Testing 1, 2, 3...

Hi everyone. I recently bought this sample set from Pictura. Lately, I’ve been exploring a completely different style of fragrances—something more challenging. Well, this set certainly gave me a challenge. The price was very reasonable, but the scents are... let's just say my nose and I need to revisit them a few more times. There is one that is truly lovely, though: Van Gogh's *Irises*. It’s a beautiful iris scent that transitions into a bold leather note. I bought set number 2.

I finally had the opportunity to attend a fragrance fan meetup (small, since my area didn't have an established community before I gathered folks through reddit + parfumo) and it was a wonderful experience! Especially in a place that doesn't really have any niche fragrance stores and only has a few non-specialized stores that carry niche brands, it was a very cool opportunity. One of the first things I noticed is what a difference it is being shown fragrances by someone who has owned and experienced it vs someone who is trying to make a sale. Even at the fragrance store I went to in Denver, which...

I'm wanting to get into sharing/swapping 1-2 mL samples of stuff with other people in the hobby, but want to know peoples' preferences. Mini rollers, mini-sprays, the vials with the little applicators, something else? I personally thought the vials would be best because they're less likely to leak when shipped and you can just dab the tiniest amount on your hand for testing, but they can also be hard to open for some people. I'm curious what everyone else likes best when you get samples from other people in the hobby.

I finally got the Chris Collins 10 piece discovery set and I'm really enjoying it! The packaging is so luxe and I feel like it is a really great value for such a large sampler, and you also get to select an additional sample for the price. My favorites so far are African Rooibos and Vide Cor Meum Does anyone else have some great discovery sets they've gotten recently?

Have any of you been to stores like this where an associate asks the kinds of things you're into and walks you through various perfumes to see what you may enjoy? I just went to a store like this in Denver (Ode to Perfume) and it was a lot of fun! I got to try a number of fragrances, my favorites being Isola, Nocturne and Buio. Curious if anyone else has done an experience like this and what they thought of it!

Notes on today's sample journey and the theme of revisiting something. I wanted to retry some early favorites I liked on my skin (Layton Exclusif and L'Immensité) and some samples that always scared me on paper (Opus XIII - Silver Oud and Opus XV - King Blue). What are some fragrances that you have come back to a few times? Did they hold up? Did they change? The two revisits: Layton Exclusif still smells really nice. Medicinal and herbal and woody. Nice subtle transition to that woody patchouli base. "L'Immensité...

Just got my shipment of samples in, excited to write more about them soon. Nimitr, the first I sampled on my skin and probably going to be my favorite, comes in a weird dabber bottle with the tiniest little plastic dabber that barely gets anything out. Any recommendations on the best way to apply this?

Probably everyone in the fragrance hobby has made a decision to “blind buy” a fragrance at one time based on reviews or influencers and then thoroughly disliked it when they actually tried it. “Blind buying” refers to purchasing a fragrance without testing before purchase. A full bottle ends up in the collection and will probably never be used again. Upon further reading, typically in forums or articles, someone new to the hobby may come across warnings to not blind buy and to always sample before purchasing. Sure, major department stores have a large selection of fragrances with tester...

A space to share experiences and tips for in person sampling. Here's my quick tips: 1. Stores My favorite store to sample at is Neiman Marcus. I used to have a Saks but only got to go one time to sample before it closed so I don't have much to say about it. Neiman has a large selection and doesn't have people watching you the whole time pressuring you to buy or pushing stuff in your face. Biggest downside is they a bit stingy with tester strips. If you can find a LV store, it's always fun to sample there, too (where they are VERY generous with tester strips, I might add). Sephora is very underrated...

Here you can share your recently purchased samples! I can only really buy samples online since I don't have niche perfume stores in my city. Here's what I got as my first crop of individually purchased samples online: Sticky Fingers Extrait de Parfum - probably the one I'm most convinced I will love. Patchouli and orris butter are two notes I typically really like in a fragrance, plus I tend to like spicy, sweet, and/or leathery stuff. Tobacco and tonka bases are always nice and I'm always surprised how much I like an animalic undertone as well. I think this will be a huge...