Face of Chanel, Lily-Rose Depp. Source: Instagram
Do you have expensive taste when it comes to fragrances? Don’t worry – you’re in good company. I’m often drawn in to an amazing, unique scent only to discover it costs upwards of $250. And look – when I know for SURE that I’m completely in love with the scent, I’m more than happy to invest. After all, $300 divided by however many wears you get out of the bottle usually works out as worth it. But often, it takes a few wears to determine whether you’re obsessed with a fragrance or not. So what do you do when your interest in a perfume has gone beyond a casual shop-spritz every week or so, but not so far as committing to the full bottle?
Hair mists
Byredo @ Mecca Gypsy Water Hair Perfume, $67
Loads of fragrance brands are getting into the hair mist. These have the same notes as the EDPs, but are usually less concentrated. Added bonus – totally means you can leave your hair that extra day before washing.
Rollerballs
Balenciaga @ Sephora B. Rollerball, $25
Many exxy scents now come in rollerball versions. Sometimes these are the same EDP, and sometimes they’re a perfume oil. Either way, they’re significantly cheaper, and give you the perfect amount to give a new scent a solid 3-6 month whirl to decide if it’s definitely for you or not.
Solids
Diptyque @ Mecca Philosykos Solid Perfume, $61
Solid fragrances are usually a blend of the scent, and a wax formula. When you rub it with your finger, the wax liquefies and you can add it to your pulse points (wrists, neck etc) and get the fragrance payoff.
Body oils
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino The Body Oil, $110
Some scents will also come in a body oil offering, which is great if you’re big on daily moisturising – they’ll be more light-on with the fragrance, but given you cover a larger area with the product, you’ll find you still get a pretty good all-day scent.
Minis
Commodity @ Sephora Cocktail Kit, $34
Loads of brands are now offering collections of minis – small versions of their fragrances – so you can work out which ones are your favourites. These are especially great for scents designed to be layered, like these ones from Commodity.
Also, don’t forget to ask in-store if an expensive fragrance you like has a sample size you can take home to try. Many will have minis that’ll give you a couple of weeks worth of fragrance.
Do you have a signature scent? What is it? Let us know in the comments!