Ask any basenoter, and he will probably say something like, "Try before you buy", or
"Sample first", or "Never blind buy". Great advice in theory, but we all know that some
frags are about impossible to sample, especially if you don't have a Perfume Court or such in your backyard. So, I have this rather large wardrobe of bottles that often just
sit there and gather dust. However, years of blind buying have given me some logic to the game. I know which houses are generaly reputable and which are just not my cup of tea.
So, here is how it usually works for me. I find that I can usually get a rewarding blind buy experience with frags in the 30-60 dollar price range if I do my homework a bit before I buy. However, I have been able to get samples from places that carry more expensive frags like Neil Morris and Luckyscent. A lot of these 60 dollars and up frags just don't hit the mark with me. So, I figure, niche and expensive frags are very high risk for blind buying. I also notice that a lot of niche frags are unisex and that also sets off red flags for blind buying them in my experience.
"Sample first", or "Never blind buy". Great advice in theory, but we all know that some
frags are about impossible to sample, especially if you don't have a Perfume Court or such in your backyard. So, I have this rather large wardrobe of bottles that often just
sit there and gather dust. However, years of blind buying have given me some logic to the game. I know which houses are generaly reputable and which are just not my cup of tea.
So, here is how it usually works for me. I find that I can usually get a rewarding blind buy experience with frags in the 30-60 dollar price range if I do my homework a bit before I buy. However, I have been able to get samples from places that carry more expensive frags like Neil Morris and Luckyscent. A lot of these 60 dollars and up frags just don't hit the mark with me. So, I figure, niche and expensive frags are very high risk for blind buying. I also notice that a lot of niche frags are unisex and that also sets off red flags for blind buying them in my experience.
