Saturday Question: What Have You Been Sampling?

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

.

Portia

.

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a $10 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Over 200 responses I will draw a $20 Surrender To Chance Gift Card.
Comment purposefully on yours or anothers comment & you’ll have a chance, random.org will draw on Friday.

Last Weeks Winner: Didn’t make 100 comments

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with the eMail you’d like me to send your Gift Card to.

Saturday Question:

What Have You Been Sampling?

I do a lot of fragrance sampling to bring APJ to you every week. I love the thrill of getting a new to me scent and the constant question of will I love it, hate it or be bored by it. I often wonder though what it is that you all are testing lately and how much did you enjoy it. Where did you hear about it or was it a lucky sniffy find? Will you be buying a bottle or is your sample/decant all you will ever own. Do you use the online sample services or do you hope the SA will gift you a few?

My Answer:

OK, obviously I am constantly trying new stuff. I get sent a few samples each month from brands and distributors. Also, I love to trawl through the newest stuff at Surrender To Chance and can get lost there for hours. There are a couple of split groups I’m part of as well as FaceBook groups where there are often excellent splits and decanters.

What have I tried lately that has caught my attention?

Still haven’t given proper skin time to all of the Amouage Library Collection Sample Set. A couple are worn to empty and others neglected.

Criminal Elements: I cannot impress enough upon you all how much I love their new sample set.

My latest Surrender To Chance order was a BIG one. All of a sudden it added up to well over US$200. I know, gluttony gone mad. My only excuse is that there is so much new stuff that I am unable to get my hands on here in Australia. Added to that is loving a spray so that’s 2ml of each. I have Amouage Beach Hut Man, Eric Buterbaugh Nick’s Sunflower, a few Parfumerie Generale that I’ve missed in my sniffing and a couple of Keiko Mecheri same, plus a bunch more I’ve not got my sniff on yet.

The Baruti sample set is wonderful, freaky and interesting

The Maison Incens samples that Kate Apted sent me are also intriguing.

My Saturday Question to you is:

What Have You Been Sampling?

49 thoughts on “Saturday Question: What Have You Been Sampling?”

  1. Lately I have been sampling quite a few of the Dames, including the three new ones (Earth Mother, Sky Father and Monsoon) that I have gotten my mitts on. I tend to find a house I like and then stick with it. I am dying to sample Laurie’s new creation, Bee’s Bliss as I have heard wonderful things about it (honey and mimosa). But I am on a tight budget and I have enough liquid in this house and need remember that I can thoroughly enjoy what I have without wanting more (or so I say to myself-LOL!).

    and, when my package arrives from you, Portia, I will be sampling those lovelies as well!

    Like

      • Hey CM,
        Sounds like you are having a whale of a time with the Dames. Nice.
        i need a couple of slow days to get my nose on the new stuff. Fingers crossed that this week will give me some breathing space for just that.
        Portia xx

        Like

  2. Sometimes reading a well written review seems as good as getting your nose on a fragrance!
    I have not made a big sample order for ages but have a couple of the new Cire Trudons heading my way.
    And a morning at our local perfumery trying to find a fresh summer scent, a category lacking in my collection. No luck. Any suggestions gratefully received!

    Like

    • Hey JackieB,
      Yes, the good reviewers can really take you on an olfactory journey. I like the wonderful, sometimes surreal madness of Alembicated Genie and Black Narcissus. When I want to understand frag trajectory I go to Chemist In A Bottle. Catching up with my mates means I drop into A Bottled Rose, Bonkers About Perfume or Candy Perfume Boy.
      For a summer Yum try Issey Miyake A Scent range. They are really good. Guerlain Vetiver is another excellent summer standby around here.
      Portia xx

      Like

  3. I checked my spreadsheet and I have a library of over 300 samples. Yikes! Many are Sephora free with purchase mainstream samples that I haven’t even tried yet – those o will spray once and then pass along. I keep a few “reference” samples of classics. The rest I have tried once and need to sample again because they deserve another try. I just went through a series of Vilhelm samples (meh); have tried almost the full range of Dame, and yesterday ordered a sample of SSS Bee’s Bliss along with a travel spray.

    Like

  4. I have a number of Jeffrey Dame samples to try; really loved Black Flower Mexican Vanilla! I am enjoying New Musk Oil too — I like to dab it on my wrists when I go to bed, as I do sometimes with Aveda’s Shampure Balancing Oil; they’re both very soft and soothing, but pretty. I have, but have yet to try, Earth Mother, Monsoon, Cassis Rose & Sandalwood, Chocolate Man, Rose de Mai, Peach Blossom Violet & Vanilla.

    Like

    • Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the other Dames…I just got samples of Cassis Rose & Sandalwood and finished my samples of Earth Mother and Monsoon…have the travel oils of Chocolate Man and New Musk and two bottles of Black Flower Mexican Vanilla as well as full bottles of Peach Blossom, Violet & Vanilla and Bergamot, Jasmine & Labdanum.

      Like

    • Hi there OH,
      The Dames get a LOT of love around here. He’s such a sweet man, I’m glad his frags are excellent.
      Portia xx

      Like

  5. I recently sampled three of the Ormonde Jaynes: Tolu, Osmanthus, and OJ Woman. I loved all three and would love to have full bottles of all of them.

    Like

  6. So many! And a mix of old and new. Here we go:

    Hermes Twilly-didn’t like it as much as I hoped loving Tuberose
    Figment Woman-ditto, sadly
    Arielle Shoshana EDP-love this!!! Ad copy says it doesn’t smell like anything you’ve tried before, and I would have to agree. If you don’t like passion fruit, you may not like this. That part of it is very strong. But it’s a light fragrance despite the strong top note with green notes behind the passion fruit, and I think it’s wonderful.
    Guerlain Encens Mythique D’Orient-again, sadly, didn’t care for this
    Smell Bent Snobirds-not tried yet
    Smell Bent Frankensmellie (original cocoa rose)-not tried yet

    Can’t wait to see what everyone else is trying!

    Like

  7. I jus tried a Montale, I believe Bois Vanille, and it was a scrubbbahhh. Then I tried Montale Honey Aoud, much better, but not an FB. I have his incense which I like, but I’ve heard mixed reviews of the line and STC was doing a 5 ml Friday I think. I’m an STC junky. I feel super guilty about it because I’ve hundreds of FB that I love, and hundreds of samples untried, hidden in dark places so I’m attempting to go a while….a couple of weeks? Without any more samples, FB, anything….sigh.

    Like

    • Shiva-woman, I hear your problem. Here is much the same but buying the new is as addictive as having the old. Good luck with your No-Buy.
      Portia xx

      Like

  8. This past week I have been enjoying samplers from Ineke and Olympic Orchids, and am very impatiently waiting for the Olibere library to arrive.

    Like

    • YAY! Two of my fave houses VerbenaLuvvr.
      Isn’t Ineke an interesting house. The perfumes are clever and beautiful, so wearable yet a little bit freaky.
      Portia xx

      Like

    • Gins,
      That is a HUGE commitment.
      I love the Oriza L Legrand line too. Which ones particularly grabbed you?
      Portia xx

      Like

  11. I recently sampled most of the Areej le Dore line from STC. They are all superb. The only one I didn’t find was the Siberian Musk. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but Atlantic Ambergris pleases me the most. Do try them; they’re fabulous.
    I’m in California.

    Like

    • Hi Elaine,
      I don’t know this house. Thank you.
      STC are the bomb, I don’t know what I’d do without them
      Portia xx

      Like

  12. Pelargonium from Aedes and Missiones from Fugueia and dammit I like the both. Not surprising though because I got to try a bunch in a perfume store when I bought my Sauf perfume there. Obviously I cannot have enough incense themed perfumes in my life. Though now with summer I feeling drawn to BWFs 😀

    Like

    • Hey Mariann,
      Pelargonium from Aedes is YUMMY! Completely lemming it.
      Welcome to BWF season, I’m excited to get mine out too.
      Portia xx

      Like

  13. Haha, my entire collection consists of samples and decants only)) The most recent samples are discovery set of Spanish brand 27 87. Haven’t try them yet as they just arrived and need to rest.

    Like

    • WOW Anastasia,
      What a great idea. I imagine having enormous amounts of samples only would be fun.
      Love to hear what you think when you try them.
      Portia xx

      Like

  14. Just got a large sample of Aftelier Orange Sanguine but haven’t had a chance to try yet. Waiting on my little tin of Tauer samples to arrive, plus Cuir D’Ange and L’Heure Convoitee. So I’ll be busy sniffing for the next couple of weeks. And that’s going to be it for this year. No more perfume purchases! I really really mean it. I think.

    Like

    • Hi Cassieflower,
      Cuir D’Ange and L’Heure Convoitée are FABULOUS! Two bottles in my collection that I adore. YUM.
      Portia xx

      Like

  15. I am not sampling news ones but hoarding on classic ones. Some of my cherished recent purchases are Gucci L’Arte edp, Laroche Jai’Ose, and Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur. One I hope to get within 2 weeks is a little used Lutens Sarrasins in Bell Jar which is my most favorite Lutens ever though some like Fille de Berlin come close.

    Like

  16. I haven’t tested anything new for nearly a month, I think. Mostly due to a cold which has become bronchitis. It took rather a lot of willpower not to buy anything during Singles’ Day! And I’m sure I’ll buy at least once from StC or FiF before Christmas, because I have little hope of fragrant gifts from family or friends, they think I have enough perfume as it is.

    I’m eying the new miniature bottle from Tauer, so cute! I wish he would put one of my favorite Tauer scents in it.

    Like

    • Hey Ingeborg,
      Get well soon. Bronchitis is a bitch.
      SO CUTE! I love that 5ml bottle. Thinking of buying a couple too.
      Portia xx

      Like

  17. Being a student it’s difficult to blind buy a full bottle of fragrance so I’m sampling some perfume from 3 months, found many interesting fragrances like cedrat bois from mancera , Viking creed, la yaquwam etc.

    Like

  19. I’ve got a handful of new samples to play with at the moment–which is also making me dig back through older ones that were in the “hmm, interesting” pile.

    * Papillon’s Dryad: I’m smitten. Each try is making me love it a little more.
    * ELDO’s Jasmin et Cigarette: need to try this again, a little more generously. Occasional whiffs of a just-opened packet of smokes popping up to tantalise this ex-smoker under the floral. But lacking in the va-va-va-voom I was perhaps hoping for here. If a bottle fell out of the sky, I’d wear it, but, so many scents and so little time…
    * Zoologist Civet: yum, yum, yum.
    * Beaufort’s Coeur de Noir: ink and birch tar and leather and tobacco. Oh my. Himself reckons it’s too like other things I wear, but I’d disagree. I like the chewy creaking planks feeling of this a great deal on first try. Not easy, but I think this will be something to wear a few times at least. (Partly to check that the rum really is almost not there at on me, as in this first wear, because I am not a fan of boozy perfumes.) And then we’ll see…
    * PG 5.1 Suede Osmanthe. Too much of a contrast the day after Coeur de Noir–it felt thin, rather than airy and delicate.
    * Aroma M’s Vanilla Hinoki: very fuzzily pretty, but not me. It feels like wearing someone else’s clothes.

    Like

    • WOW Crikey,
      That’s quite a cross section. BUMMER that you didn’t love Suede Osmanthe, I adored it so much. Give it another go maybe?
      Portia xx

      Like

      • Hey Portia, aye, I think my perception of the Suede suffered from circumstance that didn’t let it rise and sing to me. Another day, I suspect I’ll rather like it. so will def try it again.

        It’s been a fun week of dancing all over the perfume map though–mixing unexplored territory and home comforts. (I’ve still got a little vial of Bat to try in the new samples, but today’s happily weird quotient has been used up by m/mink. I don’t wear it often, but I can never decide if it’s incredibly normal on me, or it smells like a night out with Tom Waits at the docks.)

        Like

  20. I was hoping to snag some Chanel Exclusifs from Surrender or Perfumes Court, but it seems you can’t get decant of Chanel anywhere! What gives?

    Like

  21. I’m waiting rather impatiently for some post to arrive with some Tom Fords, some L’artisans, an Incense sample pack & Bond No9 Scent of Peace. I shouldn’t order these more expensive brands because i just know i am going love them but never be able to justify purchasing a full bottle. Guess that why the decant option is so popular.
    I was going to wait for the above samples to arrive before i ordered anymore – BUT i have just ordered some more – ahhh!! i ordered up some Mancera scents – 5 little samples and some more Tom Ford for a friend who is keen to try Oud Wood and Velvet Orchid.
    My will power is non-existent when i comes to perfume! (oh and wine ha ha)

    Like

Comments are closed.