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Olfactif Subscription Box Review + Coupon – December 2016

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyDec 22, 2016 | 6 comments

olfactif-december-2016-box

Olfactif
3 overall rating
12 Ratings | 5 Reviews

Olfactif is a monthly perfume sampling subscription. Every month, you’ll receive a curated collection of three niche fragrances (2.25 mL for most, occasionally 1.75 mL) by perfume artists from around the world.  You will also receive an $18 credit towards a full-sized purchase of one of the month’s featured fragrances. Olfactif offers a unisex collection and recently began offering a men’s collection as well.

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My Subscription Addiction paid for this subscription box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is of the Unisex Collection, $18 a month, box. 

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The Subscription Box: Olfactif

The Cost: $18 a month

COUPON: Receive 15% off your first collection by joining their mailing list (it was a pop-up when I went to the site).

The Products: Three 2.25 mL sample spray bottles from three fragrance artists from around the world.

Ships to: U.S.

Check out all of our Olfactif reviews and other great fragrance boxes in the Perfume Subscription Box Directory.

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

olfactif-december-2016-booklet-front

olfactif-december-2016-booklet-back

Each Olfactif collection includes an information card about this month’s theme and the notes in the individual fragrances that were sent. This month’s theme was “’Tis the Season.”

It’s important to note that fragrances may smell different when you wear them than when you spray them on a card or piece of paper. They may also smell different on different people due to individual body chemistries.

Also, the fragrances develop and change over time, with different notes becoming prominent. “Top” notes form your initial impression but evaporate within a few minutes, so you may still love a fragrance even if you are not fond of the top notes. “Middle” or “heart” notes emerge after you’ve been wearing the fragrance for a few minutes up to an hour. “Base” notes are large, heavy molecules that persist for a long time. They are often richer than the top or middle notes, although they may contribute to how you perceive the top and middle notes due to their interactions with the other fragrance components.

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Each Olfactif collection comes in a custom black case.

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Mmmm… by Juliette Has a Gun

(Pardon my dry winter skin.) Juliette Has a Gun appears fairly regularly in Olfactif collections. I usually like them (not 100% of the time, but often). This one is new to me and I’m a little undecided. Notes include neroli, raspberry, geranium orange flower, jasmine sambac, tuberose, iris, patchouli, and sandalwood. It doesn’t seem overly floral on me, and I do like the patchouli and sandalwood base.

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Roses Elixir by Montale

This one is the most floral of the bunch. I will admit, my first impression was not great, because I am not usually a fan of florals. But I gave it a chance and it developed into something much more suited to my tastes. Notes in this one include rose, citrus, strawberries, jasmine, orange blossom, amber, musk, and vanilla. I think the amber, musk, and vanilla saved it for me.

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Tardes by Carner Barcelona

This one was my favorite of the month, although I liked it better after it had been on for awhile (seems to be a common theme this month). This one has Egyptian geranium, rose, rosewood, almond, cedarwood, celery, plum, tonka bean, musk, and heliotrope. I think the woods and almond are what make me like this one. (If it was acceptable to wear almond extract as a fragrance, I’d be a happy camper.)

Verdict: This was a pretty good month from Olfactif. While not everything was perfectly suited to my taste, I thought the scents were complex and interesting and not exactly like anything I’ve tried before, which is why I started getting Olfactif in the first place. Half the fun is trying to guess the notes before I read the card (maybe I need a new hobby…).

What do you think of the December 2016 Olfactif collection? What was your favorite fragrance this month?

Starting at $20.00
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Each 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.
Ragan Buckley
Ragan Buckley
Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She's now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn't give up beauty boxes entirely).

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6 comments

Beth

These fragrances do not seem unisex to me???

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Ragan

I do think these tend to be more feminine (not always, but often). Olfactif also has a men’s subscription. They should probably just rename this the women’s subscription.

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Luna

I received Juliette Has A Gun’s perfume in MMMM in my December Birchbox, and really liked it (surprisingly). I think I’m one of the few that has been on the fence with the Juliette perfumes I’ve been receiving in sub boxes, so I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this one. I’m guessing it has to do with it including tuberose (I just bought a tuberose perfume from Jo Malone, which smells lovely), patchouli & sandalwood all of which I love. In fact, this box would have been perfect for me as I love floral fragrances, especially rose scented ones. I was super close to taking advantage of their Black Friday deal too. Figures. 🙂

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Ragan

I am not so big on florals but will wear them sometimes, especially if there is some other kind of base that masks the floral scent a little bit.

I had a revelation a few weeks ago about my taste in fragrance. My mom wore Estee Lauder Youth Dew when I was a kid (well, she still does). And most of the fragrances I like are spicy and Oriental and in some way reminiscent of Youth Dew. So either there is something genetic about scent preferences, or I was heavily influenced as a child to think all fragrances should smell like what my mom wore. (She and I don’t have very similar taste in most other respects.) I kind of want to get a bottle of it now…

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Luna

Oh my gosh! My mom only wore Youth Dew as well when I was a kid! Over the years she has moved on to other brands, and her new favorites are anything by Jo Malone (that tuberose perfume I mentioned earlier is actually a Christmas gift for her, but I was able to snag a deluxe spray sample for myself 🙂 ). However, on that rare occasion when I happen to see a bottle of Youth Dew in a store, I ALWAYS have to stop to smell it. It reminds me so much of my childhood, and I’ve honestly thought about purchasing a bottle… never to wear as it’s way too strong of a scent for my preference, but just to smell and remind me of those times back then. 🙂

nana

I got this box with the offer they had after Thanksgiving. I only ended up liking the Roses Elixir – which my daughter pronounced as smelling like me (e.g. it’s the type of perfume I wear).

Of course, I only like perfumes from very defined categories, so Olfactif doesn’t really work for me. I’d love it if they allowed you to choose the categories and only sent you scents from those. I have the two perfumes I didn’t like up for swap.

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