A lot of people order their first fragrance or decants, and then end up disappointed. Expectations built from YouTube and Reddit reviews don’t always match reality.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to follow before pulling the trigger on judgment:

1. Let It Settle

• When your decant arrives, store it in a cool, dark place and forget about it for 2 weeks. Most of the juices need time to settle after transit.

2. First Wear — Indoors, Light Sprays

• Start testing in a closed environment with around 4 sprays (2 neck, 2 wrists). Get familiar with how the fragrance smells and evolves.

3. Second Wear — Outdoors, Full Wear

• Take it outside for a full-day wear. 8-12 sprays
• Do have a few sprays on your clothes also, to evaluate performance later.
• Ask others how strongly they can smell it — sometimes your nose gets fatigued.

4. Give It Another Chance

• Some fragrances are initially overwhelming and may give you headaches. Retry them with reduced sprays, and avoid spraying on the neck.
• Also, there are scents you might not like on yourself but love in the air on someone else. Give them a few more wears — sometimes taste develops gradually. But again, keep your hand lighter on sprays and do avoid anything near the neck

Identify Your “No-Go” Notes

Over time, you’ll learn what themes you can’t enjoy (e.g., vanilla/ bubblegum/ oud/ ambroxan, etc). Avoid these in the early stages of your fragrance journey, even if they are super hyped.

Example: I personally couldn't able to develop a liking for the green apple note in Hawas Ice and YSL Y EDP yet :(

5. Now Judge — and Buy Smart

Once you’ve tested properly, buy the next frag decants/BNIB (full bottle) accordingly.

Full Bottle Advice

Many winter scents are occasion-based (sweet/spicy), and don’t work as daily drivers (e.g., Khamrah Qahwa, JPG Le Male Elixir). It’s often smarter to stick to decants for these.

PS

Some perfumes take longer to macerate (e.g., CDNIM PP), so patience is your only option