Our European perfume box is ready to make another round. Below, Hamamelis is including her sampling notes and the list of perfume samples in the box. So, if you are in Europe and would like to participate, here is how you can do it.
How does it work: To enter, please answer these questions: 1) are you in Europe? ; 2) do you agree to pass the box onto someone else (add a couple of your own samples and share your sampling notes with the rest of us)? and 3) what perfume are you most interested in trying? The thread is now closed. The next person to receive the box is Anka.
When a winner is ready to pass the box onto someone else, they should get in touch with me. Please include the list of samples and your sampling notes (what you’ve discovered, what you’ve liked/disliked, any observations you care to include).
To check the progress of our boxes, please click on the Traveling Sample Box tag. Shipping restrictions and customs fees make it hard to send perfume in some countries, so if you’re interested in having a sample box within your region, please let me know.
In the Travelling Sample Box were:
Atelier Cologne Silver Iris
Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli
By Kilian Forbidden Games
By Kilian Vodka on the Rocks
By Kilian Apple Brandy
Chanel Bois des Iles
Chanel Coromandel
Comme des Garcons Bleu Santal
Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
Grossmith Amelia
Grossmith Betrothal
Grossmith Diamond Jubilee
Grossmith Floral Veil
Grossmith Golden Chypre
Grossmith Safron Rose
Hermes Eau des Merveilles
Lab on Fire What we do in Paris is secret
Neela Vermeire Ashoka
Neela Vermeire Bling
Neela Vermeire Mohur Extrait
Neela Vermeire Mohur
Neela Vermeire Trayee
Rouge Bunny Rouge Cynefin
Rouge Bunny Rouge Embers
Rouge Bunny Rouge Sylvan
Serge Lutens Douce Amere
I kept Chanel Bois des Iles, Vetiver Extraordinaire and Neela Vermeire Mohur Extrait. I added Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus, Bottega Veneta Knot, Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles and Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois.
Atelier Cologne Silver Iris
A gorgeous silvery uplifting iris, fresh and sparkly with a faint incense/smoke ingredient. Lingers on and on, like a cool silent shadow. On my wishlist.
Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli
A transient watery patchouli cologne, very nice. It has the mouthwatering scent that some geranium leaves give off, which I can only describe as juicy, watery and green. Refreshing and earthy.
By Kilian Forbidden Games
This starts with lots of peach, but not fresh peach, peach as in a peach flavored candy. Very sweet, I smell rose, banana, vanilla. It smells a little flat, not much radiance, a bit like a heavy creamy peach and rose mousse with vanilla sauce. For me this would work as a dessert but not as a perfume.
By Kilian Vodka on the Rocks
A bit too masculine for me. It starts really icy cold, like Vodka with lime. It dries down into an ordinary aftershave like smell, nice on a man, not on me. I scrubbed it off with coconut oil, but it was tenacious!
Chanel Bois des Iles
Bois des Iles has a radiant typical Chanel aldehyde start, which I have come to love. It progresses into a creamy jasmine, orange blossom and ylang ylang and sandalwood note, very soft and caressing. As if the traces of the day scents of a tropical island still linger into the evening. I find it very elegant, soft and refined. It dries into a soft, warm, ambery and faintly white flowery scent. Very beautiful. At some point it smelled for a few seconds like my all-time favorite natural hamamelis scent…but maybe I was projecting! On my wishlist. I kept the sample.
Chanel Coromandel
A very earthy, medicinal but plush and very chic scent. As if a chic and elegant, string of pearl wearing woman dressed in a cashmere jacket, is working in her woodland garden without gloves, getting her hands dirty and not minding that at all. I like it very much. I can still smell in on my wrist at the end of the day.
Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
A very lovely, mouthwatering and invigorating vetiver, with lots of cedar in it. No bitter notes, just mossy, wet stones, as if you are in a temperate rain forest, standing on a small wooden bridge over a stream following a waterfall, in and you smell the water springing form the rocks. Absolutely dogwalking appropriate and on my wishlist, or for my husband! I kept this sample.
Grossmith Amelia
I smell lots of orange blossom, herbal/spicy peony and jasmine. It is beautiful but also a bit empty or young to my nose, like a too pretty face that hasn’t lived a lot. Lots of musk in the dry down. Probably suitable for a young pretty girl.
Grossmith Betrothal
I smell lots of different flowers, carnation with a very strong clove note, peony, ylang ylang and iris. To me it is a bit standoffish. In the first hour or so I would not associate this with a wedding perfume, unless the bride wants to keep the guests at a distance (which maybe the then Kate Middleton wanted?). The dry down changes a lot, into a soft and bridal skin scent.
Grossmith Diamond Jubilee
This started with a tinge of camphor, which turned into clove. I think this springs from the carnation. Later I smelled green herbs and iris, much cooler. Then I smelled jasmine, and mint, and later a powdery violet. I found it a very beautiful and dignified and ‘together’ scent. Befitting the person in whose honor it was made, but certainly not stuffy or old fashioned. Formidable!
Grossmith Golden Chypre
A burst of punchy citrus, very nice, ‘old fashioned’ (=good in my book!) classical perfume start, which a few months ago I would not have liked, and now love very much. Becomes very radiant and slightly sharp aromatic, a very soft carnation or clove note in the background and orange and cardamom, and later some vetiver. A real character, would definitely fit one of the more mature Downton Abbey characters (and their budget I am afraid!).
Neela Vermeire Ashoka
I had sampled this before and it is lovely. Creamy cardamom, some fig, woody notes, warm enveloping and comforting. As if you carry a safe quiet place with you wherever you go.
Neela Vermeire Bombay Bling
A happy smiling mango! Saffron, orange, yellow saris comes to mind. A big smile in a bottle.
Neela Vermeir Mohur Extrait
This was love at first sniff, I just applied a tiny bit (no spray) as so far I am not so good with rose perfumes. To my nose this is not an Indian scent like Bling or Ashoka, but much more English. It started a bit Ormonde Jayne like (which I love), it seems a slightly marzipan note. Then it just smelled like a room full of rose petals, different kinds. It showed many different rose facets, sometimes it was a bit sweet but that disappeared, then again a very fresh note. As if different kinds of roses are all part of this. Very longlasting and lovely dry down, less English beauty, more Oriental. Very beautiful. I kept the sample. If ever I win the lottery…
Neela Vermeire Trayee
Is this how an Indian spice shop would smell, or maybe better a large Indian spice market? I smell something sweet, bitter and dry, ginger, cinnamon, apple (or is that because of the cinnamon?), cardamom, vetiver, even something minty. Some incense as well. Drying down I smell some soft leather. On the surface of my wrist where I put a few drops of Trayee it smells different wherever I put my nose, with a different accent. It is like one of those toy kaleidoscopes, when you turn them you see a different picture. Very unusual, beautiful and mesmerizing.
Rouge Bunny Rouge Cynefin
This started nice and fresh with lots of green notes, but it came across as somewhat incoherent. The dry down to my nose is very similar to Un Jardin Après La Mousson.
Serge Lutens Douce Amere
This is very lovely, bitter and sweet, and fresh. I smell tiare (now very familiar since Andy’s Monoi article!). It is buttery but not greasy, exotic but not sultry actually very fresh. I have no children, but I have smelled my sisters babies, and the dry down smells like baby skin. Exquisite, on my wishlist.
It was a wonderful experience to smell the samples. Many of them I wouldn’t have smelled if wasn’t because of the Travelling Sample Box. It has given me hours of pleasurable nose time. Thank you Victoria!
29 Comments
Karen: I’m not in Europe, so not participating in the drawing, but can’t resist the question! I am anxious to try Vol du Nuit after your review! (and Magie Noir, and and and!!) November 28, 2014 at 8:01am
Karen: Whoops – realized the question probably pertained to the perfumes in the samples. In that case my choice is Serge Lutens Douce Amere because it sounds so different than my usual suspects. November 28, 2014 at 8:05am
aurora_ru: 1) yes, i am in EU (Latvia), 2) yes, i agree, 3) i would like to test By Kilian (have heard a lot, but don’t have chance to try), also Ashoka and Bombay Bling intrigues me November 28, 2014 at 9:11am
Kandice: I’m not in Europe so don’t enter me. I just wanted to say that I appreciated your lengthy review of some of the samples. I found one or two I hadn’t considered before and now want to try. Thanks again! November 28, 2014 at 10:40am
Hamamelis: Thank you Kandice, it was very good practise to try and put words to what I smelled, and a lot of fun to do! November 28, 2014 at 4:12pm
Dana: Yeees, I do want to participate and I live in EU (Bucharest/Romania).
I would like to test from the list: Atelier Cologne Silver Iris, Apple Brandy by Kilian, and Serge Lutens- Douce Amere. Another one that is not on the list but I would really like to try is Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle. November 28, 2014 at 12:52pm
El: yep, in Europe and agree to pass the box on.. most intrigued by Mohur and Trayee by Neela Vermeire 🙂 November 28, 2014 at 12:57pm
Joy: I’m not in Europe, so do not qualify. I just wanted to say that your descriptions were wonderful. I am going to put some of these on my own order for samples list.
Joy November 28, 2014 at 1:39pm
Victoria: Hamamelis’s notes are so great! I also enjoyed reading them. November 28, 2014 at 3:12pm
Hamamelis: Thank you Joy and Victoria, it was a joy to do! November 28, 2014 at 4:13pm
rainboweyes: I’d love to participate! I’m in the EU and of course I’m willing to pass the box on to the next winner adding some new samples. NV Ashoka is the scent I’d love to try most. November 28, 2014 at 4:03pm
ChristineB: Yes, I’m in Europe, and yes I agree to pass the box on, share comments and add samples. I think I would most like to try Chanel Coromandel, if only because I love Hamamelis’s image of the chic woman working in her garden. November 28, 2014 at 4:35pm
Karen: I want to be that woman! November 28, 2014 at 5:52pm
Phanie Constanda: Hello,I live in the UK and I’d love to participate
Geat idea passing the sample box and sharing views. Please count me in November 28, 2014 at 5:44pm
Jasmine Y.: Currently I live in the UKs (England) and I definitely would not mind sharing some samples of my own and passing it on to the next person =]
Would love to try Serge Lutens Douce Amere or Neela Vermeire Mohur as they seem quite lovely.
On another note- Hamamelis has such genial and welcoming prose, it was wonderful reading her notes! It was her description of Serge Lutens Douce Amere that made me interested. November 28, 2014 at 6:05pm
Amer: I do live in Europe and would be glad to be part of the sample-swapping chain 🙂 The Vermeir’s extract was the one I would really be keen on trying but since it is taken, the Grossmiths are the most mysterious to me. Fingers crossed! November 28, 2014 at 10:30pm
Cornelia Blimber: I live in Amsterdam, so I can participate.
Hamamelis’ descriptions are lovely, I never could do that like her!
I am intrigued by Vodka On The Rocks by Kilian.
I am a vodka lover, never on the rocks of course and never mixed with something else. Vodka pure and right from the freezer. But I am curious about By Kilians interpretation of my favourite beverage. November 29, 2014 at 5:45am
Hamamelis: Hi Cornelia,
I like vodka myself, although I very rarely drink it because my migraine is too quickly triggered by alcohol (involuntarily member of the blauwe knoop…). I would be curious how you would like the Vodka on the Rocks, as I still consider my nose to be fairly young in all of this! (although so much has changed in just 5 months or so). I am glad you enjoyed the descriptions, my job involves mostly writing (not about perfume or other exciting things…) which I think helps. Have a lovely weekend, it is for sure cold here on the Veluwe! November 29, 2014 at 6:06am
Cornelia Blimber: Have a lovely weekend you too!
Such a pity to be member of de Blauwe Knoop because of alcohol! I am a migraine sufferer as well, but that’s hormonal. November 29, 2014 at 6:36am
Cornelia Blimber: Well, every member of De Blauwe Knoop is there because of alcohol… I mean migraine inducing alcohol..hiccups.. November 29, 2014 at 6:43am
Hamamelis: One of the good fortunes of getting older for me is that my hormonal migraines have gotten a lot less, but sometimes there is just a maigraine period of weeks on end…and then there is alcohol and some other things, but I am glad to say perfume is so far so good! I am thankful that the triptanen were invented in my lifetime, it has made living with migraine for me a lot more doable. BTW I sampled Untitled, very lovely! Did you ever smell Frederic Fekkai Sensuelle (I think Eliza here recommend it), to my nose there is a similar ‘dry’ neroli note in it. November 29, 2014 at 7:04am
Cornelia Blimber: Yes, it is a blessing that we can endure perfume! Getting older did not help me, alas. Triptanen are my rescue sometimes, but not too often, they cut the migraine but make me sick.
I never heard of Frederic Fekkai! is that sold in Holland? November 29, 2014 at 7:32am
Cornelia Blimber: I googled Fekkai, and found only hair styling products, Douglas carries it. November 29, 2014 at 7:35am
Hamamelis: Yes I bought it online, either with parfumsuper ot parfumcenter, I will look it up. What a shame triptanen are a no go..Frederic Fekkai is a hairdresser I think, thd perfume is discontinued but I found it easily. November 29, 2014 at 1:06pm
Hamamelis: The Frederic Fekkai perfume Sensuelle can be bought online at the parfumsuper. But you are not comfortable buying online I seem to remember…once I have more time and learn the art of decanting I would happily send you a decant! I will keep you posted. November 30, 2014 at 4:58am
Cornelia Blimber: How sweet, thank you, Hamamelis! November 30, 2014 at 7:54am
Anka: Yes, I would like to participate! I live in the EU (Germany) and would of course share some samples of my own and pass the box to the next perfume lover. I am now curious to try Diamond Jubilee and Golden Chypre, the descriptions sound really formidable, Hamamelis! November 29, 2014 at 11:19am
Katja: Yes, I am in Europe and would love to participate! I agree to send the box to the next recipient within Europe and make notes and add some samples of my own. 🙂
Based on Hamamelis’s notes (which I really enjoyed, by the way!), I’m very eager to try that “happy smiling mango”, Bombay Bling! It sounds super fun. November 29, 2014 at 2:44pm
meganinstmaxime: Yes I live in the EU and am keen to take part. I am really interested in smelling the Neela Vermeire perfumes. I will definitely add more samples to the box before passing it along the chain. Thanks. November 30, 2014 at 3:52am