I’ve never been a big fan of fragrance, but lately, and possibly triggered by my resolve to use up some older ones, I’ve been thinking about experimenting a bit more.

Usually, I have my perfumes placed on a bookshelf near my bed. But in order to remind myself to spritz more, I’ve placed one on the bathroom counter. That way, I’ll see it and pick it up to spray whenever I’m in the bathroom getting ready, or touching up, or changing outfits.

I’m also on the lookout for a few key scents (or maybe a signature scent), so lately, I’ve introduced quite a bit of miniatures into my collection. Surprisingly, a small 1.5ml sample is good for 2-3 days, even with reapplication. I enjoy these as it allows me to wear it all day and have a better idea of how the scent lasts and how the fragrance ‘blooms’ and settles on my skin.

I’ve kept my collection quite small, although adding a few discovery sets to the selection has seen it balloon out a bit. I’m wearing a different scent everyday and cycling through, so I’d expect these to be used up quite fast. Even once I settle on a few favourites, I’ll aim to only buy the 30ml bottles. I know it’s better value to get larger bottles, but fragrances can expire and even though I’ve had some of mine for a couple years, I will feel quite guilty if I end up not liking the scent anymore and unable to use up a big bottle.

Here’s my current collection below (btw, I love making lists!), and you’d notice most are made up of samples or the discovery sets at the moment as I try to find some scents to settle on. I have my minis and samples on rotation so that I wear them for a couple days until finished before making a call whether I would consider buying a bigger bottle.

I find my perfume preference is quite solidly in the sweet and fruity-floral domain, leaning towards the sharper, lighter scent, and white florals. Although with the Kilian scents, I have surprisingly liked almost all the feminine ones, even if some are sweeter than I would normally opt for.

What are your thoughts on my perfume selection?
Would you go for smaller bottles or discovery sets for your collection?
Which scents do you find yourself gravitating towards?