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The Big Sniff

560 replies

CountFosco · 21/01/2018 19:57

Welcome to The Big Sniff!

Some of us on the Perfumista threads have decided it might be fun to have a synchronised perfume smelling. The idea is once a week, probably a Sunday, we all try the same perfume and post our opinions here. We’re very friendly so don’t worry if you’re not an expert (I’m definitely not!), the idea is to have some fun.

We’ve contacted The Perfume Society and have wangled a 20% discount on a mixed box of 9 perfume samples (plus a hand cream, some cleanser and a bar of Green and Black chocolate - what’s not to like?). The Box we’re going for this time is The Velvet Collection. All you do is visit The Perfume Society website, Add The Velvet Collection to your cart and use the coupon Mumsnet (we’re original like that!). The box is normally £19 (or £15 if you’re a VIP subscriber), but with our discount it is £15.20, (or £12 if you’re a VIP subscriber of The Perfume Society). There are some other lovely boxes on sale at the moment which come highly recommended by some of our Perfumistas and would make lovely gifts or to keep for yourself not enabling at all oh no

If you are interested then sign up here and get over to The Perfume Society and order your box. We’ll do the first Big Sniff on Sunday 28th January. Oh, and before you eat all the chocolate have a look at the sniffing notes, there’s some on the chocolate as well.

The contents of the box are as follows:
• Atkinsons Pirates Grand Reserve 1.2 ml eau de parfum(full size £120 for 100 ml)
• Floral Street Chypre Sublime 1.5 ml eau de parfum(full size £55 for 50 ml)
• Connock Andiroba Eau de Parfum 1.5 ml eau de parfum(full size £75 for 100 ml)
• Avery‘E’ 4 ml pure perfume (full size £90 for 30 ml)
• Lalique Rêve d’Infini 1.8 ml eau de parfum(full size £72 for 100 ml)
• Map of the Heart Gold Heart v.4 1 ml eau de parfum(full size £150 for 90 ml)
• Ruth Mastenbroek Firedance 2 ml eau de parfum(full size £90 for 50 ml)
• Vince Camuto Amore 7.5 ml MINIATURE eau de parfum(full size £60 for 100 ml)
• Valeur Absolue Rouge Passion 1.5 ml eau de parfum(full size £59 for 45 ml)
• philosophy purity made simple 3-in-1 cleanser for face and eyes30 ml lotion (full size £19 for 240 ml)
• Cochine White Jasmine & Gardenia Hand Cream5 ml (full size £24 for 100 ml)
• Green & Black’s Velvet Edition Orange & Almond Chocolate 100 g

OP posts:
PerfumeIsAMessage · 22/01/2018 21:28

I am placemarking only as TPS don't deliver to Italy (boo hiss, if you're reading TPS lots of other perfume places do and you'd make loads of money out of me, just sayin') Grin

CountFosco · 22/01/2018 21:37

Agree Bluebell, alphabetical by Perfume House so we can all spend Sunday smelling like a Pirate Gin

OP posts:
MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 21:42

Can we do our reviews pirate-stylee too Jim-Lad?

MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 21:44

Sorry...the excitement is getting to me Smile.

GreenRut · 22/01/2018 21:45

New to perfume smelling, am stuck on 2 perfumes I buy all the time (boss orange and hypnotic poison) so - I'm in!

MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 21:50

I've just looked at the Atkinsons' notes. I was braced for an 1805 meets The Dark Heart of Old Havana style mash-up, but it has hyacinth and cashmeran, so sounds a fair bit softer?

64BooLane · 22/01/2018 21:57

I don’t really have too much perfume. Grin It’s more that I have a lot of tiny decants* scattered around from random late-night Les Senteurs sample orders. Some of them have lost their cardboard labels/been bundled into travel bags for overnights and half-forgotten.

Aha, though. I could make a project of using them up before we start! That would be so satisfying.

*my phone tried to change this to “tiny deviants”

Lovelydovey · 22/01/2018 22:01

I’m in and have ordered!

MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 22:14

Is it cheating to look-up the notes Blush?

MrsPestilence · 22/01/2018 22:17

Is it cheating to look-up the notes Blush?

Probably Grin, some people will look up notes, some will sniff blind on the day, some will trial the perfume a few days before to be more confident. If there is a mix, it should work.

MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 22:22

Sorry All - won't post anything else on notes in advance of sniff-day itself.

MrsPestilence · 22/01/2018 22:39

MrsGruber if you post the link to the notes etc. then new perfume fanatics or just normal folk can follow it and read up. Might be an idea, especially for the first perfume. Was really hard work doing the blind sniff.

MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 22:49

MrsP - I looked at the Fragrantica triangle, as DS has made off with TPS notes cards but of course there are reviews further down the Fragrantica page, which might be an even greater spoiler. What do you think?

MrsPestilence · 22/01/2018 23:07

In some ways Fragrantica can be a spoiler, in other ways it can be an education. But every perfume sniffer should know it exists. I think it will make some people feel more confident.

MrsGruber · 22/01/2018 23:17

Fragrantica: Pirates' Grand Reserve. You'll find details of notes and reviews here...so only click if this won't spoil your sniffing experience at the weekend!

Motoko · 23/01/2018 01:15

I'm in! Just ordered my box. I'm so looking forward to this. I love TPS boxes. The Catwalk Collection box I got last week was an absolute bargain.

BluebellGal · 23/01/2018 07:56

Great to see lots of people have signed up now!

BluebellGal · 23/01/2018 07:59

Boo Grin the mark of a perfumista perfume addictis a late night ordering sesh on Les Senteurs. Safer than visiting the shop with all the beautiful bottles- it could bankrupt you! They have a newly refurbished shop now (London) just the one now. I bet it’s lovely

CountFosco · 23/01/2018 12:15

So what do we all think a pirate should smell of? Rum? Tobacco? Leather?
Oranges or limes? Body odour? The sea?

OP posts:
MrsGruber · 23/01/2018 12:51

Top notes: gunpowder, lime, metallic notes.
Heart: seawater, rum, cumin.
Base: timber, tobacco, and perhaps some of that fucus/azurone accord Antoine Lie used in SM (maybe some of his 'adrenaline' accord too?). That might help with the bad teeth?

Let's face it, we don't expect a pirate to smell very pleasant...?

AnotherPinkiePieStory · 23/01/2018 13:26

Hi. Looking forward to joining you all. I have lurked for a while, using your knowledge and have a long list of things to try. I’ve opened my box already (ordered as xmas present to myself) but not tried everything yet so hope I can join in and gain perfumista status!

64BooLane · 23/01/2018 18:03

So what do we all think a pirate should smell of?

I reckon the pirate captains and the lowly deck-swabbers probably had quite different personal odours. Love MrsGruber’s ideas. Hope it’s along those lines and not blood or fish or filthy underclothes Grin

MrsGruber · 23/01/2018 18:44

Spices too?

Hadn't thought about fish...yikes Boo, hope the Beaufort folks don't catch on to that....

BluebellGal · 23/01/2018 21:23

I imagine a pirate to smell of rum, coconuts and tabacco. The reality is probably sweat, fish and halitosis!

CountFosco · 24/01/2018 12:57

hope I can join in and gain perfumista status!

Oh absolutely. Considering how many naughty people have already eaten their chocolate presampling is absolutely fine I may already know what a pirate smells like

OP posts: