Price: $4 each or 4/$10
Where To Buy: her website, SomethinSpecial.com, etsy shop “Somethin Special”
Pros:
-generous sample
-free shipping
-accurate dupes
Cons:
-unable to try before you buy
-online only
Packaging:
I purchased two fragrance samples ($4 each, incl. shipping) that arrived in a small ziploc bag with a business card. It was really cute. They were sent in a bubble mailer that felt pretty sturdy. It might have been nice, since they’re glass bottles, to throw a little extra cotton or something in there to cushion the blows but mine arrived just fine. I received two glass samples with screw top lids and 1 dram (1/8 oz) each. A dram, if you’re unfamiliar is about the size of the top half of your index finger, from the middle knuckle to the tip of your nail. It’s a really decent amount to try.
Review:
I had heard of this etailer on a makeup website where girls were saying she did great dupes of LUSH scents, namely Rose Jam and Honey, I Washed the Kids. Since she was in Arizona (nearly the same time zone as me) and offered free shipping, I decided to try my luck with those two fragrances to test their dupe-ability. Rose Jam was offered as a shower gel for a limited edition and is a Bubbleroon you can buy any time. What really hooked me on the Rose Jam scent was not only how sumptuous it was, so rich and multifaceted (vanilla, lemon, rose, sandalwood?) and it really stayed with me for being a shower gel, something I’d never experienced with a shower gel before. I could smell it on my skin, hours later. I also love the scent of Honey, I Washed the Kids but haven’t tried “dupes” before because I figured they’d be too simplistic and wouldn’t translate. Frankly, I thought part of the scent that I loved about Honey was actually part of the soap base so I wasn’t sure it could be replicated.
Sweet Petals is a fantastic representation of a moroccan type rose…there’s something exotic about it. I usually associate rose as an “old lady” scent. This is nothing like that. It’s beautiful and confident and blended really well as to make it hard to distinguish separate notes. When I compare the two, Rose Jam shower gel smells a bit more like vanilla, as a sweet, cakey scent. The Sweet Petals has so much of the same characteristics but there’s a slightly acrid note, like a bit too heavy on the citrus. They both smell absolutely lovely and I love them both but I’m not sure I’d say, nose-to-nose, they’re 100% dupes. If I smelled them a few hours apart, I’m sure they’re indistinguishable. The throw on the perfume oil is strong but does lessen throughout the day. I was worried I’d be knocking everyone over with my rosiness but it blended down after an hour or two.
Toffee Sugar Crunch is another smell-alike. I don’t currently own the soap right now but I’ve owned enough blocks of it to recall the scent and would also call this a very close match. It’s bright and sweet with those two prominent notes, toffee and honey without being sickeningly sweet. It’s love.
She lists several ways to enjoy the fragrance oil:
Put a few drops onto a cotton ball, rub on your wrists and neck for a quick and easy fragrant body perfume
Pop the cotton ball into your pillowcase for sweetly scented dreams
Add a few drops to an empty spray bottle, add water, shake well and spray
Put a few drops in your tea-light oil burner (with water)
Put a few drops in your electric tart warmer
Put a few drops on your cloth car floor mats or place a scented cotton ball under your car seats
Add a few drops to a warm bath
Make your own candles, tarts and bath & body products
What clever ideas! All around. I’m going to try the car scent and the tart warmer for sure.
Overall, if you would love to support small business and don’t mind buying blind (a little bit!), definitely check out Somethin Special. She has an active Facebook page.