Contests: 47 posts

Bois de Jasmin’s 2016 Doctors Without Borders fundraiser is special. Even before I had a chance to announce it, readers started contacting me with offers to contribute their perfumes to the prize pool. Within the course of a few days we’ve collected dozens of prizes, which means that 57 people (my own prize included) can win something special. Doesn’t this kind of generosity boost our faith in humanity? So I propose donating to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, any amount you wish, and in return, you will be entered into a contest for a perfume class with me (regardless of where you’re located in the world) or a number of different vintage and other interesting perfumes courtesy of our big group of fragrance lovers. More details are below. There will be 57 winners.

Prize 1 Perfume Class with Victoria : I will send you a collection of 10 different vintage perfume samples (each sample is between 1/2 and 1 ml, in stoppered glass vials): Guerlain Jicky, Coty Chypre (yes, the iconic chypre!), Guerlain Shalimar, Guerlain Mitsouko, Chanel No 5, Chanel No 22, Caron Tabac Blond, Dior Miss Dior, Shiseido Feminite du Bois, Lancome Tresor (the original version, which smells vastly different from today’s, or depending on availability, another perfume of your choice). A set of paper blotters will be included. Once you receive the package, we will schedule a Skype call and I will give you my “immersion into perfume history” course. I will also give you tips on smelling and describing scents. (Of course, if you’re in the EU and we can easily arrange to meet in person, we can do it this way too.)

Please continue after the break to learn about the other prizes:

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Every year around this time I plan a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders, an independent organization that provides medical help in the places affected by military conflicts and natural disasters. It’s one of the most respected and admired charities. Everyone who contributes will be entered to win a prize. This year I have been asked to do so again, and a couple of readers contacted me to contribute their bottles of perfume to the prize pool. Thank you, your generosity is appreciated.

So here is my question to you: Would anyone else be interested to contribute a bottle of perfume to the draw? You will only have to mail it to a winner selected randomly. If so, please let me know. The more prizes we have, the more chances participants have in winning.

If you agree to contribute a prize, please take it as a serious obligation, in a sense that you will be counted on to send the prize to the winner selected within timely manner–clean, neat and well-packaged. (However,  the sender won’t be liable for loss in transit or custom duties.)

Photography by Bois de Jasmin, just some perfume eye candy.

Thank you very much to everyone who participated in our Doctors Without Borders fundraiser. Together we’ve raised $7,150. Thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness. Also, a big thank you to Limegreen, Bregje, Rebecca and Reg for the extra prizes they’ve contributed.

To select the winners, I assigned each participant a number and then made a selection via a random number generator in the following order:

Diorissimo–update on 1/29: re-drawing the winner, because the first winner never responded and my emails bounced back. So, the new winner is Farrah.

Diptyque Volutes (Rebecca’s prize, barely used bottle)–the winner is Therese

Chanel No 5 parfum (Limegreen’s prize, barely used bottle)–the winner is Jane

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin–the winner is Kay

Chanel Coco 50ml (Bregje’s prize, 95% full)–the winner is Dana

Since Reg is based in the UK and couldn’t mail her bottle outside of the country due to the regulations, I randomly selected a winner for Reg’s prize out of the UK participants.

Chanel Cristalle (Reg’s prize, vintage bottle, used)–the winner is Lucy

Added 1/22/2016: we also had an offer of a samples package from my reader Linda. I randomly selected a fundraiser participant, and the winner is Diana.

Congratulations! I will get in touch with you this week.

Our standard contest reminder: I reserve a right to select another person if the original winner doesn’t respond within 7 days.

Last year Bois de Jasmin held a Doctors Without Borders fundraiser, in the course of which we raised more than $6000 for this amazing organization. This year I would like to repeat it. It’s been a year of much violence and conflict, and organizations like Doctors Without Borders have shown incredible courage, despite risks and dangers. So, I propose donating to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, any amount you wish, and in return, you will be entered into a contest for a 15ml (.5 oz) of Dior Diorissimo Extrait de Parfum. I also have a brand new, sealed bottle of Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin, and that too will be added to the drawing. Update 1: thanks to the generous readers, we have now two more prizes: vintage Chanel Cristalle EDT (70ml left out of the original 100ml, thanks to Reg) and Diptyque Volutes EDT (50ml, sprayed once, thanks to Rebecca). Update 2: we have another prize thanks to limegreen. Chanel no. 5 Parfum, 7.5 ml (opened but virtually full, in box, not  vintage but pre-2014 reformulation). There will be five winners.

It’s vintage, from the early 1980s, in my estimation, and it smells exactly like the original version I smelled on my mom as a child. The bottle has been opened, so I can attest to the quality of the contents. It comes in the original pink and grey box. I will make sure that it will be packaged properly for mailing; it has already moved across the ocean a couple of times with me, so I’m sure it will be fine for another trip.

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Our US perfume box is ready to make its next round. If you are in the States and would like to participate, here is how you can do it. And whether you’re participating or not, please read Theresa’s perfume descriptions below.

How does it work: To enter, please post a comment answer these questions: 1) are you in the USA, and if you’re a winner, can I share your email address with Theresa? ; 2) do you agree to pass the box onto someone else within two weeks or so (add a couple of your own samples and share your sampling notes with the rest of us)? and 3) what perfume are you wearing today? I will pick the next person to receive the box via a random number generator. I will announce that person in this spot and contact them via email. The box is going to rickyrebarco.

Winners, please read this part closely: When you’re ready to pass the box onto someone else, please get in touch with me. Please include 2 things in your email: the full 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.

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