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 our past 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.
Each Olfactif collection comes in a custom black case. This month’s theme was “Wanderlust.”
Still Life in Rio by Olfactive Studio – This fragrance was inspired by an image of Rio de Janeiro at dawn. This has notes of yuzu, ginger, mint, lemon, mandarin, Jamaican hot peppers, pink pepper, coconut water, Brazilian copaiba, white leather, and rum. I think this is my second favorite fragrance of the month. I like the pink pepper, coconut, and mandarin, as well as the leather and rum – all of which give this a bit of a tropical feel. But, I’m not sure how I feel about the ginger, mint, and lemon. I don’t hate this, not at all, it’s just not *quite* what I love in a fragrance. It will be good on days when I want to mix things up a bit. (I also learned that copaiba is a resin commonly used in making varnishes and lacquers…)
Eau Fraiche by Monsillage – I’m not going to lie, my first thought with this one was “this smells like something you’d clean your floors with.” My husband agreed. This one has notes of verbena, yellow mandarin, lavender, white thyme, rosemary, lilac, vetiver, white cedar, white musks, and ambergris. It smells clean and fresh, and therein lies the problem for me – I am just not into clean and fresh fragrances. (By no means is this a bad fragrance, it’s just not what I like to wear. It will definitely work for some people!)
Pichola by Neela Vermeire Creations – This was my favorite, by far. That is not a surprise; one of my favorite fragrances ever – also discovered through Olfactif – is Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations. (As an aside, I see she has come up with some other India-inspired fragrances and I hope to see those in future Olfactif boxes.) This has cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroli, clementine, bergamot, orange blossom, rose, tuberose, jasmine sambac, ylang-ylang, benzoin, sandalwood, driftwood, and vetiver. The spices and sandalwood really work for me. I am pretty much guaranteed to like a fragrance with those sorts of notes. The florals are not overwhelming and the citrus is a nice addition.
Verdict: This was an interesting month for me from Olfactif. I found one fragrance I love, and two that I will probably wear on occasion (at least until the samples run out). I think all of them were good for this stage of late summer we’re in, but to be honest, I’m really looking forward to fall and winter, which is when Olfactif really shines for me. If you are looking for some fragrances that are off the beaten path and not often available as freebies from cosmetics counters, Ulta, or Sephora, Olfactif is a good way to find them.
What do you think of the August 2016 Olfactif collection? What was your favorite fragrance this month?
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