Perfumes and Pliers

Today I thought I'd share a little tutorial on how to decant designer perfumes into vintage splash bottles. I own quite a few perfumes, some of them more than a decade old. These old perfumes are by no means spoiled, but they have grown quite powerful, and using an atomizer is out of the question as it dispenses too much scent. So I've bought vintage splash perfume bottles which I've cleaned and filled with the designer perfumes.

To do this you'll need the following: A clean splash perfume bottle, the perfume you wish to decant, a set of cutting pliers, a funnel and latex gloves.

Most modern perfume bottles have a collar around the neck of the perfume bottles which serves as a rest for the topper, and hides the seal. You'll need a sharp cutter to remove it. I like the one in the picture. It cuts though metal like a knife though butter, the tips are slim and get into tight spots, and it's very solid, so I can use it to bend the metal as I go. Once the collar is off I gently bend the bottom part of the seal away from the bottle. Once it's loosened it looks like this:

Lift the seal off the bottle, place the funnel in the splash perfume bottle, and pour slowly.

I'd recommend doing this bit over the sink. Keep the tap running, this way if you spill perfume (and I almost always do) it's less likely your kitchen will smell like a tarts boudoir afterwards.

Now you can use as little or much perfume as you wish; no more trying to aim the atomiser spray to hit the very edge of your arm in an attempt to get just the right amount :)