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Tip for beginners, from a beginner.

post #1 of 11
3/24/09 at 3:22am
Thread Starter 
So,
I was at the airport, and decided to try out a few fragrances. I spent atleast an hour just spraying them on tester cards and saying "nahh".
After a while a sales assistant (guy) came up to me and said "do you need any help? i've been watching you and you look really confused"
So i accepted his offer. He asked me what I usually wear (Davidoff Adventure) and pointed out some similar ones and some that were more towards the citrussy sweet side.
The top two were The One for men by D&G and Gucci by Gucci pour Homme (with the handle kind of cap)
I liked them both but eventually went for The One. I love the warm vanilla feel.


So here's the tip. Ask for help! Tell them what you like or are looking for and it helps so much, and also introduces you to fragrances that you never expected to like.
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post #2 of 11
3/24/09 at 12:21pm
SAs are really a mixed bag. However, I had an absolute top experience with one recently when I was buying Creed GIT - she recommended Kiton Black and gave me a sample. After a couple weeks, I got around to trying it, and she was right! They're incredibly similar, in the same delicious way. I'm now looking to buy a bottle.
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post #3 of 11
3/24/09 at 12:32pm
Welcome Strato, great advice you have given.
It always helps to have someone who knows the fragrances and can direct you to something new based on what you already enjoy.
On the other side, be aware of how the SA interacts with you. If they start off by trying to tell you about a "New" scent and do not take into account your likes or dislikes, run away. An helpful SA will ask leading questions; what do you like, what do you not like in certain scents, what is your lifestyle, where do plan on wearing this fragrance, are you looking for an everyday scent, special occasion scent, etc...
But again Strato is correct, before you spray hundreds of things on, ask for some guidance.
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post #4 of 11
3/24/09 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah this SA was really nice, asking about my lifestyle, what I do, what I want to do when I'm older. If you find someone like that it is soo helpful.
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post #5 of 11
3/24/09 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynendal View Post

SAs are really a mixed bag. However, I had an absolute top experience with one recently when I was buying Creed GIT - she recommended Kiton Black and gave me a sample. After a couple weeks, I got around to trying it, and she was right! They're incredibly similar, in the same delicious way. I'm now looking to buy a bottle.

Good first point about SA's. They are indeed a mixed bag.

But please expand on Kiton Black Similar to GIT ? Interesting. I have always wanted to try Kiton Black.
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post #6 of 11
3/24/09 at 2:26pm
Most of the SA's I've experienced always try to sell me the new releases. So I walk away and come back later.

The only good experience I've ever had with an SA is this nice gay gentleman at Sak's. The first time I came in he was very helpful and interested in my quest for a Bond no.9. (I was pretending to buy Nuits de Noho for my girlfriend, when i was really buying it for myself). The next time he helped me decide between Central Park and Riverside Drive, while simultaneously helping my girlfriend (at the time) decide between Westside and Andy Warhol Silver Factory. I ended up with Central Park and she ended up with Westside, BOTH of us had TONS of samples included with our purchases.
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post #7 of 11
3/24/09 at 2:53pm
Strato the biggest lesson here is if you find a good SA they're worth their weight in gold. I'm lucky that here in Boston I have become friendly with the managers of the respective fragrance counters at NM, Barney's, and Sak's. They pretty much shoo away the line reps who are trying to sell me the latest and greatest. They know me and my taste now and they are always happy to e-mail me when new things come in they think I'll like. I always get a sample to take home to try.
The moral here is go to your local department store and strike up a conversation with the SA's it will make many perfume related things easier.
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post #8 of 11
3/24/09 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfacing View Post

Good first point about SA's. They are indeed a mixed bag.

But please expand on Kiton Black Similar to GIT ? Interesting. I have always wanted to try Kiton Black.

You bet - it's a great scent that shares the same violet heart that Green Irish Tweed does. Where GIT focuses on "Tweed" and the greenness, Kiton Black focuses on Suede and how smooth it is. So it definitely smells like they're brothers. Smooooooooooth brothers.

I definitely recommend searching it out.
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post #9 of 11
3/24/09 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Somerville Metro Man View Post

Strato the biggest lesson here is if you find a good SA they're worth their weight in gold. I'm lucky that here in Boston I have become friendly with the managers of the respective fragrance counters at NM, Barney's, and Sak's. They pretty much shoo away the line reps who are trying to sell me the latest and greatest. They know me and my taste now and they are always happy to e-mail me when new things come in they think I'll like. I always get a sample to take home to try.
The moral here is go to your local department store and strike up a conversation with the SA's it will make many perfume related things easier.

Agreed. Walked into Nordstroms on Sunday with my GF. Had an SA come up to us and exclaimed: "Hi, tell me what you like and I can match your tastes to any fragrance we have here." My response was, "Thank you. I have a ton of fragrances already and I am honestly just wanted to try the new John Varvatos." He replied, "What do you wear?" And I told him that this AM I wore "Creed, Bois du Portugal." He looked at me and said, "Wow, I love that scent." After that we talked for about 15-20 minutes and I explained to him how I started liking powdery citrus scents more and more lately and am very satisfied with my bottle of Guerlain, Habit Rouge and Tiffany for Men. After we established a rapport he did not try to sell me a thing. He knew his stuff and expressed his interest and likes in many fragrances not available at Nordstroms. We genuinely just shot the breeze about our likes and dislikes. Before I left he explained to me that I had to try Duc de Vervins. He made me a generous sample and we left. Good experience. I think if your SA likes scents and is willing to chat about them then you have nada to lose.
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post #10 of 11
3/24/09 at 6:13pm
Some great advice being given here, and some great stories.
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post #11 of 11
3/25/09 at 7:15am
While I was walking thorough a department store the other day, a SA handed me a card with Burberry Beat on it. I sniffed it quickly and smiled because I thought it was nice. Without missing a beat, literally 5 secs after I was handed the card, she immediately pulled out a couple of boxes and asked "so would you like to buy the 100ml or the 50ml?" I have never seen such an aggressive sales push for anything.

On the other hand, I find SAs at drug stores like Shoppers Drug Mart here in Canada to be more knowledgeable and willing to help. Maybe it's because they don't get encouraged to push specific products. I have found a couple of very knowledgeable ladies that I will return to if I decide to buy retail.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Tip for beginners, from a beginner.