My mom and sister have always been into fragrance. I have memories of loaded bathroom counters with bottles of various shapes and sizes and stories. We weren’t a family that indulged a ton, but a good perfume was something to be savored.
To be honest, I wasn’t *that* into perfume until college. I understood it from an intellectual point of view, and obviously had warm memories associated with it thanks to my mom and sister. But for me personally, I was neutral for a long time.
Something changed in my brain as I entered my 20s and I started to appreciate life’s little treats. Perfume was still somewhat of a spectator sport for me. I loved talking with my sister about which perfumes she was looking into. They all had their own energy, their own story, their own mood. I started to see, through her eyes, how alive fragrance can be.
Now, I love perfume – although I am by no means an expert. There are people who are really into it. When they talk about scent, most of their words are long and French and overwhelming. I just enjoy it, on a fairly basic level.
No matter what your perfume IQ, if you enjoy perfume at all, may I suggest the site Luckyscent? I discovered this site a while back, because me being me, I wanted to find a unique scent that a million other people weren’t already wearing. I also wanted to be able to try out a bunch of scents before I bought something, and at my own pace.
There are a few things I like about this site:
- You can purchase samples of any perfume, including the super fancy once, for a few bucks a pop.
- If you’re overwhelmed by all the options, they do “fragrance fittings,” where you can send them a note of what kind of scents you like or don’t like. One of their “noses” will send you five or so fragrances to try out, for about $40. I did this and LOVED it.
- Their descriptions of the fragrances are EVERYTHING. Take this description of the perfume 1969 by Histoires de Parfums: The carnal sensuality of a voluptuous bunch of spices. In the trail of this oriental gourmand, mystery is tinted with eroticism that the mythical year of 1969 evokes without a blush. Oh my. You’ll have to read that one under the covers with a flashlight.
- The customers who review are very loyal and very thorough. One of the few sites where people leave super concise comments that can genuinely help you decide on whether or not to buy a product.
- You won’t find department store fragrances here. They are all independent brands who aren’t trying to appeal to a huge swath of the population. This is where I learned the term “niche perfumes,” because that’s a lot of what they sell.
- Want to buy someone a fancy gift? They sell candles, room sprays, even books – all revolving around the wonder that is smelly, smelly, good perfume.
The downside is that it’s pricey. There are very few perfumes under $150. At this point in my life, spending that much on a perfume is a big investment. But man, experiencing how nuanced and rich and complex these scents are is out of this world.
My pick? I’m eyeing Salome by Papillon Artisan Perfumes. I have a sample and have used it to the last drop. Love, love, love it. It’s worth going to the site and reading the description. These people are poets.
What do you think?
love,
Stig
PS. Nope, they didn’t pay me to do this review. I just really like their site.
