The very first D.C. Now Smell This meet-up happened this Saturday! Team D.C. turned out to be an instantly friendly, clever group- I feel very lucky to get to be part of such a fantastic perfume community. As you might imagine, the samples flew fast and furious. I managed to snag a few for myself:
Zoologist Panda. Unexpected adoration. The apricot-y osmanthus, the tenderly sweet mimosa- Panda has all the joyful charm of Tian-Tian rolling around in the snow.
Histoires de Parfums This Is Not A Blue Bottle. Who says the perfume industry doesn’t have a sense of humor? The joke is that over the years, blue bottles have become associated with dull, borderline awful “sporty” men’s fragrance. Unfortunately, the buzzy patchouli note smells a little too close to those generic department store masculines from which This Is Not A Blue Bottle is trying to distance itself. Joke’s on us!
4160 Tuesdays What I Did On My Holiday. Coppertone accord paired with a smooth, polished sweetness. This is the first 4160 Tuesdays fragrance I’ve ever had the chance to try, and I’m really impressed! Very skillful indie work.
Dame Perfumery Dark Horse. Dame Perfumery itself is a bit of a dark horse- who would have expected a perfume house from Scottsdale, Arizona? Dark Horse is a quality spiced vanilla, especially for the price ($65- bow your heads in shame, Kilian/Malle/Roja). Reminds me a little of the dark, spare Le Labo Gaiac 10 sprinkled with cinnamon.
Have you tried any of these? What’s the best sample you’ve smelled recently?
Disclaimers: This post does not contain sponsored content or affiliate links. All samples were acquired through Team D.C. swapping.
SCENTS OF SELF 
Thanks again Ari for hosting. This was so much fun. Yes, I managed to steal a couple of perfumes as well. There were a couple of Chanel samples, Gardenia and Coromandal and some others. I’m glad everyone had a chance to smell the Zoologist perfumes…that was a fun treat! xoxoxoxo Steve
Wait, there was Coromandal?? That’s my third favorite Les Exclusif, right after Misia and 28 La Pausa. Nice catch! 🙂
Thank you again for hosting our group, Ari. I’m glad you snagged some samples for yourself! Steve’s Zoologist samples were a highlight for me as well. I ended up with yep! more samples myself even though I swore I was not gonna take a thing. So far I’ve tried Osmanthe Yunnan which I’ve only experienced as a dabber and thought it was rather faint. Ha! I have blasted the heck out of this thing and I can barely smell it at all.
Holly xo
Oh, it would have been criminal for you to walk out without a single sample! After a few years of coveting Osmanthus Yunnan, I finally bought one of the 15 ml minis, but it’s so different than I remember! Wonder if it’s my memory or the juice that’s at fault.
Thanks so much for hosting!! It was so much fun, I loved meeting so many great people and fragrances all at once.
How did I miss that 4160 Tuesdays? ? Sounds interesting! So far I’m looooooving the Oud Ispahan that I snagged from your box. It’s a little warm I think to give the New Haarlem a proper go, but I can’t wait!