Thymes Filigree Discontinued

If you're a fan of the Filigree range from Thymes, you'd want to do some stocking up, as this fragrance collection is being discontinued. The products are still available for the full price on their website (thymes.com), and you are very likely to find them discounted locally at stores carrying the line.

This makes me worried about the future of Goldleaf, which was the sister scent of Filigree (though much more popular, I think). I also just realized they no longer offer any environmental oil for lamp rings and burners, which really sucks. I don't use candles because of the cats, and reed diffusers, while not dangerous, are not exactly feline-proof. I know that companies need to renew and innovate, but regularly discontinuing products that have a loyal fan base isn't the best business move. One of the contributing factors to Crabtree & Evelyn's troubles was exactly that- long time customers started feeling betrayed and stayed away.

Discontinued: The Thymes Fig Leaf And Cassis

I try my best to keep an "out with the old, in with the new" attitude when it comes to discontinued beauty products and only throw tantrums (followed by weeks of eBay activity) when beloved perfumes disappear. But Fig Leaf & Cassis from The Thymes has been my favorite bath and body line for nearly ten years, and I kept hoping they will bring back the environmental oil in this scent, not to mention expand the range of products. Instead, it's being discontinued.

The leftover products are now in the "Last Chance" section (together with the Gardener and Green Tea lines). The body lotion is already gone, but everything else is still there.

I'm terribly disappointed. I didn't like any of the scents The Thymes have released in recent years. They're too thin, too flowery or horribly fruity. Something from the Red Cherie line that arrived here as a PR freebie, ended up being used in feline waste management, and I gave thumbs down to each and every of the scents I've tested in their focus groups. I guess we'll have to move on to Jo Malone's Fig Leaf & Cassis, but I'm going to dearly miss The Thymes. The scent was the perfect combination of lush and crisp, green with only a hint of honeyed fruit. It layered well with my favorite fig perfumes (Heeley and L'Artisan), and never failed to satisfy. If you have suggestions for other fig products, please comment. I'm sure I'm not the only FL&C fan who will need them.

Bring it Back

My favorite method for room scenting is to use lamp rings. It's the most practical way to go when one has an unusual number of cats running around, knocking things off and getting into everything. Candles are way too dangerous and reed diffusers are most likely to be chewed on and spilled.

Very few companies make the right kind of oils for these rings. I use oils from two companies. One is Crabtree & Evelyn: Lavender, Rosewater, Summer Hill and whatever new one they come up with. Currently I'm enjoying the fresh, crisp scent of Sarawak. It's a floral ginger blend that I hope stays in their collection for a while. I still miss the freesia scent they had for years and discontinued just before repackaging and reformulating the whole Freesia line.

My other favorite is The Thymes. They used to have a much bigger selections of environmental oils, both from collections that are no longer with us (a moment of silence for Lemongrass & Limeleaf) and as part of the current lines, only the oil was discontinued (just like the wonderfully addictive laundry detergent in Goldleaf. My unmentionables haven't smelled the same since).

I've always loved the Fig Leaf & Cassis collection. It's not exactly L'artisan Premier Figuier, but it's still good and quite complex for such a fresh scent. Despite the cassis, it's not very fruity. More like a full bodied green fig, a little dark, no coconut in sight, can feel chilly at times. I don't recommend the weak cologne, but the other body products are worthy of a separate review. There used to be an environmental oil in this scent. I'm still hoarding the last bottles I bought, and will be very sad once they are all used up. If there's one product I wish could be brought back from the eternal pastures of lost fragrance is this one.