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!

[pocketvenus]

Skin-tested Kilian’s Forbidden Games today. It’s a fruity floral which is not a genre I particularly enjoy so unsurprisingly, FG was not at all to my taste. Although it’s not listed in the notes, the opening reminds me of lychee, down to the pale, translucent flesh, paired with the barest dusting of spice. The fragrance becomes more dense and sweet in the dry down. I would have preferred something cooler and more transparent OR to have seen this paired with something bitter or sharp to cut through the density and lend more depth or shape to the composition. Having said that, keeping the fragrance simpler makes it safer and easier to wear.

[blackkitty2014]

Lychee ... yum!!! Now you make me curious @pocketvenus.  I try not to try Kilian due to the cost 😉

[RoseCharlie]

@blackkitty2014 If you like Lychee notes, have you tried Lychee Sugar by FRESH? I love that scent (I own it) hehehehe.  I think it's such a beautiful summer scent.  I like to pair it with a crisp green floral sometimes too - I often layer it with Roses de Chloe.

[blackkitty2014]

I'm wearing Jasmine Sambac & Marigold sample today.  Happy to report that this scent is totally different on my skin than Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge.  Phew!!! A little spritz goes a long way.  I really like it. 

[pocketvenus]

I mostly got jasmine out of this (when sprayed on paper) but to be honest, I have no idea what marigolds smell like...! And yes, surprizingly strong for a JM

[howconnie]

Marigolds have a strong herbal scent. Often the scent associated with scents called sunflower 

[blackkitty2014]

So i tried different perfume samples for last couple days, this is the one i love the most.  Nothing unique about it just Rose and Oud (liked Tom Ford Noir de Noir, Jo Malone Rose and Oud) but it's very elegant (not loud) and i think that's why i like it.  I will take TF and JM off my list and get this in the special bottle instead. Isnt it gorgerous?

[howconnie]

That bottle is beautiful, I'm going to look for that at my store 

[pocketvenus]

Looks like liquid gold @blackkitty2014 🙂

I think my favourite rose-oud is Kilian's Musk Oud. There are so many to chose from these days 🙂

[Titian06]

Hi, all!  During my inability to sign in, I've been through the Histoires de Parfums and Commodity sample sets a second time.

I still did not care for many of the Histoires de Parfums scents.  However, many of the Commodity perfurmes that I initially was indifferent to or did not like, I liked the second time.

I was most disappointed with the Juliette Has a Gun set and the Histoires de Parfums set.  I only came away with two likes out of each set.

I am happiest with the Pinrose set and the Commodity set.  The Pinrose set had two scents I did not like due to personal preference and one migraine-inducing scent.  The Commodity set had one scent I did not like due to personal preference, one scent that can be migraine inducing given the right situation, and maybe two scents that I didn't care for (but can live with).

I'm giving all of my leftovers from these two sets, Pinrose, Juliette Has a Gun, and Etat Libre d'Orange to a friend and her two preteen daughters.  They should have fun with all the samples!

[pocketvenus]

Sorry to hear you've been having trouble signing in, @Titian06! 😞 I am wondering if you liked any of the Etat Libres?

My favourite HdP is the leather one, 1740. I bought that little Sephora set just to try it!

[Titian06]

Hi, @pocketvenus - I really like Jasmine et Cigarette, and I also like Like This.

Putain des Palaces gave me a migraine, and I did not like Remarkable People.

I was pretty much indifferent to the rest of the perfumes in the set.

[pocketvenus]

@Titian06, those are my faves from the set too, although I'd add Fat Electrician to the list 🙂 The house also has some great ones they never carried in the physical stores to my knowledge. I always though Eau de Protection could have done well, especially given the popularity of Luten’s Fille de Berlin which is similarily, a strong, dark and spicy rose.

Putain was a total powder bomb! I'm not a fan of powdery scents, I couldn't handle it lol.

[Samtian]

@Titian06 Which 2 from HdP did you like? They are like my favorite lol.

[Titian06]

Hi, @Samtian!  It looks like only one:  1804.  Noir Patchouli is missing from the set, which is why I thought it was two.  It must have given me a migraine, so I would have tossed it.  Someone from the original challenge gave wonderful reviews on HdP, so I am very disappointed that more didn't work out.  This is why I like these sample sets,  I can try a handful of a company's perfums without spending too much money.  Even though I'm disappointed this brand didn't work out, I'm happy I gave these scents a try.

[pocketvenus]

I received a couple Kilian samples so will be reviewing these. I've been familiar with the scents for awhile, but the only ones I've tried on my skin are the ouds, which are fantastic btw!

Kilian's Straight to Heaven is an easier, cozier wear than one might expect. It's a little raspy/synthetic at first, but that is toned down into a sweet and smoky cedar, like wisps of very dry smoke encircling my wrist. The patchouli grows stronger in the dry down. The projection isn't very strong but I have the sense that if you spray too much, it will just be overwhelmingly sweet.

[RoseCharlie]

@pocketvenus Oooh amazing - I've always been curious about their scents but I've never had the opportunity to test any of them so I don't know what they are like but I am dying to know! lol.  May I ask you if you purchased the samples anywhere online? I would certainly be willing to pay to test them out but so far I haven't come across any opportunities to purchase a sample.  

[pocketvenus]

@RoseCharlie, I obtained my samples from an SA but you can buy Kilian samples at Luckyscent 🙂

[veronika23]

Ohhhh thanks so much @pocketvenus!!! I have this one on my love list along with black phantom. Did you get a sample of bp as well?  Did you get them from the perfumed court? Thx!!!

[pocketvenus]

You're most welcome @veronika23! And I did not receive a BP sample. The notes sound intense, more boozy than STH 🙂 And these were just the little manufacturer samples SAs give away sometimes. The other one was Forbidden Games.

[veronika23]

Ok cool. Thanks so much @pocketvenus.  Can I ask what this scent reminds you of? Either another scent, feeling, memory, place? Your description is very good I'm just bad at figuring it out sometimes... if that makes sense. Like I know what I like but have a hard time describing or knowing what it is without actually smelling it. 😄 Thx!