With the abundance of cheap online perfume dupes or ‘Inspired By’ scents, many people are turning to the internet to buy copycat fragrances. This can be a great way to buy discounted eau de parfum, aftershave, cologne, eau de toilette etc but it also comes with risk. So is it a good idea to buy scent without smelling it first?
Why buy perfume and fragrances online rather than from a perfume shop?
- You get a huge choice – far more so than walking into a perfume shop. - You get the option to buy dupe scents / inspired by perfumes - Convenience – shopping from home is easy and saves a lot of time. - Savings – not only can you do instant price comparisons for online scent but you also have exposure to more bargains. - Reviews – reading customer reviews for any scented product be it eau de toilette, cologne, eau de parfum or aftershave gives you an insight into what others generally think of a product.
Without question, it makes sense to smell perfume before you buy it and that’s where perfume shops win out. But we know that this is not always possible. Consequently, what started out as a good idea buying a discount scents online can turn into a disaster if the product is nothing like what you were expecting.
So here are some tips on how to buy cheap perfume and other fragranced products if you can’t get to a perfume shop and smell them first.
- Read scent and perfume reviews / do your research – Researching from the comfort of your sofa is easy these days thanks to so much information on the internet. Be aware that everybody has a different sense of smell but if a majority love a particular scent, the chances are highly likely that you will too. - Product description – Companies who sell scented products are very aware that customers are buying blind so read their product descriptions. Some will describe the occasion for wearing a particular perfume such as a daytime scent, a perfume for work, an evening eau de parfum etc. In addition, they may put in descriptions such as fresh, light, fruity, aqua, spicy or heavy scents thereby giving you further guidance. - Buy what you know – It may be that you have a few favourite scents or that you particularly like a fragrance used in a candle or wax melt and would like it as a perfume. - Buy the most popular scents – The most popular scents are usually the mass marketed ones which smell good and are universally liked.
Safe scents for men that spring to mind include;
The one male, Sauvage, One million lucky and Invictus.
Safe perfumes for women include;
Lady, Black Opium and Guilty.
Or if you really want to play extra safe on your scents, you could go for a popular unisex fragrance such as Sandalwood and black pepper, Neroli Portofino or Santal 33.
- Top scent brands – Top brands employ top perfumers because they design great products. It therefore makes sense to consider good brand names like Gucci, Jo Malone, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Estee Lauder, Creed, Armani, Jimmy Choo and Tom Ford. - Be brave – Accept that you may get it wrong and buy a fragrance which you don’t like. That doesn’t mean you can’t give it to somebody else as a gift. - Buy a trial size – Buying a small trial size means you don’t risk spending so much money. Additionally, it may be that you can purchase 3 different smaller sized scents for the price of one larger perfume bottle but then get the benefit of sampling different fragrances and creating a list of preferred aromas. - Read the name – This may sound obvious but the aroma is often described in the name of a perfume or aftershave. For example, Spice Bomb, Tobacco and Vanilla or Sandalwood and Black Pepper.
Whether you are buying an original fragrance, a dupe scent or an Inspired By perfume, there will be occasions where you purchase scent without actually trying it first. You will get it wrong occasionally but the best thing is to follow the guidelines above, stick to the popular scents and enjoy the experience.
At Ava Mayfair, we have a range of Inspired by scents suitable for both men and women. These are available in a 50ml size and a small 10ml bottle thus making it possible for you to trial affordably.
You can now use our AVAMAY10 discount code to get 10% off across the range of women’s perfumes, men’s fragrances, gift sets, candles, wax melts and other products on our website. This discount code does not apply to items on special offers / bundles. To find out more about our products and to be alerted to our special offers, please go to the website and sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
