Olfactif is a monthly perfume sampling subscription. Every month, you’ll receive a curated collection of three niche fragrances each month (2.25 ml sprays of each) from perfume artists around the world. You will also receive an $18 credit toward the full-bottle purchase of a featured fragrance.
Olfactif sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Olfactif
The Cost: $18/month
The Products: Three 2.25 ml sample spray bottles of 3 niche fragrances from perfume artists around the world.
Ships to: US
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your Wish List or Subscription List!
Every Olfactif box contains an informational card detailing the fragrances and theme for the month. This month’s theme is “Coming Home.”
There are a couple things that are very important to keep in mind when sampling perfumes: First, perfumes literally smell different on every person due to the way the fragrance oils play with an individual’s body chemistry. Secondly, there are many notes in each fragrance and perfumes are designed with a story and progression of notes in mind. The top notes are what you smell right away, the middle notes are what you smell about 10 minutes after spraying, and then the base note is what you smell about 30 minutes of wearing it and what stays with you throughout the day.
All of the scents this month have core vanilla notes. I was thrilled when I saw this because I know that vanilla is one of my most favorite notes to wear in a fragrance!
Vanille from DSH Perfumes – I love this fragrance. The notes include lemon, bergamot, heliotrope, jasmine, Australian sandalwood, French vanilla, and Madagascar vanilla absolute. It’s a warm, cozy scent that has enough gourmand and citrus to still give it a bright counter balance. If you like the smell of a French vanilla candle, you’ll like this, too.
Black Flower Mexican Vanilla from Dame Perfumery Scottsdale – This is a great vanilla fragrance that really isn’t too sweet at all. If you prefer spicier perfumes or tend to stay away from really sweet perfumes, this is a really nice way for you to wear vanilla. The full list of notes includes Mexican vanilla absolute, lemon, grapefruit, caramel, nutmeg, gardenia, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, musk, and tonka. Even with all these notes, the perfumer really aims for this fragrance to just smell like a cut-open vanilla bean pod.
Lira from Xerjoff – This fragrance is absolutely my favorite! It has notes of vanilla (obviously), caramel (my other favorite note in a fragrance), lavender (which I’m obsessed with), rose, jasmine, blood orange, and cinnamon. I’ve never smelled anything quite like this, and it wears really well on me. Also, the bottle is really interesting-looking. It’s safe to say that I’m obsessed with this perfume, but the full-size 75 ml bottle is $290!
Verdict: This month has been my favorite of Olfactif so far! I love vanilla, and I definitely found a fragrance I really love.
The world of fragrance has always seemed similar to the world of wine to me – both involve the intentional creation of something with multiple layers, notes, and flavors. Both also require practice and attention to determine the many notes and intricacies of each. Fragrance isn’t something I’m highly practiced in, so I like the breakdowns and information Olfactif provides with their boxes (quickly reading the website for each scent is also a very helpful thing to do).
I like the idea of a perfume sampling box, and I think Olfactif does a great job of it: I adore the packaging and the fact that the cost of the box gets attributed to your account as a credit towards a full-size fragrance each month. Part of me wishes that there could be some light customization of the fragrances sent to you, but I know that this would limit/complicate their ability to present themes to you every month. Also, like I said before, there’s definitely some value in exposing yourself to more fragrances and learning more about them.
What do you think about Olfactif?
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