What is the Perfume Project?

This blog is a constantly evolving forum for thoughts on perfume, perfume-making, plants (especially orchids and flora of the Pacific Northwest) and life in general. It started out chronicling the adventures of Olympic Orchids Perfumes, established in July 2010, and has expanded in other directions. A big part of the blog is thinking about the ongoing process of learning and experimentation that leads to new perfumes, the exploration of perfumery materials, the theory and practice of perfume making, the challenges of marketing perfumes and other fragrance products, and random observations on philosophy and society. Spam comments will be marked as such and deleted; any comments that go beyond the boundaries of civil discourse will also be deleted. I am grateful to all of you, the readers, who contribute to the blog by commenting and making this a truly interactive perfume project.

Monday, January 8, 2018

MONDAY MADNESS: CARDED SAMPLES AND WINNER OF LAST WEEK’S DRAWING

The winner of last week’s drawing is: JAMES WEAVER

To claim your winnings, please e-mail olympicorchids at gmail dot com or leave a PM on our Facebook page.

Today is another opportunity to continue the clearing of my stashes of samples. A lot of them are loose, so they don’t take up much room, at least not individually. However, a lot of them are also on cards of various types. Most of the cards are the classic “book”- type, with the sample hooked over holes or inserted between folded cardboard protrusions along the spine of the “book”. Others are just a card with a hole punched in it so that the sample often falls out. That’s OK if the vial is labeled, but not good if it isn’t. A few are in their own little organza bags with the name on a big card tied with a ribbon around the top of the bag. These vials usually aren’t labeled. As a consumer of samples, my plea would be, “please label the vial itself”.


This week’s giveaway will be a mix of 100 g of “normal” samples and a handful of carded samples. To enter the drawing, all you have to do is leave a comment about your opinion of carded samples.

[photo is from a vendor's pic that showed up in a basic Google search]

12 comments:

  1. I love carded sampls because its easier to tell the name and brand of the fragrance sample. I don't like that the card gets wasted and tossed in the trash because noone really like to keep that part, because it can add to the clutter!

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    1. Nelle, you make a good point about the cards getting thrown away and added to the world's garbage. The amount of packaging waste is mind-boggling. You are entered in the drawing for some carded samples!

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    2. they are like business cards that make us think about the fragrance..I really like your samples that come in small bags with beautiful pictures

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    3. Richard, the bags are a practical solution to the problem of having so many different fragrances. It takes less space to store rolls of multi-purpose labels for them than it would to store that many printed cards. You're entered in the drawing.

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  2. Hello! Came across your blog just now while reading Australian Perfume Junkies.
    Not sure I'd be eligible for the giveaway since I live in Russia, but here's my two cents: I do like fancy carded samples like those from Hermes, Houbigant or Francis Kourkdjian, however, if that luxurious paper comes from cutting down trees, I say, down with cards! Besides, it's hard for me to throw them out even after the sample is empty :( Oh, the fear of becoming a hoarder!. :)

    Diana

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    1. Diana, sadly shipping to Russia is too unpredictable, so we don't generally do it. Thanks for your comment, anyway!

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    2. No worries! Congratulations to Nelle :)

      Diana

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    3. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  3. I like carded samples, but I'm afraid that I treat them too preciously ! I need to be writing all over their outside with my impressions, and what I plan to do with them next. But I find myself hating to "ruin" them that way !

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    1. Bob, that's an idea, writing reviews on the sample cards! You're in the drawing.

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  4. While many of the cards are lovely, I'm afraid I come down on the side of them being unneeded (although they do offer protection from bumps and bangs, now that I think about it) paper usage. I really, really prefer to have the vials labeled! Partly because of the extraneous matter reason, and partly because the cats get into eveyrthing and the vials don't always stay with the correct card!

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    1. Laurie, the cards do serve a protective function, especially when mailing samples. You're entered in the drawing.

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