Rediscovering Old(er) Perfume Loves

One of the things about having a sizable perfume collection is that you might neglect some bottles, even much loved ones, for periods of time. While some staple perfumes are never far  from your mind even if you haven't worn them in weeks (all of my Serge Lutens bottles, for example, Shalimar, or Bandit), others can be semi-forgotten. As someone who's constantly testing new (or new-to-me) fragrances so I can, you know, blog about them, this is a regular thing. The upside, though, is that I'm always rediscovering perfumes I absolutely adore and  already have. This leads to an updated rotation an some great satisfaction from having just shopped my own perfume cabinets.

Here are seven of the perfumes I've been neglecting only to rediscover in the last couple of weeks:

• People Of The Labyrinths- Luctor et Emergo. This Dutch cult favorite is not known enough beyond the walls of the hardcore perfume communities. Too bad, because this is a game-changer when it comes to gourmand scents, combining marzipan, cherry liqueur, and incense into one intoxication concoction.
• Miss Dior (vintage extrait de parfum). Not the renamed Miss Dior Cherry, but the old formula of the classic 1947 perfume (now called Miss Dior Classic). A true beauty from beyond the great divide (aka as corporate greed and IFRA).
• Ines de la Fressange- Ines de la Fressange (1999 version). I wasn't all that convinced at the the beginning as you can read in my original review. I wanted to great supermodel to have something much edgier. But the 1999 version of Ines de la Fressange perfume (there was also a 2004 fragrance) is so pretty and delicate that I was won over (and got a backup, since it's been discontinued).
• Parfums DelRae- Bois de Paradis. I go through cycles of being almost obsessed with this one. Woody, jammy, rosy (in the best possible way), full of twists and turns. Made me a fan for life of Michel Roudnitska.
• Ted Lapidus- Silk Way. I've had this bottle tucked away for several years, probably since it was launched in 2005. Rediscovering this soft woody oriental has been a great joy. It may be a cheap little thing, but Silk Way hits all the right spots.
• Ted Lapidus- Creation (vintage parfum). The complete opposite of the above, Creation is a Jessica Rabbit kind of perfume and it's been with me since high school. I appreciate it just as much.
• Etat Libre d'Orange- Fils de Dieu. The more I wear it, the more convinced I am that this sunshiny oriental is a modern masterpiece.

How about you? Do you have half-forgotten gems in the back of your closets? What have you rediscovered?

Look at Lana Turner's magnificent perfume cabinet in the 1940 picture.  Photo by Earl Theisen for the Look magazine article Lana Turner and Artie Shaw at Home, via Shorpy.com.