Get Me Some Collectibles!

By Marla The sweltering dog days of summer can be good times for staying indoors and polishing up our perfume collections. It’s also a good time to go shopping for those delightful special editions of our favorite fumes. I’ve been particularly lucky this summer to find some gems that I wanted to share. What’s particularly exciting to me this summer? Travel-friendly collectibles. Airplane travel is tough for us perfumistas (how many bottles can I fit in that one-quart bag?), and train travel necessitates small luggage footprints. In addition, spraying yourself liberally with Samsara or Jolie Madame when packed tightly with your fellow humanity is not very acceptable. In fact I think it’s a felony in several countries. So what to do when you need a fragrant lift on a long journey? Lolita Lempicka, Estee Lauder, and Kenzo have all heard these pleas, and have answered them with some fantastic special editions. My favorite is Lolita Lempicka’s solid compact. It’s heavy, it’s beautiful purple-enameled silver, and the solid crème perfume of LL’s signature scent is true to the original, but with much less sillage. It’s a more private version of one of my favorite scents. Kenzo has been making Ryoko Stones, or Nomad Sprays, for several years now, 3 for women, 2 for men. They are wonderfully shiny and bean-shaped, as much fun to hold as a Pet Rock, and contain 20ml of perfume, just enough for a few vacations. I am waiting for a Ryoko Stone of KenzoPower (because with a name like that, I think it may turn me into a superhero), but I found an older stone of KenzoAir and snatched it up. Tokyo was a bit bland for me, but it comes in a shiny black stone, the most irresistible of the bunch, so I may have to buy one anyway. For a more posh solid, Estee Lauder makes a beautiful collection of compacts around the winter holidays each year. They are solid perfumes encased in enameled jeweled compacts, and I can’t imagine anything prettier to give as a holiday gift. I don’t personally wear any ELs, they don’t suit me somehow, but for those who have a favorite in her line, these solid compacts are beyond gorgeous. So what are some of your favorite limited editions and travel-friendly perfumes?