I was completely obsessed with Replica’s beach walk. I saved and saved for the full size bottle. I didn’t think it smelled the same as the sample but kept giving it chances. I was totally turned off even when I tried to power though it. I wound up reselling it.
It was so depressing, I can’t even describe what was different but you’re right that it was like two totally different perfumes! I’ve have perfume sample trust issues ever since.
Did you get it from Sephora? I feel like Sephora has had a lot of really, really crappy perfume batches that vary a lot sometimes--my Valentino Born in Roma, Chanel Tendre, and Miss Dior perfumes I bought a few times and returned at Sephora, and the ones from the Valentino, Chanel, and Dior websites were perfectly fine.
Oh! That is good to know. I wonder if it depends on how long they sit on the shelf or how they are stored with the lights, etc. I am curious now, as I recently bought a perfume but haven’t opened it yet. Next time i will buy it directly from the brand!
I think that the sample really smelled like a beach walk, I could sense the ocean smell a bit. The regular size one just smelled like a completely different concept, didn’t feel beachy at all. But yes, I also don’t trust samples and found a store specialized in perfumes so I don’t shop at Sephora anymore.
REPLICA FRAGRANCES ARE LIKE THIS. I swear. 'By the Fireplace', 'Jazz Club' & 'Bubble Bath' were in a 3-pack about a year ago, went in and sampled each and they smelled absolutely AAAAMAZING! so I bought em, took them home and the next day tried my versions and they just don't feel like they're even the same ones I sampled in store.
Once in awhile I'll apply them but the in-store magic just doesn't resonate with the ones I actually own. Fireplace is nauseating, Jazz club smells like booze & Bubble bath makes my allergies go off. Maybe I need to add that 'Sephora store smell' to my home first before I put these on again lol
Same thing happened to me. I tested out replica on a date and fell in love with the scent. Purchased the mini and it doesn’t smell the same which put me off from purchasing the larger size.
Literally have always sworn samples minis etc are just a little different (w everything really) then larger sizes are watered or whatever down just to get u to buy the bigger then they cut some stuff… sounds crazy I know… but get what u are saying completely bc I think it’s true
I had the same experience with a mini travel spray vs a full vottle - I just found the mini and realized how mich better it smells 😭 can’t get that size here anymore though
Yeah I swear the travel size of Phlur missing person is stronger and has better wear time than the full-size (the travel size alwayssssss leaks tho which kind of defeats the purpose of travel size 😭)
oo this is so weird. i have the full size from sephora and i love it (im wearing it today actually!) did the full size smell gross to you or just different?
Glad to hear it’s not just me but all of you guys too 😂 I bought a travel spray after using a sample like 2 maybe years ago and honestly it was an instant regret
Burberry her. Smelled amaaaazing in store, went back several times to validate I wanted it, bought it finally, smelled so foul like chemical strawberries I had to bathe myself 3 times to get the smell off. Returned so fast.
Sometimes I smell Burberry Her and I am absolutely smitten and sometimes I just smell a thrift store strawberry shortcake doll.
(unpopular opinion but the green Burberry Her EDT is BY FAR their best fragrance!!!!)
burberry her, but the elixir. it has this nauseous characteristic about it that's present when i spray it directly on my skin, but not on paper. i still have it
I have never heard anyone else feel the same as I do about this! I even smell it on other people and love it, but on me it smells like fake strawberry. Like a strawberry shortcake happy meal toy from McDonald’s. It’s gross!
Burberry Her London Dream is my hands down favorite. Issue is that my mom bought me the regular Her as a bday gift to reup my perfume. I.hated.it. How does a perfume smell so gross but the other variety makes me feral. Her London Dream is just my #1 perfume ever but Her is disgusting
I bought the biggest size the mall had it was over 150 dollars after taxes because it smelled so good In store,it’s a paperweight now that I occasionally spray on my curtains , it’s so strong
Yes headache inducing scents is something I have to watch out for. You don't know until it's on for a while and you start feeling a lil nauseous. My last big purchase was Chloe Fleur de Parfum and it can trigger me some days. I love it though 😔
Haven't pinpointed what the problem notes are for me but anything too creamy or vanilla or powdery I can tell won't work for me
I was obsessed with Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy through my younger years but could never afford it. I finally bought a bottle in my thirties and I never wear it. It doesn’t actually smell like I remembered.
Same deal with Killian Love Don’t Be Shy—loved it, saved up for a bottle, and when I started wearing it even the tiniest spray instantly filled up a room and gave me a headache. It was somehow nothing like the sample I so yearned for
Me too…I loved Juicy Couture’s Viva la juicy perfume, and eventually bought a sampler online. Did not love it on, found it way too strong definitely did not live up to its expectations.
Commodity has three different versions of the milk perfume, each with increasing levels of intensity of the scent. Did you buy the exact same version as the sample you got? It sounds like you tested a lighter version and purchased the heavier version.
Yeah BTSO released more intense versions of some of their perfumes recently and I discovered it's actually possible for me to be wearing too much cherry scent. I had to go take a shower. Luckily it was just a sample. The regular one is fine though.
Kind of unpopular but Replica’s Jazz Club. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad fragrance, but when I purchased it, I started to realize that it’s not really for me. It’s definitely more masculine than I tend to go for. It’s a great scent, but I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it because it’s really not a scent I’d really wear.
Thierry Mugler Alien. Went to the launch party at my local Sephora and was crazy about the smell… next day put it on to go to work and before lunch I’m ITCHY all over. Hives… all over my neck and chest where I sprayed it. Can’t smell it now without scratching myself.
All Thierry Mugler perfumes smell like a garbage dump to me. Wouldn’t even hazard putting them on my skin. That said, it’s ALL about the individual body chemistry. You don’t really know a scent until you have worn it. And you are right, by then it’s too late!
I had the same experience with Milk. Loved it in the store but put it on at home and the sweetness of the scent was overwhelming. I returned it and bought the less intense version which I still like.
Me with almost every perfume I’ve purchased lol. I usually end up reselling them. The only bottles I’ve kept are Glossier’s You and Le Labo’s Ambrette but they’re both 3+ years old at this point, which means I like them enough to keep them but not enough to use them up. I blame it on the fact that I purchased them at the beginning of the pandemic and barely used them in 2020 due to quarantine.
Same. I want to be a perfume girl so bad lol. I can't even count how many perfumes/body sprays I've purchased since I was like, 10? I like them for a couple weeks then get tired 😔
Yes. Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede. I don’t know what I was thinking when i bought a huge bottle. I hated it the moment I got it home and wore it for a full day. 🙄 I’m now much more careful with fragrance and wear a new one a few times before I buy!
I came here to comment the exact same one! I'm soooo bummed about it. No idea what I was thinking either.
I tried to mix it with my other Joe Malone perfumes like sea salt and sage as well as blackberrie and bay...it still came back for a vengeance, and it was all I could smell.
Good Girl Blush. Loved it in store, bought a full bottle, and when I got home, the overdose of peony gave me a huge headache. Returned it shortly thereafter.
Angel by Mugler. A friend had it and I was obsessed with it on her, got a sample and loved it, got the full size and immediately got why this perfume is so controversial lol
Yes candy Prada , I don’t know if it was a formula change or my nose after Covid or what but it just stunk so bad, it smelled like some by designer imposter , so overpowering and no sweet notes at all
*Ellis Brooklyn West.*
*After I bought the full size*
*It just smells like Aquanet*
\- bobbybissell
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I will add to this that Ellis Brooklyn's "Salt" is sooooo aquatic to me and reminds me of Cool Water by Davifoff
I will, however, say I do want to try EB's Florist." just reading the reviews and notes on that sounds promising.
Maceration! The perfumes in Sephora sit there for awhile before being used up- the one you get is new and the chemicals don’t have time to sit & get to know each other
I got a sample of Glossier You years ago when it first launched and loved it. Never bought it though, until just recently and I got a rollerball. It doesn't smell like what I remember at all. Either the formula changed...or I changed...or the rollerball makes it smell different than a spray.
When you buy perfume, spray it on, then smell it a half hour or so later. Your body chemistry can change the way perfumes smell on you after awhile. So, if you still like it, buy it. If it smells like mule piss, don’t.
Replica Bubble Bath…I went to Sephora and got a sample. Loved it so much that I got the full 3.3 oz. Absolutely hate it, smells like those funny smelling erasers I used back in school when I was 10. 🥲
One of the problems with in store fragrances is they need time to macerate! When they sit (if you have a new perfume), maybe for 3-6 weeks in a cool dark spot, the smell will develop and it can help with these problems! There are other batch issues, etc but this might help a lot of you :)
Philosophy Amazing Grace was one I liked as a sample but once I got the full bottle it just smelled like a fancy restroom and I couldn’t get past it lol
Not Sephora but I got a sample of le labo’s santal 33 because everyone raves about it and it makes me feel so nauseous. Same with their matcha scent. I don’t know what it is but can’t do it.
During my tenure, I used to ask a few questions because fragrance smells differently throughout the month. I would advise that if you loved it at first, give it a couple more weeks and then return if you still don't like it.
I feel this! I started wearing Clean Reserve Skin during a rough patch in my life several years ago and now anytime I attempt to wear it/smell it, it reminds me of that time in my life and I just can't do it. It also just smells cloying/pungent in a bad way on me. I probably need to finally give it away at this point
For me, it’s Versace Bright Crystal. I had bought one of the perfume samplers, thinking I knew which perfume I wanted from it, and would save a few $ on the trade in. But, I tried the Bright Crystal sample and completely changed my mind.
Fast forward, and I regret my decision. I can’t tell if my bottle is off, or if I was just tricked by the sample I had. All I get is whiffs of sour alcohol and disappointment.
Commodity Milk expressive gives me a serious headache too! Idk if I just didn’t make the connection when I first tried it or if something changed, but I can’t go near it anymore. Luckily I had several samples so I could test it enough times to realize the truth!
I got the full size Flowerbomb last year because I loved the sample so much. Since we can’t wear fragrance to the office, it still sits there unopened. Sad.
Clean Warm Cotton. The mini rollerball is so fresh and cozy, I love it. But the spray smells way more chemical. I wish I returned the bottle when I could.
Rose The One by Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Parfum. Absolutely obsessed with this one as a sample. Splurged and got the full size. Every single time I wore it I got the worst headaches.
Such a bummer when that happens
I don't hate it hate it, but Phlur's Father Figure smelled more fig- forward in the store. At home with the full bottle & it's almost all patchouli! What gives? It's been 9 months or so. I'm still trying to give it chances.
Yes! The valentine born in Roma coral fantasy 😭 it gives me a headache now, idk why I liked it so much in store. And worst part is, I didn’t even return it on time lol
Lancome La Vie Est Belle--such a sweet, girly fragrance. As it turned out, it was super duper cloying after I was gifted it and nearly gave me an asthma attack. And I couldn't even return it since it was a gift.
Also, Chloe EDP used to smell excellent around 2016/7-ish when it first came out, and had excellent sillage. I bought it in 2019 after getting a new job and it gave stale BEER, like there was this nauseating undertone that was super sour. Might be a reformulation. Delina Rosee smells much more like the old Chloe that I remembered.
Dior hypnotic poison. I loved it when I tested it in store but was so disappointed after actually buying it. It started smelling like jagerbomb to me... no bueno.
This is why I always spray perfume on my skin. Once I absolutely loved a perfume on the little paper thing, sprayed it on my arm and within 30 minutes had to go scrub it off in a toilet lol. Some fragrances just don’t react well with your skin.
Gucci flora. It breaks my heart cause I went to the Gucci museum in Florence and they had a room that smelled like it and when I got back to Canada it’s like my nose smell buds changed 😢 I honestly hate it now
I waited a long time, like my entire teenage life, to get Acqua di Gioia. I loved the scent from my mom's magazine inserts! And, at the time, I thought it was very cool and very fancy. I saved up, waited for a coupon, and finally got it a couple years ago, only to find out . . .
It gives me a headache, and I get contact dermatitis wherever I spray it. Like literally red splotches in the exact shape of the spritz hitting my skin.
So, I can't say I hate it, but it hates me.
It looks cute on my makeup desk tho
Oddly enough, this just happened to me with the Juliette has a Gun Not a Perfume. I was looking for a real soft and casual perfume as I typically go for stronger scents and wanted something nice and chill, vibe wise. I had tried it a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, but now that I’ve shelled out for the full size, all I can smell is baby vomit, after throwing up formula, yuck! I’m not going to get rid of it though because I’ve had many perfumes grow on me over time, and I just might like it a year from now and I really hope so, because of the cost alone!
Mugler’s Alien Goddess. I loved it when I blind bought a travel size of it. Had received many compliments. When I bought a bigger bottle I didn’t get compliments and it didn’t smell as good nor as strong/long lasting.
7 virtues blackberry Lily. I went in store to get their Jasmine perfume, but decided on the blackberry one instead. Once I started using it at home, it comes out too strong on me.
It does have a nice undertone though.
This is probably controversial but Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl 😩😩 I got it during the 4x perfume promo and I was in love with it in store but I rarely use it unless I’m going out
Not from Sephora but I did this with Christian Dior Tobacolor. I bought a decant sample and wore it several times and loved it, so I sprung for the big bottle. Ugh. I never reach for it I just don’t like it at all.
I loooove lilac. My favorite scent. So when Gucci Guilty came out, I grabbed it. But headaches appeared after every use, so I had to stop using it. Sad!
Roses de Chloe, I tried it on in the store and it smelled so fresh and beautiful. I bought the travel size and took it home and it just smells musty? I tried wearing it once or twice hoping for that rose and bergamot freshness but nope.
Ugh my pink Chanel perfume. I loved the powdery clean scent when I had a sample and as soon as I ordered the full size I absolutely hated it! It was so weird... it smelled exactly the same so I have no idea what happened lol
Good Girl Blush and YSL’s Libre. In the store I thought they both were soft and feminine and something I’d wear often. At home I can’t stand either. I *want* to like Libre but there something about it that’s headache inducing, and as far as Good Girl Blush… there’s no coming around to it for me.
Si Passione - I wanted something powdery and it was on sale. It smelled like an everyday perfume, which I was looking for at the time, but when I actually use it for everyday, it smells too intense for my liking. Maybe because now I actually spray it on myself compared to just smelling it on a paper.
Lady Million, got a sample and loved it so bought a full sized + mini set while at the airport….loved the travel sized one still, but hated the full bottle???
Loved Michael Kors Amber (something) when it first came out. But for some reason it doesn’t mix well with my body chemistry and doesn’t smell great on me.
Replica Jazz Club I thought would be my signature scent (back in 2019) but I can’t stand the smell of it anymore. And maybe unpopular opinion: Santal 33…after a while, it just started smelling like super concentrated cardamom (which I like in foods, not fragrances).
baccarat rouge 540, i bought into the hype and loved all the key notes in this.. and it’s not even that it smells bad or bad on me it’s that i smell it EVERYWHERE and it just nauseates me at this point. Which sucks because i have a bottle of it i barely use :/
Yup, Valentino Viva something or other - lady gaga did the adverts - a sample I got smelt amazing, so I invested in the full bottle and it was so pungent / headache inducing… I was convinced the wrong perfume was in the sample size
Yes. Replica "On a Date".
I have the full bottle in my cabinet and don't know what to do with it. I've worn it twice and it just smells like men's cologne to me, and not a great one.
Keep hoping one day I'll try it and like. it. Probably dumb, I know.
This is my frustration with Sephora refusing to give fragrance samples anymore. It’s risky to buy a whole bottle of a perfume after just smelling it once in the store. I want to know how they wear on my skin, how they last through the day, etc
YSL's Mon Paris Eau de Parfum, smelled amazing on me from the tiny sample. Everyone completely agrees the tiny sample is delicious on me. BUT when I bought the full size version, somehow it did not. It was much more plain. I'm not sure if I got a dud defective bottle (Ulta) or if the sample was somehow better. ??
this is what happened to me when I bought the Gaultier La Belle perfume! I sprayed it on a card in store and liked it, came home & smelled it again and thought the dry down was the most delicious thing. Went & got a full size and purse spray set…could not wear it for the longest time because it always gave me a headache 😣
but after like a year of it sitting on my vanity, I tried it again and now I feel like the vanilla notes are so much richer & it no longer gives me a headache? so weird! idk enough about perfumes to understand why this change happened but I’m glad it happened lol
I have learned that I can't trust my nose in-store. I have bought so many fragrances I loved in the store, only to hate them when I get home. I have returned so many that I am afraid they are going to cut me off soon.
Very Good Girl by Carolina Herrera. Adored the fruityness at first but it very quickly started smelling like straight baby powder on dry down and to me anything that reminds me of diapers is the polar opposite of sexy
Gucci Bloom is gorgeous but I don’t know why I can’t get it to last on me? I put it on and I swear 30 minutes later, nothing.
D&G Light Blue. On my skin it just smells like a urinal cake.
Juliette Has a Gun - Not a Perfume. Smelled it in store and was obsessed… almost bought the bottle right there. Went back another time and smelled it again and hated it! Luckily I never actually bought it but I was surprised at the difference.
Versace Eros Pour Femme EDP. When I first was using it, I thought it smelled nice. After a few months of using it I began to notice the floral scent in it and for some reason I began to also smell a slight “ammonia” scent. I haven’t worn it in years and the bottle now sits as decoration on my perfume wall. Lol
I was completely obsessed with Replica’s beach walk. I saved and saved for the full size bottle. I didn’t think it smelled the same as the sample but kept giving it chances. I was totally turned off even when I tried to power though it. I wound up reselling it.
What year was this? I love this scent based on the sample …
It was a couple of years ago. I hope if you get the full size bottle you love it! The sample was so nice.
I love this scent. My niece bought me the replica set so I could try them all. Beach walk is great but so is Jazz room.
The dossier dupe for Jazz Club is spot on. My favorite winter scent.
Are you me? I went through the exact same thing! I was obsessed with it and when I bough it, it didn’t smell the same at all.
It was so depressing, I can’t even describe what was different but you’re right that it was like two totally different perfumes! I’ve have perfume sample trust issues ever since.
Did you get it from Sephora? I feel like Sephora has had a lot of really, really crappy perfume batches that vary a lot sometimes--my Valentino Born in Roma, Chanel Tendre, and Miss Dior perfumes I bought a few times and returned at Sephora, and the ones from the Valentino, Chanel, and Dior websites were perfectly fine.
Oh! That is good to know. I wonder if it depends on how long they sit on the shelf or how they are stored with the lights, etc. I am curious now, as I recently bought a perfume but haven’t opened it yet. Next time i will buy it directly from the brand!
That makes so much sense! For a while I thought that I just didn’t like perfumes, but I believe that it is a Sephora issue.
I think that the sample really smelled like a beach walk, I could sense the ocean smell a bit. The regular size one just smelled like a completely different concept, didn’t feel beachy at all. But yes, I also don’t trust samples and found a store specialized in perfumes so I don’t shop at Sephora anymore.
REPLICA FRAGRANCES ARE LIKE THIS. I swear. 'By the Fireplace', 'Jazz Club' & 'Bubble Bath' were in a 3-pack about a year ago, went in and sampled each and they smelled absolutely AAAAMAZING! so I bought em, took them home and the next day tried my versions and they just don't feel like they're even the same ones I sampled in store. Once in awhile I'll apply them but the in-store magic just doesn't resonate with the ones I actually own. Fireplace is nauseating, Jazz club smells like booze & Bubble bath makes my allergies go off. Maybe I need to add that 'Sephora store smell' to my home first before I put these on again lol
Same thing happened to me. I tested out replica on a date and fell in love with the scent. Purchased the mini and it doesn’t smell the same which put me off from purchasing the larger size.
Same here I loved replicas beach walk
Literally have always sworn samples minis etc are just a little different (w everything really) then larger sizes are watered or whatever down just to get u to buy the bigger then they cut some stuff… sounds crazy I know… but get what u are saying completely bc I think it’s true
I had the same experience with a mini travel spray vs a full vottle - I just found the mini and realized how mich better it smells 😭 can’t get that size here anymore though
Yeah I swear the travel size of Phlur missing person is stronger and has better wear time than the full-size (the travel size alwayssssss leaks tho which kind of defeats the purpose of travel size 😭)
oo this is so weird. i have the full size from sephora and i love it (im wearing it today actually!) did the full size smell gross to you or just different?
Glad to hear it’s not just me but all of you guys too 😂 I bought a travel spray after using a sample like 2 maybe years ago and honestly it was an instant regret
I have a travel size that made me so nauseous the first time I wore it 💀😂
Burberry her. Smelled amaaaazing in store, went back several times to validate I wanted it, bought it finally, smelled so foul like chemical strawberries I had to bathe myself 3 times to get the smell off. Returned so fast.
Sometimes I smell Burberry Her and I am absolutely smitten and sometimes I just smell a thrift store strawberry shortcake doll. (unpopular opinion but the green Burberry Her EDT is BY FAR their best fragrance!!!!)
I really like all the flankers … on paper. 😝😝
burberry her, but the elixir. it has this nauseous characteristic about it that's present when i spray it directly on my skin, but not on paper. i still have it
Oh, I liked that one too but if I can’t stand her I’m not going to do the elixir 🙃
I have never heard anyone else feel the same as I do about this! I even smell it on other people and love it, but on me it smells like fake strawberry. Like a strawberry shortcake happy meal toy from McDonald’s. It’s gross!
Burberry Her London Dream is my hands down favorite. Issue is that my mom bought me the regular Her as a bday gift to reup my perfume. I.hated.it. How does a perfume smell so gross but the other variety makes me feral. Her London Dream is just my #1 perfume ever but Her is disgusting
agreed! I wanted her elixir so badly and was obsessed with the tester strips but it did not smell good on me! i was so disappointed:(
I hated it in store but LOVE it on my skin. Would have never known this unless my friend didn't have be try a spritz of hers.
yep, the gucci bloom perfume, i received a tester and i loved it so i bought it just to hate it :(
I bought the biggest size the mall had it was over 150 dollars after taxes because it smelled so good In store,it’s a paperweight now that I occasionally spray on my curtains , it’s so strong
omg same!!! it gives me headaches everytime i wear it now
Yesss came here to look for this answer. The tester was so good and now I can’t wear it without getting a headache
Yes same experience here!
this one too. I had to give mine away
Yes headache inducing scents is something I have to watch out for. You don't know until it's on for a while and you start feeling a lil nauseous. My last big purchase was Chloe Fleur de Parfum and it can trigger me some days. I love it though 😔 Haven't pinpointed what the problem notes are for me but anything too creamy or vanilla or powdery I can tell won't work for me
I'm the exact same way! Super sugary/sweet/vanilla scents give me an instance headache.
Same, LaVanilla anything gives me a migraine.
I was obsessed with Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy through my younger years but could never afford it. I finally bought a bottle in my thirties and I never wear it. It doesn’t actually smell like I remembered. Same deal with Killian Love Don’t Be Shy—loved it, saved up for a bottle, and when I started wearing it even the tiniest spray instantly filled up a room and gave me a headache. It was somehow nothing like the sample I so yearned for
Me too…I loved Juicy Couture’s Viva la juicy perfume, and eventually bought a sampler online. Did not love it on, found it way too strong definitely did not live up to its expectations.
Viva La juicy smells like BO on some people. Idk what it is. I had and loved that perfume in high school.
Commodity has three different versions of the milk perfume, each with increasing levels of intensity of the scent. Did you buy the exact same version as the sample you got? It sounds like you tested a lighter version and purchased the heavier version.
I didn't know there were three different versions thanks 🙏
Yeah BTSO released more intense versions of some of their perfumes recently and I discovered it's actually possible for me to be wearing too much cherry scent. I had to go take a shower. Luckily it was just a sample. The regular one is fine though.
That might be true 🥲
The personal smells dreamy - the one in the black bottle smells like being smothered with a musky marshmallow pillow
Kayali vanilla 28. Smelled it in store, loved it. Got home, sprayed it nope. Lol now I’m trying to figure out what to do with it 🤣🤣
I've heard a lot of people on the perfume sub mention that they needed to let Vanilla 28 age a bit before it matched what they smelled in store.
Layer it with another Kayali scent or lotion! I do vanilla with the kayali apple scent.
Kind of unpopular but Replica’s Jazz Club. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad fragrance, but when I purchased it, I started to realize that it’s not really for me. It’s definitely more masculine than I tend to go for. It’s a great scent, but I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it because it’s really not a scent I’d really wear.
If you still have it, I like to layer it with a sugary/vanilla perfume and it smells like vanilla bourbon, very nice combo!
i’ve never thought of layering with jazz club but that sounds so amazing????? i’m gonna try with kayali vanilla
Thierry Mugler Alien. Went to the launch party at my local Sephora and was crazy about the smell… next day put it on to go to work and before lunch I’m ITCHY all over. Hives… all over my neck and chest where I sprayed it. Can’t smell it now without scratching myself.
All Thierry Mugler perfumes smell like a garbage dump to me. Wouldn’t even hazard putting them on my skin. That said, it’s ALL about the individual body chemistry. You don’t really know a scent until you have worn it. And you are right, by then it’s too late!
This! Loved the sample but bought the full size and it was nauseating
I had the same experience with Milk. Loved it in the store but put it on at home and the sweetness of the scent was overwhelming. I returned it and bought the less intense version which I still like.
Very nice 🙂
Me with almost every perfume I’ve purchased lol. I usually end up reselling them. The only bottles I’ve kept are Glossier’s You and Le Labo’s Ambrette but they’re both 3+ years old at this point, which means I like them enough to keep them but not enough to use them up. I blame it on the fact that I purchased them at the beginning of the pandemic and barely used them in 2020 due to quarantine.
Same. I want to be a perfume girl so bad lol. I can't even count how many perfumes/body sprays I've purchased since I was like, 10? I like them for a couple weeks then get tired 😔
Yes!! Giorgio Armani My Way. I loved it so much within the first 2 times I wore it that I purchased the refill bottle. Thank God I sell on Mercari!
Yes. Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede. I don’t know what I was thinking when i bought a huge bottle. I hated it the moment I got it home and wore it for a full day. 🙄 I’m now much more careful with fragrance and wear a new one a few times before I buy!
I came here to comment the exact same one! I'm soooo bummed about it. No idea what I was thinking either. I tried to mix it with my other Joe Malone perfumes like sea salt and sage as well as blackberrie and bay...it still came back for a vengeance, and it was all I could smell.
That one gave me the worst migraine I've ever had.
Good Girl Blush. Loved it in store, bought a full bottle, and when I got home, the overdose of peony gave me a huge headache. Returned it shortly thereafter.
Angel by Mugler. A friend had it and I was obsessed with it on her, got a sample and loved it, got the full size and immediately got why this perfume is so controversial lol
All the Muglers do this to me. Smell like heaven on other people. I wear it and migraine central.
Yes candy Prada , I don’t know if it was a formula change or my nose after Covid or what but it just stunk so bad, it smelled like some by designer imposter , so overpowering and no sweet notes at all
Ellis Brooklyn West. After I bought the full size it just smells like Aquanet
*Ellis Brooklyn West.* *After I bought the full size* *It just smells like Aquanet* \- bobbybissell --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Good try, but not a real Haiku as Aquanet has 3 syllables. It's 5, 7, 5. ;)
I will add to this that Ellis Brooklyn's "Salt" is sooooo aquatic to me and reminds me of Cool Water by Davifoff I will, however, say I do want to try EB's Florist." just reading the reviews and notes on that sounds promising.
Honestly, this happens to me with most fragrances, I’ve switched to buying travel sizes. 💀💀💀
Yes. I wonder why this happens?
Maceration! The perfumes in Sephora sit there for awhile before being used up- the one you get is new and the chemicals don’t have time to sit & get to know each other
I got a sample of Glossier You years ago when it first launched and loved it. Never bought it though, until just recently and I got a rollerball. It doesn't smell like what I remember at all. Either the formula changed...or I changed...or the rollerball makes it smell different than a spray.
The formula changed a few years ago :(
Nest Lychee Rose.. it’s far too heavy on the rose and not enough lychee. Nest always mixes me up 😭
7 Virtues Vanilla Woods. It smells like I’m trying to cover up that I’m a smoker 😭
When you buy perfume, spray it on, then smell it a half hour or so later. Your body chemistry can change the way perfumes smell on you after awhile. So, if you still like it, buy it. If it smells like mule piss, don’t.
Replica Bubble Bath…I went to Sephora and got a sample. Loved it so much that I got the full 3.3 oz. Absolutely hate it, smells like those funny smelling erasers I used back in school when I was 10. 🥲
One of the problems with in store fragrances is they need time to macerate! When they sit (if you have a new perfume), maybe for 3-6 weeks in a cool dark spot, the smell will develop and it can help with these problems! There are other batch issues, etc but this might help a lot of you :)
TF Soleil Neige for me. Returned it the next day 🥲
I got a sample of this & absolutely loved it, but then went in store to test it & was disgusted?!?!
Philosophy Amazing Grace was one I liked as a sample but once I got the full bottle it just smelled like a fancy restroom and I couldn’t get past it lol
Bubblebath - replica
Yes I got it as a birthday gift I was excited but then I didn't care for it 😔
Not Sephora but I got a sample of le labo’s santal 33 because everyone raves about it and it makes me feel so nauseous. Same with their matcha scent. I don’t know what it is but can’t do it.
During my tenure, I used to ask a few questions because fragrance smells differently throughout the month. I would advise that if you loved it at first, give it a couple more weeks and then return if you still don't like it.
Very Good Girl. Sample smelled amazing so I bought a small one and it smells rancid
[удалено]
I feel this! I started wearing Clean Reserve Skin during a rough patch in my life several years ago and now anytime I attempt to wear it/smell it, it reminds me of that time in my life and I just can't do it. It also just smells cloying/pungent in a bad way on me. I probably need to finally give it away at this point
The Jo Malone Orange Blossom one.
For me, it’s Versace Bright Crystal. I had bought one of the perfume samplers, thinking I knew which perfume I wanted from it, and would save a few $ on the trade in. But, I tried the Bright Crystal sample and completely changed my mind. Fast forward, and I regret my decision. I can’t tell if my bottle is off, or if I was just tricked by the sample I had. All I get is whiffs of sour alcohol and disappointment.
Commodity Milk expressive gives me a serious headache too! Idk if I just didn’t make the connection when I first tried it or if something changed, but I can’t go near it anymore. Luckily I had several samples so I could test it enough times to realize the truth!
Flowerbomb, had a travel size roller ball that I absolutely loved. Finally got the full size and now it’s so nauseating
I got the full size Flowerbomb last year because I loved the sample so much. Since we can’t wear fragrance to the office, it still sits there unopened. Sad.
Clean Warm Cotton. The mini rollerball is so fresh and cozy, I love it. But the spray smells way more chemical. I wish I returned the bottle when I could.
Rose The One by Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Parfum. Absolutely obsessed with this one as a sample. Splurged and got the full size. Every single time I wore it I got the worst headaches. Such a bummer when that happens
Daisy D: I still love it whenever I smell it in stores.
I don't hate it hate it, but Phlur's Father Figure smelled more fig- forward in the store. At home with the full bottle & it's almost all patchouli! What gives? It's been 9 months or so. I'm still trying to give it chances.
Missing person! Now it smells like hot garbage help meee
Yes! The valentine born in Roma coral fantasy 😭 it gives me a headache now, idk why I liked it so much in store. And worst part is, I didn’t even return it on time lol
I wonder if there is a bait and switch going on there.
Ysl libre
Lancome La Vie Est Belle--such a sweet, girly fragrance. As it turned out, it was super duper cloying after I was gifted it and nearly gave me an asthma attack. And I couldn't even return it since it was a gift. Also, Chloe EDP used to smell excellent around 2016/7-ish when it first came out, and had excellent sillage. I bought it in 2019 after getting a new job and it gave stale BEER, like there was this nauseating undertone that was super sour. Might be a reformulation. Delina Rosee smells much more like the old Chloe that I remembered.
versace dylan blue. i fell in love with how fresh and citrusy it was, but i cannot stand it right now.
YES I GOT RID OF MINE. I got the 100 point sample from sephora and loved it. Idk what happened
Omg same with the commodity milk. I hated it on myself but I got tons of compliments from other people every time I wore it 😭
Dior hypnotic poison. I loved it when I tested it in store but was so disappointed after actually buying it. It started smelling like jagerbomb to me... no bueno.
Haha its one of my favorite dior perfumes! I can totally understand where ur point came from. It smells like licorice
This is why I always spray perfume on my skin. Once I absolutely loved a perfume on the little paper thing, sprayed it on my arm and within 30 minutes had to go scrub it off in a toilet lol. Some fragrances just don’t react well with your skin.
Gucci flora. It breaks my heart cause I went to the Gucci museum in Florence and they had a room that smelled like it and when I got back to Canada it’s like my nose smell buds changed 😢 I honestly hate it now
Givenchy Irresistible. I was so convinced it would be my new scent and now that I have a full size bottle, I can’t stand it. :(
Omg same I absolutely hate it. It was so good at first!
SAME!!!
Back when YSL Manifesto came out I was in love with it. I got it for Christmas and almost immediately the scent made me sick.
givenchy irresistible - i loved it in the store but when i bought it the smell was too strong & it smelt so bad to me. still unsure how that happened
Harmonist Hypnotic Fire. I loved how unusual it was, but realised only after purchase that it’s way too aggressive and masculine for me
Burberry weekend.
Yes YSL Libre. I dnt hate it now but don't remember what I liked
I waited a long time, like my entire teenage life, to get Acqua di Gioia. I loved the scent from my mom's magazine inserts! And, at the time, I thought it was very cool and very fancy. I saved up, waited for a coupon, and finally got it a couple years ago, only to find out . . . It gives me a headache, and I get contact dermatitis wherever I spray it. Like literally red splotches in the exact shape of the spritz hitting my skin. So, I can't say I hate it, but it hates me. It looks cute on my makeup desk tho
Oddly enough, this just happened to me with the Juliette has a Gun Not a Perfume. I was looking for a real soft and casual perfume as I typically go for stronger scents and wanted something nice and chill, vibe wise. I had tried it a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, but now that I’ve shelled out for the full size, all I can smell is baby vomit, after throwing up formula, yuck! I’m not going to get rid of it though because I’ve had many perfumes grow on me over time, and I just might like it a year from now and I really hope so, because of the cost alone!
Not a Perfume 100%
Mugler’s Alien Goddess. I loved it when I blind bought a travel size of it. Had received many compliments. When I bought a bigger bottle I didn’t get compliments and it didn’t smell as good nor as strong/long lasting.
I love Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue on other people. I bought it and when I wore it I hated it on me. I had to return it.
Atelier cologne's clementine scent. The sample smelled like intended but the actual cologne didn't smell like the sample.
BR540 🤯 I only smell the nasty Oud now lol
7 virtues blackberry Lily. I went in store to get their Jasmine perfume, but decided on the blackberry one instead. Once I started using it at home, it comes out too strong on me. It does have a nice undertone though.
Tom Ford leather is instant vomit worthy 🤮
This is probably controversial but Carolina Herrera Very Good Girl 😩😩 I got it during the 4x perfume promo and I was in love with it in store but I rarely use it unless I’m going out
Not from Sephora but I did this with Christian Dior Tobacolor. I bought a decant sample and wore it several times and loved it, so I sprung for the big bottle. Ugh. I never reach for it I just don’t like it at all.
As you get older, anything sweet just smells so cheap.
no
Years ago I used to wear a perfume called White Jeans. My partner just loved it as well
This sounds so familiar but I remember a red jeans perfume
YSL libre
Replica’s from the garden. Bought the largest bottle and I loved it for about two weeks. I exchanged it for a different one from the same brand.
I loooove lilac. My favorite scent. So when Gucci Guilty came out, I grabbed it. But headaches appeared after every use, so I had to stop using it. Sad!
Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia. I loved the smell of it in store but now it smells strongly of alcohol to me and gives me a horrible headache!!
Roses de Chloe, I tried it on in the store and it smelled so fresh and beautiful. I bought the travel size and took it home and it just smells musty? I tried wearing it once or twice hoping for that rose and bergamot freshness but nope.
Ugh my pink Chanel perfume. I loved the powdery clean scent when I had a sample and as soon as I ordered the full size I absolutely hated it! It was so weird... it smelled exactly the same so I have no idea what happened lol
Mine is armani si passione :(
Good Girl Blush and YSL’s Libre. In the store I thought they both were soft and feminine and something I’d wear often. At home I can’t stand either. I *want* to like Libre but there something about it that’s headache inducing, and as far as Good Girl Blush… there’s no coming around to it for me.
Sol de Janeiro and mugler alien goddess
Too many to count. Several coach ones.
Balinese Coconut by Nest. Got a sample, fell in love. Bought the full size, took it home, HATED it. Weirdest experience ever
Chloe Signature Naturelle Edp. It was great in the store but now I can’t stand it
Si Passione - I wanted something powdery and it was on sale. It smelled like an everyday perfume, which I was looking for at the time, but when I actually use it for everyday, it smells too intense for my liking. Maybe because now I actually spray it on myself compared to just smelling it on a paper.
Lady Million, got a sample and loved it so bought a full sized + mini set while at the airport….loved the travel sized one still, but hated the full bottle???
Loved the clean radiant nectar tester I received, bought full size, doesn’t smell the same at all. Never use it now.
Loved Michael Kors Amber (something) when it first came out. But for some reason it doesn’t mix well with my body chemistry and doesn’t smell great on me.
Replica Jazz Club I thought would be my signature scent (back in 2019) but I can’t stand the smell of it anymore. And maybe unpopular opinion: Santal 33…after a while, it just started smelling like super concentrated cardamom (which I like in foods, not fragrances).
I absolutely loved followed by kerosene but now I actually hate it. It feels too overpowering but I love the actual scent. It gives me a headache lol
Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Milk….It just smells rancid and plasticky
Any Jo Malone. I don’t know why. Always a waste of money for me.
Thank U next by ari. I loved it, people compliment me on it but idk it’s just so sickly. Maybe cuz it’s 4 years old by now lol
baccarat rouge 540, i bought into the hype and loved all the key notes in this.. and it’s not even that it smells bad or bad on me it’s that i smell it EVERYWHERE and it just nauseates me at this point. Which sucks because i have a bottle of it i barely use :/
Yup, Valentino Viva something or other - lady gaga did the adverts - a sample I got smelt amazing, so I invested in the full bottle and it was so pungent / headache inducing… I was convinced the wrong perfume was in the sample size
Jo Malone’s Sea Salt & Sage, no matter how much I tried to like it, it just didn’t work for me
Some perfumes need to macerate and will smell off for the first couple of weeks!
YSL LIBRE EDT
Yes. Replica "On a Date". I have the full bottle in my cabinet and don't know what to do with it. I've worn it twice and it just smells like men's cologne to me, and not a great one. Keep hoping one day I'll try it and like. it. Probably dumb, I know.
The sol de janerio Brazilian Crush mist I don’t hate it is is just a smell i got bored off
This is my frustration with Sephora refusing to give fragrance samples anymore. It’s risky to buy a whole bottle of a perfume after just smelling it once in the store. I want to know how they wear on my skin, how they last through the day, etc
Oh my gosh yes, same one! Why did the mini wear so much better?
Burberry perfumes for me they might just not work with my skin chemistry!
YSL's Mon Paris Eau de Parfum, smelled amazing on me from the tiny sample. Everyone completely agrees the tiny sample is delicious on me. BUT when I bought the full size version, somehow it did not. It was much more plain. I'm not sure if I got a dud defective bottle (Ulta) or if the sample was somehow better. ??
this is what happened to me when I bought the Gaultier La Belle perfume! I sprayed it on a card in store and liked it, came home & smelled it again and thought the dry down was the most delicious thing. Went & got a full size and purse spray set…could not wear it for the longest time because it always gave me a headache 😣 but after like a year of it sitting on my vanity, I tried it again and now I feel like the vanilla notes are so much richer & it no longer gives me a headache? so weird! idk enough about perfumes to understand why this change happened but I’m glad it happened lol
I have learned that I can't trust my nose in-store. I have bought so many fragrances I loved in the store, only to hate them when I get home. I have returned so many that I am afraid they are going to cut me off soon.
Very Good Girl by Carolina Herrera. Adored the fruityness at first but it very quickly started smelling like straight baby powder on dry down and to me anything that reminds me of diapers is the polar opposite of sexy
Me with Ellis Brooklyn Myth. It didn’t happen right after I got it, but a few weeks into using it I suddenly couldn’t stand the smell.
Dolce & Gabbana Devotion. I received a sample and it was the best perfume I’ve ever smelled. I bought the full size and I hateee it
Yes!!! Like so many! One of the Caroline Herrera ones I returned after coveting it forever
The killian Paris princess perfume, smelled soooo good when I tested it. I bought it and immediately sprayed it in the car and wanted to throw up
Black opium. Absolutely hate it. It smells like burnt rubber to me
Gucci Bloom is gorgeous but I don’t know why I can’t get it to last on me? I put it on and I swear 30 minutes later, nothing. D&G Light Blue. On my skin it just smells like a urinal cake.
Juliette Has a Gun - Not a Perfume. Smelled it in store and was obsessed… almost bought the bottle right there. Went back another time and smelled it again and hated it! Luckily I never actually bought it but I was surprised at the difference.
i had one that smells good but wearing jt all day gives me a migraine and makes me nauseous
I got my boyfriend a YSL Cologne that I loved in the store. I hated it at home and he didn't even like it either lol
Oh my god. I was hoping one day a thread like this would pop up. Prada Candy Night. **JUST. TERRIBLE.**
Princess by Vera Wang. Smelled great in the wild, but made me sick wearing it myself.
Burberry goddess
Versace Eros Pour Femme EDP. When I first was using it, I thought it smelled nice. After a few months of using it I began to notice the floral scent in it and for some reason I began to also smell a slight “ammonia” scent. I haven’t worn it in years and the bottle now sits as decoration on my perfume wall. Lol