Olfactif December "Evening" Collection Review

I learned of Olfactif from browsing around the blogosphere, and when they ran a "first box free" promotion for Black Friday I decided to give it a try.  For $18 a month, they'll send you a collection of "three niche fragrances in deluxe-sized samples."  If you've read any of my early Birchbox reviews, you'll know that normally I detest getting perfume samples in those boxes.  That is still true, but since this box was free I figured it was at least worth giving a try.

December's collection was titled Evening, and I thought all of the perfumes matched the theme perfectly.  I also loved the packaging of the box: it's sleek and all black, and you open it by pulling on the tab to slide out the samples.  The box was so pretty that I held onto it, just in case I ever thought of a way to repurpose it.

I was really happy to find that the samples were all in atomizer vials, because I hate the kind where you just uncap it and have to tip it over onto your skin.  Each sample will last for about 15-20 uses, per the Olfactif website, and if you fall in love with any of the scents you can use your automatic $18 credit toward the purchase of any of them.  This works out really well if you do end up wanting to purchase a full-sized perfume from the collection, because you will have gotten the sampler collection for free!

• Night by Sarabecca ($78 for 50 mL): This debut scent from Sarabecca "sparks bright with a burst of spicy citrus in the top notes," with grassy vetiver and earthy patchouli to ground the scent with depth.  Other notes include lemon, bergamot, sage, and ginger.  I enjoyed this scent and appreciated that it wasn't too heavy or dense.
• Au Lait by DSH Perfumes ($70 for 1 oz): I really enjoyed this one because I love sweet perfumes.  It is considered a "skin scent" because it stays close to the skin and projects only a slight sweetness, so you don't have to worry about walking around smelling too noticeably saccharine.  Notes include warm milk, sweet cream, ambrette seed, buttercream accord, tonka bean, French vanilla, and Special Formula X.
• Black Angel by Mark Buxton ($195 for 100 mL): This was my favorite of the bunch -- it's spicy and woody and has notes that I really enjoy in a perfume.  I would consider purchasing a full-sized version if it wasn't so expensive (figures that I would like the most expensive one!).  Notes include mandarin, ginger, jasmine, orris, sytrax, patchouli, and amber.

I cancelled my Olfactif subscription after trying this first box.  I really did enjoy this whole collection and I appreciated that I was able to try high end perfumes for free, but the reason I didn't stay subscribed is because I don't shop for perfumes as much as I do for cosmetics or skin care, so I couldn't justify spending $18 a month on trying new ones.

• Visit Olfactif to learn more and sign up for a subscription

Bottom Line: I think that this subscription is an amazing deal for anyone who loves perfumes and provides a great opportunity to find unique, niche scents!

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.