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How many fragrances do you test?

post #1 of 14
7/8/10 at 9:57am
Thread Starter 
Hi y'all! I'm having a great time testing different fragrances, but have quickly found that to give any scent its' due, I must restrain myself and not cover my body with 16 test patches! (Though I suppose this has been done by at least one person who subscribes to Basenotes!). Just for fun, I'm wondering how many fragrances other people are testing in a given month or year..???
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post #2 of 14
7/8/10 at 11:01am
If I'm testing in a store (or area with multiple stores), it varies but I might sniff up to a dozen on paper and test up to four on my skin. At home, I mostly neglect my samples in favor of enjoying the bottles I've already acquired, but I'll try maybe one a week, usually in the evening. I won't wear multiple samples at home unless I'm doing some kind of very specific comparison -- hardly ever.
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post #3 of 14
7/9/10 at 10:49am
How many I can test depends on how long they last. I don't test in stores any more, just from sample vials. For a scent that lasts all day, that's the only one I test that day. For scents that fade after a few hours, I can test several in one day. I don't like to test multiple scents simultaneously, especially if they have significant sillage. I have to say that testing is about all I do, but I enjoy it.
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post #4 of 14
7/9/10 at 1:12pm
Per month? I'll estimate 6, at area stores. Really depends on where I shop. Local stores, I've smelled most of what they have. If I take a day trip to Boston or NYC, however, I make a point of sniffing as many as I can and taking home samples of anything that seems promising.
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post #5 of 14
7/9/10 at 1:14pm
I test approximately 9 new (to me) fragrances per month.
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post #6 of 14
7/9/10 at 1:17pm
I'd estimate sixty per month, lately...
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post #7 of 14
7/9/10 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Elly View Post

How many I can test depends on how long they last. I don't test in stores any more, just from sample vials. For a scent that lasts all day, that's the only one I test that day. For scents that fade after a few hours, I can test several in one day. I don't like to test multiple scents simultaneously, especially if they have significant sillage. I have to say that testing is about all I do, but I enjoy it.

I'm looking at my samples and thinking that I could probably spend the next 6 months just testing, without dipping into any of my full bottles or decants! Must get on that, but the favorites are so darn reliable and comforting.
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post #8 of 14
7/9/10 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillaire View Post

I'd estimate sixty per month, lately...

Wow! So an average of 2 per day....I'm impressed.
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post #9 of 14
7/9/10 at 9:00pm
The short answer: way too many! I have a ton of samples to get through (it seems like I'll never get done with them!) but I'm really careful when I test things - I usually only test once a day, twice if something wears off early on. I blog about most of what I test, so I want to be thorough when I smell something. I don't know how many frags I've tested since school let out in May; 30-50, I guess, although that seems a little low.
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post #10 of 14
7/9/10 at 9:17pm
I've given up trying more than one at a time unless I'm shopping somewhere far away and won't have the opportunity to test the scents again (I kept getting the silages mixed up and not really getting to know the scents).

I pretty notoriously test a new one almost every day, so I'm easily good for 25 a month, with the other days and occasional evenings given over to my full bottles and scents that I know and love.
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post #11 of 14
7/9/10 at 10:00pm
40-50 in year!
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post #12 of 14
7/9/10 at 10:34pm
Nowadays I test fragrances quite rarely, because I have to be on the mood for it. If I feel like wearing a specific scent (like I usually do) I don't want to mess it up by testing something. Which means I have loads of samples waiting patiently for their turn... So I would say about 10-20 scents per year.
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post #13 of 14
7/9/10 at 10:54pm
I go crazy sampling when I meet up with other Basenoters. On my own I am a little more conservative, except when I am at Scentbar.

I have a lot of samples waiting for testing. I usually test in the evening when my SOTD has worn out. I don't know how many fragrances I test in a month, but not enough, for sure.
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post #14 of 14
7/10/10 at 6:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rogalal View Post

I've given up trying more than one at a time unless I'm shopping somewhere far away and won't have the opportunity to test the scents again (I kept getting the silages mixed up and not really getting to know the scents).

I pretty notoriously test a new one almost every day, so I'm easily good for 25 a month, with the other days and occasional evenings given over to my full bottles and scents that I know and love.


Rogalal, I don't think I have ever told you this - shame on me - but I read almost all of your reviews in the sample threads, and appreciate your thoughts and the time that you take to post all these reviews. Thanks!
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