What do you consider a cheap perfume?

[SisterAgatha]

I wear Dior Addict because I’ve loved it for years. A friend remarked recently that she thought it was a “cheap perfume”, I don’t think she knew that it was my favourite when she said this.

I don’t consider it cheap, and was a bit because I think it’s just around the normal range, maybe on the expensive side for everyday. When I was on maternity leave I wore Britneys Fantasy which I do consider cheap but I do like the sweet smelling ones. It’s more an everyday smell.

What do you consider to be a kind of average expense on perfume?

@ShagMeRiggins, if you like Shalimar and Opium you need to get your mitts on Andy Tauer: l'air du desert Marocain, Au Coeur du desert, Lonestar Memories are all utterly stunning spicy perfumes. And unlike many other "niche" perfumers, he's fabulous, packages it all up himself.

Chanel Coromandel needs to go on your list too!

*Poême

I would consider a cheap perfume something in the range of £10-30. Perfumes that smell cheap (to me!) are usually the sweet/candy smelling variety, prada candy for example

For anyone wishing to try new perfumes I’d def recommend bloom perfume sample boxes, they have lots of different collections depending on what you like as well as bestseller collections. None of them are the high street, designer perfume brands so you will find something no one else you know is wearing which is a great feeling

Thank you SOLINVICTUS, I will definitely give those a try.

This is embarrassingly exciting. I haven’t smelled or tried new perfumes in years—once you sort of decide your favourites they become a part of you, I suppose—but I’m really inspired by these mentions.

@ShirleyPhallus inspired by this thread I am wearing Santal 33 right now & can't stop sniffing myself!! I have 2 samples of it but think I'll treat myself next week.
Dh said ooh you smell nice!

Aargh. Just put together my desired sample set from Tauer perfumes website but they don’t ship to UK!

I'd say cheap are from Next or Body Shop etc, I have a couple of those, fresh summery scents and I like them.

But agree, those geared to the younger market and linked to stars, Kylie, Britney etc also cheap.

Question to people that but samples - what website do you buy these from? I always worry they are fakes. Perfumista seems to have a lot. Is it legit?

Buy*

OP, that’s why I went to the official Tauer website, but some of the sample sellers seem legit. I’d look at the reviews and nosey around their pages to get a feel for customer satisfaction and would also see if they have official endorsements/permission from the brands to be sending samples.

@ShagMeRiggins

Thank you SOLINVICTUS, I will definitely give those a try.

This is embarrassingly exciting. I haven’t smelled or tried new perfumes in years—once you sort of decide your favourites they become a part of you, I suppose—but I’m really inspired by these mentions.

The first time I smelled Coromandel, in an airport, there was a visceral "OMFG what is this"
The ones I mentioned are kind of Opium and Shalimar on speed

Scent Samples UK
Notino
Aus Liebe Zum Duft (based in Germany)

All legit

Nose is legit but they will send you whatever they are pushing that particular week. I don't mind that necessarily, I found one of my all time faves in that way, but I tested them by putting my same 5 "favourites" into their diagnostic and they suggested different perfumes of theirs each time.

Your friend has inadvertently done a good thing for the perfume industry, OP.

She really has. I’ve ordered samples of Tom Ford and Kilian today!

Cheap are the knock off bottles from Lidl (£5 or so) Dior is expensive!

Perfume blogger here. I wholeheartedly agree that cheap perfume does not mean poor quality. Today I'm working on a review of Avon Artistique Oud Grandeur by Rodrigo Flores-Roux. He has made perfumes for Clinique, Dolce & Gabbana, Elizabeth Arden and Tom Ford. The bottle I am trying is £15 and smells as if it costs £90 or more. I also have a bottle of Avon Timeless for a fiver. At the other end of the scale I have been sent bottles from Atelier Des Ors and Ormonde Jayne worth up to £225. (NB I can't buy these in real life as they are too expensive for me but I do love them). I rotate them and enjoy perfumes from all price points.

What really annoys me is perfume as a status symbol. For example, Roja Dove's limited edition bottles that sell for over £1000. At those prices I start to feel you're losing touch with how the perfume makes you feel. Do you like it? Does it stir a memory? Does it make you feel, safe/confident/happy? Or did you just blow a grand on a Swarowski bottle? I met Roja Dove once. He was wearing silk slippers and a sequinned blazer.

@MissBattleAxe

How do you find the Prada Infusions range? I like them a lot but find they aren't great in terms of longevity.

@WonkyWhiteLavender I absolutely adore them and had a little set of minis at one point. The original Infusion D'iris EDP performed quite well, but the others were not as long lasting, sadly.

@SisterAgatha

I wear Dior Addict because I’ve loved it for years. A friend remarked recently that she thought it was a “cheap perfume”, I don’t think she knew that it was my favourite when she said this.

I don’t consider it cheap, and was a bit because I think it’s just around the normal range, maybe on the expensive side for everyday. When I was on maternity leave I wore Britneys Fantasy which I do consider cheap but I do like the sweet smelling ones. It’s more an everyday smell.

What do you consider to be a kind of average expense on perfume?

I consider ted baker cheap and something like £50-70 as average.

@MissBattleAxe
I have the Iris and Amande. The Ouillet (sp?) is next in my sights.

@SisterAgatha The Perfume Society do the best sample boxes around. They curate a selection and you can buy them on their website. I recently bought the Spring Box and fell in love with two out of eight, but they were all lovely. There's no commitment, you just buy them if you want them. They also sell branded boxes such as Clive Christian, Banana Republic, Floral Street and Kierin NYC to name but a few.

I also recommend Notino, Feel Unique Pick n Mix, Fragrance Samples UK and for niche stuff like Tauer, try Les Senteurs in London, they are official stockists.

A lot more brands have caught onto the idea of discovery sets. Many were doing it before Covid, but I saw a definite increase during lockdown when we couldn't try testers.

Try 4160 Tuesdays, Gallivant, Le Jardin Retrouve, Karen Timson Fine Fragrance, Ruth Mastenbroek, . LUSH is about to launch them too- tomorrow I think.

I wrote an article on my blog about it recently. bit.ly/ISDS2021

@WonkyWhiteLavender I loved that one (not going to try and spell it). I love a bit of carnation (easier to spell!)

I adore Andy Tauer but it's getting harder to get my hands on full bottles. I really want a bottle of his Sotto La Luna Tuberose but he's stopped shipping to France and Germany (where I have friends who pass my order on to me).
I'm currently wearing Chanel Coromandel, but also have a pretty good dupe from Éclat. They're a German company but the staff on the online chat speak good English.
Cheap to me is Spanish supermarket perfumes. Under 20 euros but smell as sophisticated as classic Givenchy or Tom Ford. Mercadona are my favourite - their whole makeup and beauty range is top quality.

Hijacking to say hello to @BaronessBomburst (Drank)

Where can you buy Le Labo fragrances in person? Just tried Selfridges - they don’t stock the brand in store! I’m so curious as to what the scents mentioned here smell like!

I thought you were! @SOLINVICTUS