Publications
- Sarah Jane Clark from the UK realised years ago her love for perfume and noted that her collection was a bit larger than most, so she decided to start a collection.
- She now owns over 200 perfumes and while she buys a bottle a month, she gets some from PR companies.
- Sarah shows her collection while South African, Charlotte Randelhoff, also shares about her love for perfume.
Sarah Jane Clark, 37, from Sussex, UK,owns over 200 bottles of different perfumes that she will rotate and wear. With a perfume collection worth over £3 000 (R59 000), it's safe to say Sarah knows exactly what notes match her mood.
Realising in 2010 that her perfume collection was a bit more than most, she started to collect perfumes as a hobby. She now treats herself to a new bottle each month.
"I don't really buy many clothes or shoes, my passion is with perfumes and buying different and new bottles that come out. I would get perfume from my family every Christmas, so they have helped add to my collection, I haven't spent £3 000 by myself," she says.
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A selection of some of Sarah's perfumes. All images: WILLIAM LAILEY / CATERS NEWS
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Sarah loves buying perfumes abroad, as it means she can buy perfumes that aren't available in the UK.
"I will usually buy perfume with my holiday money, it's something I have always done. If not abroad, I usually buy them online at All Beauty, eBay, and Fragrance X," she says.
"When I was younger, I would see perfume adverts in magazines and then would always get perfumes for my birthday and Christmas. I keep them in a cabinet I bought on Facebook Marketplace, as well as in a mirrored draw unit which are both in my hallway, and then I have some scattered around on display on my dresser."
Sarah's perfumes are colour coordinated and organised. She also buys whole collections of perfumes as well.
"I do reviewing videos on Instagram and a little on YouTube, too, I started doing it last year, and I talk about the different perfumes, what I think, how they smell, and who I think they would be best for," she says.
"Companies send me out perfumes for free to review as well, and I promote them on my page."
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Having over 200 bottles, perfume lover Sarah has always had a thing for smelling good, starting 20 years ago, and making a hobby of it since 2010, Sarah has accumulated a lot of different brands by buying whole collections of perfumes as well as one offs.
"People do think it is a lot, but they love it, my family and friends are always asking me for recommendations. I would spend around £30 (R600) a month on perfume, but I also get gifted bottles as PR samples, and I get perfume as presents from my family too, and that is how my collection has grown so much," she says.
Sarah says her husband encouraged her to start showing her perfumes on social media.
"I am so glad he did because now I get all of these wonderful opportunities. I have a clear out every three or four months and will throw away bottles that don't smell right, or I will give away ones that I don't want and then sell some as well," she says.
Sarah's current favourites are Roberto Cavalli or Vivienne Westwood Boudior, but she doesn't have an everyday one; she just rotates them all.
"I like perfumes that don't cost too much, and I really like niche smells too. There is always something new coming out, so my collection is never ending," she says.
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Closer to home, South African, Charlotte Randelhoff says she also loves perfume. She wrote to us as soon as she read the article above, sharing a snap of her own perfumes.
South African, Charlotte Randelhoff shares a snap of her own perfumes. Image supplied by Charlotte Randelhoff
"I have been collecting perfumes for longer than what I have read on this article. I have kept some of my favorite empty bottles that I really think are pretty when the finished." Charlotte says.
"Unfortunately one can't keep them for too long. I keep mine in my cupboard to protect them from the light. I love perfume, expensive perfume!"
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