't like them when i smell them
Yes I have definitely reduced my blind buying, but it's not gone entirely. I guess sometimes things are just hard to sample and are easily resold, but that's not always the case! Bad blind buys certain make you rethink doing it at all. Thanks for watching ❤️
You are spot on! Very practical goals for your perfumes. Perfumes are to be enjoyed and savoured.
Thank you ❤️ yes definitely to be worn and enjoyed 😉
I love this topic! I'm afraid to do the math but I don't mind revealing how much I spent. I do think that it's in correlation with how much I make (if I would make more money I'd probably have spent more)
Yes, for me it would be fine for it to be more. I just want to monitor it. I do think it would be interesting to see someone from a channel that does hauls regularly to say how much they spend and how much they recoup through reselling or RUclips income, I bet in some cases the affiliate links and the RUclips income more than pay for the hauls. 🤷♀️
@@dr.claire.perfume Absolutely. I know that "makeup influencers" get almost all their makeup from PR.
Personally I rather spend my own money and give the real truth, my channel is for entertaining purpose only and maybe a little getting to know people "like minded".
But I'm okay with Armani sending me free stuff😸
Yes Armani are clearly ok to send 😂 but yes, pr feels a bit random doesnt it? If someone didn't choose to buy it, it makes you wonder why they are talking about it now it's free. 😂
I was a big reckless buyer when I first started out. Then I dunno I got wise.
I think last year I'm not wholly sure but in May I went mental and then again in December even blind buying 😱 but I've learnt to only get what I really want. Obviously if you take out one particular brand I was probably gifted maybe 5% in that year. I'd say I'm really lucky with that, keeps my own fragrances special and it's a nice surprise but tbh as we know I certainly never expect any.
I am with you with the sampling, so much more fun. And saves us a fortune and less waste. Defo do the sampling. Random sampling is fab.
Half way through, the eye make up magic is pretty cool and loving the bat clouds again.
Using up bottles, yea I'm a failure. They'll be in my Will, Aj will smell very good as she tucks into her previous slave. I know you rotate well and have a wise collection of partials but I can't imagine ever using a whole bottle. Plus u know me, I'd hoard it 🤣.
The liking and loving is so true the more we smell. I defo concentrate on buying loves.
My net spend was definetly minus £fartoomuch but fewer bottles. I need you to do my accounts for me. And haha Claire for £5.78 you can get a bean but can't heat it up as it would cost you double 🤣.
Fab introspective video
Thank you! Yes, I go through sensible and mad stages with purchasing. I think being ill in November and Seb not being keen on me doing RUclips, combined with filming that empties video really pushed me into buying more. I'm still trying out my purchases 😂
You did go Amouage crazy at one point, I think it seems to have calmed now though. I've not bought anything since November and I think that's a good thing. It's good to space them out.
Haha, yes the storage unit you probably now need to hire for the entire back catalogue of a particular perfume brand 🤣 I have enjoyed trying them though! They have been much better than I imagined.
I filmed a sampling video back in September and never posted it, the film quality was not great. Maybe I should just post it mid week? I'm not sure.
When Aj calls me and tells me she's devoured you, we are splitting the fragrance between us 😉 she's not that keen on leather except on sofas, so I get those ones, she's keeping the violets though, she will flog the rest and move to Blenheim palace.
Yes I agree, £6 a week is nothing really in the rip off times that we now we live in, I mean it's only 0.0001% of Zahawi's tax bill 🤣. I am actually astounded I've managed to buy so much with so little and so many ones that I've enjoyed too. Being more mindful of what you truly want is the way to go. 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume yea we need them moments of madness to really wake us up and look at what the heckers we are doing and need to be more focused and sensible.
Haha yes she'll keep the good ones 😜 she'll definitely love in luxury.
Oh yes u need to post the video. Maybe not as often as lazy me at the moment. I need to get some energy back.
And yes with that November, January and December for me are no coincidence. Its that grim need comfort time of year isn't it. And yea when we break it down we ain't spending too much a year.
Never mind his tax bill doesn't scratch the surface of paying to heat his stables on us as millions literally freeze to death... What a man 😉
Haha I will revisit the video, it wasn't blind, it was just some samples I'd tried, I look very odd in that video, like I've been living in the wild. I think it was just before I had my hair cut. I am worried I might have accidentally deleted it, I had a huge purge for more space the other week...
Zahawi just needs to go (and probably quite a few others that might have also broke tax rules or laws).
@@dr.claire.perfume it's ok, only poor people go to prison. We're so lucky to have a government above the law ❤️
Ah hopefully you didn't delete it
@@scentedsnowdrops I refound it tonight, phew!!!
I am waiting for the revolution where the cabinet ends up in jail. 😉
Personaly I love sampling, and I actually don't mind what the "order"/ "theme" of their review. I think that is more responsible way to get to know perfumes.
For some reason (for my channel) those video tends to be less viewed than "huge affordable perfume haul" (the magic words😸), but I'm walking to my own beat of the drum and still buying mostly samples. And most of perfumes are not up my alley so I glad I don't have more than 1-2ml of them.
Here (in Israel) it's kind of hard to sell used perfume and the hassle doesn't worth my time so I prefer to smell in stores, sample, and only then buy (and even with all these measures I still don't like some of them.
Same, I don't really buy much that's expensive. And you never entirely know until you get a bottle, even with sampling. But yes, sampling videos get so many fewer views and that's why they are underrepresented on RUclips. Hauls are more searched for and that's why people do them.
@@dr.claire.perfume Plus it doesn't encourage consumerism.
I feel that some channels are big only because of doing these huge hauls at least once a month but don't give extra value or even a real honest review.
I agree, you wonder just how much they have tried the fragrances before they talk about them... I've unsubbed from some channels that simply do the haul-declutter cycle on a monthly basis. It's not helpful.
@@dr.claire.perfume Yeah me too
Hi Claire ! That was interesting !
Indeed I think we have some common goals. Mine for this year is to stick more to my wishlist and to sample more (less blind buy and more brands discoveries).
I had a really expensive fragrance sitting on this wishlist for a while and in the end I was able to find a good deal on it and get it.
I like the idea of a wishlist also because it prevents me from buying on an impluse at first snif. I spend more time with my fragrance sample before deciding myself. And sometimes a few years pass before I can have it 😅
Hi Karine 😊 sampling is fab isn't it? It always makes me super picky 😂 and yes finding a new brand you love is exciting!
Waiting it out for those good deals takes a while sometimes but I'm happy you've got the one you were waiting for! Thanks for watching ❤️
Claire!! Wow. I’m actually extremely impressed by this. Two things, I appreciate your honesty here. I’m not opposed to really sharing what I spend on perfume but I haven’t yet. I make jokes about spending all my money on perfume and they’re not really jokes. 🫣 Totally floored by your total money spent for the year. I’ll say, that amount is closer to my monthly in 2022. So, from my perspective, it seems you’ve got this in a really good place. Congratulations! Another amazing video. ✌🏻🕺🏼♥️
Yes I do mostly buy secondhand if at all possible but I do tend to sample rather than buy full bottles. I don't have a lot of room and I don't want my collection to be more than around 100 bottles ideally, I find it overwhelming, but some of my collection are sentimental to me so this is where the problems like, because those take up physical and mental room!
I really don't think my spending is an issue at all. I would be happy to spend more and I feel like this year, I want to buy fewer bottles and certain blind buy much less. My ultimate aim would be to be able to know a long term love from short term fancies. Sometimes I find it difficult to tell! Thanks for watching Richard 🥰
Good morning Clare ❤this video slipped past me yesterday 🤦♀️
No worries Frances ❤️
My resolutions are almost the same as yours😸 I've already filmed a video back in Dec but still didn't edit it😹😹 so I guess my resolution is being more consistent
I think that you're very calculated and well planned and I love that espically in this sphere of... well consumerism. I look up to you so I don't think you should change. I wish there were more people that deep think like that🧡🧡
Thank you! Clearly my smokescreen of the appearance of organisation is working 😂 I have really made an effort this year to be different from other things I see on RUclips and to be truer to who I am and my values, so yeah, I'm trying not to give in to spending crazy amounts of money on fragrance, and I buy mostly secondhand, but I do find with more sampling I am getting a lot more picky, so stuff is likely to get more expensive 😂 thanks for watching ❤️
I totally understand you. I feel guilty too when I spend a lot of money on perfume or cosmetics in general since they are not what you would call necessities. The only things I spend money on without thinking twice are books. On the other hand since you buy fragrances with your own money I don't see why you should feel guilty. I am a mother of two teenage girls and subconsciously I feel that every time I buy something a bit pricey for myself I deprive them of something even though I know this is not the case. As for my wishlist I would like to buy carnal flower, oud bouquet and fracas by Robert Piguet.
Yes I think to myself that I could be spending the money on doing something with my husband or seeing friends, sometimes there is just more to life than another bottle of fragrance but I think my main goal is to just buy less but what I truly love. The split priorities with spending when you have children are even greater I think but actually you also need to treat yourself occasionally and look after you too.
I would love to try Carnal Flower and lots of Frederic malle in general! I hope you get some of your wishlist this year! ❤️
Every video I roast myself…most of it is inadvertent. Just me being me making one snafu or another! 😂
Haha, yes you should see my edits 🤣
@@dr.claire.perfume can you imagine if we made a video compiled of all of our discards!!😂
Too rude I think with mine. I dropped a sample the other day, that happens nearly every video. I might just leave in my klutz behaviour for the next one. 😉
I'm not a perfume sample person either but I need to be. Lol.
I'm trying to get over my love for the thrill of blind buying!
Blind buying is totally addictive isn't it? I also still get that little thrill from it. I don't think I'll ever stop entirely. 😂
I think sampling videos would be great. They could be both by brand and by fragrance notes. I've gotten a little cynical I think watching other perfume videos -- they're always hauling several fragrances, then a month or two later decluttering them. Or claiming "RUclips" made me buy this. This sounds more like material to put on the sites; they need something to talk about to attract viewers.
My goal last year was to expand my perfume collection. it consisted of classic French fragrances. I was totally ignorant of what new perfumes were available or the sudden growth in niche houses..
I tried to go about this in the most cost-effective manner, by sampling or buying high-quality dupes from Dua. They also recreate original formulations of classic perfumes so you can judge how the perfume was first devised, prior to all the reformulations that seem to go on. They also produce their own fragrances. The CEO and founder is Mahsam Razam who was trained in Dubai. I trust their expertise over other dupe houses that may not be that well-trained or use quality ingredients. You can purchase fragrances in a vial size -- larger than 10 ml or their standard bottle size is 30ml. So you don't have to struggle to use up a 100ml size.
I do think a fragrance haul is a standard video idea for RUclips and actually that is something people als search for to watch, so I completely understand why channels do them and that the whole thing is a positive feedback loop. I did used to film haul videos, but they would generally be a review of 3 fragrances that I'd usually had and been trying out for quite some time. I have moved away from haul videos since early 2022, but I won't rule out ever doing another. I agree thought that creators need to be more creative than simple reviews or hauls all the time.
Going back the classics sounds interesting. I went through a stage of trying some of the more classic Guerlain fragrances (obviously reformulated) but in general, they weren't for me. I see the attraction though, the history is very striking and makes them iconic. Dua sounds like they are doing a good job. They were available in the UK at one point but I think they left or had some issue because each time I've checked they have been out of stock or not around. Dupes are a fab and less expensive way to try particular note profiles that you might be unsure about too 🥰
This was a very thoughtful assessment ❤ I loved your breakdown equating your spending to x amount of coffee per week. I personally don't view the amount you spent as absurd or abnormal. I think it's totally reasonable to spend that amount on a passion in one calendar year- eg books, art supplies, perfume, etc- many hobbies would actually spend more, on average. (However, I also love fragrances, so might be a bit enabling, lol). In 2023, I'm going to allocate myself a certain dollar amount and # of fragrances per season. I think it will be helpful to try to loosely stick to 4 quarters and it will also give me something to look forward to, knowing that when the season changes, I get to switch things up with a few new and exciting frags. I'm also going to be mindful of letting go of the ones that I just don't reach for (and know in my heart that I probably never will).
Thank you! That sounds like a really sensible way to go about dividing up your perfume budget 👍 I agree, I don't think I spend a lot considering I have a channel and this is my main hobby. I'm happy with spending that much, but I would like to buy fewer bottles of fragrance overall. I do need to be more willing to declutter what I don't love too. Thanks for watching ❤️
Love the goals you set for yourself, I can say that for myself I’m trying to not Declutter as much only because things I’ve hated I now love ❤️ I’m rotating more and have not purchased anything (purchases were made in 2022) I also think being on RUclips sort of puts “pressure” to keep up with the new trends in perfume 😏 it can become pricey and out of control! Love that you speak on this topic I would love to know your thoughts on the pressure to keep up here on RUclips lol ( it’s real though) 😉🤗
Yes for sure there is pressure, I did talk about that but edited it out actually 🤦♀️ I think in general, I am someone who buys stuff for me rather than to review, so in most cases I don't bow to pressure any more. I do feel it though.
I've also not bought anything since November and I didn't get fragrance for Christmas either. I am just catching up with what I bought last year 😅
I'm also hesitant to declutter because in some cases my taste has also done 180s, but it's worked both ways recently, some things I thought I loved back in 2021, I'm now not so sure. 🤷♀️
Thanks for watching ❤️
@@dr.claire.perfume same here Claire I over spent last year I still can do about 3 hauls lol something about perfumes keeps us wanting more I have to say it has done great things here! We get to connect and share our love of fragrances together 🤗😉
Yes! Meeting and talking to people is for sure the best bit ☺️
Interesting to learn about your process Claire!!!💖💖💖
I've definitely got obsessive record keeping tendencies 🙊 but yes, I think it's shown me how I want to consume fragrance in future. 🥰
Hey Claire 👋🏽❤
Hello 🤩
Best place to buy fragrance samples, I need advice plz!:) I want to smell more, but not spend very much. Thx so much!! :) excellent topic!!
Hi Jackie, I'm actually not sure for places other than the UK, I'm sorry about that! I agree, sampling can be expensive sometimes. I hope you find somewhere good 😊 have a lovely weekend 🥰
Hey Claire! I also set my goals, and decluttered like 9-10 fragrances. I’m trying to see which other ones I can declutter. 😅
9-10 is good going. I think I will be doing a declutter soon. I definitely have 10 I can easily be rid of! Thanks for watching Rose ❤️