Aromatic perfume samples for winter

For winter, 23 of our samples carry the family label aromatic. We picked 8 to show here and describe them strictly by their recorded data. Read it as a map, not as a top list.

The selection

Mind Games Blockade

From Mind Games comes Mind Games Blockade, an Extrait de Parfum. On paper it lists Mango Skin, Pink Pepper, Tomato Leaf, Bergamot Capua, Lavender, Mango Flower and others. It is tagged leather, woody and aromatic. Season on record: autumn, winter and spring. Write down what you notice after a few minutes and again after lunch, and you will see how it moves.

Roja Parfums Manhattan

Roja Parfums Manhattan, an Eau de Parfum from Roja Parfums, has Bergamot, Lavender, Basil, Rose de Mai, Jasmine, Heliotrope and others on record. The scent families on record: aromatic, woody, spicy and amber. It is listed for autumn and winter. The opening is the loudest part and the shortest, so let it pass before deciding.

Pendora Scents Intense Wayfarer

Pendora Scents Intense Wayfarer by Pendora Scents is a Parfum with these recorded notes: Apple, Mandarin, Cardamom, Lavender, Juniper Berry, Patchouli and others. The scent families on record: aromatic, fresh and gourmand. For season the tags say autumn, spring and winter. Give it time to settle before you judge it.

Diptyque Tam Dao

Diptyque Tam Dao is an Eau de Toilette by Diptyque. The notes on record are Sandalwood, Cedar, Cypress and Myrtle. By family it is filed as woody and aromatic. Season on record: autumn and winter. What reads as sweet on one person can read as dry on another.

Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka

Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka is a perfume by Jo Malone London. The notes on record are Lavender, Omumbiri Myrrh and Tonka Bean. The scent families on record: woody, oriental and aromatic. Season on record: autumn and winter. Clothes hold a scent differently from skin, which makes a scarf or sleeve a useful second test.

Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance

Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance is an Eau de Parfum by Juliette Has a Gun. The notes on record are Lavender Essence, Bulgarian Rose Absolute and Vanilla Absolute. It is tagged floral, woody and aromatic. The listing names autumn and winter as its season. Notes on a list are a map, and what you notice on your own skin is the territory.

Naseem French Vanilla

Naseem French Vanilla, a Parfum from Naseem, has Lavender, Mugwort, Bergamot, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cumin and others on record. The scent families on record: aromatic, gourmand, oriental and woody. It is listed for autumn and winter. Do not judge it next to other perfumes on the same arm, as they blur each other.

Jo Milano Paris Game of Spades No Limit

Jo Milano Paris Game of Spades No Limit by Jo Milano Paris is a Parfum with these recorded notes: Rosemary, Sicilian Mandarin, Coffee, Coconut, Iris, Milk Chocolate and others. By family it is filed as woody, gourmand, spicy and aromatic. For season the tags say autumn and winter. Wear it on more than one day before you make up your mind.

Also in this selection: Nusuk Ateeq, Pendora Scents Charuto Regal Reserve, Sarah Baker Tartan Cask, Les Eaux Primordiales Iris Palladium, Les Eaux Primordiales Cèdre Superfluide, Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero, Zoologist Penguin, Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods Elixir, Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break, Zoologist Harvest Mouse.

How to test them

Wear it on at least three different days before you decide. Leave other perfumes off that day, so nothing interferes. Test it on skin and not only on paper. Keep the rest of the vial for a second and third try in other weather.

A sample is the sensible first step: a perfume on paper and a perfume on skin are rarely the same thing. Two or three samples at a time is plenty; more than that and the impressions blur. Trying it as a sample first means your decision rests on wearing it, not on a description.

Where to go next

• Aromatic samples
• Winter samples
• all samples
• frequently asked questions
• how we fill your sample
• sample sets
• decant, tester or sample
• how to store perfume samples
• how to test perfume on skin

Questions

How many samples should I try at once?

Two or three is a good number. Wear one per day, on clean skin, and write down what you notice in the morning and in the evening before you move to the next.

Why do some perfumes show no notes?

Because we only print notes we can trace to a source. Where no note list is on record, the page says so and leaves the judging to your own skin.

What is a decant?

Perfume moved from the original bottle into a smaller vial. Ours are filled by FragranceGems into glass spray vials and labelled by us, so you can wear a perfume before you decide on a bottle.