In a time when we are spoiled for choice, it seems my choices have been spoiled. The opportunities for buying perfume in any given mall are quite saturated. Department stores, chemist, perfume specialty shops and beauty stores. So with all of these purveyors of perfume, you would think I’d have no trouble popping out for a bottle of what I’d like. But I’m left still smelling of my lemon myrtle shower soap and bereft of even one bottle of scent. All this is because the fragrance isle now resembles the high street fashion shops, catering to the masses with variations on the same theme. There is still room for the classics on the shelves, but only if they have current advertising campaigns with some bright young star as their new face. If you have aged wearing your favorite scent, the marketing company aren’t so interested in you, but your daughter. If I wanted to smell like my favorite celebrity (should I have one), my only problem would be picking just the one. I could smell like Paris Hilton at least five times over, but when I’m asked what fragrance I’m wearing just how keen would I be to fess up?
Oh the disparity!
I’m not asking for all the old fashioned favorites to be resurrected, I just want more genuine choice! I don’t want to be forced to choose between thirty fragrances all based on the exact same fruity floral notes. I don’t want to be told that what I am seeking isn’t what “the young people are wearing today”. A. I was horrified at being told this and B. Like I give a damn?!
Last week I asked you to kindly send me some suggestions and between your comments and Tweets, I have quite a list of products to try out. But here is the problem. With all of the aforementioned real world perfume outlets streamlining their shelves to offer every fruity availability, I am forced to shop online. Now just how exactly does one do that with any success? Unfortunately / fortunately the internet is not a scratch and sniff medium, and it seems that there are very few opportunities for ordering sample sized bottles to try. It has become difficult enough to get tiny sample sized bottles in store, so finding online stores that offer these would be brilliant. I’m willing to pay a small fee and the shipping, but I just really want to have a good old fashioned spritz of the nectar of my choice. Of course all the fragrances that interest me most are the old world, obscure and rare. Is there someone out there that will offer me all these choices and samples too?
I could go and spend a week searching fragrance blogs, but given that I know many of you have faced similar dilemmas I’m hoping you might just have a brain wave for me.
Save me from the clutches of the celebrity fragrance monopoly!
I was...
I think you might like The Perfumed Court, which has samples and many vintage perfumes to try out. I haven’t ordered from them, but I’ve been intrigued by them:
http://theperfumedcourt.com/
One place I do order quite a few little samples from (called “Imp’s Ears”) is the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which makes essential oil mixes based on all sorts of geeky, gothy, weird and wonderful themes:
http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com
It’s a lot of fun, and you almost always get some bonus samples thrown in with your order.
In my online wanderings I came across theperfumedcourt.com, they decant perfumes into smaller sample sizes to try and appear to have a good range of new and hard to find perfumes. Unfortunately I havent got around to ordering anything from there yet, so I cant comment on the quality of their service
I order regulary from luckysent.com
great range of fragrances and samples charged at around $2 or $3
and quick on delivery to Oz
I would definitely recommend Lucky Scent (http://www.luckyscent.com/). They mainly stock rare/unusual sorts of scents and have a really wide range and do sample sizes of everything. I spent hours browsing around being intrigued by gorgeous and sometimes truly worrying descriptions! The sample sizes are fairly generous so I think it’s worth the price you pay, especially given the fact the AUD is going well at the moment.
I hope your quest goes well. I’m one of those ‘young ones’ and yet still I found myself having plenty of trouble finding a scent I want in addition to being treated like dirt by the majority of saleswomen perfume stores and departments. I guess I’m not allowed to have my own tastes or take time to really find something that thrills me?
Sigh…I used to wear perfume but I became allergic. I now need to live vicariously through posts like this!
I second Lucky Scent!
They actually said that?! Honestly, I think some of the department store assistants are trained to be both rude and unhelpful.
I don’t have any practical advice I’m afraid, as I like and use the same two scents and have done for a few years, and avoid perfume departments as much as possible! Good luck with the search. I look forward to reading what you find
Marianne: I never ceased to be amazed by people and their rudeness. And in the service industry no less!
Erin: Thank you.
Wendy B: Well I will just have to make this a visual experience for you then.
Oh and I have just seen the Lindy charm school description, and it sounds great! I hope to go to the Sunday one.
have you tried klein’s in brunswick street?
Oh I feel your pain,
I used to work in the fragrance section of a department store.
Truth is we’re not really trained up about what we’re selling, we learn/pick it up from our co-workers and managers/people with more experience than us meer noobies.
There are so many celebrity fruity fragrances out there it’s sickenly sweet ;[
http://www.nstperfume.com/ might be of use when trying to find a fragrance that suits you
they have information on niche perfumes as well as new release ones =)
it also doesn’t help that Australia stores that sell perfume don’t have as large a base than, say, American stores. unlucky!
<3
I find the world of fragrance to be quite fraught: it’s nice to have a signature scent but how does one find the right one?
I used to enjoy “Venezia” but then it was discontinued so I went to see the nice ladies at a shop in Royal arcade (I can’t remember what it’s called but they do bling as well) and after confiding my plight they recommended “Buy” by D&G. I love it – and love the pun. Other than that, I wear some Demeter scents from Klein’s perfumery in Brunswick st (my current fav is Daphne, which smells just like the flower) and can recommend Black Phoenix as well, but they almost have too many lovely ones to choose from. Perfumes are very personal – you need to try it and see how it smells on your skin (and hence the difficulty with buying online).
Did u go to Kleins SKM? They have a nice range of slightly more unusual fragrances there. I particularly like the English brand Panhaligons – the mens cologne called Douros is my fave – very strong soapy citrus with a lot of depth!
one of my favourite companys with scent is l’artisan parfumeur. they make edgy and pretty and, abova all, non fruity stuff, and on their us-homepage you can order 7 samples for free and only pay for shipping, which is around 7dollars i think. so go ahead and order your samples! my favourite at the moment is thé pour un ete, a very fresh and summery jasemin with tea.
of course i forgot to link:
http://www.artisanparfumeur.us/
HI SKM,
I’ve stepped in late. I too would recommend Klein’s Perfumery in Brunswick Street. It has many delightful, hard-to-find scents, including Jacqueline Kennedy’s favourite, Fiori di Capri. The staff are very lovely and Klein’s has a resident Kitty.
Ms Vitriol: That sounds like a great adventure. I will make some time this week to check it out.
Lena: Thank you!
Esz: sounds like everyone knows about this amazing place but me! I will be spending some time there this week and let you know what I find.
Nicole: Ahh you mean Paint and Powder. I love those ladies and their OTT ways. I think they are now on High Street in Armadale (?)maybe.
Julie: That is exactly what the honest sales girls are telling me.
J_Le: Will do!
Marianne: I have a feature on them coming up shortly. You will absolutely love the course!
I have nothing constructive to add here, lol. I started wearing Coco Chanel when I was in my twenties because I wanted a “signature scent” and have been wearing it ever since (I’m now in my thirties). lol
Good luck in your quest!
I’m late to the party but I highly recommend Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. I’ve got several of their scents and each is unique and lovely.
The Perfumed Court is also a great choice–I believe they will allow you to order several samples for a deal with low shipping as well.
Let us know what you find!
I have to go with the Black Phoenix recommendation! You may even be able to find local buyers of the fragrances. When I used to buy it a lot, people would swap out “imps” for other ones, if the scent wasn’t working for them. Some cities would have get togethers where you could try out each others scents, too.
I’ve found a little goes a long way, too!
I would second L’Artisan Parfumeur! Oh and check out http://www.lessenteurs.com; they are London based and stock all the forgotten classics and the best of the modern scents and they have a great sample service!
Ha! I’ve been blogging about this recently too. I’m happy with my evening signature scent (Shalimar by Geurlain), but am on the hunt for an old world-y day time scent. Please let us know your progress and good luck xxx
PS Sorry, I don’t have any helpful leads (I’ve been slogging out sniffing at the dept. stores too).
M Lady Finger: My mothers favorite is Shalimar too.
Floraposte: Thanks for the link, will do.
Ashe: Excellent. I’m so pleased with all these great tips!
Melissa: Thanks so much.
Maggi: I too wanted a signature scent, but then I get sad that I can’t smell it anymore. I wore Avon’s Mesmerise from 15 – 22 and became known for it. Such a grown up evening scent for a girl, it probably wasn’t the best choice, but I loved the bottle.
I missed the recommendation-post, but Clarins are in every department store, and I like their perfume. Sadly, the bottles are extremely blah, but the red one (Eau Dynamissante, or something similar) smells deliciously herbal. There’s lemon and rosemary and it’s just so nice and non-perfumey (and not like a roast chicken either, though that is what I joke about, because of the lemon and rosemary). And it lasts like nobody’s business. If I wear it one day, when I shower the next morning I get a final last blast of scent when the hot water hits.
I have one to add. ;o
http://www.villainess.net/
I haven’t tried anything from them yet, but they have some interesting sounding scents. And they’re not too expensive I’m planning on buying a perfume bottle of “Scintillating”. I love how it sounds, it’s made of my two favorite scents; mint and black tea.
I’ve been wanting to get some perfume, but I really hate the perfumes you can buy in stores. They’re always too strong for me, and they all smell the same.
ahhh lady – i share your frustration… one of the main problems i find is that so much of todays fragrance is not created with traditional techniques and materials thus producing fragrances with a synthetic scent that just doesn’t compare to those of days past…
HOWEVER… right here in melbourne is a wonderful perfumer, emma leah, creating amazing perfumes with traditional techniques and an old-school outlook from her beautiful deco-style salon FLEURAGE… i think it might be just be right up your alley
http://www.fleurage.com.au
x anastasia la fey
Anastasia: Aren’t they wonderful! $400 for 40ml might be a bit out of my range though… Still it appears worth a visit just for the experience.
Death butterfly: That sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try all of these!
true – fleurage is crazy expensive… i just got lucky as a group of girlfriends all chipped in and treated me for a birthday but its definately worth a visit and good to add to the dream wish-list
Yes! I agree with everyone who recommended Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. If you want a retro-ish scent you might like Black Dahlia or Penny Dreadful.
After wearing hte sam fragrances for a while (because I sold from that product line) I found myself free to choose and my hubby and I went on a shopping spree. !. Lolita Lempicka; forbidden fruit- soft floral with a powdery note. Great for day and bed time. 2. Perry Ellis 360 white; great day scent-A sensational blend of green mandarin, bamboo leaf, that is blended into a beautiful blend of white peppercorns, cardamom. The heart develops into orchid, orange florals and finishing off with amber,musk and vanilla.
and last; Angel Star by Terry Mugler- stats out smelling like Allure for men by Chanel but ends up a soft, floral scent great for evening. A lady should have scents for day and scents for evening.
Oops on the spelling errors!
I’ve got a nice atomizer (refillable) sitting on my dresser as a decoy for my real method, which is a drawer full of sample vials. A whole bottle is too much money and committment for me right now, but FragranceX.com (despite being pretty unglamorous) has 1 ml sample vials for just about everything at $2 or $3 a pop. Which means that I can get 2 or 3 things that have been recommended to me plus a few impulse buys, for less than I would have paid on just one. And if I find I like one of them a lot, I can give it a thorough trial run.
Beth T: That is a great idea. I too have a little refillable travel bottle and I use that for all the small, splash fragrances I seem to end up with. At the moment it is carrying Clarins Eau Dynamistante (sp?)
Melissa: I love the Lolita Lempicka Bottle. When it first came out the fragrance was so new and innovative. There weren’t many of those fruit scents on the market. Of all those types it is still one of the best. I actually tried the Perry Ellis white the other day, and while it was divine in the bottle, it didn’t seem to like my skin and rebelled.
I think there are two types of Lolita, forbidden fruit and forbidden flower. Even though mine is in an apple bottle also (It may be their signature vessel) it is a floral. I do not care for the fruit smells much. It must be the vintage gal in me! lol The 360 does not ’stay’ with you long. It fades fast so perhaps some serious layering is needed. Have a great day!
(but I do realize you didn’t like it at all)
I completely understand your frustration! A great blog for perfume fanatics, especially if you are searching for the unusual, is Glass Petal Smoke. (http://glasspetalsmoke.blogspot.com/)