BIRTHDAY HAUL + PERFUMED COURT REVIEW/COMPARISON

Many websites sell perfume decants or company samples: Twisted Lily, Micro Perfumes, Surrender to Chance, Lucky Scent, etc. I have a post compiling them; if interested, comment below!

Until now, I've only purchased from Lucky Scent (LS). I like that they offer free shipping, there are brand discounts, and they have biodegradable peanuts. 

I've browsed Surrender to Chance (STC), which has the best selection of Indie fragrances BY FAR: Fantome, Alkemia, etc. There is a limited selection, but STC offers brands few places carry. Constantly finding new brands on there! 

One edge The Perfumed Court (TPC) has is its slightly more extensive selection of designer brands (Armani Privé, specifically.) You can also find Christian Dior Privée or Armani Privé on STC, but they have less than a handful. 

As for pricing, it depends. 

Let's compare:

BDK's Gris Charnel EDP

• $2.99 for .5 ml on TPC & STC. $5 for .7 ml on LS. If you calculate the price for 1 ml, TPC & STC are $6. LS is $7.

Byredo Blanche

• $3.99 for .5 ml on TPC & STC. $4 for .7 ml on LS. $8 v $6 per ml. 

MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 EDP

• $5.99 for .5 ml on TPC % STC. $8 for .7 ml on LS. $12 v $11 per ml.

Prices on TPC and STC are not always the same. Ex. Bvlgari The Blanc is different.

Website design/shopping experience ranking from best to worst: LS, STC, TPC.

LS has more consistency with pictures, the number of tabs/pages isn't crazy, and it's organized, clean, and professional. 

STC has some inconsistency, but the layout is better/not shrink-wrapped like TPC. 

TPC looks like it was created when web design was in its infancy. As you go up on my ranking, web design becomes more advanced. 

I prefer shopping on LS, that may be because I've shopped there several times. They also have a brick-and-mortar shop in NYC, which I have yet to visit. If you don't want to pay for shipping, are trying to limit your spending, want to try a bunch of perfume, and happen to be in New York, you should visit their store Scent Bar NYC on Elizabeth Street.

Shipping:

Placed my order on March 27 at 8 in the evening and received it on April 1 before 5 in the evening. Fast shipping and turnaround time. It came shipped in a bubble mailer. All the perfumes fit into this small paper box. Very compact and cute. They even gave one "Bali's Best" brand coffee candy. A sweet touch *pun not intended*.  

Decant bottles:

TPC's and LS's decant bottles are the same. I may be imagining things, but TPC's feel a little squatty. TPC uses clear labels, whereas LS uses these white ones. TPC looks more cohesive because of this, but that's just an aesthetic issue. 

I struggle less opening TPC's decants. It's capped on tight, but it easily pops open when you want it. In the past, I've accidentally spilled LS decants because of their caps and my caution. 

What I purchased (I mainly purchased fragrances I featured on my wishlists)

• Armani Prive Figuier Eden
• Armani Prive The Yulong
• TokyoMilk Sonoran Bloom Parfum (TPC has a limited TokyoMilk selection)
• BDK Parfums Gris Charnel
• Byredo Mixed Emotions 
• Byredo Gypsy Water
• Diptyque Philosykos EDP (I know I've mentioned disliking this/never trying Diptyque again, but I changed my mind after retrying perfumes I didn't like, so I thought I would give this perfume another shot.)
• Le Labo The Matcha 26 (I haven't tried Le Labo in a long time. This perfume was mentioned in a window-shopping post I did.)
• Bvlgari Au the Blanc
• Gucci A Chant for the Nymph (I don't know why)
• Gucci Memoire d'une Odeur (I have two friends that are sensitive to smells, so I'm testing this out to possibly recommend.)

Happy Birthday to other May 5 babies!