Our Travelling Box of Perfume didn’t have a long trip to go until it reached the next person who was waiting for it. Cathy and her nose must’ve been very busy as within a week of time she came back to me with impressions. Let’s see how she liked the experience…
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Your general impression of the box once it arrived…
When the box arrived, I was excited beyond belief (I thought I would pee my pants). Fortunately, I had time to open the box immediately and start the incredible journey. I really enjoyed the handwritten notes from the previous recipients. The notecards were so elegant and added an intimate touch to the box. It felt like I was receiving a gift from a dear friend.
Favorite perfume in the box…
The three fragrances I kept were equal favorites.
Least favorite perfume in the box…
The Chanel Gardenia was my least favorite.
Mini reviews
The large bottle of First EDP by Van Cleef and Arpels immediately caught my eye and before I could control myself, I gave my arm a liberal spray. It is a soft, clean floral and reminded me of a fragrance from my youth that was worn by my aunt. It has a very elegant quality but unfortunately developed a staleness on my skin after a few hours.
I have an adoration for gardenia, and the sample of Chanel Gardenia was next. Wow, I am embarrassed to say it was quite a disappointment AND a scrubber. For me, it did not smell anything like my beloved gardenia flower. So far in my search, Dame Gardenia is the closest gardenia fragrance, but I will never stop searching!
Next, Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose (mini). I love the clean citrus and slightest touch of rose. I have not had a chance to try many Hermes fragrances, and I really love this one. Unfortunately, longevity is lacking. It is such a lovely fragrance that I would not mind frequent applications!
Zoologist Camel (sample) was next. I love Hummingbird and Civet and really wanted to try some of the other fragrances. With Camel, I catch the amber, fruits, incense, cedar, and a warm animalic quality to this fragrance. As with all of the Zoologist fragrances I have tried, they last all day. I really enjoyed this fragrance!
Last but not least, I tried JD Vanille Farfelue EDP (sample). I am a great fan of Jeffery Dame fragrances and have yet to try this new one. It was unexpected and gorgeous! It is so refreshing and bubbly. I could smell delicate florals, ylang ylang, and later soft vanilla and sandalwood. It reminded me of a happy scent at Christmas from my childhood (yes, I give strange descriptions and reviews)!
Out of the box
I decided to keep Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, Zoologist Camel, and JD Vanille Farfelue. I did smell many of the fragrances bottles, but settled on the few above. I really dislike giving negative opinions about fragrances. I may not like one but it could be your favorite, and you may smell fabulous!!
Into the box
Atelier Cologne – Ambre Nue, Bois Blonds, Cedrat Enivrant, Gold Leather, Grand Neroli, Mistral Patchouli, Oolang Infini, Rose Anonyme, Trefle Pur, Vanille Insensee, Vetiver Fatal
Ava Luxe – Dancing Queen, Rasa
Dame Perfumery – New Musk Oil, Soliflore Freesia, Soliflore Mimosa, Soliflore Narcissus, Soliflore Orange Flower, Soliflore Wisteria
Envoyage – Carmel Boheme, Makeda
For Strange Women – Tarantula
Lancome – Cuir De Lancome (3/4 of a 1.7 bottle)
Lili Bermuda – Cedarwood, Paradise
Madini – Musk Gazelle, Musk Pierre
Solistice Scent – Estate Vanilla, Ginger Spice Cake
Marc Jacobs – Daisy
Zoologist – Bat
Chemist in the Bottle 
That’s sounds like a wonderful discovery. There are a few unknown names for me, can’t wait to discover them. What’s the next destination of the box?
And there will be many more changes in the box before it’s in your hands.
For now the box is still in Panama.
I felt invigorated after reading this post! I loved the mini reviews, kind of like mini-er versions of Monday Quick Sniffs! And Inspird something new added to the box that Inwould dearly love to try! P.S. I got so energized I can now not stop using exclamation marks!
I am so glad to hear that. You should be even more excited because soon it will be your turn to have the box.
😂
With that said though I will be away the first week of August so hopefully I get it way before or whomever is sending it to me when my turn comes can hold it for a longer time.
I still remember about that but I think you’ll be getting the box in July
I love the enthusiasm! And, the reviews. It’s funny when what we think will be a home run scent turns out to be a scrubber, ha! Scent is so personal, I appreciate that in this context Cathy avoids a lot of negativity.
You never can take a perfume for granted unless you try it, right?
I’m so glad you liked the Vanilla Farfelue, Cathy! I really wanted to love it myself but it didn’t work for me! It really was a fun experience.
Yes, thank you! Did you forward the box to me? It was packed so nicely!!
I am so happy to hear that you kept the Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose (one of my contributions to the box)! Agreed – it, like many of Ellena’s creations for Hermes, is light, transparent, and somewhat fleeting. Reading your post reminded me of how much enjoyment I experienced with the Magical Traveling Box of Perfume!
Your contribution to the box found a new love, isn’t that great.
Thank you! I have really enjoyed it, especially this past week. It has been very hot and humid, and this is such a light, zesty fragrance!
As you can tell, I’m catching up on all the traveling box posts. I’m going to try my Zoologist Camel sample. Hope I love it too.