Category — Where to Buy Perfume

Is buying your perfumes online a good idea?  After all, common wisdom is that you should always test a perfume on your skin before purchasing it.  If that’s the case, why are there so many online perfume retailers?

First, let’s address why you should always do a skin test for a perfume you’ve never worn before.  If you think that all you have to do to determine the correct scent of a perfume or cologne is to pull the stopper and sniff the top of the bottle, you are dead wrong.  Because as soon as that fragrance leaves the bottle and lands on your skin, the scent changes entirely.  And knowing you like the way it smells when your friends wear it won’t do you any good either.

Why?  The chemical makeup of the perfume changes as soon as it connects with your skin and continues to change as it absorbs.  And since every person on this planet has their own unique chemical makeup, that scent will change with every person that wears it.  And in some cases, there will be a terrible chemical reaction.  Oh, it won’t harm your skin in any way, but it just might harm your nose, because it could stink on you, but smell absolutely incredible on the next person.  So, never purchase a perfume without testing it first.

Of course, there is no way of doing this when buying perfumes online.  But don’t despair.  If you have a perfume that you already wear, do yourself a favor and buy it online the next time around.  Chances are you can save yourself a bundle.  And when you are in department stores or any other places that sell perfumes and colognes, do some testing at the counter.  Find out what works with your skin.  However, don’t buy it while you’re there at the counter.  Well, you can if you want to, but you’ll pay for the privilege.  Instead, head home and buy your perfume online.  You could save yourself anywhere from thirty to seventy percent, and in many cases you can also get free shipping.

So, while there may be some drawbacks to buying your perfumes online, it’s easy to get around them.

Let’s face it.  All of the trendy, celebrity and designer perfumes are expensive.  If you want to adorn your dressing table with an array of chic perfume bottles, you’re in danger of breaking your bank or choking your credit card account.  Most of these perfumes and colognes are priced in an area of hundreds of dollars an ounce, and then if you add the additional products in the lineup, you are looking at a fortune.  But don’t despair!  You can stay within your budget.  I’m going to tell you how to find cheap designer perfume.

So, where should you look?  First of all, you can check your local department stores, since they often have sales throughout the year.  If they aren’t running any sales currently, move on.  Otherwise you are going to end up paying the suggested retail price, and in my opinion, that’s often overpriced.  So, leave the cosmetics counters in your mall’s department stores behind and head for a perfume outlet.

You may not have to travel far for a perfume outlet, as many malls now have them., but if that’s not the case in your area, check you phone book, or online, and find an outlet that isn’t too far away.  It will be worth the time and effort, and you’ll be satisfied when you realize just how much money you can save.  You’ll find designer perfumes reduced in price – sometimes quite significantly – in the majority of outlets.  Expect to find prices marked down anywhere from thirty to seventy percent off.  You may not find all the ancillary items that are part of the line, but since you’re likely looking for the perfume and not all the accompanying lotions and notions, that should be okay.

A few things to be careful of when outlet shopping.  Make sure you are not purchasing a knockoff.  You want to spend your money on the real deal.  Even though a knockoff might smell just like your favourite designer perfume, it likely has a higher alcohol content, and more importantly, the scent will expire almost immediately.

Another option for finding cheap designer perfume is to check discount stores that sell seconds and/or last years fashions.  In the USA, such stores would be Ross, Marshalls and TJ Maxx.  In Canada, you can try Winners.  You should be able to find a variety of perfumes and colognes at any of these establishments.  And again, another thing to be careful of when shopping at these types of places.  Since the bottle won’t be locked up behind a counter, make sure the perfume bottle you buy isn’t only half full!  You want to go home with a full bottle of your new favourite scent.

The best place to find cheap perfume is on auction sites such as eBay.  Chances are you won’t find a better price elsewhere.  A good time to check would be after the holidays, when people are starting to regift.

In conclusion, you should never have to pay full price for a designer perfume.  If you know where to look, you can always find the best brands at a reasonable price.