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. This is a review of the unisex collection.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this subscription box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Olfactif
The Cost: $18
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: US
Check out all our Olfactif reviews and other great fragrance boxes in the Perfume Subscription Box Directory.
Each Olfactif collection comes with a card offering instructions on how to try out the fragrances.
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.
The collection also included an information card about this month’s theme and the notes in the individual fragrances that were sent. This month’s theme was “Marching Back and Forth.”
Each Olfactif collection comes in a custom black case.
Soliflore Gardenia by Dame Perfumery – This has only one note, gardenia. That’s it. I am not so big on florals but this does last awhile once sprayed so I am thinking I might layer it with another fragrance to add complexity.
Memoir Woman by Amouage – OK, that’s more like it. A full-sized bottle of this is $275 so no wonder it’s my favorite this month. This has notes of mandarin, cardamom, absinthe, pink pepper, wormwood, clove, white flowers, rose, jasmine, frankincense, styrax, oakmoss, leather, labdanum, and musk. I do notice the floral notes in here but this is much more complex than just a floral. The spicy, musky notes are what I love, and there are some interesting twists on that here.
Mon Jardin by Bottega Profumeria – This starts out kind of floral, and stays that way, but I definitely notice something citrusy after the top notes have evaporated. The overall blend works together and even though this is a little floral, it works for me. This has notes of tangerine, bergamot, neroli, orange flower, jasmine, fig leaves, iris, musk, and sandalwood.
Verdict: This was an interesting month for me from Olfactif. I started this subscription last fall and I think most of the fragrances I got were fall and winter scents, which are definitely my preference. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I am not really surprised to see more florals. At least they are a little different and either are themselves subtly layered (Memoir Woman and Mon Jardin) or can be layered with other fragrances (Soliflore Gardenia).
What do you think of the March 2016 Olfactif collection? What was your favorite fragrance this month?
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