Going through samples

[clayr]

I recently got a sample pack from BPAL and am trying them out. How do people here sample and how do you clean your sample area so you can try out a new sample without it being affected by the old sample?

Comments

[momijizukamori]

For BPAL, if you want to seriously sample it, you'll have to leave it on for a bit - they usually change within a few minutes as it dries, and then have some slower changes over a few hours. I usually use the wand tip on the cap, swipe it on the inside of one wrist, rub my wrists together, and then rub them on the sides of my neck.

If you're doing shorter sample tests (ie, through drydown but not really any longer) I tend to do little swipes on the inside of my arm or back of my hand. Soap and water will clear most of the oil's smell away, and having some fresh coffee beans to sniff inbetween samples helps clear your sense of smell some (and I say this as someone who hates coffee)

[clayr]

Thanks for your response. I tried Queen Alice and was impressed at how in the imp it smelt too floral* for me but when dried on my wrist, it smelt much sweeter and way less floral. Sadly the second one I tried, Two, Five & Seven, remained floral throughout. I had Queen Alice on for a couple of hours and Two, Five & Seven for something like a hour.

Heh, I work for Sbux, I always have coffee lying around.

*A scent that is irritating to me.

[momijizukamori]

Yeah, it's really interesting how some change! I like a lot of resin/musk heavy stuff and they frequently have a really sharp, acrid note in the imp which dries away in the first few minutes.

I have heard (repeatedly) that coffee is especially good for clearing nostrils beyond just the 'it has a strong scent itself' aspect, but I have no idea if there's truth to that.