To think it's fine to try on perfumes in a shop?

[user3974465]

I was in Selfridges today, and they had the naice Tom Ford testers, so I sprayed my neck, wrists and jacket so I could try it out. I do this often and regularly return to buy or go online after I've worn it in. I don't think you can get a true feel for it from spraying it on the little strip cards. I do give myself a generous dousing.

AIBU to think this is perfectly acceptable? Id never thought of it before, but I noticed that the assistant sort of rolled her eyes at me. Is this a faux pas?! or Tom Ford snob specific

Scent testing is the same as tasting a sample.

Of cheese for example...you don't have a big old wedge on a cracker FFS you are given a small cube.

Same with scent...they expect you to squirt your wrist. That's enough to see what it smells like!

Of cheese for example...you don't have a big old wedge on a cracker FFS grin you are given a small cube

If the cubes are left out for testing no-one gives a shiny shit if you have 3 of them instead of one.

They're not often left alone these days though are they? Because of greedy buggers.

They are where I shop. Which is great cos I like cheese

I never eat those samples because I'm always afraid people have sneezed or coughed on them.

People could sneeze or cough in a restaurant, or factory, or anywhere. They probably haven't but so what if they have? No harm to you.

They are where I shop too. Hence DD2 and I wending our way from the cat food section to the checkout via the cheese section in Whole Foods yesterday.

They keep the samples in little igloo shaped thingies with a small opening, and they provide tongs so you can fish out your cubes without touching them.

Fancy! They're just on sticks on an open plate in my plebby shops!

It's absolutely fine, OP. If I'm going to spend $100+ on a new perfume, I want to know what it smells like as I wear it. I learned my lesson after I did a tiny squirt on one of the scent paper sticks of a Prada perfume. Smelt divine on paper in the shop. Gave me a giant headache and made my DH sneeze when I was wearing it!

One spritz is enough however the Tom Ford counter at selfridges London is staffed by slightly sniffy sa's so I wouldn't worry too much

steff13 - I get headaches too.I run away from people who douse themselves, its gross. I feel like perfume just smells like chemicals and dirty to me. I like essential oils. ☺

I think it's fine - I spray once on my wrists and once on my neck because that's what I'd do at home. If they want me to go and drop £100 on a bottle (which I often do), I don't expect them to get dicky over an extra spray or two.

steff13 You're not alone; I get migraines from people who "generously" douse themselves in perfume.

I use to work I a beauty hall, every morning you'd get the regulars gone in, do their makeup with the testers, spray a shed load of fragrance. It's annoying as when you run out (and some companies can be notoriously slow for replacing testers) you wouldn't have anything for the genuine customers. Not that I'm saying you did this, but just reminded me

Dousing yourself in perfume, whether it's yours or a tester, is pretty unreasonable anyway, imo. It's not meant to be something you can smell a mile off, it's meant to be subtle. And for people with allergies, great wafts of perfume coming off other people can cause all kinds of problems. Show a little restraint.

I do both, a squirt or two on me and a generous squirt or three on a tester card, or two, which I then either forget about but which make my bag smell good, or if I remember I put them in my knicker drawer. Some perfumes have a very short life span I find, but others linger for ages.

phalenopsisgirl this is because you are going to the wrong perfumery counter. Try the perfume department at Fortnums, huge space to move around in, all the usual perfumes plus lots of unusual ones, lovely friendly staff. If you really want a miserable perfume shopping experience go to Liberty. Lovely perfumes, but tiny room and very snippy staff who even when you spend hundreds act as though they are milking the perfumes from their childrens salivary glands if you ask for samples.

When I want to buy perfume I try them out on the strips till I find one I like, then spray that one on myself the same as I would at home. Then I go off and do the rest of my shopping at if develops and wears in a way I like (and doesn't give me a headache as so many seem to) I will go back and buy it.

That seems a perfectly reasonable approach. Perfume is an expensive luxury; I'm not buying it on the strength of two seconds and a tiny little squirt.

I do know someone who used to go into boots every day and do her make-up with the testers, use the spray de-odorant and perfumes. Now that's cheeky.

YANBU.

This thread sounds like Viz Top Tips 'Don't bother buying expensive perfume and make up, simply swing by a department store on your way to work/a night out and use all the testers'. In fact, I think that really is a VTT.

I do my wrists only, but I don't mind what other people do! However, I reckon that Tom Ford counter must have so many people just coming in and spraying themselves and leaving again. It's right by one of the entrances, and so expensive and desirable that this must happen all the time and maybe they just get a bit fed up with it.

It's fine to use a perfume tester on yourself so know what it smells like on your skin, but I personally would just spritz/dab on the wrist or rather than 'dousing' both wrists, both sides of my neck and my jacket. Just as I would test a foundation with a dab on my jawline/cheek rather than standing there doing my whole face with it.

I wouldn't ever spray perfume on my jacket at home, let alone in a department store.

I'm late to the party, but may.. ahem... have a connection to a perfume company that is a competitor to the naice tom ford ones originally mentioned (though a much much much much smaller company, and i'm not part of it and don't work for it)..... You should definitely be spraying it on your skin to try it. The higher quality perfumes will smell quite differently on different people. The more mass produced ones tend to have much lower content of actual 'scent' and a lot more filler, and won't be likely to change their smell so much when you put them on.

Having said that, for a company like the one I'm talking about, the actual product is much more expensive to make, the sales are lower (it's v expensive), and it's not always easy/economical/well managed to get new samples to the store when one runs out.

So yes, please do try the testers - it's the only way to really know, but personally, I think it's taking the mickey a bit to give yourself a 'generous dousing' all over clothes etc. But then that's possibly because a lot of people do this, and then don't actually bother ever buying anything (even if they like it) and because anyone giving themselves a 'generous dousing' in one of the higher quality perfume would be overbearing to be stuck in the lift with on the way up to shoes

A spray to the wrist and neck is reasonable.
I think perfume alters a little on my neck, not sure if it's because I'm warmer there.

Both wrists, boths sides of neck and the jacket is daft for every day surely. That sounds like the perfume habits thay give me a bad head when I meet people. I was always told if you can smell your perfume without moving your wrist to your nose you have too much on. Sorry - misses point of thread.
Yes, that was a bit much for a tester