My Parfums MDCI sampler box arrived:
Sticker shock for a full bottle of MDCI is not an uncommon occurrence — just over $600.00 for a two ounce crystal bottle with a bisque (unglazed ceramic) cap fashioned to look like a neo-classical bust (as in Bust of Napoleon) is high even for the world of niche — and finding samples of the fragrances in any decent size can be an act of futility, so it was my good fortune to discover that Parfums MDCI themselves offer a sample program for consumers dithering on whether they really like one of the fragrances enough to suffer the outrageous slings and arrows of Post-Purchase Guilt.
For 55 euros (about $70.00 at this point in time), you can get 50mls of MDCI perfume — five 10ml sample bottles. I’m wearing Invasion Barbare and Promesse de l’Aube as I’m typing this, and both of them are excellent. Invasion Barbare is dusty herbs and spices over one of the driest cedarwoods I’ve ever smelled, while Promesse de l’Aube is an attractive vanilla floral with a sandalwood base so smooth I could play slip-n-slide across its surface all day long.
And I have enough to test drive them for days on end, sparing myself the “But I remember it smelled different than that!” remorse that sometimes accompanies a hasty purchase after the usual measly 1ml sample sniff.
For a sample size comparison between a 1ml sample and the 10ml MDCI sample, click here.
So if you’ve been yearning for your own little corner of the MDCI world but aren’t sure you want to spring for a full bottle just yet, go check out their Sample Set program (scroll to the bottom of the webpage after following the link). Founder Claude Marchal answers the emails personally, and is a pleasure to deal with.
***Note: if you’re purchasing a Sample Set for shipment to the United States, the 19.6% VAT tax is subtracted from the 55 euro price, essentially nullifying the 12 euro shipping and handling charge. Nifty, eh?
UPDATE (05/02/09):
MDCI has now added a second sample set — seven (7) sample bottles for a total of 77 euros. Nice. I would have ordered the seven bottle set if it had been available at the time.
There’s also been some discussion over at POL that the sample bottles are larger than what I initially stated. Size errors in the above post are now corrected.
