Oh dear. I post one of these little laments from time to time - sample storage hell. Like a lot of you, I have accumulated a seriously large collection of samples, and try as I might, I can't seem to stay on top of them. Yesterday I cleared out all the samples from my desk drawers at work and was shocked to discover a great many more than I first thought I had. I ended up hauling home two shopping bags' worth! Now, that is just the tip of the iceberg, as I have far more than this at home. Looking at the corner of my bedroom, I have boxes, bags and storage drawers full of samples.
A couple of months ago I started cataloguing my samples, but lost the will at the 300 mark, knowing I had plenty more to go. What also complicated matters is that since then, I have given samples away, lent some to others to try and received plenty more. Now, I am not saying that I don't like collecting samples, don't get me wrong, but I do struggle to keep on top.
So, onto crunch time. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has similar problems, or has solved such problem, and would also be interested to find out what storage and cataloguing solutions you have! And to top it all, I will randomly select a comment to win samples of the following Serge Lutens:
- Chergui
- Sa Majeste La Rose
- Gris Clair
- Feminite du bois
- Fleurs d'oranger
- Vitriol d'oeillet
- Arabie
I will also throw in two Annick Goutal samples, Passion and Le Mimosa, as well as a sample of the recently released Dueto Parfums, Lady Cool. Just ensure you provide me with a valid email address and I will contact the winner - comments open until midnight, UK time, on Wednesday 4 July.
I'd wish to have a problem of too many samples! But at the moment everything seems to be under control. I only have a few tauers, the full parfums d'empire collection, the full etat libre d'orange collection, the full vero kern range, some histoires des parfums, and some mainstream which i don't care about anyway.What I think would work for me, since I tend to think in terms of a specific brand, and I also tend to buy full sample packs, or discovery sets of a specific brand that I intend to, well, discover, would probably be to keep those samples into transparent ziploc bags which I can label with the brand name.That's all I can think of really. I would never go to the trouble of keeping an excel database or something like that.Too much time consuming. I love perfume, it's a hobby and obsession but after all it should be fun and not a core.Or there's great transparent plastic boxes with adjustable compartments.They would make great organising tools
ReplyDeleteAna, I like your idea of collecting sets from different houses. My collection has grown haphazardly to say the least, so I've accumulated a lot of random stuff, which makes it difficult to collate things!
DeleteWow! I'm nowhere near your 300+, so I haven't lost heart at cataloguing. I think it was when I got to about 50 samples that I started a simple spreadsheet -- house, scent, date of acquisition, like, dislike, consider FB, etc. I'm still only around 100 so it seems reasonable and is an excellent memory aid.
ReplyDeleteAs for storage, I started with a small tin and then a small bag, but soon decided to move to those inexpensive transparent plastic boxes Ana mentions above, so I could more easily organize houses together. Mainstream carded manufacturers samples are in a rectangular basket lined up by house. (Maybe it's OCD -- I'm one of those people who has my books alphabetized by author on my shelves within various categories -- fiction, drama, poetry, history, etc. and those magazines that I hang onto for a few months in date order.). The advantage of sorting is that I can easily find a sample when I read a review and want to compare my experience.
One of the common methods that I've read for storing huge numbers of samples is as Ana has suggested -- in ziploc bags by house (and then into shoe boxes divided by A-D, E-G, etc.) Pretty easy, and I think one advantage of ziplocs, especially if you like to keep certain samples as reference, is that they reduce exposure to air.
I do like to keep a few samples that I want to test for awhile out in a pretty dish on my coffee table, otherwise they can be "out of sight out of mind" as I wear the old familiars.
There is something to be said for random piles/bags as well -- in searching for a particular sample you never know what else you will come across.
Hope you can find a method that's easy and natural for you.
-- Lindaloo (rchawork {at} yahoo {.} com)
Lindaloo, some really good ideas there. I might try out some of those methods. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteMy samples in Testing Circulation are kept in a medium-sized fishing tackle box organized by house for the most part. Awkward shapes and sizes as well as minis go in the "junk drawer" top of the tackle box.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the No-Likes awaiting their trade day in a shoebox.
The Memories are liked I but can't wear casually due to psycho-nostalgic interference, so they reside in a 12x12x14 cardboard box with lots of pretty packing paper.
On one dark cubby of my living room wall unit sit 10-15 bottles, decants, and samples in current active use.
I gave up trying to track the details of sample comings, goings, and borrowings a long time ago. Life is too short.
Monster, it is true that life is too short to get too anal about things. I will probably end up at a halfway house sort of solution, like I do with most things in life!
DeleteI don't have such problems because I use perfume 24/7 , hahhaha , so I finish those samples first... :) pick me pick me, pass me ur samples
ReplyDeleteTony, I think to use up all my samples, even as they stand, will take me half of the rest of my life. I'm not giving my age away, but my odds are slightly less than I would like ;-)
DeleteHahaha :) I suppose that's y u having a giveaway... :)
DeleteI am a big sample collector as I find that my preferences shift and I like to revisit things when the weather shifts. I started off by grabbing 20 ziplock sandwich bags and alphetbetizing them. In certain cases they may be combined like x,y,z where I don't have a lot of samples from those houses. After filling all the baggies, I then put them into 7x5x3 inch school supply boxes. A and B are in one labeled red box, C & D are labeled in a blue box, etc... I keep one misc. box for new items and things I am actively sampling. Once a month, they usually get filed while I am watching tv. This system works well in my spatially challenged apartment.
ReplyDeletebrookesfca, not a bad idea at all. I think part of my problem comes from liking to have stashes of perfume in various locations, including at work. Depending on one's point of view, I am either like a a squirrel of sorts, or similar to a hard core drug addict. Take your pick...
ReplyDelete"Squirelling" is a great instinct. You might want to check out the ideas on this forum discussion on Fragrantica:
Deletehttp://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=39635
I'm especially impressed by the entry near the bottom of page 1 by "sweetpea" with the drawer of upstanding samples, though I have nowhere near enough fine motor co-ordination to write on the top of each sample. As far as work goes, maybe you just need to corral everything you take there in one drawer/container so you know sooner when it's time to haul some home or rotate.
-- Lindaloo
PS. If the link was inappropriate please remove it or entire comment.
Lindaloo, thanks for the further suggestions. Nothing inappropriate. Cheers.
DeleteGreat draw! I have struggled with sample storage, and although I am pretty happy with my current solution, it is still a pain. I have come to the conclusion that storing the number of samples we have is never easy. But I do notice it is much worse when I don't discipline myself to log new samples as they come in. That's the road to ruin, in my book!
ReplyDeleteNatalie, that's true. In a way, I think collecting full bottles is probably a lot easier (price aside) as bottles can be stood upright and are usually more easily identifiable than a fairly plain sample vial.
DeleteI have tried only one of those perfumes, and most of the rest are on my list! I don't have a ton of samples yet but it is definitely time to start organizing--by house in a box with dividers probably. Thanks for the draw!
ReplyDeleteAnat, best to get organised early on in the process, I think - good luck!
ReplyDeletePhisically I store my samples and decants in ammo boxes, ziplocks and lipstick holders organized by house and or size. Here are some storage ideas collected in one place: http://insidethemist.com/10-creative-ways-to-store-perfume-samples/ . More: http://anotherperfumeblog.com/2012/01/13/happy-hour-with-apb-baileys-9-5-anti-hoarding-and-more-about-perfume-storage/
ReplyDeleteThe way I make sure I have all of the samples are accounted for - I do not test a perfume until I put it into the database.
(no need entering me into the draw: I haven't tried only Gris Clair so I don't want to multiply samples :) )
Undina, thanks for the suggestions. I would trust anything you say, as you seem so organised, and I mean that in a good way!
ReplyDelete