Where to go perfume shopping?

[User67]

Okay, so first off I am super picky when it comes to perfume. I am not gonna smell 3 different fragrances & fall in love with one, it's more like I will have to smell 25-30 & then I will fall in love with one. Then once I do find a perfume I like, I have to be sure that it won't give me a headache which a lot of perfumes have the tendency to do. Then there are the pushy sales people, the second you step next to a perfume counter there they are shoving all the newest samples in your face. Maybe I don't want the latest & greatest perfume, maybe I want something that has been around for years that nobody even talks about KWIM? But at the same time, those fragrances aren't usually the ones out on the display to test anyway. They are locked up & only brought out if someone asks about them. So where does someone like me go perfume shopping? I just want to be able to be left alone & be able to test the new as well as the older fragrances. Any advice?

 

[BEA2LS]

that's why i like ulta for perfume

they sit on shelfs and you can pick them out and play with them yourself. sephora, too, actually.. i am not sure if they sell the kind you mean though.

 

[LindaP]

I think you're best bet would be to make a list of potential perfumes you would like to test out. Online will be a place to research the notes that will probably appeal to you. Then find out which stores have them.

Ulta & Sephora are good places where I find the sales people arent too pushy. Then after you narrow the list down to a handful, request a sample of each. I find the Sephora reps are better than the department stores to get samples. The girls at the department store are very stingy when giving away samples (sometimes I'd swear you're asking for samples from their personal stash), i do NOT do those paper things or cotton balls. I prefer a sample size that i can try out for a few days to see if the scent is really me. I almost always have good luck w/ the sephora reps. If they give you a hard time, just fib & say you're getting a sample for your mom or grandma who can't make it to the store. That's worked in my book.

This may seem like a long drawn out process, but it's worth if you come out with what you really really enjoy.

 

[LindaP]

By the way, this is something i do with my mom & friends, that may or may not work for you. If they personally have a perfume I'd like to try but can't seem to find cuz its old or just not trendy anymore or the sales ladies are being extraordinarily stingy. I ask them if I could get a sample directly from their bottle. Its easy, i think its called decanter-ing a perfume.

You basically just (carefully) spray the perfume into a smaller sample container, just like the sales reps do it. I use my lipgloss & chapstick rollerball containers cuz they're just small enough. But whatever you got, be creative. I usually get about 10 sprays worth. I did it recently w/ my best friend's Juicy Couture perfume (SO did not smell good on me after awhile). A good friend or mom will be happy to help you out on your perfume quest.

 

[User67]

Thanks so much ladies, Sephora is good. But, they also seem to just display the most popular & new fragrances. I need to give Ulta a try though! I have never been in lone because my closest is like a 40 minute drive, but it just might be worth it

 

[BEA2LS]

yea i actually prefer ulta for perfume, they have the scents i like for the most part and nobody is pushy or anything.

 

[Indigowaters]

I go to Sephora to sniff because sometimes I just do not like the attitude of some of the SAs there. I have bought from there before, but now I shop on FragranceX.com. They have perfumes at a much lower discounted price and always have free shipping. And you can get some money back through Ebates with them. I figure why go through the hassle of poor treatment in stores and still have to end up paying $60-80 for a bottle of perfume? So that's what I do.

 

[SUMM3RxBABii]

I usually go to Macy's because they do have great deals sometimes.. like a gift with purchase and if you ask sometimes, they will give you samples of other perfumes.

But I usually go to Sephora to test just to avoid all the annoyance of the SAs.

 

[gachapin_luv]

Sephora!! I usually get many samples - they are so helpful and not pushy at all. I can test the samples and choose the one I like and go back to get it.

Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom - I feel so much pressure from Sales person, so I rarely buy anything at dept. store.