I bought fragrances for every occasion except my actual life
I wanted to make a post to share my collection and the pitfalls of the never-ending chase for the next new thing.
I now have 58 bottles, most of which I’ve accumulated in the past year and a half. Before this obsession started, I was perfectly happy with my Bleu de Chanel EDP. I wore it year-round and for all occasions.
I work in retail and over the years, I’ve been given a bunch of fragrance testers, some of which I liked but majority I would never choose to buy – a bunch of Hugo Boss Bottled, Diesel Only the Brave, Davidoff Adventure etc. They always just sat on a shelf and I would spray at home occasionally.
Last year, I somehow started watching videos and my ADHD brain decided fragrances was going to be my new hyperfixation. Well you can see where we are now – spreadsheets filled with scents for all seasons, occasions, moods. A lot of money spent on designer fragrances as they were the most accessible to me. I got so obsessed with filling every gap in my collection – work, casual, date night, special occasion, winter, summer, fresh, sweet, vetiver, and on and on and on.
Problem is I don’t have the most exciting life. I’ve given myself all the choices in the world, but I’m not exactly going on a date or a party every night. Most of my time is spent at work or at home. So now I’m stuck with more bottles than I could use in probably the next 40 years – I normally stick with 4 sprays max. And on top of that, I have to deal with the choice paralysis every morning of what I’m going to wear that day. I can’t carry a travel atomiser to freshen up halfway through the day because I no longer have a signature scent.
The worst thing is that even knowing all of this, the hyperfixation doesn’t seem to be ending. I’m still obsessed with watching the same recycled youtube videos repeatedly (doesn't help that youtube algorithms box you into a bubble but that's a whole other topic), looking at the same lists over and over and I got two new fragrances this week.
Anyone else dealing with something similar? Would love to hear your thoughts.