The Perfume Challenge

[txcatx]

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!

[Libellules]

@greenporchlights It really is! It is potent though, so you just have to want to smell it that day 😛

The SL counter was definitely one of my favorite "discoveries," this year! But I'm thankful that his actual makeup line is very small O.O

[greenporchlights]

Sounds like a challenge I'd like to sign up for!

Yeah, his cosmetics are... indulgent, to say the least. Holy mackerel.

[alexasteph]

Day 5: Pinrose Merry Maker

This one is bright and citrusy, it reminds me a lot of Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, but it's not as overpowering. 

[k617]

Day 5 - Giorgio Armani Si Intense

I suck at identifying fragrance notes so I looked on Fragrantica 😄 Sweet cassis, rose, vanilla.

If only I could list fragrance notes as well as I can tell you what's been put in food that I've eaten! I've always wanted to try one of those Hell's Kitchen/Gordon Ramsay style blind-taste tests! (Seriously, you can't tell that this crispy, delicious, cool fruit is watermelon?)

Spoiler

Day 4 - Somethin' Special Sweet Petals (LUSH Rose Jam dupe)

[txcatx]

Same here! I'm great at telling someone there's cardamom or passion fruit in a dish, but my nose isn't nearly as good as my taste buds!

[greenporchlights]

I'm exactly the same way with food, @k617. It's become a bit of a parlor trick at restaurants... a friend will say, "what spice is in this?" I'll tell them, we'll (perhaps obnoxiously) ask the server to ask the kitchen, and booyah. 😄

[k617]

Hahaha! My friends don't do that and my coworkers have just learned to accept my interpretation of what's in the food.

I need to get better with spices in curries though! I could probably get all of them by listing off the common Indian cooking spices, but.... besides coriander, cumin, cardamom and stuff also used in Western cooking (like clove, allspice, etc,) I struggle a bit!

[greenporchlights]

Curries are definitely difficult. The one thing I will never fail to recognize in a curry, though, is fenugreek... because I hate it! 😄

[k617]

I don't think I've ever used fenugreek actually! I keep mixing up with fennel seeds (which I have and I realize is completely different) and thinking that I don't need to get it at the grocery store, whenever I'm shopping for a recipe that calls for fenugreek!

[txcatx]

Day 5: Chloe. I have probably enough sample vials of this scent to fill most of a rollerball. I find it perfectly fine and nice, but kind of basic. It's like the pumpkin spice latte of fragrances. 

Key Notes:
Peony, Rose, Honey, Cedarwood

[alexasteph]

I really like Chloe for that reason. It's a good one to fall back on when you just want to feel put together. 

[k617]

I agree the Chloe fragrance is very basic. I'm a basic fragrance person though, so I really like the Roses de Chloe for spring!

[txcatx]

I love Roses de Chloe and wish I had a million sample vials of that one instead of regular Chloe!

[k617]

I bought an adorable little 20 mL spray! I wish all companies would come out with small sizes spray (rather than rollerballs). Much more manageable, and easier to spray than to roll!

[pocketvenus]

Day Five - Byredo's Accord Oud

A tame and easily wearable oud paired with sharp, dry woods and leather. I would compare the "difficulty" level of the oud to that of TF's Oud Wood. Will see if the longevity is better than other Byredos I've tried.

[Libellules]

I haven't had much luck with Byredo @pocketvenus, but I do love me some Oud! Based on your description, I'll have to track down a sample 🙂

[pocketvenus]

Yes, they are expensively priced for the performance I find – some are quite interesting out of the starting gate but then… they fall apart? I can still smell Accord Oud on my wrist but it became a faint blur within 2-3 hours.

And I love oud fragrances too! I am saving some of the richer oud samples for later ❤️

[JenniferOhJenny]

Day 5 - am going to the doctor today so I originally wanted to wear something that I really liked (Josie Maran vanilla apricot body butter + Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Abricot), to make me happy. But then I thought, what if something goes wrong and then I'll associate that perfume with it and I'll never be able to wear it again? So I grabbed a random sample (Chanel Chance) and put that on, instead. Unfortunately, I don't like it at all and it's just adding to my general bad mood. Probably should have gone with the vanilla apricot.

In unrelated news, I have a tendency to over-think things. 😉

[alexasteph]

No fault in overthinking your fragrances though! Since scent is the strongest sense tied to our memories, you have a valid reason to not want to ruin one if your favorites. Hopefully your doctor appointment goes well and your day turns around! 

[greenporchlights]

Day 5: Today I busted out one of my treasures that I'm afraid to use because it's discontinued: Jo Malone - Vanilla & Anise. I should have stocked up, because it's just so beautiful. The perfect amount of creaminess and spice with only the faintest sweetness. 

Day 4: an old standby: Tocca - Margaux; this one makes me feel confident and hyper-sensual (not sensual like sexy, but sensual like 'of the senses'... keenly aware of sensory stimuli... I'm making no sense).

Backlog:

Spoiler

Day 3: Parfumerie Generale - Felanilla 

Day 2: Elizabeth and James - Nirvana Bourbon 

Day 1: Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Grand Soir 

[harlequinginger]

Day 5: Lady Vengeance by Juliette  Has a Gun

I have mixed feelings about the whole Juliette range. They pretty much all smell better on me during the summer. I like this one a lot though, which is surprising considering I can't stand the main notes (rose and patchouli) on their own. 

Does anybody know if the perfume is inspired by the Park Chan-wook film of the same name? Because if so, I love it even more!

Day 4: Fleur d'Aspiration by La Fleur by Livvy

Another Scent Trunk holdover. This one was really not me at all. It has that cloying almost banana-ish smell that sometimes comes with florientals and I just can't hang. BF thinks it smells like Flintstones vitamins. It also disappeared on my way to work, which is fine by me since the smell was so disappointing.

Previous days:

Spoiler

Day 3: Fat Electrican by Etat Libre d'Orange 
Day 2: Coconut Milk by Sarah Horowitz 
Day 1: Atelier Vanilla Incensee and Orange Sanguine