For Strange Women Deluxe Mini Perfume Sampler

I have been meaning to write about the Deluxe Sampler from For Strange Women for months now. I've actually bought a couple of the solid fragrances since I bought this set such was my enjoyment of these natural perfumes. I think my hesitation in writing a review is because I still haven't worn all six of the fragrances in the sampler. I find that whenever I take out my FSW stash I am always drawn to my two favourites, November and Decadence & Debauchery. 

Decadence & Debauchery is actually the perfume that led to me buying this set. Some time ago I fell in love with Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille but wasn't in the position to splash out £120 on a bottle. London Makeup Girl was kind enough to tell me that Decadence & Debauchery would make a good alternative and because it's a natural perfume, it wasn't likely to be quite as intense as the Tom Ford. So, I headed straight to the For Strange Women Etsy store. I ordered the Deluxe Mini Perfume Sampler set as I liked the sound of a couple of the other fragrances and thought it would be nice to try a few at a time.

When my package arrived, I couldn't get over the lovely attention to detail. It really was like opening a present to myself (hence the abundance of pictures). The samples themselves were beautifully wrapped along with cards describing each of the fragrance samples. The little dried rose buds and the business card with the wine goblet were a signal to me that For Strange Women and I were going to get along swimmingly!

The Sampler contains six mini perfumes as well as a small pot of fixative. These perfumes are all oil based and the fixative is designed to lengthen their wear time. I'll admit that I often forget to apply the fixative first but I have not particularly had problems with these scents fading. They probably last around three to four hours on me without the fixative, which is typical of a natural perfume on my skin. Of course, I am mostly at home so topping up isn't a problem.

Just as Grace promised, Decadence & Debauchery is a good dupe for Tobacco Vanille. It's a rich smoky vanilla and I really like how the tobacco scent prevents the vanilla from becoming cloying. It's well rounded and sweet without being sickly. Other notes include ripe blood orange, immortelle and violet. I don't know whether I consider myself the decadent or debauched Victorian type but I do love this scent.

I think I might love November even more though. It's rather fitting as November (and autumn generally) is my most favourite time of the year. The falling leaves, the beautiful rich colours, the crisp, bright cool days and the anticipation of Christmas around the corner. The perfume is sweet and earthy and perfectly captures the scent of walking through a forest on a slightly damp autumn day. I suspect many people will read the description and take against it but if you're a fan of autumn and like slightly unexpected fragrances, I would urge you to give this a try. In fact, if you have and love Haus of Gloi Samhain, you should definitely give November a try.

The other fragrances in the set are: Bollywood, Winter Kitty, Moss & Ivy and Astral Projection. I keep meaning to try Bollywood as I like the idea of a rich and spicy perfume. My Mum did give it a little whirl and said that it was lighter than she had expected so this may not be as full bodied as I had imagined.

For Strange Women perfumes and colognes are all handmade using 100% natural ingredients. The Deluxe Mini Perfume Sampler is still available and costs $34. On their website it suggest that each mini perfume sample contains enough for 3-5 applications, personally I find it's over 5 applications but I suppose it depends on how liberal you are with application. You can also buy the samples of the perfume oils individually and they cost $6 each.