✨ How My Perfume Passion Began ✨

For as long as I can remember, I've had a keen and sensitive sense of smell. I developed a passion for aromatherapy in my early teens and enjoyed making my own fragrance oils to wear and use in a room diffuser. I also had a small obsession with body sprays, mostly Impulse and Charlie, and these were a gateway into my interest in perfumes. Some of the first perfumes I remember buying with my own money: Contradiction Eau de Parfum , Curious Eau de Parfum , Ghost and the infamous Angel Eau de Parfum. However, as much as I loved perfume, like a lot of people, I usually stuck to 1-2 bottles at a time. I didn't think too much why I liked them or what notes I enjoyed.

I ended 2022 with frustration over trying to find a new perfume to buy. I'd used up the last of the only bottle I had at the time (212 Sexy) and had decided not to repurchase it. I assumed that I'd be able to visit a store and freely test perfumes like I had always done in the past. However, I quickly realised that, thanks to Covid, this was no longer an option so easily. In every store I went into perfume testers were locked in glass cabinets, requiring staff to open them and retrieve a bottle on request - or they just were not available at all. Testing perfume in stores was no longer the fun and easy option it had been for me in the past. I then discovered a perfume subscription website that was offering a half price trial, so I joined and received an 8ml of
"Good Girl (Eau de Parfum Legére) | Carolina Herrera", which I really liked but quickly decided it's not really "me". This then led to me discovering perfume communities on Reddit, Fragrantica (ick) and Parfumo (love). I learned that decant websites were a thing now and that I could order some 1ml samples to try at home. So, armed with my list of perfumes to try, I ordered some samples and when those little atomisers arrived in the post two days later, the excitement I felt was unreal. I happily tested my way through them, in my own time, in the comfort of my home, and it was a revolution. I found that I really enjoyed learning about different notes and styles, reading other peoples reviews and writing my own notes/rating each perfume I tried.

In January 2023 I decided that I wanted to explore the world of perfumes further. I set a monthly budget and decided to give myself 12 months to try as many perfumes as I could. It has truly been a lot of fun and I've learned so much. I've managed to acquire just over 400 different samples, some of them were GWP, but a lot were purchased within my budget each month via sample websites or eBay. Yes. it's a lot of samples, but I feel like I've achieved what I set out to do and putting a time limit on "sampling with wild abandon" means that now I slow down. I will still try new perfumes once in a while but I've discovered many perfumes that I love now, and I have a better understanding of what scent profiles I really enjoy. My collection as of December 31st 2023 has 60 different perfumes, and I wanted to take some time to reflect on my purchases and my thoughts on them:-

✨My Collection - 2023✨

Full size bottles (30ml+) x 12...

1. Pure Poison 30ml
   My all time favourite, most versatile and most worn perfume this year for sure. It's definitely not the most exciting perfume in my collection, but I adore this soft, clean, ultra feminine white floral. It's comforting and sensual, and feels very "me". I often just take the cap off to sniff the nozzle! ✅
2. "This Is Her! | Zadig & Voltaire" 50ml
   I love how this smells, so sweet, soft, silky and musky with that unique chestnut note. I tend to only reach for this when it's really cold, so it hasn't had much wear since I bought it in the Spring. ❓
3. Crystal Noir Eau de Toilette 30ml
   One of the most confusing perfumes in terms of notes/formulation. Few people seem to agree on it and the EDP disappeared from the Versace website in the UK a long time ago. I even emailed Versace directly about this and they didn't seem to know what was going on, or what notes the EDT is supposed to have now. What I get is a seductive blend of cardamom-spiced sandalwood with some fig. It's one of my favourites for date nights as my husband loves it too. ✅
4. Olympēa Eau de Parfum 30ml
   This salty-vanilla pretty much seduced me from the moment I got my nose on it.
   I pick up on a delicious toasted hazelnut in the opening and I find it so addictive. It's great all year round, but I actually prefer it in the Winter, as it can feel a bit cloying for hot weather. This bottle is quite special as it was gifted to me by my best friend, so I think of her whenever I wear it. ✅
5. Replica - Beach Walk 30ml
   I wore this a lot in the Summer. I love the combination of coconut, ylang and salty sea air - it's definitely beach-like! I found it lasts really well on my skin and was easy to wear, never felt too much and layered nicely with the scent of my sunscreen. There's a few different perfumes with this DNA so I'm unsure if I will buy it again. ❓
6. The Scent Private Accord for Her 30ml
   I fell in love with this the first time I sprayed it. It's a gorgeous, cuddly chocolate-orange scent that manages to smell classy. I've loved all of the The Scent for Her line from Hugo Boss. Unfortunately this is discontinued so I'll enjoy it while my bottle lasts in case I can't buy it again! ❓
7. "Dolce & Gabbana pour Femme (2012) (Eau de Parfum) | Dolce & Gabbana" 100ml
   I've tried many marshmallow scents this year, but this is the only one I fell for. I love the soft, pillowy-ness of it combined with raspberry and orange blossom. It's very pretty, feminine and soft. Very easy to wear, even in warmer weather. I just wish it lasted longer on my skin. ❓
8. Angel Muse Eau de Parfum 50ml
   The original Angel EDP was a signature of mine for years, so I've tried several of the flankers and this is the only one I've really enjoyed. It maintains the chocolatey patchouli, but in a softer way and the hazelnut makes it so delicious. Sadly discontinued but I'll enjoy it while I have it - excellent in cold weather for date nights! ❌
9. Signature Eau de Parfum 50ml
   This is such a gorgeous and inexpensive creamy citrus-musk! It made me remember how much I used to love White Musk from The Body Shop and led me to try some other perfumes with this note! ❓
10. "The Only One (Eau de Parfum Intense) | Dolce & Gabbana" 30ml
    This is such a sophisticated and wearable year-round coconut scent! I enjoy the fresh apple opening and the soft, fuzzy dry down. It seems to have been discontinued, which is a shame. ❓
11. "L'Impératrice | Dolce & Gabbana" 100ml ❓
    My fruity summer staple. I love how this smells on me and it's impossible to overspray it. I loved wearing this in hot weather but it wears more like a body spray so I'm glad to have the bigger bottle. ❌
12. Indi Eau de Parfum 30ml
    An easy to wear musky-woody scent. Good for layering and spritzing liberally on lazy days. My only blind buy as it was very cheap. I don't regret it but won't buy it again ❌

✨ Miniature / travel sizes / decants (5ml - 20ml) x 48 ✨

1. Libre Eau de Parfum 🛍️
   One of my first and most favourite discoveries of 2023! I fell in love with this stunning lavender-orange blossom-vanilla scent almost immediately, and I own every flanker apart from Platine (still testing that one). This really boosts my mood and confidence, and it has amazing performance. I've realised how much I love lavender in perfumes, so it's something I actively seek now. ✅⬆️
2. Musk Therapy 🛍️
   One of my happy scents! The name perfectly describes this soft, mood-boosting musky delight. It makes me feel like I'm at a spa somewhere tropical. I adore it. Another decant will likely suffice once I've used up this one, but I would love a full bottle some day. ✅
3. Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum 💦
   An absolute favourite scent of mine, I love this so much and others around me seem to as well. I wore it a lot in the warmer months and it's one of the perfumes in my collection that never fails to put me in a good mood! It's such a unique citrus scent, I never want to be without this! I'd love a full bottle someday but it likely won't be next year, as I have a 5ml and a 20ml decant to get through ✅⬆️
4. Libre Le Parfum 🛍️
   After the original EDP, this is my my favourite of the Libre line! It's a magical combo of the Libre DNA with added warmth from ginger, honey and saffron. It's sweet but also quite airy, and never feels too much. Perfect for colder weather as it's really cosy and I find it comforting as well as pretty.✅⬆️
5. Libre Eau de Toilette 🛍️
   I really enjoyed wearing this in the Summer as a lighter alternative to the EDP. It's fresher and lighter, with a lovely jasmine tea note. ✅
6. Musk | 12 🧳
   I really loved this musky-sweet, powdery scent at first and wore it a lot, especially to bed. Unfortunately I'm finding that more often than not lately, I'm detecting a rubber smell when I wear this. It also just does not last. ❌
7. Sunny Side Up 🧳
   This is the most underrated perfume from this house IMO! It's musky, sandalwood with coconut and I enjoyed wearing it in the Summer but it's easily an all-year-rounder. ✅
8. Rehab 💦
   I adore this almost as much as Musk Therapy, and I tried to talk myself out of loving it! It does smell similar to Spicebomb, but it's softer IMO and more feminine-leaning. The softly-spiced lavender is really addictive to me and therapeutic. I often crave it when it's colder. ✅
9. Bronze Goddess 2008 🛍️
   I went through a couple of samples of this before getting a travel spray, and I love it more and more every time I wear it. A summer favourite that makes me so happy to wear and I can't imagine being without it now. ✅ ⬆️
10. Soie Malaquais 🧳
    This is one of few perfumes with rose in that I really love. The silky smooth perfume combines the soft rose with chestnut and chocolate. I find it so divine and I've already created some memories by wearing it to a couple of special occasions this year.✅⬆️
11. Nomade Eau de Parfum 🛍️
    This is another perfume that I instantly loved from first sniff. It's fresh, fruity, mossy and delightfully addictive to me. ✅⬆️
12. Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum 💦
    This is such a beautiful green vanilla. It's amazing in summer for something fresh but softly sweet. I am debating over whether I like Tocca Colette as much as they do smell similar. ❓
13. Gris Charnel Eau de Parfum 🧳
    Creamy sandalwood-fig-cardamon heaven. Spicy, sweet, warm and just stunning. It has a similar vibe to Crystal Noir and quickly become one of my favourites. I love that BDK sells travel sizes, I feel like I don't need a full bottle as it's so long lasting ✅
14. Hibiscus Palm 🧳
    Another of my favourite summer scents and one I love to wear for Summer functions/evenings as the performance is really good, and it smells beautiful and classy. ✅
15. Libre Eau de Parfum Intense 🛍️
    I adored this when I first sniffed it, but I do find it very potent and it attracts a bit too much unwanted attention sometimes! I have come to prefer Libre Le Parfum which I find generally more wearable. ❓
16. Aphrodite 🧳
    The second offering from perfume YouTuber/blogger Sophie King. It's the only indie perfume I own and I think it deserves a lot more exposure/praise for the unique combo of notes. I love the fun refreshing mango, coconut and green notes - it's just perfect for really hot days. Needs more testing in Summer to see how performs. ❓
    
17. Olympēa Solar 🛍️
    I really enjoy this Olympea flanker but it does smell very different to the OG with it's beautiful and combo of summery florals, orange blossom and oakmoss. I don't like it when it's cold but as soon as the weather heats up I adore this. ✅
18. Pure XS for Her 🛍️
    An easy-reach sweet "going out" perfume. I enjoy the note combo of savoury popcorn, ylang, musk and sandalwood. ❓
19. For Her Musc Noir Rose 🧳
    Another rare perfume featuring rose that I really love. I find that I don't reach for it often but it's great for date nights. This always makes me feel feminine and sultry. ❓
20. Narciso Eau de Parfum Ambrée 🧳
    Another favourite from Narciso that I reached for a lot in the Summer. Smells amazing but I find that Hibiscus Palm smells pretty similar though and lasts longer. ❓
21. Alien Goddess Eau de Parfum 🧳
    A pretty jasmine-coconut that I can wear year-round. Very uplifting but not something I reach for very often. ❓
    
22. Replica - Coffee Break 💦
    I love this combination of lavender with creamy coffee! Perfect for Autumn when it's not yet too cold. Very cosy and comforting but performance is a bit lacking. ❓
    
23. Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum 💦
    This smells amazing to me, and luckily I live in a small village and rarely ever smell this on anyone else. I love the airy woody sweetness and enjoy layering other scents with it. I'll never buy a full bottle but can't imagine not having a decant in my collection. ✅
    
24. La Nuit Trésor Nude 🛍️
    A beautiful peach- coconut-rose perfume. Softly sweet but never sickly. An easy reach for casual daytime wear but it doesn't last long sadly. ❓
25. The Wedding Silk Santal | 36 🧳
    This is such a beautiful sweet, airy fruity sandalwood combo. It's elegant and performs quite well on my skin. ❓
26. The Wedding Velvet Santal | 35 🧳
    Another sandalwood dominant offering from Kayali, this is totally unisex and easy to wear. I love to layer the two wedding scents together. ❓
27. Musc Invisible 🧳
    I'm obsessed with White Musk and this reminds me of body sprays from my teenage years. This lasts quite well on me and I often use it for layering with something sweet. ❓
28. Jimmy Choo Fever 🛍️
    This was one of the first samples I tried this year and I immediately fell in love with it. It's a fun, sweet-fruity scent that I often wear when going out in the evening and don't mind reapplying as it doesn't perform that well. ❓
29. You Eau de Parfum 💦
    I was utterly obsessed with this when I first got it. It smells amazing on my skin and is a go-to for times when I just want to smell good in a quiet way, such as medical appointments. ❓
30. "Dolce & Gabbana pour Femme Intense | Dolce & Gabbana" 🤏🏻
    This is basically the same as the original Pour Femme but more intense (!) Both are definitely not needed and I think this has been discontinued now. ❌
31. Nomade Eau de Parfum Naturelle 🤏🏻
    This smells nothing like OG Nomade to me, but I still love this flanker. It's mostly dates I smell in this but it's not cloyingly sweet. I wore it on a hot Summer's day for a garden party and it was perfect for that. ❓
32. Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum 💦
    A very unique smelling shampoo-y scent that smells fabulously fresh and light in Spring/Summer. I found I didn't reach for it as much as I thought I would but I do really like it. ❓
33. "This Is Us! | Zadig & Voltaire" 💦
    This was one of the first scents I bought a full bottle of after sampling. At first I couldn't get enough of it and loved the smell. I got a bit bored of it over the months and realised I wasn't reaching for it, so I made a decant and sold my bottle. It's a great scent profile but just not very interesting now that my tastes have expanded. ❌
34. Valentino Donna Born In Roma Eau de Parfum 🛍️
    An easy going sweet perfume that is very versatile and wearable for many different occasions. Not mega exciting but it's always nice to have a scent like this that doesn't need much thought. ❓
    
35. Narciso Eau de Parfum Cristal 🧳
    Another easy reach, this is like Musc Noir Rose's shy cousin. A pretty scent that can be worn year-round. ❓
36. For Her Pure Musc Eau de Parfum 🧳
    I find this quite fickle, and when worn on its own sometimes I detect a rubber smell. I plan to use it up by layering with it exclusively as it's not very interesting to me by itself. ❌
37. Vanilla | 28 🧳
    Deep, rich, boozy and slightly spicy. I enjoy this scent profile but I find this perfume doesn't perform very well. It's great to have to hand for layering though.❌
38. Not a Perfume Eau de Parfum 🧳
    One of the year's greatest surprises to me, as I wasn't fussed about it when I first tried it but it has quickly become something I reach for often when I need a light scent or need something to help boost another perfume's performance. Out of all of the "your skin, but better" scents this is my favourite and I've already purchased a back up travel size. ✅
39. "Dolce Garden | Dolce & Gabbana" 💦
    My first love this year. I wore the sample on my birthday in January and absolutely loved that it was a coconut-forward perfume that worked well in cold weather. I bought a bottle quite quickly for a good price on eBay, but unfortunately I later found it too cloying in Spring/Summer. I ended up decanting some to keep for Winter and selling my bottle on. ❌
40. J'adore Eau de Parfum 🤏🏻
    I love the smell of this, it's a very pretty, fresh 'n' clean shampoo-y floral - but I really never feel like wearing it. I decanted the dabber into an atomiser so I'll use it up in Spring when I feel it works best and see if my opinion changes. ❓
41. Pas Ce Soir Eau de Parfum 🧳
    One of the newest discoveries of this year. I really love this rich, fruity-sweet perfume and look forward to wearing it into 2024. ❓
42. R.E.M. 🧳
    I loved this at first but I now find it a bit too sweet and cloying sometimes. I'm pretty much using it up at bedtime now. It's nice but I'm glad I only have the 10ml! ❌
43. For Her Eau de Parfum 🛍️
    Another perfume that I really loved when I sampled it, but now that I have a decant I rarely feel like reaching for it and the last couple of times that I have it reminds me strongly of furniture polish and I can't get past that. I am hoping I'll change my mind and love it again when it gets colder, but I couldn't stomach it in Summer. ❓
44. Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum 🤏🏻
    I bought this cute mini off eBay after hearing others rave about it, and I was curious! It was inexpensive but not for me. I'll use it up in Summer, which won't be difficult as the performance sucks, so overspraying will be necessary !❌
45. Molecule 01 + Mandarin 🛍️
    I've barely worn this, but when I have it's to add some longevity and citrus to other perfumes. I can't see myself wearing it alone, but I'm looking forward to using it up by layering it in the new year. ❌
    
46. "Good Girl (Eau de Parfum Legére) | Carolina Herrera" 🛍️
    This was the perfume that kicked off my desire to explore perfumes. It's a good party perfume but not something I want to wear very often. ❌
47. Secrets of Love - Glamour 🛍️
    I got this half price through a subscription service, purely out of curiosity. I don't know what I was thinking as I knew it was meant to smell like Alien, which I can't stand. I've yet to properly wear test it but just from trying it the back of my hand I'm pretty sure I won't like it. I'll likely give it to my Alien-loving friend if I don't find it wearable. ❌
48. Amethyst 💦
    This is quite new to my collection so I haven't worn it properly yet. It's an interesting berry perfume, but those aren't really my preference. I love the bottle so impulse bought a decant hoping I'd love it. Well see... ❓

✨ Top 10 perfumes of 2023 ✨

1. Pure Poison
2. Libre Eau de Parfum
3. Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum
4. Musk Therapy
5. The Scent Private Accord for Her
6. Gris Charnel Eau de Parfum
7. Soie Malaquais
8. Rehab
9 Nomade Eau de Parfum
10. "Dolce & Gabbana pour Femme (2012) (Eau de Parfum) | Dolce & Gabbana"

✨ Favourite Notes ✨

According to Parfumo's "Profiler" feature:

✨ Lessons Learned ✨

As you can see, there's not many full bottles I own that I would repurchase but several in travel sizes that I'm very willing to upgrade to full size! I don't regret any of my full bottles but I now always go through the stages of sample > decant/travel size > full bottle. There's some perfumes that I imagine I'll always be happy just to have a travel size of, but I'll only buy a full bottle of something in future if I use up a sample and travel size first! I've often found that 5-10ml of many perfumes has been enough and lasts me ages. I don't plan to always have this many different scents, but I have really enjoyed discovering new perfumes this year and I'm looking forward to refining my collection gradually over the year.

✨ Wishlist for 2024 ✨

Libre Eau de Parfum 30ml bottle - for birthday in Jan
Nomade Eau de Parfum 30ml bottle - will ask for as a gift
Loverdose Red Kiss 30ml bottle - whenever I find a good deal on on
Coconut Sun 10ml travel size - for next Summer
Holidays 10ml decant - for next Summer
Angels' Share 5ml decant - for next Winter

✨ Goals / Resolutions for 2024 ✨

✨ Recommended Perfume Resources / Services (UK based/accessible)✨

• Subscription services: Parfumado, Parfory, ScentAddict
• Recommended sample websites: Fragrance Samples UK, Small Aromas, Scent Samples UK, Smell To Impress, The Wayfarer Scents
• Apps: Sniff. WikiParfum

✨ Summary ✨

I'm sure that my story/journey this year is not that unique but I wanted to share my experiences in case it helps others who are just starting out. I've really enjoyed my year of going nuts with my perfume deep delve, but I'm ready to slow down the buying and enjoy what I have now. I can fully see why a lot of people see this as a hobby but I prefer to think of it as a passionate pastime. I'd also never label myself as a collector as I enjoy owning and wearing a varied selection of perfumes. Full bottles are not my ultimate goal, as decants are usually more than enough for me. I'm not interested in amassing shelves full of pretty bottles, but I know that makes plenty of others happy. I hope that at least some people will find my review of 2023 interesting and if there are any questions at all, I'd be happy to answer them, especially from those who are new to this!

Here's a to a fabulously scented 2024! 🥂 💜