Juliette Has a Gun Fragrance Discovery Kit

Like many others, I'm sure, I have a thing about miniature perfumes. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about a tiny vial of fragrance that's always made me a bit happier than it probably should. I guess it's a lot to do with the pocket-friendly size and the fact that I get sick of perfumes pretty fast. Unless it's Glossier You, which I'm not sure I'll ever tire of.

Created by Romano Ricci - the great-grandson of Nina Ricci - Juliette Has a Gun is a brand that's always had my interest, but I've never quite got round to trying anything from them. Until now that is, when I'm actually in the midst of trialling 8 different fragrances, thanks to the brand's Discovery Kit.

There are a few different sample sets to choose from but I've got the least expensive one to show you - the 'Discovery Set Best Seller'.
For 15 Euro, this set includes seven 1.7ml eau de parfum samples and one 4ml vial of the brand's iconic Not a Perfume fragrance.
The seven fragrances in the smaller vials are Vanilla Vibes, Moscow Mule, Sunny Side Up, MMMM..., Lady Vengeance, Another Oud and Anyway.

Vanilla Vibes is my kind of vanilla fragrance. It's not sickly sweet and has sea salt as a top note with natural vanilla and orchid absolute at the heart. Bottom notes include tonka bean, benzoin, sandalwood and brown musk.
Moscow Mule actually does smell quite a lot like a cocktail. This one has notes of ginger, lime and jasmine. It's not too sweet and to me, errs on the side of being quite masculine. I really like it.
Lady Vengeance is very aptly named I think. If you've ever smelled it yourself, you'll hopefully know what I mean. This scent is heavy on the patchouli but dries down to let the rose and vanilla heart shine. It's quite a classic sort of fragrance that's very feminine and floral but I find it a little bit headache-inducing so not one I'd purchase.
MMMM... is a gourmand with top notes of geranium, neroli and raspberry. I can really smell the raspberry in this and, as someone who's not really into fruity fragrances (except fig of course), this was a pleasant surprise. It's quite a fresh, real raspberry scent rather than a sugared one. One for warmer weather I think but I imagine I'll finish this little sample size off before Spring even properly kicks in.

Sunny Side Up is strong on sandalwood with a hint of jasmine and a sort of vanilla/coconut finish. It reminds me quite a lot of Maison Margiela On the Beach but maybe a little creamier. A summer scent for sure but still something I'd spritz on my winter coat.

Another Oud is all about bergamot, oud wood, raspberry, musk and cashmeron (which is a musky, woody, synthetic compound designed to emulate the feeling of cashmere). I find this scent to be pretty woody, as in it smells like actual wood, but as it dries down, that fresh raspberry note comes through to lighten things up a bit. I quite like this one.

Anyway is citrusy and musky with just the right amount of floral. Main notes include green lime, musk and hedione, which is basically a synthetic form of jasmine. It's bright, pleasant and wearable.

Not Another Perfume is a bestseller and I totally understand why. It's a single compound scent (if you can even call it a scent?) featuring something called Cetalox which is a synthetic version of ambergris or grey amber. It has an earthy, sort of sweet, sort of musky smell. The ambergris scent is often used as a base for fragrances, but in this case, the base is the fragrance! A fun fact about grey amber? It's a waxy, grey substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Apparently, though it smells pretty disgusting when it's fresh, it dries down to that afformentioned musky, sweet smell. Despite the rather repulsive origins of genuine ambergris, it turns out I'm a fan of the synthetic version, which is probably why I'm so keen on Glossier You as it features heavily in that scent.

You can wear Not a Perfume either alone or spritz it on before one of the other fragrances to add a little extra musky, earthy, your-skin-after-a-nice-shower-but-better scent.

Something I'd mention about all of the perfumes is that they aren't very in your face or punchy. They're all interesting scents but they're not the kind that will suffocate everyone on your train carriage. I guess a more concise way of saying this is that they're not all that strong! In terms of longevity, all of the secnts I tried seem to last quite nicely on my skin, but we all know that everyone is different. Obviously, fragrance is very subjective too, so you may very well detest the ones that I've picked as my favourites (MMMM... and Moscow Mule I think!).

If you choose to order any of the full size fragrances, the 15 Euro charge for the sample set is redeemable, if you order within 2 months of purchase. There are also individual samples for sale as well as travel sizes and a selection of body products. If you're feeling curious, have a browse for yourself at Juliette has a Gun.