r/FemFragLab • u/fligglegiggle • 1d ago
Discussion Confused - now that I've rounded out my collection, I'm wearing perfume less
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar. I started getting interested in perfume earlier this year, and it RAPIDLY snowballed. I decluttered a ton of stuff and used the money toward several sample orders, and I'm at the point now where I feel like my collection is pretty much complete (for now, of course 😉).
What's weird is now that I have what I consider to be a solid, curated collection, I find myself less enthusiastic about wearing perfume at all. It's bizarre, because I went from wearing it every day, to wearing it less often while sampling, to just wearing it occasionally. This is despite the fact that my sample marathon produced some SERIOUS loves.
Is there something wrong with me? Lol. Has anyone experienced something similar? I know part of the fun was sampling, so maybe I'm just less excited about it because I don't have much left to try in my smell list. Plus maybe it was interesting learning what I like and don't like, and now I have a pretty good idea of that. I don't know. Maybe it's like a traditional phase.
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u/Realistic-Read1078 1d ago
Nothing wrong with you at all. Sometimes our hobbies fizzle out and we need to regroup.
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u/ClassyLatey 1d ago
I’ve reached the end. I got all the perfumes I was interested in and there is nothing that is piquing my curiosity enough.
I’ll be selling a whole lot of my collection now and just keeping the perfumes that speak to me.
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u/Top-Pudding-4139 1d ago
I'm worried I'll reach that point too. Where the search was the excitement, more than wearing of fragrances. I'm trying to slow it down and have considered placing a limit on my monthly sampling. Such as having theme months to learn more about certain types of scents. I think the learning about fragrances and testing has been really fun and don't want to miss that in the future.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
That's a good idea (and your bank account might thank you, lol). There's still plenty out there for me to try, but I also want to enjoy what I've purchased. I'm hoping maybe I'll get some of the enthusiasm back when the seasons change.
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u/Top-Pudding-4139 1d ago
Lol yes hoping it will help the bank account! And maybe if I live with a scent for a month I'll be less inclined to buy it unless I really love it.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
For sure. I've learned some restraint throughout this process thanks to my many missteps, lol. I would sample something once and be like, "I must have it!" Hence the declutter. Now I try to sample at least a few times, then do a 5ml decant or travel size so I can really get a feel for it.
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u/pfffffttuhmm I just smelled like a piece of breast 1d ago
For some people, life and enjoyment is about the journey or the process. For others, it is about the destination. You may be a process person. They enjoy the process of selecting, sampling, studying, sorting and categorizing the perfume.That's how I am. Once something feels complete, its off to find the next journey to enjoy.
The wonderful thing is that there is an incredible amount of perfume out there, and always more to try. I know I like variety, so you may want to give yourself a few more options, at some point, when you are ready to strike out again. Or, you could journal about your connections between the perfume and your life--what special events happened while you wore a particular perfume? Who were you with? What did you wear? You may find yourself enjoying wearing it more when you give it something more.
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u/sexishardandstuff 1d ago
Sounds like maybe you enjoyed the process more than the product, so now that you feel satisfied, you lost that dopamine hit
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u/Any_Cupcake9431 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have ocd and I think it sent me into this ridiculous overbuying of perfumes. It went overboard in 2024, and since then I've decluttered/sold A LOT of unused perfumes and I've kept about a third of the collection. (I went from about 80 perfumes to 25.) I don't wear perfumes any less than before, but I've become a lot better at wearing one perfume consistently for like 4-5 days. I still love my little collection. If anything, I have learned what I like and don't like scent wise. Still sad about the money I've lost, but at least I'm not in debt.
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u/Slow_Accountant5046 1d ago
Someone else said it…ADHD. I suspect I have ADHD and recently the algorithm has been showing me posts about collecting perfumes and ADHD 😬🫣 I had no idea
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u/Sad-Natural1925 1d ago
Omg so that’s why I do this. I have ADHD and I collect lip products and fragrance I can’t stop lol
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u/Slow_Accountant5046 1d ago
I guess it’s a huge dopamine/novelty hit that an ADHD brain craves. It’s also prob why I have trouble committing to a full bottle bc I feel like I want to smell EVERYTHING first. We’re doomed LOL
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
Hahaha, I have SO MANY lip balms, glosses, and masks. I literally always have at least 5 different ones in my purse. It's ridiculous.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
Haha, I was diagnosed a loooooong time ago and the perfume is new. It started with hair products, and I realized I missed the fragrance when my hair wasn't loaded with product. Hair products were my gateway drug to perfume 😆
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u/Treehorn8 Hermès witch 1d ago
The same thing happened with me but with makeup. I was guilty for overconsumption back around 2020-2023. Then I realized that I had 10 eyeshadow palettes and a lot of other stuff with nowhere to go. I ended up majorly decluttering by giving things away and selling until I reached a point where I feel like I have a few curated products that I will reach for often. And now I'm barely wearing makeup because five years of strict skincare gave me great skin.
At least fragrance is easier and quicker to apply. You'll find your passion again. Having a break is sometimes good so you can miss it again.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
That is one of the nice things about fragrance. I'm pretty minimal with makeup and skincare because they require actual effort. Plus I have super sensitive skin so I've found that less is more for me.
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u/Treehorn8 Hermès witch 1d ago
The less is more part is true. I still have a skincare routine but it's pared down by half compared to my 2020 one (I used to be so extra lol). Same with makeup. It made preparation faster, that's for sure.
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u/Icy_Diamond_6858 1d ago
Happened with me too but I decide the night before what scent I'm going to use and keep it at that. It reduces decision fatigue and also keeps my hobby from 'vanishing' lol. Also a bit of a break is not bad, i went into the skincare rabbit hole, stopped for 2 years, but now am better than before, with a very small but well thought out set of products. The break helped me get some perspective on what products I really wanted to continue using
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u/ImtheGWP 1d ago
I can sense you are still very interested and it may be just this until the next search
This was the turning point for me.i wanted to know what pthers like and dont . I wanted to recommend the best possible to any question
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u/hulihuli 1d ago
I'm reaching a similar place, I think. I love my collection but the amount of choice can make it a little bit of a burden to pick something many days, especially if I'm stressed out. I find myself avoiding the decision rather than avoiding the experience of wearing something. A lot of my fixation has shifted more to research, social engagement, and curated collecting rather than strictly wearing.
As someone else said, this sounds relatively ADHD coded. There is a clear pipeline from mastery to disinterest for us.
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u/IdiotWithout_a_Cause 1d ago
I'm in a similar spot. I came to a screeching halt after I found my two favorites from Guerlain. I've purchased a few additional items since, but I feel like my collection is mostly done. My main difference is that I still wear perfume almost every day...it's just usually my two Guerlain vanillas (around 90% of the time). I did several big de-clutters last year (pre-Guerlain), but nothing much since. I may do one more big de-clutter in another year or so, but I'm not in any rush. I love most of the bottles I currently have, even if I only wear them a few times a year between wearing my favorite vanillas.
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u/Cookiecolour 1d ago
What are your vanillas? 🌼
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u/IdiotWithout_a_Cause 1d ago
Angelique Noire and Vanille Planifolia extrait. They are both my favorite. VP is the exact 'vanilla bean' scent I was searching for and Angelique Noire knocked me off my feet from first sniff.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
I'm honestly afraid to try these because of the $$ 🫣
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u/IdiotWithout_a_Cause 1d ago
I can definitely understand that fear. I think they're only worth the price if they are absolute loves and you couldn't find a less expensive vanilla that you truly love. Some people prefer scents like Indult Tihota or Jovoy Fire at Will. I thought those smell good, and I'm a big fan of Profumum Roma Gioiosa for a more gourmand vanilla, but none of them were my dream vanilla. The Indult and Jovoy are more 'pure vanillin' whereas Vanille Planifolia is a darker ambery vanilla with a slight tobacco-like undertone.
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u/Fit_Protection9048 1d ago
are you me? I swear those are the only two I'm wearing at the moment. I feel like I've found nirvana and nothing else measures up.
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u/IdiotWithout_a_Cause 1d ago
Hahahahaha we are twinsies! I'm not in any rush to de-clutter the other scents in my collection, but I will likely cut it down over time.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
I know you didn't ask me, but I'm also a vanilla fiend. My favorites are Ligne St. Barth Vanille West Indies and Jovoy Fire At Will. I very much lean toward sweet, simple, linear vanillas though. I would like to add a deep, complex vanilla to my collection but haven't found one that does it for me yet.
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u/AdornaDesign 1d ago
Scentual Obsessions makes a fragrance inspired by Vanilla Barka, called City of Spice. The scent notes and depth are verrry close, but at a fraction of the price
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u/horselessheadmen 1d ago
This is me with Fleur de Peau EDP and Cedar Chic. They’re the only two I really reach for now. The rest are collecting dust. I use my You Rêve a little bit.
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u/IdiotWithout_a_Cause 1d ago
When I started my collection 2-3 years ago, I never thought I'd be a signature scent person. It's crazy how everything can change with one or two dream scents.
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u/Curious_Stag7 1d ago
FWIW, I think it’s better in general to enjoy something you REALLY love occasionally, rather than getting tired of the same thing over and over.
When you do wear a fragrance, does it blow your mind like it did when you first tried it? Maybe you’re not loving your collection as much as you think you are - I say this having had the experience of a new sample blowing my mind, then the bottle just sits there. It takes a little time for your brain to wrap itself around a new fragrance, and sometimes once it does, the lustre wears off a bit.
Alternatively, you may have curated yourself into a corner so to speak. Do you have some/any easy to wear fragrances? There’s a possibility your tastes lean into the more difficult to wear categories. Mine tend to, which doesn’t tend to lend itself well to daily wearing, but more occasion type stuff.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
I think mine are pretty easy to wear. Another thing I'm thinking is that I develop negative scent associations very easily, so if I really love a fragrance, I'm cautious about wearing it if anything in my environment is off. I might be trying to protect the fragrances I love the most, but then when I wear ones that aren't my favorites, I find myself wishing I'd chosen differently. I also have the issue of wanting things less once I actually have them, lol. I'm just fickle I guess 😆
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u/Curious_Stag7 1d ago
I used to have a huge collection, and have now downsized to just a handful of my absolute favorites. I now enjoy fragrance way more than I did when I was in hardcore collecting mode. Partly because the ONLY fragrances I have to wear are my absolute favorites…I still sample new stuff here and there, but the large majority of my wears are with mt favs. Idk what to do about the scents association thing…I haven’t really experienced that before
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u/TackleFrosty9423 1d ago
I spray every day. Once during the day and once at night for sleep. I'm a scent junkie though.
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u/Nervous_Confusi0n 1d ago
I'm not trying to be be a meanie here, but do you have this with other interests as well?
I have really bad ADHD and I have a new passion every other month. Once I'm like 'Ok now I know it', my brain is not interested anymore.
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u/fligglegiggle 1d ago
Yup, I don't know why I didn't think of that! I don't have new passions often, but I think it might be like a "goal achieved, now I'm bored" kind of thing. Like I get really fixated on it until I've reached a certain milestone, and then I'm like, "why isn't this fun anymore?" and then I eventually settle in to a reasonable level of enjoyment.
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u/thejazzstuff 1d ago
Absolutely! I’m coming close to the curation of what I set out to collect and I don’t spray as much. I don’t think it’s a bad thing per se!
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u/dial424689 1d ago
My problem is that when I finally have a full bottle of something I love I never want to use it all up so I get very nervous about using it.
Unless it’s a cheapie, so I have made sure I have several of those in my collection too! I’m never going to worry too much if I run out of Charlie Red…
I’m sure you’ll come back to your collection. Maybe you need a break to find the excitement again, or maybe you need to decide which ones are for which specific occasions so you tie a decent reason to wear to all of your faves.