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I need suggestions!

post #1 of 13
3/7/13 at 6:16pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, I am 23 years old and never really got into wearing fragrances. The only two I ever remember wearing are Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Dare and Ralph Lauren Pink. I have no idea what to look for in a perfume and I don't even know what kind of scents I like. I am interested in trying a bunch of samples but I don't even know where to start. If I can just have some suggestions of a variety of different perfumes that would be great! Thank you!
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post #2 of 13
3/7/13 at 6:20pm
Gucci Pour Homme II.
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post #3 of 13
3/7/13 at 6:29pm
Welcome!

Which stores do you have access to? The easiest way would be to go to a store and spray on paperstrips (remember to write the name of the frag on the strip with a pencil). Then you can smell at ease at home and start trying on skin what you like. Anyway, thinking about places like Macys or Sephora, here are some good examples in different genres:
Classic floral: Chanel No 5 EDT
Big sweet floral: Angel
Fresh sweet floral: Kenzo Flower
Oriental (with vanilla): Shalimar
Patchouli resinous: Clinique Aromatics Elixir
Leather: Estee Lauder Azuree
Rose: YSL Paris
Green: Chanel Cristalle (or Chanel No 19)

Then you can go from there.
cacio
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post #4 of 13
3/7/13 at 6:36pm
Thread Starter 
I have Macy's and JC Penny and all those type of stores so I will have to go and do that. I just feel that when I go to stores and smell the different perfumes that since there are so many different scents in the store I can't actually get the true smell of it. The perfume will stay on the strip if I bring it home?
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post #5 of 13
3/7/13 at 8:44pm
Indeed, nose fatigue sets in, after 4 or 5 scents, one cannot smell anything. The perfume will stay on the strip for a couple of days-that's why you need to pencil the name down, or you'll forget.

If you want them to keep the fragrance for an even longer time, put each strip in a separate small ziploc bag (like the ones for medicines found in drugstores, or sold also at places like officemax or the like). This way, it can keep for a few days more.

Before buying, you also want to try on skin to see how long it lasts. Paper or fabric keep a frag for a very long time relative to the skin. Often, paper will keep the head notes for hours before moving into the drydown, while on skin the frag will go pretty quickly to the drydown.

cacio
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post #6 of 13
3/8/13 at 1:34am
You could also explore one house each time you go to one of these stores. Maybe that's less confusing. When testing for example five or six Chanels/Balenciagas/or what ever is catching your attention, you get a clue of the house's character and an idea of the kind of fragrance you like.
I'd suggest to sample at least twice on your skin before deciding to purchase. The difference between paper and skin might be the same as lipstick in the case or on your lips. Twice because the perception of fragrances varies (for a lot of people, not all), depending on weather, mood, hormones etc.

Take your time and have fun!
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post #7 of 13
3/8/13 at 1:39am
Here are some suggestions for scents you might like:

Givenchy : Insolence or Ange ou Demon.
Guerlain : Shalimar Parfum Initial, La Petite Robe Noire or any of the Aqua Allegoria
edtions.
Dior : Escale a Portofino, Diorissimo, Miss Dior Cherie.
Chanel : No.19 or Allure Sensuelle.
Thierry Mugler : Alien or Eau de Star.
Yves Saint Laurent : Cinema or Rive Gauche.
Or try some of the perfumes by Hermes, Balanciaga
and Donna Karan.

That should give you a few to choose from! Good luck and
let us know which of those appeal to you.
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post #8 of 13
3/8/13 at 3:15am
If you like florals try Coco Mademoiselle or J'Adore Dior or Champs Elysees Guerlain or the strong Alien, if you prefer gourmand-floral try La vie est belle Lancome or Flowerbomb. Other fragrances you shoud try are Chance Chanel, N5 Eau Premiere, Cinema or Paris YSL, Pure Poison or Hypnotic Poison Dior.
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post #9 of 13
3/8/13 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you for all the suggestions! I have been researching some of these perfumes and found a few that I would like to sample. Can anyone suggest a good website to order samples from? Eventually I will be able to get to the mall or a store to try some out but for now I am going to order some online.
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post #10 of 13
3/10/13 at 3:27pm
The 4 I have bought from are Luckyscent, The Perfumed Court, Surrender to Chance and Post Peasant. I've had good luck with all 4.
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post #11 of 13
3/11/13 at 9:28am
The nice thing about The Perfumed Court and Surrender to Chance is that they also have sample groupings. So you can get a grouping of samples that are about a particular house, note, best of a year, niche, voted best on a blog, etc. This was a great way for me to get introduced to the world of perfumes!!
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post #12 of 13
3/11/13 at 11:15am
My starting point was the fragrances that my mother and older female relatives wore, and from there looking at what I did, or didn't, like about them.

There will always be an element of blind exploration when it comes to scents, so don't expect to like every scent you try, or even to like a fragrance that you thought you liked and sampled a few hours after applying it.

There's no right or wrong, there's just things that you like the smell of and things that you don't (which is followed up with whether the ones you thought you liked actually suit your skin and smell like you think they should smell). If you like an inexpensive perfume and nobody around you makes hints that they don't like sharing a room with you while you're wearing it, then wear it!

I picked up a lot of part used bottles of 'famous' perfumes on Ebay to try them and then started to compare what I was smelling with what the official notes were. That then allowed me to start narrowing down the notes that I particularly like and those which I really don't.
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post #13 of 13
3/11/13 at 11:34am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I realized that it is going to take some time before I figure out exactly what scents I like in a perfume. So far I have ordered 5 samples that are on their way now. Alien, Kenzo Flower, Chanel Chance, Dior Pure Poison and hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle... So hopefully I will like one or some of those and then get a slight idea of what else I might like!
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