Buying vintage perfumes unsniffed is an absurd gamble. When this vintage Cuir de Russie extract arrived after one of those late night eBay what-the-hell moments… I was furious.

It was jammed absolutely solid. I pulled it and pushed it. I warmed it, I cooled it, I tapped it. I doused it in surgical spirits to try to dissolve the fifty-plus-year-old encrusted scent wedging the ground glass stopper to the neck. Nothing. No movement.

What a waste!

Then every time I sat down to read, I rocked a pair of scissors against the top, bracing gently against the lip of the neck and the stopper, turning, rocking again. Four days later when it suddenly popped loose I almost dropped the full bottle in surprise.

It was worth the persistence. Preserved, air tight, by the very jammed lid that almost had me smashing the bottle with frustration, this tiny intense treasure is still one of the most beautiful things I’ve smelled in my life.

originally posted 9 March 2019