Cardamom samples as unisex

Listed as unisex and with cardamom on record: 35 of our samples. We picked 8 to show here and describe them strictly by their recorded data. Nothing here is a verdict: the order is arbitrary and your skin decides.

The selection

Reinvented Pheromones

Reinvented Pheromones by Reinvented is an Extrait de Parfum with these recorded notes: Bergamot, Saffron, Pink Pepper, Cardamom, Jasmine, Rose and others. By family it is filed as woody, spicy and oriental. For season the tags say autumn and winter. Clothes hold a scent differently from skin, which makes a scarf or sleeve a useful second test.

Nishane Ani

Nishane Ani is an Extrait de Parfum by Nishane. The notes on record are Bergamot, Green Notes, Blue Ginger, Pink Pepper, Blackcurrant, Turkish Rose and others. The scent families on record: spicy, woody and oriental. Season on record: autumn and winter. The opening is the loudest part and the shortest, so let it pass before deciding.

Mykonos California Signature

Mykonos California Signature is a Parfum by Mykonos. The notes on record are Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Lychee, Aquatic Notes, Rosemary and others. The scent families on record: aquatic, citrus and woody. Season on record: spring and summer. Smell it right after applying and again later in the day, because the first minutes rarely tell the whole story.

Sarah Baker Pastel Rumours

Sarah Baker Pastel Rumours by Sarah Baker is an Eau de Parfum with these recorded notes: Peach, Fruit loops, Ginger, Milk, Cardamom, Caramel and others. The scent families on record: gourmand, fruity and musky. The listing names spring and autumn as its season. Notice how close it stays to the skin and how much of it others pick up.

Fascent Red Flag

With Fascent Red Flag, Fascent has an Eau de Parfum for which Cardamom, Beetroot accord, Ginger, Iris, Frankincense, Tonka bean and others are on record. By family it is filed as woody, spicy and oriental. Season on record: autumn and winter. A paper strip shows the outline, skin shows the detail.

Argos Fall of Phaeton

With Argos Fall of Phaeton, Argos has an Eau de Parfum for which Bergamot, Lemon, Cardamom, Pink Peppercorn, Ginger, Labdanum and others are on record. By family it is filed as spicy, woody, leather and oriental. For season the tags say autumn and winter. What reads as sweet on one person can read as dry on another.

Stéphane Humbert Lucas Mortal Skin

Stéphane Humbert Lucas Mortal Skin is filed as an Eau de Parfum from Stéphane Humbert Lucas; the note list on record reads Blackberry, Saffron, Cardamom, Sandalwood, Opoponax, Iris and others. It is tagged woody, spicy and oriental. Season on record: autumn and winter. Notes on a list are a map, and what you notice on your own skin is the territory.

Maison Crivelli Oud Stallion

Maison Crivelli Oud Stallion by Maison Crivelli is an Extrait de Parfum with these recorded notes: cardamom absolute from India, oud, nutmeg essential oil from Indonesia, saffron, rose absolute from Turkey, cedarwood essential oil from Morocco and others. The scent families on record: leather, woody and spicy. It is listed for autumn and winter. Warm skin and cool skin can bring out different sides, so try both if you can.

Also in this selection: Street Origins Hanoi Sizzle, Amouage Outlands, Roja Parfums Sweetie Aoud, Argos Neptune's Trident, Maison Margiela Replica Under the Lemon Trees, Reinvented Eureka, Les Eaux Primordiales Elevation, Maison Asrar Monarch, Nishane Ani X, Pernoire Otimo.

How to test them

Note what you think each time, and read your notes back at the end of the week. Apply one or two sprays to clean skin, without other scented products nearby. Spray it on the inside of your wrist or elbow and do not rub. Ask someone you trust what they notice, because your own nose adapts quickly.

A sample is the sensible first step: a perfume on paper and a perfume on skin are rarely the same thing. Keep short notes per perfume; after a week the choice usually makes itself. Skin, weather and habit change how any perfume comes across, and a sample shows you your version of it.

Where to go next

• Cardamom samples
• Unisex
• all samples
• sample sets
• how we fill your sample
• frequently asked questions
• Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Extrait
• how to use a sample vial
• how to build a sample set

Questions

How were these samples chosen?

By the tags and note lists on record for each perfume. Nothing was added from memory, the order is not a ranking, and perfumes without recorded notes are described without notes.

Are these samples made by the brands?

No. They are decants: FragranceGems fills each one from the original bottle into a glass spray vial and labels it. They are not official brand samples.

Which sizes do the samples come in?

Every sample comes as 2, 5 or 10 ml in a glass spray vial. The smallest is enough for a first impression, the larger ones for many wearings.