Here's a fun fact for you: when I was young, seemed that life was so wonderful  I collected perfume bottles.

OMG I only wish my collection was this jazzy!

I had a display shelf in my bookcase including classics like 4711 and Yardley's English Rose, Avon collectables from my Grandma (a former Avon Lady) and hip new 90s releases like Exclamation! and Le Jardin. I'd get given them by family members and friends and would ask at stores who had empty testers if I could have them and quite often they'd say yes, which was nice.

I saw Jasmine over at Sweetaholic Beauty had mentioned the new So? fragrance and it instantly transported me back to the early 90s when I was sneaking sprays of my Mum's bottle as well as her Australis Neon in groovy Ken Done packaging, and spending lots of time arranging my bottles attractively including backlighting with birthday cake candles. I still have that bookshelf and you can still see the scorch marks.

My first bottle of my very own perfume that wasn't requisitioned from a family member (so also not counting the Anais Anais of my Grandma's) was received for my 18th birthday, Cacharel's "Eden".

My aunt was an area manager for Lancome for ages and gifted me my next bottle, "Acqua Di Gio" by Giorgio Armani. So posh and classy. You would not believe how sparingly I used it. Only for good.


The next bottle was another Cacharel number called "Noa" and possibly a present for my 21st. My friend Lizzie liked it so much, she bought it herself but it smelled weird on her so she had to give it away. I particularly loved the "pearl" in the bottle.


In keeping with pretty packaging, I got Estee Lauder's "Beyond Paradise" as a first Christmas present in a gift set from my now-husband:


And in keeping with receiving perfume for milestone birthdays, my work crew chipped in and got me Clinique "Happy" for my 30th:


Mum then got me this Christina Aguilera self-titled one for Christmas one year, and as much as I am not into the concept of celebrity fragrances, I really liked it (and the packaging)


I then actually dig into my own pocket a few times and bought some fragrances for myself back when Strawberrynet made good financial sense (and still sold MAC). These are Moschino Cheap N Chic in "Hippy Fizz" and "Love Love". I used to call these "Friday Perfumes".

And then I picked up another Xtina fragrance cheaply somehow. This one is "Inspire" and I still have it.


I hadn't bought any for absolutely ages and my old ones were starting to turn so I had to ditch Beyond Paradise, Happy and the original Christina. It's hard to get a good smell test in discount cosmetic stores these days as their perfume testers are usually behind locked glass because people are chumps and I hate having to ask for testings while they stand there waiting to see if you're going to buy anything or not. Still, when I saw Beyonce's Heat Wild Orchid out on a display table at the chemist for $20 after reading a review on Kat's Colourings, I smelt it, I liked it, I bought it. Definitely not something I would have thought I'd go for in terms of celebrity endorsement or fragrance notes, but there you are.


Most of my collection eventually ended up in the recycling bin but I can't bring myself to part with the old Avon collectables or my Grandma's last bottle of Anais Anais.



What was your signature 90s perfume? I always wanted Body Shop Dewberry but it was so exxy, I had to make do with liberal applications of the glass tester wand when we came down to Adelaide.

Linking up with the Monday Makeup Madness link party.