Discovering a new fragrance can be absolutely draining. But there comes a time in everyone’s life when they’re in need for the next big fragrance obsession. Before you devote your hard-earned dollars to an online cologne or perfume purchase, why not test the waters a little first. Let’s be real, finding the perfect signature scent is like getting into a relationship. How about you do a little dating around 1st before taking the plunge into full on Facebook official status with your next fragrance.
These days, getting samples of new and famous frags is a must before you devote your money and reputation to the one. There are many options out there so how do you whittle it down to your perfect smell mate? I’ll tell you how. Do what we call speed dating for fragrances. Here's how to get fragrance samples because getting the really good smelling stuff is hard to find.
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Yes!! You Can Get Samples for Free When You Shop Online
Incentive programs from businesses like Sephora offer free perfume samples when you check out during your online purchase. Argos Fragrances offers deluxe fragrance samples with purchase of any full bottle of fragrance. The Body Shop, L’Oréal, and Lancôme offer free fragrance testers with or without an online purchase. Sign up for an account at Ulta and opt for mailings. Each month you will collect a catalog with several free fragrance samples.
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Trade Your Email or Phone Number for Free Merch
For this you have to do a little investigating. Just visit the websites of your preferred fragrance houses, like Jo Malone and look for a free sample tab. You may have to enter some info (like your email and mailing address) but in exchange you will get comp’d samples of their latest scents.
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Check Out Your Nearest Department Store
All you have to do for this step is to visit your nearest department store. Just casually stroll through the doors and wander yourself on up to the fragrance counter. It’s not rude to ask for a sample. In fact, you will more than likely be greeted as soon as you reach the fragrance section as there are commission hungry sales agents more than happy to provide you with samples to check out. They will probably have a few samples in mind that they will suggest you try. Usually these will be the ones that the fragrance houses are trying to push out into the market.
Nordstrom is a treasure-trove for free perfume samples, particularly during a Fragrance event when you can receive larger sized scents to try. Beauty specialty shops like Ulta or Sephora will spray or pour you a sample on the spot if you aren’t too shy to ask. Pro tip. Go to a fragrance boutique shop like The Scent Room located in Dallas, Texas. They are a fragrance specialty shop and have super focused insight into luxury niche fragrances that you won’t find in most department stores. Yes, the fragrances there can get pricey but the one on one attention you will get as well as samples will not be found in most department stores.
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Buy Individual Samples
If an entire discovery set is too much commitment, you can buy individual samples from luxury fragrance lines where 0.05 ounces of their liquid gold generally will run between $4-$6 a pop. If you are lucky you can even purchase samples online with free shipping. Usually around the holidays you can find sales or free shipping promotions.
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Invest in A Discovery Set
A wide range of aroma lines, from high quality to your normal staples, offer sample kits that are moderately priced. Tester sample packs as a rule contain between 4 to 6 samples, each filled with between 1 and 2ml of fragrance juice. This is a fab method to investigate a line of remarkable scents that you may somehow have missed because you were too afraid to pull the trigger on a pricy 100ml bottle. Popular aroma brand Argos Fragrances offers a discovery pack you can purchase through their website or on Amazon.
Some of the larger fragrance lines even offer a customizable fragrance sample pack. This allows you to pick from their current lineup and weed out any of the ones you don’t want and just get the ones that you think you’ll like the most. Macy's sells a discovery pack with samples from several of their top selling brands. The fact is that most brands now days offer sample packs or discovery kits and they are a great way to discover a new fragrance house before investing on a full bottle right away.
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Search Instagram, Facebook & Social Groups
Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit are great resources to find free fragrance testers. Search hashtags to see who's giving away, swapping or selling what. It is super easy…. #easy. Here’s a pro tip. Request to join several Facebook fragrance pages and then start swapping and buying samples from other fragrance enthusiasts. Here is a list of Facebook fragrance groups to join. The Fragrance Lounge, Frag Addicts, Fragrance addict, Fragrance Swap now I think you have the idea. Just do a basic search and you find several fragrance groups to join.
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Try a Subscription Box
Although you may get the occasional fragrance sample in your subscription beauty box haul, you can also sign up for a fragrance-only subscription box, like Scentbox or Scentbird. These are monthly deliveries and are hassle free and you can cancel at any time. This is a great way to build up your fragrance collection as you discover your holy grail for scents. You will also be privy to discount codes good towards the full bottle size of your favorite finds when you are ready to upgrade to the big bottle.
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Sign Up for Newsletters
When you sign up for beauty product newsletters, not only will you be alerted about new product drops, you'll be in the know when it's promotion time. Seasonal and holiday gift sets often come with luxury fragrance samples. Many companies even offer exclusive giveaways to their subscribers through private promotions, and contests.
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Write Exciting Product Reviews
So, you’re not blessed with a million IG or Facebook followers but you can still get freebees like one. Simply sign up to write reviews, answer product surveys, and sometimes even get called in for focus groups with companies like Influenster, Poshly, Pinchme, and Tryspree. Yea you aren’t exactly getting a free handout but for a little bit of your time you can build your fragrance collection while doing something you’re already interested in. Besides, it’s kinda fun weighing in on the latest and greatest new fragrances to hit the market. You may even be privy to some prereleases. There is a good possibility that these companies will reach out to you again for your opinion on even more fragrances.
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Flip Through a Magazine
Does anyone even get magazines anymore? Well, actually yes, they do. Many beauty and lifestyle magazines are still in high demand and contain scented ads. Just be careful you aren’t caught rubbing magazine pages all over your hot points before your next hot date!! But who knows you just might find your next signature scent inside next month’s GQ magazine.
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Create Your Own Blog, IG or YouTube Channel
If you are ready to travel down this rabbit hole into the world of fragrance, then create a blog, page or channel to document your journey. You don’t have to be a seasoned fragrance expert with years of training under your belt. Just have engaging content and be yourself. You may just be surprised to find that there are many others interested in fragrance that would love to hear your point of view. Although I do recommend you have something to differentiate yourself from thousands of beauty bloggers out there. Once you have a few beautifully written blogs, engaging posts or entertaining videos posted you may just be surprised to find fragrance brands reaching out to you for reviews and to help create more content for them.
Check out these example of fragrance blogs, posts and YouTube content that have garnered the attention of fragrance collectors and fragrance houses alike.
Now that you're on your way to building your fragrance library, be sure to save your sample vials for travel, life on the go, or if you want to layer scents.
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Follow Or Subscribe To A Fragrance Guru Or Expert
Weather you are just starting out or you have a sizable fragrance collection. One thing is always for certain. There is always going to be someone more knowledgeable than you. I recommend that you follow several fragrance gurus and then narrow who you follow down to just a couple that you really connect with. Once you find a handful of really knowledgeable fragrance experts or reviewers that you feel have either similar style, taste or maybe they just are the first to get their nose on the most rare and expensive hard to get juice then focus on their content. See if they respond to your questions on their public IG posts, blogs or YouTube channels.
These fragrance experts always have the inside scoop on how to get your hands on the best samples, sales, promotions and giveaways. Some even offer an extra level of attention and have private memberships. Here you can subscribe and get the one on one attention you deserve. Check out @StayFreshProductons IG, YouTube Channels and if you want to get access to the private info, sales, and insight feel free to sign up.
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