Tweet
I used to be unconcerned with fragrances. I just used essential oils. Then I read idle posts
Catlord17 posts were also helpful
So here are some things I've learned this year...
1) In the past 3 months, I've tried over 75 scents. Probably more than that. I think I've learned a few things to tell you that might help you save time and a lot of money.
2) Sample before buying because just because it's expensive, it might still smell awful on you! Also you need to know how it smells on your skin. I go to places that have bottles ready to spray on. I spray and then I smell the application area about every 20 minutes or so. If after 4 hours it still smells good, then it will probably will at 6 and 8 hours. At least it does for me. There have been a few high end scents that ended up smelling awful on me, or they disappear in about 2 hours. Had I just bought them thinking they'd smell great, or last 6+ hours, I'd be out more than $100 and very angry! Some stores will make sample bottles for you of ones you select. Other will have pre-made sample bottles. Just ask.
3) For better prices, check Amazon and Overstock and Walmart and ebay. Please keep in mind that sometimes even those places are over priced. I've seen fragrances that were selling recognizable brands at sometimes 2 or 3 times the cost for no logical reason, when I know I could go to the mall and get it cheaper.
4) Belcam has imitation scents of popular and well known fragrances. The ones I've tried, I find they smell very similar to the originals. Interesting to me that some of the imitation fragrances smell better than the originals, and some last longer too! Belcam seems to be about a third to a fourth of the price of the originals, or even less! So if you are on a budget you might want to try them. You can check out their site, or stop by Walmart (which should have more than a few).
5) fragrantica is a great site for getting more information about a scent you like. But I'd still encourage you to sample before you buy. I've read descriptions, reviews, and ingredients that sounded excellent, only to have the scent smell bland or awful on me. You can also scroll down to the section “This perfume reminds me of” and look for possible substitutes if you want to find something that might be less expensive.
6) idle is super smart!
7) Catlord17 is a perfumer.
8) When you make a decision about what you want to buy... then wait a week before buying it. Seriously, I wished I'd done that more. During the week you are waiting, I'd encourage you to go back to the store and sample again what you want to buy. Make very sure it smells good on you after 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 6 hours, etc... (Remember checking every 20 or so.) Also, keep trying other scents during that week because you might find ones you like better. Unfortunately, I bought some fairly high end scents that smell really good on me but there are others I liked better.
9) Of all the scents I've sampled, only about 8 have smelled really good on me continually and past the 4 hours mark. Most ended up smelling very bland. Some smelled awful! It didn't seem to matter if it was an imitation like Belcam or something high end or something mid range priced. In fact, this week I sampled 11 and only 1 smelled really good on me continually as well as 4 hours later.
10) There are sites that sell sample bottles of expensive scents in case you want to try them before you buy them and can't find samples on ebay.
11) I stay away from limited edition scents. I thought about it and getting a limited edition seems illogical. If I like a limited edition scent, how am I going to find another bottle? Also the price is usually a lot more. So I'd be paying a lot of money for something that if I like it I may not be able to get it again. Sounds like buying a limited edition would be setting myself up for disappointment rather than experiencing the elitism of having something exclusive.
Catlord17 posts were also helpful
So here are some things I've learned this year...
1) In the past 3 months, I've tried over 75 scents. Probably more than that. I think I've learned a few things to tell you that might help you save time and a lot of money.
2) Sample before buying because just because it's expensive, it might still smell awful on you! Also you need to know how it smells on your skin. I go to places that have bottles ready to spray on. I spray and then I smell the application area about every 20 minutes or so. If after 4 hours it still smells good, then it will probably will at 6 and 8 hours. At least it does for me. There have been a few high end scents that ended up smelling awful on me, or they disappear in about 2 hours. Had I just bought them thinking they'd smell great, or last 6+ hours, I'd be out more than $100 and very angry! Some stores will make sample bottles for you of ones you select. Other will have pre-made sample bottles. Just ask.
3) For better prices, check Amazon and Overstock and Walmart and ebay. Please keep in mind that sometimes even those places are over priced. I've seen fragrances that were selling recognizable brands at sometimes 2 or 3 times the cost for no logical reason, when I know I could go to the mall and get it cheaper.
4) Belcam has imitation scents of popular and well known fragrances. The ones I've tried, I find they smell very similar to the originals. Interesting to me that some of the imitation fragrances smell better than the originals, and some last longer too! Belcam seems to be about a third to a fourth of the price of the originals, or even less! So if you are on a budget you might want to try them. You can check out their site, or stop by Walmart (which should have more than a few).
5) fragrantica is a great site for getting more information about a scent you like. But I'd still encourage you to sample before you buy. I've read descriptions, reviews, and ingredients that sounded excellent, only to have the scent smell bland or awful on me. You can also scroll down to the section “This perfume reminds me of” and look for possible substitutes if you want to find something that might be less expensive.
6) idle is super smart!
7) Catlord17 is a perfumer.
8) When you make a decision about what you want to buy... then wait a week before buying it. Seriously, I wished I'd done that more. During the week you are waiting, I'd encourage you to go back to the store and sample again what you want to buy. Make very sure it smells good on you after 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 6 hours, etc... (Remember checking every 20 or so.) Also, keep trying other scents during that week because you might find ones you like better. Unfortunately, I bought some fairly high end scents that smell really good on me but there are others I liked better.
9) Of all the scents I've sampled, only about 8 have smelled really good on me continually and past the 4 hours mark. Most ended up smelling very bland. Some smelled awful! It didn't seem to matter if it was an imitation like Belcam or something high end or something mid range priced. In fact, this week I sampled 11 and only 1 smelled really good on me continually as well as 4 hours later.
10) There are sites that sell sample bottles of expensive scents in case you want to try them before you buy them and can't find samples on ebay.
11) I stay away from limited edition scents. I thought about it and getting a limited edition seems illogical. If I like a limited edition scent, how am I going to find another bottle? Also the price is usually a lot more. So I'd be paying a lot of money for something that if I like it I may not be able to get it again. Sounds like buying a limited edition would be setting myself up for disappointment rather than experiencing the elitism of having something exclusive.
Comment