Why We Love Perfume Samples
In today's economy, it's becoming increasingly important to make sure our money goes as far as possible. The cost of living continues to climb, everything is getting more and more expensive, and many people's incomes haven't kept pace with the rising cost of living. That's why getting samples and being able to try something before you commit to the full-size is so important, especially in the beauty space where purchases can often feel like a luxury.
I'm a huge proponent of samples, especially for perfumes. In my thrifted walnut-shaped designated sample container, I have over 50 perfume samples. Ranging in size from 1.2mL to 3mL, these samples have allowed me to enjoy the versatility of changing my perfume with the weather, the season, and my mood while still allowing me to be financially responsible and get a number of wears out of them before committing to a larger (and more expensive) bottle.
I've found some of my all-time favourite perfumes from samples. I'll never forget when I first got a sample of Nest's Wild Poppy; it was the first time I truly fell in love with how something smelled on me, and I ended up buying a full-size bottle the next month. This was almost 7 years ago, and I still love it now just as much as I did back then every time I spritz it on. That reminds me...I need a restock of this, as I'm completely out!
In a recent order I placed at my favourite big-box beauty store, I received samples of two perfumes I hadn't tried before: Kayali's Yum Pistachio Gelato | 33 and Maison Louis Marie's No.04 Bois de Balincourt.
The Kayali perfume is described on their website as "a delicious explosion of irresistible and edible notes including pistachio, voluptuous whipped cream, roasted hazelnut, sweet rum, fluffy marshmallow, and fizzy cotton candy". Interestingly, this perfume pulls very spicy on my skin - with minimal sweetness - which means I probably won't be picking up a full-size anytime soon.
The Maison Louis Marie scent is a warm woody scent with sandalwood, vetiver, and amber wood, and is a beautiful reminder that sandalwood scents are just not for me. I'm a gourmand lover to my core, and for some reason I always find sandalwood and generally spicier perfumes always pull very heavy and strong on me.
But that's the beauty of perfume, isn't it? We all have our preferences, and we all have notes and scent families that we like more than others. That's where sample sizes of perfumes come into play: they allow us to figure out our scent style without breaking the bank. They allow for freedom of expression through scent, and encourage us to engage in the everyday luxury of wearing perfume.
And even if the economy is in shambles and everything costs way more than it should, at least we can smell good while it does.
-- Ava from Biblioava