Samples R Us
November 10th, 2006
I love receiving samples. Especially of perfumes I haven’t tried yet. I think perfume samples is a vital part of any self-respecting perfume aficionado’s life. If there is ever the best and most efficient way to market a fragrance (other than giving away free bottles – ha!), it’s to supply the folks with samples, *not* putting a hot (anorexic) chick on the perfume ad. Opinions may differ here, of course. There’s nothing that infuriates me the most, in relation to the fragrant part of my life, than when I’m refused a sample. That usually happens at certain department stores (hello, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s) that seem to live by the tactic that a customer is clueless, incapable of making any perfume decisions and is there to shell dollars with no particular interest in the product itself. It’s like they go through a Soviet-inspired training with emphasis being on they as sales people know best, they have your future in their hands, and you better shut up and obey. The whole point of samples is to actually, um, sample which means try, test on your skin, experience. Stepping off the soapbox now as there’s more I want to say in this post on the subject – I want to share my impressions of what I’ve sampled this week. The samples came from the lovely Luckyscent – big applause to them for always being so generous with samples.
Eau de Cacao by Coppeneur – created by a German chocolatier, the scent is for those who prefer to apply chocolate externally as opposed to internally. I don’t fall under this category but if you do, you’ll find yourself smelling like rum, fruit, jasmine, sandalwood, chocolate, praline, tonka bean, vanilla, musk, Peru balsam. OK, perhaps not all that all at once but Eau de Cacao does indeed smell like the most luscious, creamy milk chocolate imaginable.
MoslBuddJewChristHinDao by Elternhaus – cassis, basilic, marioana base, mate, immortelle, labdanum, olibanum, rose, gaiac, black pepper, vetiver, sandalwood, cedar wood, patchouli, musk, amber. Well, what can I say. Other than being a poor 10 Corso Como copycat, ThisIsTheMostPretentiousAndRidiculouslyPricedScentEverCreatedUnderTheSun.
Kasaneka by Menard – an extremely inoffensive floral. A wallflower of a scent. Seems like all the good stuff went into the bottle design instead of the composition, although the notes might state otherwise: hamanasu (Japanese rose), basil, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, bergamot, orange, carnation, heliotrope, jasmine, ambrette seed, sandalwood, vetiver, cedar, vanilla, musk. Extremely fleeting and understated.
Eau de Polder by L’Essence de Mastenbroek – hay, grass, earth, herbs. Most of my pleasant childhood memories revolve around summers spent in the countryside, so I love this scent for its evocative powers. I do not want to smell like that, however. Besides, I get a very distinct milky smell of cows. Yoiks!
I’m vicious today! But sampling is always fun, whether you like the scent or not. Share what you’ve sampled this week, if you feel so inclined. Happy weekend, all!
Image source: www.istockphoto.com
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16 Comments
1. Robin | November 10th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
I cannot make up my mind about Eau de Polder. I love the back story — what a great reason to make a fragrance — and the scent itself is nice. I didn’t even mind the milky scent of cows, LOL…it just is so darned sheer. I do hope that it is working as intended though, that is, keeping the memory alive for the people who lived there and have left.
2. violetnoir | November 10th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Yep, Ina: Luckyscent is the best. I love them.
:)
I have not sampled anything new lately, so today I am thinking about going to sample TF’s Black Orchid, IPdF Mirra and maybe a couple of others.
I agree that sampling is an integral and necessary part of the perfume experience. If I could not sample, I don’t think I would be as into perfume as I am now, know what I mean?
Hugs!
3. Elle | November 10th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
Luckyscent is indeed fab! And I think I often get more pure joy out of receiving a package of samples than a full bottle of a HG. It’s the fascination w/ the hunt, w/ discovering new scents. In the 15th century I’d have been hopping ships for the spice islands – exploration is everything.
I love the Polder bottle and I love the smell of hay, but I just wasn’t inspired enough by that scent to purchase it. For some obscure reason, I actually really liked Kasaneka initially. The enchantment faded quickly, but, again – great bottle.
4. March | November 10th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
There are not many things more fun than pulling a bag o’ samples out of the mail. Now they’re all over the house.
I think for the mid-level stores like Macy’s, their attitude is you’re going to buy off the first 45 seconds anyway, so samples are a waste of their money. I don’t mind the lack of samples as much as I mind the wildly aggressive SAs — the ones at my local Macy’s are so out there it’s almost a parody. This one SA in particular and I seem to be engaged in some almost-humorous struggle, and whoever walks away first loses. (It’s 50/50).
I’m experimenting with some really light fragrances right now, so fun to read your reviews.
5. Marina | November 10th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
We ask for so little, just a sample. How hard is it to provide a tiny little sample? Ugh.
And oh how I agree on MoslJuddNonsence.
6. Tom | November 10th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
Luckyscent gets it right, all right. I don’t buy unless I can get a sample and see how it is living with it. Pipe to that one Mr. Snooty Barneys guy who won’t give me a sample of Musk Ravageur!
Eau de Cacao didn’t do it for me, but it did make me pine for the boozy ice cream and espresso concoction a long defunct cafe in West Hollywood served.
MossBudJewWhatever is a dud. I think it’s pricey because it comes in it’s own concrete bunker, which if you live in LA is guaranteed to wipe out the rest of your collection if even a decent sized tremblor hits
Kaseneka was so weak and inoffensive that I wonder who would wear it? Is it for the really timid? Or is it used as cover for the really predatory? Olfactory sheeps clothing for a she-wolf?
I don’t agree with you on Eau de Polder about the wearability of it, I love it. But then I wear MKK mixed with CB Musk out during the day (I deskank everything). E de P on me was a nice grassy herby thing, with not much earth or musk at all. Hmmm.. maybe that’s why I didn’t buy it.
7. Ina | November 11th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Robin, it’s very evocative, brilliantly so, actually. I think I could probably wear it but just can’t bring myself to it right now.
8. Ina | November 11th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Robin, curious to know what you think of Black Orchid.
9. Ina | November 11th, 2006 at 10:58 pm
Elle, I’m the same – love getting packages full of samples!
10. Ina | November 11th, 2006 at 10:59 pm
March, aggressive SAs is another story. Totally know what you mean. Aggressive SAs + no samples = even worse.
11. Ina | November 11th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
Marina, so true! We ask for so little…
12. Ina | November 11th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
Tom, phooey on Mr.Snooty at Barney’s! As for Polder, well, perhaps I could wear… it’s just that, like I said, it brings back memories of helping grandma herd cows.
13. IrisLA | November 13th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
LOL at your renaming of MoslBuddJew! Love the cute bottle of Eau de Polder. To me, it’s not wearable. The evocative part is nice.
The biggest sampling surprise this past week was that I liked Hermes Elixir des Merveilles despite disliking Eau. The latter was bitter on me.
14. Anjali | November 14th, 2006 at 5:39 am
Ina, that description of Eau de Polder actually sounds pretty good to me. Hrm..I think I need help
15. Ina | November 14th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Iris, I quite like the Elixir, too. It’s like orange marmeladed Eau des Merveilles.
16. Ina | November 14th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Anjali, you know, it is a wearable scent, just not sure I should be the wearer but you very well might be.