My stash from a recent raid on the library magazine recycling pile. I find “O” magazine to be most likely to have perfume samples. Thanks, Oprah!
You’re probably not surprised when I tell you that I’m what they call a “low-maintenance woman.” I do wear makeup, but only a little; my idea of a manicure is two minutes with nail clippers and a file; and my visits to beauty salons are pretty much an annual thing.
But every once in a while, I do have occasion to get gussied up, and when I do, I like to smell good. Not that I usually smell bad (at least I don’t think I do), but sometimes I like to smell like something more than soap and water. I like to wear perfume. It’s a silly little thing, I guess, but it makes me feel pretty. Besides, Blue Ridge Blue Collar Man likes it when I wear perfume (he calls it SmellWell).
Trouble is, I tend to like the more expensive stuff. But forty-dollar bottles of Eau de Whatever are not in the Blue Ridge Blue Collar budget. And that is why I am grateful for perfume samples.
I’m not picky, though I do favor Beautiful and Pleasures (or maybe it’s just the pictures of cute children and puppies). It’s not as easy as it used to be to find the fragrant pages in magazines, but they’re still there, especially in holiday issues. I look for them in the recycle magazine pile at the library, I look for them in waiting rooms, and I pick them up in the homes of friends. I’ve gotten so I can sniff them out like one of those pigs that looks for truffles underground.
I like them, not only because they’re free, but because the scent you get from using them is light and subtle—barely there, really. A couple of friends who have allergies and usually find perfume unpleasant say they can’t even tell when I’m wearing the sample stuff. Believe me, I know what is it to be stuck in an elevator with folks who apparently dumped half a bottle of cologne on their heads before they left the house. They always seem completely unaware of the noxious, choking cloud of overpowering scent that emanates from their bodies.
So thank you, perfume companies for your samples. I’ll confess that I never buy your product, but sometimes when a friend or stranger catches a whiff and tells me I smell good, I tell them what I’m wearing. Just think of me as a walking advertisement. Only I’m cheerful and happy to be smelling good—unlike that sullen, petulant model in your ad.
Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl 
July 27, 2012 at 10:18 pm |
Good way to save some money, Beth…. I have been known to do that sometimes –but I’m picky. I have a favorite kind which I order in bulk online at a cheaper rate. Luckily, it is not one of the more expensive ones. It’s Navy by Cody –and is hard to find now… Don’t know what I’ll do when I can’t get it anymore….
I’m low maintenance these days also —and on our anniversary recently, WELL–that was the first time in a very long time I’ve had on a dress, had some curl in my hair, and even wore make-up…. Felt nice –but don’t do it very often anymore.
Hugs,
Betsy
July 28, 2012 at 2:42 pm |
Unfortunately, I’m out of favor on this one…LOL! I am horribly allergic to any type of perfume, so would be the first to sign anything OUTLAWING the samples in magazines and I’ve practically had to shout at clerks in department stores NOT to spray me when I walk through. It;s hard enough to find ways to get into a department store without going through the perfurm area. It’s very awkward sometimes and certainly not the way I wish, but something only someone WITH such a major allergy can really understand.
As for the low maintenance, I am so with you on this. My husband told me once he liked me better WITHOUT makeup because I looked so healthy and “real.” I guess that was a compliment!!
July 28, 2012 at 5:14 pm |
I’m with Sharon on this one. Horribly allergic. But I am glad you enjoy the samples. I know many people do.
July 28, 2012 at 8:48 pm |
I’m not allergic, though the heavily perfumed people really annoy me. Those clerks who want to spray so much absolutely turn me off, and I avoid the perfume aisle as you do, Sharon. Because I hugged many people as they left church, I quit wearing any perfume years ago because of those who are allergic to it. But I’m comfortable smelling like bath soap and shampoo.
July 29, 2012 at 10:55 am |
Hahaha…yes, you are a walking advertisement. I like those samples, too, because the scent is subtle. Strong perfumes give me a headache. I’ve no idea why people wear them; they’re annoying more than anything else.
August 4, 2012 at 10:53 am |
Some deodorants smell strong enough so you could kill two birds with one stone. That’s how I do it!