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Post in Fragrance Fans
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The Perfume Challenge

Do you have a box full of perfume vials and/or a vanity covered in perfume bottles? Are you the Goldilocks of perfume, just looking for the perfect signature scent? Do you want an opportunity to post daily about how your perfume of the day smells oaky and smoky with hints of blackberry and currant, like a cigar in a whisky barrel rolling through a Mediterranean orchard on a breezy summer morning?

 

If you answered yes to any of the above, or you just want to hop on board for the ride, join us for a 31 days of perfume challenge starting January 1st! Some of us from the 25 days of lipstick challenge wanted to continue the fun and exploration, and since many of us have so many perfume samples, we thought this challenge would be perfect. If you don't have 31 perfumes or hate everything that doesn't smell like Meyer lemons and fresh goat cream, that's fine--we're just aiming to use the neglected perfumes we have laying around and incorporate them into our perfume rotations.

 

And if you want more perfume vials, there's no better time than now to take a peek at Sephora's samples section.

 

Edit: Anyone can join in at anytime! We're here to support, live vicariously through, and encourage everyone in their olfactory adventures!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@modernwarpaintI sample as widely as I can. For every full bottle I buy, I probably go through about 50-100 tests/samples. I'm very picky!!! 😂

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I love the smell of Cade fragrances,  I used to get one at L’Occitane 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@howconnieHave you tried/enjoyed Le Labo Patchouli? You might like this one too. It's more wearable though there's a stronger suggestion of BBQ meat. A nice cade one I tried recently is Hyde by Hiram Green but it's pricier.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I have yet to try the house of La Labo but I am always searching for Cade scents.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

l’Occitone Eau Des Baux Funny most people smell a herbal scent but on me this is a sweet balsamic vanilla. It’s even powdery. It’s very pretty. Balsam or cypress goes to a very moody calming perfume on me in the summer. In fact I’m prefer men’s fragrances during the summer for that reason. This is even a bit powdery and soft. 

RE: Re: The Perfume Challenge

This sounds very lovely @howconnie

RE: The Perfume Challenge

I did a very weird thing and I can’t even explain it to myself - I actually bought pink sugar by Aquolina (it was on sale at the pharmacy and I had never smelled it). I kept reading that it was actually a decent perfume for the price all things considered and surprisingly I think it’s not bad for what it is - it’s a sweet fruit-chouli i am not a fan of patchouli but I find it wearable for a colder day. I am going to give it away but I just wanted to try it because it’s such a perfumery basic and I had never smelled it lol. I have a few Alkemia sample sets coming in the mail and I’ve never tried anything by them so I’m eagerly awaiting those! Drooling over the new Poesie Perfumes Marie Antoinette collection too - if anyone has tried anything by Poesie i would love to hear your thoughts!

Re: RE: The Perfume Challenge

@RoseCharlie  I haven't smelled Pink Sugar in a long while, but by Killian makes a perfume (Love, don't be Shy) that reminds me of that fragrance - a grown up and terribly expensive version of it of course.

(Allegedly Rihanna is a fan.)

 

 

 

RE: Re: RE: The Perfume Challenge

@Cyncynn ooooooh i loved the look of the notes for Love Dont be Shy but I’ve never had the chance to smell it! : )cool!!! Thanks for the comment I always wondered what it would smell like!

Re: RE: The Perfume Challenge

I love Pink Sugar, haven’t found a bottle in awhile, but it’s amazing 😉 

Re: RE: The Perfume Challenge

: ) Thanks @howconnie I don't know if you are in Canada or the US but in Canada they have quite a few 30ml bottles at Rexall stores at the moment for $9.99!! : )

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I'm testing out my third sample from Sixteen92's Poison Garden collection today, and the one I chose is Conium Maculatum. On first whiff, I distinctly got iris. As the scent mellowed, it started smelling like how a lot of tea scents turn out on me--maybe it's bergamot and tobacco leaf, but to me, this one reminds me of a more floral version of both Commodity Tea and Maison Margiela Replica Tea Escape. And as the scent continues to dry down, the oak and tobacco leaf really pull through, contrasting with the powdery floral, and I'm reminded of the smokiness of Le Labo's tea fragrance. I like this one. It's mysterious and exotic, and it was inspired by the plant that was used to kill Socrates. 

 

Notes: hemlock flower, citrus blossom, coumarin, lavender spike, tobacco leaf, castoreum, oak, bergamot, dried iris

Re: The Perfume Challenge

This one sounds nice, @txcatx !

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Sounds nice, is it long lasting?

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@howconnie I could still smell this one on my wrist about three hours after I applied the perfume, which I think is pretty good!

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I`m wearing COMPTOIR SUD PACIFIQUE - Vanille Banane

It smells like banana pudding. This is a fun gourmand topped with fluffy whipped cream.  The banana note pushes threw at first spray. It's a slightly cooked banana that still retains its fresh fruit smell.  I can also smell bananas ripening in the distance, then the smell of banana extract sinuses into my nose.  Whipped cream envelops it and my mind smells banana ice cream Sunday. It's fleeting,  within an hour the crunchy vanilla cookies take center stage and the rest of the players are upstaged. Diva that vanilla is,  it was inevitable. 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

Continuing with my Sixteen92 poison garden sample set, I tried Datura Metel today. At first, I just smelled a lot of strong, slightly cloying floral. A few seconds later, honey. Then it went a little soapy and powdery. Finally, the fragrance settled on a pretty, soft, sweet floral--it's nice, but not nearly as interesting to me as the belladonna perfume I tried yesterday. To me, this one seems like a great, non-offensive perfume to wear to a wedding. 

 

Notes: datura blossom, sweet almond, rosewater, sugar cube, vanilla orchid, moth wing, wild honeycomb

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I recently received Nest Black Tulip as a substitute sample for what I requested.  I've mentioned before that I don't like this scent when I've tried it in store.  I thought I'd try it again since my arm wasn't covered in other perfumes.  The result was the same.  I gave the sample to a friend, and she loves it!

RE: Re: The Perfume Challenge

Awww it’s annoying when they give you something you dislike as a replacement. I quite like that yummy plum note in black tulip but the NEST offering I really don’t like is Indigo - that one I don’t get at all as a women’s fragrance.

Re: The Perfume Challenge

I decided to explore the house of Kate Spade KATE SPADE NEW YORK - Live Colorfully

Is a soft pretty white floral. Jasmine and Gardenia compete for top spot.  It reminds me of the house Evelyn Crabtree.  It's more like a line of fine bath products. But the scent is potent in the spring.

 

#kate spade in bloom

Is a rose garden scent. The main note I smell is Rose geranium. They blended a bit of Jasmine to make the harsh geranium powdery. I prefer other soft rose scents. 

Re: The Perfume Challenge

@howconniedo you have any favourite soft roses? I love Mohur by Neela Vermeire ❤️

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