Traveling Fragrance Sample Box

[LBussy]

The Klar is for you to take a chunk and pass the rest. [MENTION=67655]Zombeezy[/MENTION] put that in there. Definitely repack if it needs it. I took about 30 mins to pack it when I sent it on. These are little treasures and we need to keep them as such.

 

[dangerousdon]

The Klar is for you to take a chunk and pass the rest. @Zombeezy put that in there. Definitely repack if it needs it. I took about 30 mins to pack it when I sent it on. These are little treasures and we need to keep them as such.

I figured the Klar was for sampling I just wanted to make sure as I know it is very rare stuff at this point. Yeah it definitely needs a repacking job, in it's current format there is great potential for a lot of breakage. I will get to trying some today.

 

[LBussy]

I'm not in the list anymore so my opinion (should be) is impartial. Splitting it may make sense from a purely logistical standpoint, but in practice I think it might be troublesome. If it's split now the same person receives and then ships two packages. If we had a static list and a firm start/stop plan then it could be split easily and equitably, but as it stands with a dynamic list I am not sure how it could be done well. I am all ears on ideas for the planning, I know some of you plan all day long. It just sounds like, to me, that it creates a burden and complication.

I wholeheartedly agree that the box is overwhelming, so maybe someone can think of something.

The Klar is awesome stuff. It's a veg soap of course so IMHO lacks something that a tallow soap would have, but the scent and ... not sure how to describe it, sophistication? That's something special.

 

[dangerousdon]

@LBussy Good thoughts on that. I was thinking that if it did get split we would just have the second box trail behind a couple of weeks. You do have valid points on this. I personally don't really care either way, I just know this has been going on now for the better part of three years and though an update of discussion is in order. I myself, plan to only keep this two weeks max. So we can get it rolling again.

I did notice that there are a lot of empty vials and I am not sure if those need to be in there or if we are keeping them so participants can get a whiff of what WAS in the vial. There is plenty of room left in it. Also, whoever built the plywood insert for the box was very smart. I am assuming that it was @dfoulk since he built one for the PannaCrema Nuavia soap pass-around. Either way, that was smart. I have a lot of chores to do today, but when I am done, I might sit outside (the weather is gorgeous right now, it's going to be in the upper 50s today and sunny) and take a whiff of as many as my olfactory senses can handle. I think I might take notes on this, seeing as I really no nothing about fragrances and it seems that I like a wide range of scents. I will let you all no how it goes.

By the way, if you are anywhere near Louisiana, go eat yourself some King Cake and go see a parade. Tomorrow is Lundi Gras and Tuesday is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). As we say in Louisiana, "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

 

[Zombeezy]

Hi guys, been out of action due to travel out of state due to a family emergency.

A couple of quick thoughts - see if I can add more more tomorrow. Again I appreciate LBussy for answering questions - awesome as usual!!!

I put a bunch of empty vials in to encourage others to use and siphon off samples of larger bottles they have, since not everyone has sample vials that were purchased or acquired. I was also trying to help "fill" up the box.

I also noticed that a lot of the smaller filled sample vials that I had purchased simply had evaporated much of the contents over a year or two even without them being used, so instead of a 1 ml sample it had the barest of liquid remaining. I chose to put a lot of those in the box, but this box is all about "Does it makes sense"? If at this point they are so scant of any liquid or scent now, perhaps they either need tossing out or cleaning and reusing, although I do not have any experience at reusing sample vials.

On the Klar - take what you want or feel comfortable taking in proportion to what you might offer up. While this box is all about Fragrance, it is also about the spirit of sharing and exploration and camaraderie. We didn't know how full it would be in its rebirth with efforts by the few fellows here that worked hard to put it back into action, nor knew how full it would remain at any point. I had a fair amount of small unused soap samples I put in to that point, and pretty much said grab it if you want. I almost put in a handful of razors and blades to that point as well. But... this is about fragrances.

Lbussy hit it on the head about splitting the box, but again, perhaps argument is stronger now in light of knowing the box has taken some hits with lost contents, and maybe by splitting it can we minimize it. Since I haven't seen the box since it's rebirth, perhaps a couple of photos of the amounts of contents, size of box, burst strength of box, and type of packing material might add volumes to the discussion and persuade where not all are convinced. If possible, of course.

Appreciate dangerousdon offering up these discussion points...

~Z

 

[dangerousdon]

Sorry guys, been busy at work. I'm an Intelligence Analyst for my State Police here in Louisiana and I specialize in Human Trafficking and Crimes against Children. I have made a bit of a name for myself with some things that I have done and end up having to speak at places. I got back from a trip late this week and then as soon as I got back I had to help work a child abduction.

At any rate, I will get some reviews up here hopefully today and try to get the box out this week. Thanks for being patient.

 

[Tarquinius]

No problem Danger, you do important work.

Not quite a year

 

[Zombeezy]

Snow again in the DC area. A bit pitiful though...

dangerousdon - whatever you need to do to make it work at work and stuff, no problem. Family and job are always first. Smelling good is second, but who says we can't do both?

 

[dangerousdon]

Okay, seriously...this thing called life can slow down any time now. I PROMISE I will get reviews up this weekend and the box out Monday or Tuesday.

 

[LBussy]

Don't stress on it. Your nose lies to you when you stress.

 

[Zombeezy]

Added FrankMassa to the list

Updated list 3/5/16
43 dangerousdon (2/22/15) - Wrapping it by 3/7 or 3/8
44 @Tarquinius (3/6/15) - I'd love to chock the box
45 @lfs70 (3/17/15) - ".. nice selection of frag samples that I would gladly add to the box"
46 @AndroiDad75 (3/27/15)
47 @preston1000 (4/10/15)
48 @chef8489 (5/08/15)
49 @BJ Rose (6/03/15) "hoping I could jump"
50 @PGHChris (11/19/14) - bumped from top to bottom - needs to contact me to get bumped back higher
51 @pdfde (9/23/15) - looking for special literary professorial scent
52 @Zombeezy (9/27/15)
53 @Blaidth (12/27/15)
54 @polishaver (2/1/16)
55 [MENTION=106000]FrankMassa[/MENTION] (3/4/16)
:::List currently maintained by Zombeezy:::

 

[dangerousdon]

Okay, Okay! Enough procrastinating. I have some excuses that I think are pretty good, but let's face it...none of you all really want to hear it. Well I have some reviews on some of the fragrances that I liked. I will post some of these now and then finish up on the others this weekend. On Monday, I will get this box out to [MENTION=86031]Tarquinius[/MENTION]. I will post the tracking number on Monday and maybe...just maybe...Tarquinius will get the box in a day shy under a year from when he signed up. Sorry again for the delay. The next post will be some reviews on four of the scents that I liked.

 

[dangerousdon]

Dirty English - Juicy Couture

Top Notes - Mandarin, Bergamot, Blue Cypress, Cardamom, Caraway
Heart Notes - Marjoram, Black Leather, Sandalwood, Atlas Cedar, Vetiver
Base notes - Amber Musk, Agarwood, Black Moss Absolute, Ebony Wood

My Thoughts – Really nice masculine smell…it’s musky and spicy, but not too deep. I have seen this in places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls for about $20.00. It is quite possibly really good everyday cologne to wear to work or casual activities. At the discounted prices, this is a definite buy.


Bayolea - Penhaligon's

Top Notes - Mandarin, Tangerine, Lemongrass
Heart Notes - Cardamom, Black pepper, Neroli, Lavender
Base notes - Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Musk, Moss, Patchouli, Amber

My Thoughts – This has a more natural fragrance take to cologne. While it still has very much a cologne smell to me I can still pick out clean natural scents like citrus and lavender. I see why this cologne gets a lot of love around B&B. While I am a guy that does not want to spend a ton of money on a fragrance, Bayolea is definitely not an expensive cologne. In the near future this is a must buy.


Black Vines – Kerosene

Ivy, Fig, Star anise, Cinnamon, Canadian fir, Peru balsam, Tonka, Incense, Vanilla

My Thoughts – So I have really no idea why I like this scent. I like anise in my cooking (especially cookies…my wife makes pizzelles and they are so good), but I don’t necessarily want to wear it. But this is a very sharp scent that seems to wear mellow. I really could not find this stuff anywhere except for on the Kerosene website. Just as well, as it is priced at $140.00 I probably won’t buy this.


Green Irish Tweed – Creed

Top Notes - Lemon, Verbena
Heart Notes - Iris, Violet leaf
Base notes - Mysore sandalwood, Ambergris

My Thoughts – So it is no wonder that I really like this stuff. I have to like one of the more expensive and renowned scents out there, right? So I dare not actually wear this because there isn’t a lot of it left. But I noticed the simplicity of the scents and I have to appreciate the fact that less is often better. So the Green Irish Tweed is a very simple but complex and expensive scent. I can’t help but make the comparison to Fine Accouterments's Fresh Vetiver. I know it isn’t exactly the same…but man…they smell alike. Maybe my sniffer is messed up. I did have a cold a couple of weeks ago.

 

[BJ Rose]

Thanks for the reviews dangerous. And please forward the excuses to me so I can use them during my turn.

 

[dangerousdon]

Here's a few more. I have just a couple more that I will post tomorrow. And then I will wrap it up with some final thoughts.

Brit for Men – Burberry

Top Notes - Green Mandarin, Ginger, Bergamot, Cardamom
Heart Notes - Wild roses, Cedarwood, Nutmeg
Base notes - Oriental Woods, Grey Musk, Tonka Bean

My Thoughts – It’s spicy and woodsy in a very manly way. I can see myself wearing this for casual evenings out. This is another fragrance that I have seen at the discount places for $20.00 to $30.00 a bottle. Again at such a low price this one is really a no brainer. I realize that I know have reviewed two scents that you can get for really good prices…I didn’t plan on this, it’s just where my nose has taken me.


Elixir Blue - C.O. Bigelow

Marine notes, Lavender, Rosemary, White musk

My Thoughts - So I was surprised that I really like this. I have walked pass the C. O. Bigelow Elixir Blue several times at my local Bath & Body Works. This is a very clean, like water scent, that is just a joy to smell over and over again. I really do not know why I haven’t bought a bottle of this for an everyday cologne to wear to work or the store or whatever. Especially at $20.00 full retail, and I think you can get a buy something get something free sale at B&BW every now and then. Plus (and I know this from my wife) you can get coupons from them if you sign up for their emails or just go to their website and look for coupons. Anyway, this stuff smells great.


Sung Homme - Alfred Sung

Top Notes - Lemon, Tangerine, Petitgrain, Laurel nobile, Galbanum
Heart Notes - Thyme, Sage, Pepper, Lavender, Geranium, Fir
Base notes - Vetiver, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Musk

My Thoughts – So I am a sucker for sandalwood and while this isn’t a sandalwood scent necessarily, it does have some sandalwood notes to it. So along with the sandalwood, it has a rich earthiness to it and is very spicy. It is sharp and snaps you to attention when you smell it…but it is very pleasant. This is either my favorite of the ones I have reviewed so far or is close to it. This fragrance smells very expensive. That being said, evidently, it might be the cheapest also. I looked on Amazon and you can get a bottle for under $17.00. Seriously, I either have a bad sniffer or I just have no idea what a good cologne or perfume is.

 

[dangerousdon]

So I guess I only had one more. I will post this and then later today I will wrap this up with some final thoughts.

Old-Fashioned Soda (After-Shave) - Wm. Neumann & Co.

From the Wm. Neumann & Co. website:

Key Ingredients:

Organic Aloe, Witch Hazel, Slippery Elm Bark, Marshmallow Root, and Chickweed--Soothes and calms irritated skin;
Kosher Vegetable Glycerin--Naturally hydrates and softens the skin;
Green Tea and Blue-Green Algae--Powerful natural antioxidants, encourage the healing process;
Nettle, Milk Thistle, and Black Willow Bark--Well known for their healing and astringent qualities;
Tea Tree Oil--Naturally fights bacteria;

Wm. Neumann & Co. Old-Fashioned Soda Fragrance Blend:
William Neumann’s famous Old-Fashioned Soda formula is taken straight from his formulary notes dated 1908. It’s a secret combination of Orange, Lemon, Nutmeg, Coriander, Neroli, Cinnamon, Wintergreen, Clove, Birch, Star Anise, and Vanilla. It smells absolutely great!

My Thoughts – So this appears to be an aftershave with an old timey soda scent. I picked this out because when I first took a whiff, it immediately brought me back to my childhood. I used to drink these sodas as a kid that smelled exactly like this AS. I know it is more of a novelty, but really, I can’t put this stuff down. Actually the closest thing I have found to the sodas I used to drink (not the AS) is a company called Sprecher’s. They make kettle brewed sodas and they also brew beer. Those of you in the north (especially Wisconsin area) may have heard of this. Anyway, they have a “Kola” flavor that smells almost like this AS. So, the big question is, would I wear this AS? Yeah I probably would, I just don’t know how much. And for about $30.00 for a four ounce bottle, I am not sure how much of a value this is. At any rate, this stuff smells great…even if it is just a novelty.

 

[dangerousdon]

Alright, so the box is finally on the move. I really wanted to get this in and out in two weeks but I guess you can't predict when life hits you. Anyway, The box is on it's way to [MENTION=86031]Tarquinius[/MENTION] and the tracking number is 9505513972886077155395. Tracking says that it should make it to its destination by 03/19/2016. That's Saturday I believe.

I added some samples of the following:

Montale - Woods and Spices
Dolce & Gabbana - Le Bateleur #1 (A personal favorite of mine)
Musgo Real - Oak Moss
Chiseled Face - Creamsicle
Bain Amour - Green Irish Tweed

The last two are aftershaves. In addition, I put in a couple of goodies if anyone wants some. This was quite an experienced and I am grateful there is a pass-around like this so I don't have to go all over creation to find new and interesting scents. Thanks to all who have participated and contributed. Let me know if there is anything that I can do for you all.

 

[Tarquinius]

Thanks Don. Just got the box! Wow this thing is 9 pounds!

 

[BJ Rose]

Thank you Don for the reviews and the samples.

 

[dangerousdon]

No Problem...just wish I didn't have it as long as I did...I know you guys have been waiting for this.