Smell Good For Less

 As I was writing the post about Fragrantica last week, I realized I should do this post on some ways for finding affordable perfume. I love, love, love perfume (and purses). Because I am on a super-tight budget, I have to find ways to enjoy them without going broke. So here are some of my tips and tricks.

1. Pop Sugar Dabble 

You can score free samples when buying perfume from most shops online. Sephora and Ulta both offer samples, I believe. But free is best especially, if you are trying to find a scent to fall in love with. I really do not like buying full-size bottles of any fragrance - even when I usually love the brand. My favorite place for free samples is Pop Sugar Dabble. If you sign up, you can get free perfume samples that come from Macy's. You fill out a profile for Skin, Hair, Makeup, and Fragrance.

The latest couple of boxes I've received have included female fragrances: Y from Yves Saint Laurent, a couple from Narciso Rodriguez (For Her and Pure Musc), Givenchy's Irresistible and (Parfum), Marc Jacob's Perfect (EDT), and men's - The Most Wanted and Heritage. My little brother liked both of those. I like almost anything from Narciso Rodriguez and Pure Musc is lovely but For Her is everything.

You can get non-perfume samples from other places but 95% of my samples have been for perfumes (maybe because my hair and makeup profile is harder to match?). I've gotten to try CBD gummies and cocktail gummies (yum!). Some of the items are full-sized and pretty luxurious. I've gotten to try things that I otherwise would not have and I've even put some of them on my holiday gift list. One of my favorite items was the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm. I got a 0.7 oz travel size ($13-$16 on Amazon). The 3.6 oz full-size is around $65 at Macy's. The balm is oil-based so a little goes a long way. I think I've been using this jar for 6 months (sparingly) and still have some left.

2. eBay 

eBay is good for getting samples or travel-sized perfumes. I will check there first for all blind-buys. If I really love a pricey perfume, I will check for travel-sized items. When I got it into my head that I had to have at least a sample of True Religion's Love Hope Denim,, I went to eBay.

Got 46 instead of 45
of these cards

I have wanted to try this one for ages - but only because I've heard about how wonderful it is. Never having tested it out, I sure don't want to spend around $120 for a set of the fragrance (that was on Amazon) or even around $50 for a 4-piece gift set when it comes back in stock on Walmart. (What is absolutely insane is that I think those sets from each site are the exact same! Shame on you, Amazon!)

Imagine how happy I was when I got an eBay alert that there were a lot of 45 carded samples for around $10. Yes, please, I think I will. Even shipping was free. (Always add "free shipping" and "free returns" to your search criteria. And read the seller ratings.)

Do I care that this is not the bottle size of the fragrance? Nope. Do I care that the samples are in those little cards? Nope. Matter of fact, I love the idea of being able to tuck one of those little vials into my purse. For some perfumes, I even prefer the vials. A bottle is nice for displaying on the vanity however perfume shouldn't be stored in constant light and temperature changes. I keep all but a few of the vials in a box in a dark spot in my bathroom pantry. I divvy the rest between my purse and the medicine cabinet and I hand some out to friends, neighbors, and the staff at the hospitals.

Now that I have gotten to try this perfume, I know that I wouldn't mind having more when I run out. If I had hated it (as has happened with more than one blind buy), I was only out 10 bucks and some aggravation. 

By the way, I don't know if anyone else has noticed but... samples always smelled better than the retail bottles. At least, that has been my experience (I'm looking at you. Glossier...)

Anyway.

Now, to show how economical samples are, I found that a single vial of the LHD lasted over 2 weeks. That was with me using it about four days a week. I would sometimes layer it with something else or just skip a day but... I don't think that is too bad for $10. Plus, now that I have played with it, figuring out where to apply it for the best effect, and learning what other scents layer well with it, I won't be wearing it constantly. It will just be in the rotation. I think this collection of vials will last at least 6 to 8 months. Sometimes, I go days loving one scent and then switching to something else. It depends on my mood.

3. Decants

My favorite way to get affordable fragrances is to shop for decants. I personally prefer Scentsplit. I have found them to have a good selection and affordable prices. There are many other similar sites. I suggest checking with Redditors to find which places are legit.

I've gotten several items from Scentsplit over the past 4 years or so. The last perfume I got there was Citizen Queen from Juliette Has A Gun because a full bottle was running somewhere in the $140 neighborhood. I can't even drive down those streets... I got an $18 5ml sample and I'm glad because I don't like it enough to miss any meals over. 

the 6ml size is no longer on the 
site...???

The only warning I will give about Scentsplit is that you don't rely on their idea of which scents lean more male or female and the site only shows as for Male/Unisex, Female/Unisex, and Unisex. They usually get it wrong anyway. Always check Fragrantica or some other resource. 

The inventory changes constantly so you have to check back if you don't find something.  But I do love Scentsplit because of the variety of sizes and prices they offer. If I know I love a specific perfume, I might (depending on the price) go for the 9ml bottle. If I am sampling from a name I like but the actual scent is new to me, I go for the 5ml. If I'm doing a total blind sample, I stick to the 1 or 2ml size. 

1, 2, 5 & 9 ml

4. Reddit

Now, I have not used this avenue but... there are lots of Redditors who do buy/share/trade deals. I have run across a couple of Redditors with Etsy shops who seem fair and legit. For now, I will stick with eBay. By the way, there are subreddits specific for sharing. I tend to haunt 

5. Liquidations/Closeouts

This is another system I have only been told about. Of course, a lot of sites require buying in huge lots. Actually, I think this is where a lot of the eBay items originate. I guess one way to use this system would be to buy things you personally like and sell off most of them via eBay or elsewhere. Again, this method is not for the fainthearted, light-walleted, or me... Just for peeking, I went to this site and was just... Wow. I learned of something called "shelf pulls". I am pretty sure that my NEST fragrance and these LHD cards came from somewhere like this. And I bet you all the money I don't have that a lot of eBay sellers shop these liquidators.

6. Old School Charm Method

I have not done this since living here where there are no major cosmetics or department stores. However, when I lived in Arizona, Texas, and Alaska, my favorite place to browse was Sephora's, Ulta, and Nordstrom. A good attitude, a great outfit, and a fun personality will score you all kinds of goodies. It's like when you fly. If you dress and act a certain way, you are more likely to get bumped up a seat class if something comes open. 

In one Arizona Sephora, I got laughing a joking with a member of the floor staff who liked the outfit I was wearing and I walked out 30 minutes later with a couple of bags stuffed with all kinds of sample perfumes and cosmetics. This guy started opening drawers of samples and tossed handfuls into a bag. He pulled from at least 4 of those large drawers. I never even knew those drawers were there. Who knew a fun day at the mall could be so amazing for a perfume lover? I and every lady in my office smelled fabulous for months.

Anchorage is land-large but people small. You do a walk of shame anywhere on the down-low. Shopping the cosmetics stores, you will run into at least 7 out of 10 people you are sort of familiar with. The clerks in these places are friendly - well, almost all Alaskans are friendly. If you are nice to them, staff will always be generous with samples. The folks at the Sephora in JC Penney's knew me so well, that they only picked out certain samples for me! I only bought Oriental or Gourmand perfumes at the time.

6. Miscellaneous

I have joined subscription services on a trial or off-and-on basis to get smaller bottles of perfume. Some that I have tried over the years:

• Luxsb subscription ($15.95/mo) -  This was the most recent one I used and gave up on. I like the wide variety but they seem to think too highly of themselves. I hate that most are "premium" priced (an additional $5 on top of monthly free or "ultra-premium" (an additional $10).  In my opinion, it's better just to go elsewhere for a decant or travel-size at a cheaper price. Also, if you. like most people, join using a coupon code, they require a minimum of 2 months before cancellation. And there is something tricky about whether or not you get the cute container. By the way, most subscription purchases and travel-sized fragrances will come with the containers. Or, or - you can find the containers online.
• Scentbird subscription ($16.95/mo) - they are decent. I do remember having some petty issues with them but I can't recall now what they were. I did like most of their fragrances. Check Reddit for feedback from other users.
• Frangrancenet - (bottles are marked as Fragrance.com) I've heard complaints but I like them even though prices are higher than the same sizes on subscription sites. Another thing about the pricing is that not all perfumes can be found in a travel size. I will say that the prices are as good as anywhere else I've looked. I think the last thing I got there was Fahrenheit (because I wanted my pillows to smell like "fine-assed man"!) I think the 0.27 travel spray was almost $15. Not bad since a bottle of Fahrenheit costs 2 arms, 2 legs, and a firstborn. In dollars? That's anywhere from $120 to $170. For a bottle of smell-good? Nope. 
• Lucky Scent - this is one that is often linked to by Fragrantica. My issue with them is that it's hard to sign up for an account until you are ready to actually buy from them. Okay, fair enough. However, not having an account means that you can't build a wishlist. I like wishing... Additionally, I find that they have a lot of weird (or maybe I should say "niche") brands that I've not heard of. I searched for Dior and nothing came up. Nothing. Really? On the plus side, they do have sample sizes (around $5 for 0.7ml) of all the randomly selected items I clicked on.  Then again, why not just by a decant?

Although I shop on Amazon for a lot of things, I'm not too quick to buy perfume there. The stock and the sellers' integrity are too shaky. Perfumes are easy to cheat with and since it's not food, the sellers won't get into trouble for being funky. You cannot return most perfumes (because they are considered flammable/hazardous or some such reason) unless they are deemed broken or defective. I did get a sketchy bottle of fragrance and got a refund because, in my reasoning, stinky equals defective!)

In all honesty, these miscellaneous sources are best if you have a regular set-aside budget for perfume shopping. If you are like me and just like to add to your collection occasionally, it's better (again, just my opinion) to use eBay or get decants. I don't like committing $15-$20 per month to something as frivolous as perfume. I pay less than that for grocery delivery memberships. I like my perfume and I think it's wonderful (if not a sort of first-world emotional necessity) to treat yourselves, but... I'd feel better sending that kind of money to someone in greater need than myself. After a few months of stocking up on samples, I'm good on the perfume front for the rest of the year. 

By the way, if you ever wonder about the sizes of perfumes - you know, as in how many sprays you might get from a specific bottle size - check this handy guide.

Anyway, there you go, ladies (and gentlemen). There are options for us po' folk who like smelling delicious. Don't ever say I don't share info with you all.

(It took me a couple of days to write this one, guys. I hope it's coherent. My brain has been skipping school for the past week or so.)

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMER: I'm not affiliated with any of the sites linked here. I am not offering business advice. This is purely a sharing of personal observations.