The Holy Grail of sites for perfume sampling addicts

[mollyringle]

To the certain destruction of much of my free time and pocket change, I have discovered The Perfumed Court. They sell sample-size decants of nearly every fragrance under the sun, including some very hard-to-find and even discontinued ones. Most of the smallest vials are $3 each, which is an affordable price for getting to try the perfume for a few days or a week to see if you really like it.

Also, some of the larger sample vials are big enough for a hundred sprays, enough to last a month or two. Seems a good option when you've already sampled a scent and you know you like it, but can't quite bring yourself to spring for a big, expensive bottle.

Such is the case with me and Fresh's Cannabis Santal, which I've tested and retested over the past year and finally have to admit I covet. No, it doesn't smell like pot smoke, thank goodness. Not on me, anyway. I get a relaxing, spicy, somewhat masculine blend of chocolate, vanilla, vetiver, and resinous shrubs--rockrose ("labdanum" in the fragrance world) and sandalwood come to mind, though they aren't included in the official list of notes. How they made that all work together, I do not know, but I really like it.

So then along with the larger spray vial of Cannabis Santal, I ended up ordering four small samples of other scents from hither and yon. Hard to restrict myself to just four. It would be hard to restrict myself to just a hundred, actually. This site has not seen the last of me, oh no indeed.

Comments

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

Ah, I've heard a lot about The Perfumed Court! However, I really cannot afford to get into those kind of perfumes... My perfume habit is pricy enough! :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it's got a lot of good word circulating. Yeah, the habit is spendy all right, but I can't seem to kick it!

[dirae.livejournal.com]

I think Kevon is silently smiting you for introducing me to this site.

I'm smitten.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Apologies to all. :)

I know. It's like crack, isn't it? I am loving the option of browsing by fragrance note, or via their "beginner's guide" lists. They're clearly quite knowledgeable about the industry. Fast, too--already got my "your order has shipped" email. Yay!

[dirae.livejournal.com]

My sister thanks you too.

She spent more than "a little pocket change" on there today and bought me oodles of samples as a bonus.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Cool. Indeed, the word must be spread. This site must not be allowed to languish and die.

[kali-kali.livejournal.com]

I've recently been (conditionally) sucked into the BPAL (Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs) fandom. I say "conditionally", because the group order is on its way and I haven't received my products yet as a result, but their stuff sounds VERY intriguing to say the least (one of their newest scents is the "Good Omens"[Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman]-inspired scent called "The Buggre Alle This Bible" that is "crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense" - perfect for a bibliophile like me!).

I also ordered imps (small decant vials) of thirteen others, and have a list of over a hundred more I'd like to try. This could indeed get pricey!

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I heard about the BPAL Good Omens line! Sounds like a great idea. I've got quite a few old imps lying around here, and some of their fragrances captured my fancy strongly. They just took so darn long to ship. Hope they've sped up since last I ordered...

[kali-kali.livejournal.com]

I've read complaints about them taking forever to ship, but I've also read that they seem to be getting faster at it, so that's good news at least. I'm very excited!

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

The secondhand market is always a good place to go to with BPAL!

I'm also a fan of: Possets, Blooddrops, and The Garden Bath. Some other lines are Heaven and Earth Essentials, Mythos Mixtures, Cremosa and The Midsummer Muse... So many nice little perfume companies!

[laleonaenojada.livejournal.com]

I'm a complete perfume newbie, and I've been looking for a site exactly like this for a long time. Thank you so much for the link

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

You're quite welcome. I've been looking for it myself. Spread the word around--this site must never, ever die. :)