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Spray vs Dab - do you notice a difference?

post #1 of 12
11/27/06 at 10:30am
Thread Starter 
2 years ago my sister bought me a miniature bottle of Estee Lauder's Knowing. The moment I dabbed it on I thought 'Ew..this is definitely not my kind of perfume!' To me it was synthetic, powdery and aldehydic - or just plain boring. I continued to use it because my boyfriend liked it on me and I didn't have anything else, but my opinion of the fragrance never changed. So it came as a big surprise to me when recently, just for fun, I sprayed a tester of Knowing.. and found that I totally love it! It seems much warmer and more complex than I remember it and I'm wondering whether it is because this is the first time I have smelled it in a spray form? Is it possible that this could make a difference? Or has my nose just changed?
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post #2 of 12
11/27/06 at 11:49am
I believe it can make a huge difference!!
I have a splash bottle of Caron's Tabac Blond edc that seems to lose some richness if I spray it on from a small decant atomizer I thought spraying would enhance the smell but the opposite happens.
On the other hand, Jil Sander's No.4 is a gorgeous scent that is even better when sprayed.
I have Shalimar parfum both in spray and dab on bottles but I don't notice any difference there.
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post #3 of 12
11/27/06 at 12:47pm
If I have the parfum and the edt of the same fragrance I will dab the parfum on before I leave the house. To refresh throughout the day or evening I will spray the edt in my hair and body. I also carry the perfume sampler vials with edt and the small blue bottles of parfum to use when I am out and about.

It makes sense to me to layer the fragrance. Sometimes even mixing the fragrances are fun.

Try it.

JoAnne
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post #4 of 12
11/27/06 at 3:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinker424

I have a splash bottle of Caron's Tabac Blond edc that seems to lose some richness if I spray it on from a small decant atomizer I thought spraying would enhance the smell but the opposite happens.

Thanks for the hint -- I think I just bought the same Tabac Blond EDC (eBay? I noticed positive feedback from a 424tinker?) and I've been shopping around for a really great purse spray for it. I'll look for a roll on or dauber instead.
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post #5 of 12
11/27/06 at 6:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by emfoley

Thanks for the hint -- I think I just bought the same Tabac Blond EDC (eBay? I noticed positive feedback from a 424tinker?) and I've been shopping around for a really great purse spray for it. I'll look for a roll on or dauber instead.

Yes that's me!! Thanks to OCD I now have a second bottle !
I bought a pretty little 1 ounce spray bottle for it, but it is much better just dabbed/splashed on.
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post #6 of 12
11/28/06 at 6:30am
With some fragrances, the difference is surprisingly clear to my nose. L'Homme de Coeur is a good example, for me it works better when dabbed (obviously it's gorgeous also when sprayed). It's topnotes lasts longer and are more pronounced, and it doesn't dry down as powdery when dabbed. Basically all of my fragrances are in spray bottles, but nowadays I tend to spray the scent to my wrist or to the back of my hand and dab it to my neck; I used to believe it does harm to the scent, but my experience is that in general, it's the other way around.

I have no idea why.
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post #7 of 12
11/28/06 at 9:42am
I like to spray and walk through the mist. It gets onto more of you and your
hair, clothes that way. The only 'dabbers' I have are Blonde (wouldn't risk
spraying that one, by the way, - too much room for error!) and my 20-odd
testers.
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post #8 of 12
11/28/06 at 10:31am
I prefer to dab. Sprays annoy me because I can't control the amount that gets sprayed out, and then it goes everywhere, in my hair and clothes, onto other surfaces. I don't always want that. If the scent is in my hair, it does seem to smell a little different than what develops on my skin. So I do see a difference in that sense. My main beef with sprays, though, is lack of control. Plus I enjoy the tactile pleasure of dabbing.
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post #9 of 12
11/28/06 at 10:43am
I enjoy the act of spraying so much that I refuse to dab. In fact, dabbing has been the result of many "turnarounds" this year. Dab, dab, dab from a sample or decant. Spend, spend, spend on full bottle. List, list, list bottle on eBay.

However, I found Chinatown FAR preferable when dabbed. The act of spraying became an act of revulsion. Same with Tauer's Marocain. In the case of Chinatown, the woody/incense notes were completely overwhelmed by the peach/caramel/gardenia when sprayed, and the whole disintegrated into a sticky mess, although I will say that it neatly mimicked the interior of an Asian tourist shop and therefore accomplished its mission. Marocain had some note in there (perhaps petitgrain) that did not agree with me when sprayed. When dabbed it was interesting and unusual, but spraying it was letting it howl.

As I packed up my remaining 3 mls of Chinatown to send to a lucky Chinatown novitiate, a bit spilled on my hand, and I remembered what had attracted me to it in the first place. It then tortured me the rest of the night, but the memory of the peach gardenia in the full, sweaty bloom of summer heat was a stronger recollection.
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post #10 of 12
11/28/06 at 2:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinker424

Yes that's me!! Thanks to OCD I now have a second bottle !
I bought a pretty little 1 ounce spray bottle for it, but it is much better just dabbed/splashed on.

Oh good, I'm glad I took the plunge -- I knew it must be good when you came back for that second bottle!
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post #11 of 12
11/29/06 at 10:05pm
I have to say that sometimes I think there is totally a difference- why I don't really know though.

For years I have tried Angel dabbed on from some sort of sample vial. It's always terrible on me. Over Thanksgiving I was able to try a friend's spray of it (of course I couldn't resist.) Even though it wasn't the best perfume I've ever tried, it was actually not too bad- although incredibly STRONG and even more so since it was sprayed. It actually lasted a day and a half- through a scrubbing and a shower- where I put it on my arm.

Anyway- I've certainly noticed over the years that some perfumes smell completely different depending on whether you spray or dab.
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post #12 of 12
12/1/06 at 7:43pm
Ok, so maybe this is a silly question, but say you have a sprayer that you prefer to dab (maybe like the Chinatown example): how do you dab the spray without taking off the top? Do you put it in a separate vial? Do you sort of spray a little area like your finger with a bunch of spray and THEN dab?
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