I'm finally mostly recovered from my stomach virus, though it has since passed to two others (sorry, the boy and Papa), but I haven't been wearing or smelling any perfumes because of the whole nausea thing. So instead of reviewing anything (or responding to comments/reading other blogs––I promise I'll get to it soon!), I decided to make more Polyvore sets! (Can you tell this is a new discovery of mine? It's so much fun, guys.) It ended up taking way longer than I anticipated, but it's cool, I got to look at a bunch of pretty bottles, which is something I don't do in my everyday perfumed life, since 99% of what I smell is from boring sample vials.
Spritzers! I have no idea what these are actually called (though a quick googling suggests spritzer is correct, what the heck), and they're really impractical for perfume use (the perfume evaporates more quickly through the squeezy thingy), but they just look so awesomely ridiculous! And classic, of course. Nothing goes better with a Guerlain than a fancy-ass perfume puff!
Spritzers! I have no idea what these are actually called (though a quick googling suggests spritzer is correct, what the heck), and they're really impractical for perfume use (the perfume evaporates more quickly through the squeezy thingy), but they just look so awesomely ridiculous! And classic, of course. Nothing goes better with a Guerlain than a fancy-ass perfume puff!
Sprayers by beyondjustbeauty
Clockwise from top left: Guerlain Vol de Nuit, Guerlain Liu, Prada Prada, Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille
We Are Square and We Like It: There's something to be said for a straight-up rectangular bottle. Many niche lines take this approach, as do some men's perfumes.
Strong Silent Type by beyondjustbeauty
Left to right, top to bottom: Ralph Lauren Romance, Piguet Fracas, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, By Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses
Dior Miss Dior Cherie, Hermès Terre d'Hermès, Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle, Prada Infusion d'Iris Absolue, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
Clean Original, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme, Dior Eau Sauvage
Dior Miss Dior Cherie, Hermès Terre d'Hermès, Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle, Prada Infusion d'Iris Absolue, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
Clean Original, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme, Dior Eau Sauvage
Please Don't Play Catch With Us: With varying degrees of roundness, these bottles all seem vaguely 90s-esque (I know this because the boy told me that rounded bubbles were very in for 90s design). I find the Kate Spade one particularly cute!
Hang 'Round Us For a Fun Time by beyondjustbeauty
Left to right, top to bottom: YSL Paris (I personally despise this bottle, don't ask me why), Dior Poison (despise this perfume)
Estee Lauder Intuition, Dior Dune, Armani Acqua di Gioia
Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise, Guerlain Idylle
Pretty, Popular, and Smart to Boot: These are bottles that manage to fit a square peg into a round hole, so to speak, including elements of the two previous designs. I actually think I like all of these, because I am boring and predictable and have no eye for design. Except that Hermès 24, Faubourg is fabulous, I don't care what you say (or how soapy the perfume smells on me), and I only wish Mitsouko's juice had remained as unchanged as her bottle. Sigh.
Don't Hate Me 'Cause I'm Beautiful by beyondjustbeauty
Left to right, top to bottom: Vera Wang Vera Wang, L'Artisan Parfumeur Seville a l'Aube, Guerlain Mitsouko, Guerlain Jicky
Elie Saab Elie Saab, Lancôme La Vie est Belle, Balenciaga Paris, Balenciaga Paris l'Essence
Hermès 24, Faubourg, L'Artisan Parfumeur Nuit de Tubéreuse
The Flowers: Flowers adorning perfume bottles has really become a thing the past few years, if the mind-boggling assortment of bottles featuring them is anything to go by. I'm sure there's more that I'm missing...I kind of organized these by how much I like them, with the "please no" ones up top, and the "I don't care that it's $1500, I WANT IT" one at the bottom.
Come Purchase Our Bouquets by beyondjustbeauty
Left to right, top to bottom: Justin Bieber Someday, Guess Girl, Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! (I sense some copycats...)
Vera Wang Lovestruck, Marc Jacobs Dot, Lalique Crystal Amethyst (technically blackberries, but whatever), Marc Jacobs Daisy, Valentino Valentina
Oscar de la Renta Esprit d'Oscar, Lalique Nilang (1800 buckeroos), BCBGMaxAzria Bon Chic
Lalique de Lalique, Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps (yes, it's a dove, not a flower, but it evokes similar feelings)
Lalique Envol (isn't it gorgeous?!?!?!?!)
The Slightly Strange: Some perfumers decide that they want their perfumes to capture attention before even being sprayed, and choose to go the weirder route. All of Thierry Mugler's scents fall into this category, as do Lolita Lempicka's. Regardless of what you think of the fragrances themselves, you have to admit, the bottles are remarkable.
Clockwise from top left: Nina Ricci Nina l'Elixir, Lolita Lempicka Lolita Lempicka, Thierry Mugler Angel, Thierry Mugler Angel Star, Thierry Mugler Alien, Thierry Mugler Alien Essence Absolue, Thierry Mugler Womanity, Lolita Lempicka Si Lolita
My Eyes, My Eyes!: Some perfumers try to take the approach of the interesting perfume bottle, but fail to realize what constitutes "interesting" and what's just "disgusting". Here are three I found particularly horrific.
My Eyes, My Eyes!: Some perfumers try to take the approach of the interesting perfume bottle, but fail to realize what constitutes "interesting" and what's just "disgusting". Here are three I found particularly horrific.
Ew by beyondjustbeauty
Left to right: Justin Bieber Girlfriend, Vera Wang Princess Night (the princess apparently turns into a lump of purple poop when the clock strikes 12?), Nicki Minaj Pink Friday
There are some I failed to include––Jean Paul Gaultier, many men's perfumes, DKNY Be Delicious, anything from Bond No 9 and several niche brands [because rectangles with white labels get boring after awhile]––but I decided to give my poor wrists a break and let it be.
So, which ones do you like? Which ones do you dislike? Do you buy full bottles, and if so, how much influence does the design of the bottle have on your purchasing decision?
