...If she shipped with USPS Priority there is automatic insurance on the package so if she does not get it back and send it to you after all you should still be able to get a refund.

...Aha, I see what you mean. I personally liked Florentina for it's iris note but it may be that you are averse to musks, as I am, and that is why you are shutting down with these. Give the samples another try when the weather changes. There are so many perfumes and even notes that I could not stand only to end up loving them later.

...Review them. I had the same experience with the Atelier Des Ors.

...Why don't you just buy mine? It's a big bottle and I hardly ever use it. The only thing is that the tag and name of the perfume is missing: all you can see are the notes and some numbers on the bottom but I can send you a picture if you want.

...Same here. I did not last a month. What did you buy?Pipette:Yes, it is true that even though we are led by the nose through clever advertising, perfumes as such are an enjoyable matter down to the tiniest molecule. One of my New Year's resolutions was not to add any more expensive bottles - I have failed miserably.Spray away.

...Very different and open take. It makes me want to try and own her perfumes. From what I have tried, they are lovely. However, I disagree with one point: for me, the more I know about the perfume composition process, the less enchanted I am. Working in perfume and enjoying it are not the same thing: as a consumer, I don't want the mystery dispelled by talk of molecules. However, I am interested in the science of perfume. They have to remain separate, like a double life. It's kind of like your favorite actor: you really love him on screen but once you find out about his personal life, things kinda get ruined. He is just a man after all. The same for perfumes.I agree with her that perfume houses are putting out an ideal, an emotion or an archetype. Everybody knows that you won't become Charlize Theron if you wear J'Adore but it is fun to pretend.

...I should have known the bulb atomizers are no good. As soon as I open a bottle top now, I insert the sprayer and don't take it out again. Ortherwise too much air gets in.I love Gourmand Coquin and Spiritueuse Double Vanille the best of all the Elixirs and Matieres. I wish the SDV would be sold in the old bottle that looks like an ancient liquor cask.

...Thanks for that. Good luck on your Guerlain exploration. It is so exciting! I can understand why they went in another direction with this artist but I just don't like the way the bottles look. It will appeal to many, I should imagine. I don't think I got defective bottles since all of the bulb atomizers had the same problem. I bought them from a reputable store so I think it's just the way the atomizer is made: it is not a tight seal.I'm not a vintage perfume lover, even if it is Guerlain, but if I might be so bold, I would recommend the Art & Matiere line as well as Les Elixirs Charnels.

...Hi all, I am a big lover of Guerlain but I am critical of two things: the way their bulb atomizers ruin perfumes and their newest "street art" bottles.I had two brand new bottles of Art & Matiere scents ruined by what I presume was air entering the bottle through the bulb atomizer. Also, the quadrilobe bottle with the bulb atomizer allows perfume to leak. I lost a third bottle when the full bottle of perfume leaked from the top hole of the atomizer. Has anyone else had this problem?Secondly, I find the street art bottles ugly and totally mismatched to Guerlain's style. I understand that maybe this is an attempt to be hip and that everyone has their own taste. How do others feel about the bottle art?

...This is new to me and since I really don't use any other perfume sites except this one (after being annoyed and horrified by the going-ons on some of them), I feel privileged and pampered. Since our community here is smaller, I feel like a lot more attention goes to each review and comment. On other sites, since there is so much information crammed into every millisecond, as soon as you hit the submit button, your review or your scent of the day is gone. No one sees it. I also feel that the quality of the reviews here as compared to Fragrantica (don't know about Basenotes as much) is way higher. Also, I don't see any censorship here while Fragrantica definitely has a lot of that. I guess my long answer to your question is that yes, I would have a problem being asked to pay for my review. I would say that maybe they should pay ME for my review as I pretend to be a writer haha.

...I'm not big on special occasions. It is ridiculous to me to save anything, especially a perfume, for a special occasion. In my mind, no one us guaranteed a tomorrow and when I die, perfumes will be the things I will miss the most (as much as a dead person can miss anything, I suppose :)). I saw a perfume I have never heard of, with a huge pricetag (but not so huge that I would never buy it) called Star of the Season. That is something I would probably save for a special occasion. And I do give myself bottles that I would not normally buy for Christmas every year. Same as you, I save the wrapped box until the 25th.

...I used to have Goutal's incense. It was so powerful and rich. And Enchanted Forest is one of my favorite forest perfumes too. Reminds me of childhood.

...My favorite is Winter Delice: it is not only red berries and resin but also pine.

...What??? They increased the price! How rude. If they could make Enchanted Forest for $185 years ago, I am sure they can make it now too.Edit: I just checked Luckyscent and realized they probably raised the price so all three of their perfumes were the same price. It is still a bad deal for consumers.

...Hah! Well I feel much better about $500 but I still would not buy it. Well, maybe if I had a six figure salary and already made all my yearly contributions. His perfume book is wonderful too.

...Sounds very exciting for you. I too wish to smell these fragrances and visit Harrod's perfumes, many of which are not available where I am. However, there is the dreamer in us that samples such wares and then there is the rationalist: even if I happen to fall in love with a Roja (and that is unlikely from the few I have smelled), there is no way I would ever buy something of his because of price. Fragrances make life wonderful but for 3,500 I could take a luxurious week-long European river cruise with my husband. I could buy 20 new bottles of niche perfume. Unless one is a millionaire, there is a definite line to be drawn. What are you willing to give up to own that fragrance?

...I love Ajmal and most of the other Arabian brands, though they don't always use real oud either, which is ok. Their prices are usually pretty good.Does Kurdjian use real oud in his trio of ouds? I smelled them and they are more natural than most others.

...That's cool. I would get it if they delivered to the US. I love natural oud. It is totally different than synthetics. Have you tried Cartier's Oud and Oud? Though Western, I feel that there is real oud in it.

...So many favorites in this category: Aramic Calligrapy Rose and Rose Malaki (similar smelling), Perris Taif Rose (fresh and alive), Dark Rose (perfect saffron/rose/oud) and the similar Dior Oud Ispahan. Incense Rose by Tauer and of course the new Rose Flash (resin roses). Soft roses with green: Un Zeste de Rose by Rosine and Paestum Rose. Spicy rose: Rose Poivre by Different Company and the more gourmandish Yves Rocher Rose Absolue. I could go on and on.

...I tend to use a new perfume for a week after I first buy it and then I go back to other ones. I have no idea which ones I've used the most.