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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:
Motoko · 27/01/2018 10:09

CareFusion If I'm trying something for the first time, I just spray on one wrist, then rub that wrist on the other.
If I like a perfume, I do the same as you.
I don't know how long the samples last, as I wear a different one each day, and I have quite a few now, so it'll take a while before any of them get used up.

MairzyDoats Don't feel intimidated about joining the running perfume threads. Everyone is welcome. I only joined in a thread or two ago (I'd lurked for a few more) and I'm very much a novice. I can rarely pick out different notes, I just know that I do or don't like any particular perfume, and can sometimes get a general "feel" for whether a perfumes is fresh, or green, or sweet, or woody etc.
If it wasn't for the threads, I would never have heard of the smaller or niche perfume houses, nor know that I could buy samples to try them out. People often post links, so that makes things easy to find.

Come and join us!

BluebellGal · 27/01/2018 10:28

Some advice on perfume application...

  1. Make sure your skin is moisrurised as this makes your perfume last longer. Dry skin will eat up perfume. I just use the remnants of my night face cream which is on my hands, on wrists and neck. Some people swear by a bit of Vaseline to make Perfume last longer.

  2. Spray light to start with - you can always spray more. A spray on the wrists & collarbone should be enough. I also like to spray cleavage as the fragrance nicely wafts up as I move during the day. There are some perfumes where this could be too much though, because the sillage (that means projection) is massive- a case in point is Mugler’s Angel. Others fragrances like Jo Malone, require more sprays because they are colognes (ie have a minuscule amount of Perfume oil) and are not proper perfumes.

  3. Do not rub your wrists together! This will break the scent molecules and reduce longevity. Instead let the perfume dry naturally and sink into the skin.

  4. Store your perfume away from light and heat - otherwise Perfume will quickly lose its top notes. Depending on ventilation, the bathroom is possibly the worst place to store your perfume. I store my FBs at the bottom of my wardrobe.

  5. A sample of 1 ml will probably last 3 days of wear. Most samples are double this though and tend to last me a full 7 days of wear. Eau de parfum tend to last longer as you don’t need as many sprays.

  6. Make your perfume last longer by a spraying a little in hair/ on scarf/ top. In summer the inside elbows & backs of knees can be a good place to spray for full day events such as weddings.

Motoko · 27/01/2018 12:12

Do not rub your wrists together!

Aah, I shall stop doing that then!

MairzyDoats · 27/01/2018 13:02

I'm in! Box ordered, can't wait!

MairzyDoats · 27/01/2018 13:03

Also, I never knew that about moisturising pre-spray... But it makes perfect sense!

CountFosco · 27/01/2018 14:05

3) Do not rub your wrists together! This will break the scent molecules and reduce longevity. Instead let the perfume dry naturally and sink into the skin.

This is partly wrong and partly correct. You can't break scent molecules by rubbing your wrists together. But you definitely get a longer lasting scent if you leave to dry. I suspect it's just that rubbing your wrists together speeds up evaporation and you lose more of the volatiles more quickly.

OP posts:
BluebellGal · 27/01/2018 14:54

Thanks Fosco science was not my best subject at school!

CareFusion · 27/01/2018 16:21

Great tips above re application. thank you all.

CountFosco · 27/01/2018 17:37

Whereas I am a scientist🔬

OP posts:
MrsGruber · 27/01/2018 18:25

Glad to know we're in safe hands Count Smile. When I read Luca Turin's The Secret of Scent it (briefly) made me feel like one too Grin.

64BooLane · 27/01/2018 18:37

I’ve seen the wrist-rubbing problem described in terms of not wanting to “crush the heart”. I can’t remember where I saw that expression but I’ve just tried googling it and came up with this:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/imabeautygeek.com/.amp/2013/05/03/what-really-happens-if-you-rub-your-wrists-together-when-you-apply-perfume/

Mildly interesting despite taking aaaages to get to the point in that annoying “web content” way.

64BooLane · 27/01/2018 18:38

Basically it says the same as what Count has already said. Smile

CountFosco · 27/01/2018 19:09

smug

OP posts:
CountFosco · 28/01/2018 08:11

PERFUMISTA KLAXON Today is the day. Get squirting with your sample of Atkinsons Pirates' Grand Reserve (plus eating chocolate if you have any left!).

For those of you who are not reading the smelling notes before sniffing here are the non-spoiler questions for discussion:

If you were a pirate where in the world would you sail to first?
Imagine Pirates' Grand Reserve as a person; describe how they'd look.
What would the menu of a grand feast inspired by this scent contain?
Which other gourmand perfumes have you tried, and how does this differ?
Which three worlds best sum up Atkinsons Pirates' Grand Reserve to you? Adventurous? Spirited? Sultry? Over to you...

OP posts:
lasttimeround · 28/01/2018 08:45

Hurrah - caught this just before shower so will now remember

BigPuddleOfFloofyCatOnTheFloor · 28/01/2018 08:52

Arrrrrrrrr me hearties!!!

I have been meaning for ages to say this on here, does anyone remember the Pirate Sex Noises thread on here? GrinI think it was a few years ago now but it was v funny.

Anyhoo, watching with interest....

CheapTarnishedGlitter · 28/01/2018 08:53

Just squirted. Not what I expected - first sniff is TCP or similar. What's ausing that?Don't want to dwell on what these pirates have been up to.

Hoping for some vanillery rum to kick in...

BlaWearie · 28/01/2018 09:19

Mine isn't here yet Sad

CountFosco · 28/01/2018 09:19

Pirate Sex, just for you FloofyCat

OP posts:
MrsPestilence · 28/01/2018 09:49

Not the start I was expecting. The hotel has run put of tea Hmm However, I am in Plymouth at the moment, very Francis Drake. Heliotrope and chocolate essence.

CountFosco · 28/01/2018 09:53

I get a blast of dark rum initially. Old Navy rather than Appleton Estate. But also getting some roughness that is either woody or tobacco and a touch of chocolate.

OP posts:
MrsGruber · 28/01/2018 10:03

Floof! Shock Trying to forget I read that...

Anyway, ahoy shipmates!

Cheap - I only sprayed an hour ago but I'm with you on the rum notes being missing in action (which in my case may be a good thing as I'm not that keen). I can pick up a gently herbal/medicinal thing , which is becoming more prominent at the hour mark, but it's not at TCP strength on me!

I get a similarity to Courreges Hyperbole - maybe they both have vanilia/patchouli-based accords? So far, Atkinson's has stayed pretty milky, relatively shallow and fuzzily cozy whilst Hyperbole is a bit more dynamic, going through a clearer and brighter stage, running from the almost floral down through to balsamic and peppery.

Will keep on sniffing...

MrsGruber · 28/01/2018 10:08

Sorry to hear that Pest - but I am imagining your face is nicely cleansed? (And sorry to drift off topic but why haven't they sent someone out to a convenience store or garage????).

lasttimeround · 28/01/2018 11:53

I get something gourmand like in the dry down which is a little rum like. Opening is spicy dry, I get the tcp reference but it's nicer than that, leathery but spicy.
I thought the rum would cone through more clearly there's an Atkinsons in the TPA member box with a juniper note that just goes "gin!" really loud and clear. Lovely on a very sunny day. I thought this might just boom "rum!" as loudly but in a cold weather fitting way. It doesn't quite

BluebellGal · 28/01/2018 11:55

I’m getting oud/ Woods tabacco and vanilla- nice so far

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