FAQs | ABOUT NICHE PERFUME FRAGRANCE SAMPLES AT FRAGRANCES LINE

Frequently Asked Questions 

about buying (shopping) Fragrance & Decants of niche perfumes (fragrances, scents)

1) How can I order Samples & Decants?

If you want to buy sample & decant of niche perfumes you will need to go to the “Shop Decants by Brands” page where we are specialized in the offering of samples and decants of niche fragrances. Then you can choose the brand, fragrance and the size of the fragrance, which you would like to buy.

2) What will I receive?

You will receive hand-decanted sample poured from the original perfume bottle into a new small sterile vial.

3) Does the 1 ml Sample have a sprayer?

No, our 1 ml Sample has not a sprayer. This is a glass sample with the plastic top.

4) Do the 2 ml, 5 ml, 6 ml, 8 ml, 10 ml, and 30 ml Glass Vials have sprayers?

Yes, our 2 ml, 5 ml, 6 ml, 8 ml, 10 ml, and 30 ml vials are high-quality glass vials with sprayers.

5) Can I personalize the label?

Yes, you can. But you definitely need to write and inform us about it in advance.

6) What is the air gap at the top of the vial?

Please note, there is the air gap left at the top of the bottles which is important for pressurization in atomizers. Airspace does not mean you received less than the listed amount. 

7) How can I order a full bottle?

If you want to buy a full perfume bottle you need to go to the “Retail Corner” page where we are specialized in selling full perfume bottles, body-care products, refill kits, etc.

8) Are returns acceptable?

Please, ask all questions before buying as All Sales Are Final. Returns Not Accepted.

Samples are intended for testing. Since we make samples/decants individually to order and decanted samples/fragrances can not be returned to their original bottles (it is impossible and not hygienical) therefore we don't accept returns and do not offer refunds. All sales are final. You assume the responsibility for your purchase, and no refunds will be issued.

9) What is an order processing time?

An order processing time is the time between when an order is placed by a customer and when the order is fulfilled by the business. Order processing time is separate from the delivery time. If you requested 2 Days FedEx it doesn't mean you get the order in 2 business days from the time is order is placed. It means the order will be shipped via 2 Days FedEx once the order is fulfilled.

Note: Please, note delays may happen during shipments. The delivery process is out of our control and we can not affect or speed up the delivery process.

10) Shipping time. Handling time. How long does it take?

We normally ship in 2-3 business days via United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS, FedEx upon payment completion. But, sometimes due to the high volume of orders your order may be shipped in 3-5 business days.

Once your order will be shipped, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with a tracking number. Please, make sure that you provided us with a correct email address. Also, check your spam or promotional folders if you couldn't find your confirmation emails.

Note: Post Offices are closed on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays. Please, don't count these days as business days.

11) Shipping cost?

The cost of shipping starts at $4.99 USPS First Class Mail (4-6 business days) and $9.99 USPS Priority Mail (2-4 business days) for orders in the United States.

Shipping cost for international customers is set up automatically by Shipping Carrier (UPS, FedEx) at check after you provided shipping address. 

12) Free shipping?

Free Shipping on all decants orders over $99.99. This promotion is only valid for shipping addresses in the United States excluding US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, military and air force bases.

13) Can you affect or speed up the delivery process, delivery route?

The delivery process totally depends on the Shipping Carrier. We can not affect or speed up the delivery process. We can not affect to the route of delivery. All we can do is wait. If a package never arrives and is lost on the way, we will send you a replacement or issue a refund. 

14) What happened if a package is returned due to the error of the shipping address or because forwarding service for this address is no longer valid?

If any shipment is returned due to an error in the shipping address provided to us by a customer, or forwarding service for this address is no longer valid and the post office can not forward package, or due to package not being claimed by the receiver, we will deduct shipping fee and restocking fee of 15% from the purchase price prior to issuing the refund.

15) What is a minimum purchase amount for International order?

The minimum purchase amount for International order is $50, except Canadian customers. All International orders below this amount will be canceled. But, before cancellation we may send email to a customer.

16) Suggested Usage

Spray the perfume by holding at least 5 to 7 inches away from your body. Target the pulse points. The pulse points on your body (where your heart rate can be felt) are the best spots to apply a scent, due to the warmth of your blood. Some such points are located behind your ear, at the bottom of your throat, on your wrist, inside your elbow, and behind your knee. The perfume has a much better chance to lock onto your skin if it is clean, smooth and soft, rather than dry and rough.

If you want to know how fragrance suits your body chemistry and skin type, apply the perfume on the skin, not on the cloth or paper. Wash your hands and the place where you are going to apply the perfume and make sure it is clean and dry. Remember, the applied place should be clean and dry. Do not rub with the other hand wrist if you apply perfume to the wrist.

Perfume is subjective, please do not forget that. If you liked how it smelled on someone else, it does not mean it would smell the same on you. That is why you should test it before buying the whole bottle.

17) Do you have a storefront / physical store to make purchases instead of buying online?

No, we do not have. We sell online only.

For more information about Shipping Process go to the "Shipping" page.

A Perfumer's Assessment

When a perfumer assesses a fragrance oil during product development or when reviewing products on the market, she/he typically looks at the following criteria:

1. Fragrance Quality

The perfume's quality is the most important but also the most subjective of all the criteria we list.

Essentially, the question is:

• Do you like it?
• How does it make you feel?

Yes, as perfumers we look at the quality of the ingredients and the accord:

• How pure do they smell?
• How well do they blend or how well do they combine?
• How complex is the note? If it is a singular note, how well does this work?
• How does the accord evolve over time? How well does this change work? Some fragrances stand out because they do NOT change over time. Hence, the opposite question also applies, how well does it stay the same, as it dries down?

These are, however, always secondary questions. Fragrance quality is subjective!

2. Originality

Are you smelling something unusual or is this a fragrance that is already familiar to you the first time you try it? Does it come across as one of the plethora of new fragrances launched every year and that imitate each other?

Does it surprise you, either at the beginning or when it has dried down?

Having said this, there is no point being original, if it is not pleasant.

There is no point in wearing a fragrance, if it does not excite and make you feel special.

3. Power & Radiance

How strong is the fragrance? Can it project or radiate its strength?

It doesn't matter how beautiful a fragrance is, if nobody can perceive it, and this includes the wearer, then why apply it in the first place?

Have you heard of 'sillage'? It is a term the French use describe how a perfume can leave a trail in the wearer's wake. Wikipedia has an article with more detail on sillage.

Another term you may come across in the context of strength is 'projection'. Sillage and Projection are easily confused:

• Projection refers to the depth or distance a perfume radiates to, whereas
• Sillage is the wake or trail a fragrance leaves behind.

Both describe in their own way whether a fragrance can 'turn heads' (sillage) or has presence (projection). Sillage describes what is left behind as the wearer walks past. Projection describes whether you can perceive a perfume when somebody enters the room or approaches. Both reduce with time and in that they depend on the longevity of a perfume.

Generally speaking, we see two types of strength:

• Sharp: the best example are 'citrus' notes. They are easy to perceive and you know whether the scent is strong or weak.
• Enveloping: vanilla is a good example here. Vanilla is strong, even in small amounts, but it is always 'round' and 'warm'. It is hard for a vanilla note to have a sharp edge.

Then there is the question of whether a scent is perceived as strong by everybody?

• It may come as a surprise but some people are anosmic to certain ingredients, with musk being the most common example. They literally cannot smell the musky ingredients in an accord or they barely perceive them and consequently firmly feel a fragrance is weak.
• Some people also have more sensitive noses than others.

This may affect your personal perception of a parfum, even if it is of the highest quality and has superb intensity, radiance or sillage.

4. Longevity / Dry down

This is the easy assessment criteria: how long does the perfume actually last on your skin?

One part has to do with the fragrance concentration. Here we list the pure perfume oil concentration in the most common types of fine fragrances:

• 'Splash', 'Body Mist' and 'After Shave': 1–3% of pure perfume oil
• 'Eau de Cologne' (EdC): around 2–6%
• 'Eau de Toilette' (EdT): 5–15% (typically~10%)
• 'Eau de Parfum' (EdP): 10–20% (typical ~15%)
• 'Perfume Extract' (Extrait) or 'Parfum': 15–40% (typical ~20%)
• 'Intense' or 'Extreme' versions of an EdP: 15-40% (typical ~20%).

The higher the concentration of fragrance oil, the longer the scent will last.

In our 'Frequently Asked Questions' section you can find more information on how long various perfume concentrations may be reasonably expected to last.

How the fragrance has been constructed or designed is another element that influences its longevity:

• the proportion of top notes versus heart and base notes. The more base notes, the longer a perfume will last.
• the nature of the ingredients in the accord and their ability to adhere to the skin. Does it include fixatives that allow the oils to stay longer on your skin?

It is important to note the following may affect how long a perfume last on you but it is important to keep in mind that this is independent from a perfume's quality:

• Skin Chemistry: generally speaking, perfume lasts longer on oil sky compared with dry skin but the skin flora is unique to every one of us and this does affect how perfume lasts on your skin.
• Place: where you apply perfume has an impact on the longevity of a fragrance, irrespective of its quality. We recommend the following: the wrists, behind your earlobes, base of your neck, the hair, your chest and/or behind your knees. The more an area is covered, the longer the note will last.

5. Versatility

At which times or by which people can the fragrance be worn:

• Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter?
• Everyday v Special Occasions
• Morning or Evening?
• Casual v Formal
• Male, Female or Unisex
• Young v Mature
• Polarising v Non-Polarising Fragrance, i.e. it doesn't actually put people off
• Avant Garde or Classical?

It is practically impossible to find a fragrance to fit at all times. Just like your clothes, you don't have a single item in your wardrobe that works for all occasions or at all times.

This is why you choose your fragrance like your wardrobe and why perfumers include this as a criteria when assessing the quality of a fragrance.