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Post by Holly

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Hiya APJ gang!

I have formed a club, and I’m recruiting members! There are no requirements, no dues to be paid, no meetings and your participation is gonna be mostly in your own head! That’s where most things start anyway, right? You don’t even have to declare your membership. In fact, I will now assume that you are all members of The Move On Monday Club. Welcome!

Move On Monday Club

No doubt you’re wondering “what the hell does this have to do with perfume?” Good question! You see, over the last year I got myself into a pickle with my um, sincerely enthusiastic purchasing of perfume samples. I had my reasons, but now it’s time to move on. No whining, cringing, hand-wringing, sobbing, reviews of my PayPal account, denial or regret. So I’m hoping you’ll help me out. My Move on Mondays are my way of dealing with thoughts, feelings and things that have been lurking in the depths and need to be addressed. I like the alliteration, and the mindset helps set the tone for the week for me.

I have more than 300 samples. All from the last eighteen months. Yep, I went apeshit crazy! Then suddenly, about six months ago, I became overwhelmed. I stopped opening the Olfactif boxes and envelopes from decanters and so on and so forth. I kept ordering. I’d get to it. Then, I put the boxes in a huge box, and envelopes in giant trash bags, and tossed them into closets. Nut job! Move on.

Now I know that there are many people who have tons of samples and are comfortable with that. I personally am not. For a while, I created an image of The Sample Sea, where my samples are gently drifting in and out, and I thought that eventually I’d surf the sea and accept whatever drifts along my way. That has been a comforting image for a while, but now the sirens are singing and the samples are hissing and spitting and demanding attention. The Sample Sea is a gyre, replete with plastic bags, paper envelopes, cardboard boxes and detritus.

So what I’d like to know is what is your perfume sampling journey like these days?
Do you have a clear sense of your style and prefer to stick with it? Has it been consistent?
Do you like to experiment and will try almost anything?
Do you consider what you have to be a collection, or kinda willy-nilly?
Do you plan your purchases?
Do you organize your samples?
How do you sample? Do you pick one at a time, or five or ten?
Do you have a yes, a no, and a maybe pile?

How do you decide what is full-bottle worthy? Do you have particular requirements such as price, sillage, longevity, consistency from the top notes through the dry down?

Some popular Sample Sites include: Surrender To Chance, Posh Peasant, My Perfume Samples

Them there’s a lotta questions! Whew! I hope this doesn’t look like homework, and that you’ll enjoy sharing some of your insights. Thank you in advance.
Love and hugs to all,
Holly xo