Hermes Fragrances...Where to Smell & Buy?

MrsM-6-7-08

MrsM-6-7-08

Bag Obsessed
O.G.
Apr 3, 2009
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#1
Just started reading all the info about Hermes, and wanted to make my first purchase of a perfume really soon.

My question is, I have never seen Hermes fragrances at department stores

I have a Hermes Store near me (Manhasset) Is that my only option to smell their fragances? I am a little intimated going into the store, just from all the threads I have read, its hit or miss.

Am I better off going into NYC to a department store to smell H fragrances and purchase? Do SA at H Boutique look down upon only buying a fragrance?
 
#2
Saks has a lot of the H fragrances, and they often have them in gift boxes with a few extras thrown in. Like the Jardins ones, where you get a 100 ml bottle, a 15 ml bottle, and some hand lotion for the price of just the 100 ml bottle. Any of the Hermessences are only available in H stores. I'd go and try them out. I have never been to the Manhasset store but I'd sure hope they'd be helpful even if you're just buying the colognes. And even if they're not, most of the H boutiques have the tester bottles out where you can try them unassisted! :smile:
 
#4
hermesindonesia said:
Sephora and Barney's carry H fragrances as well....I'd reccomend u go to Sephora where u can sample all of their testers without feeling guilty in case u are ended up not buying anything....
Click to expand...

Not all Sephoras carry Hermes fragrances. It seems like only the bigger ones or the ones in major cities carry them.
 
#5
MrsM-6-7-08 said:
Just started reading all the info about Hermes, and wanted to make my first purchase of a perfume really soon.

My question is, I have never seen Hermes fragrances at department stores

I have a Hermes Store near me (Manhasset) Is that my only option to smell their fragances? I am a little intimated going into the store, just from all the threads I have read, its hit or miss.

Am I better off going into NYC to a department store to smell H fragrances and purchase? Do SA at H Boutique look down upon only buying a fragrance?
Click to expand...

I think you should go to Hermes in Manhasset, this way you can test out all the fragrances. Go in smiling and don't feel intimidated. One of the SAs will come over to you and you can let them know right away that you'd like to purchase a fragrance and it will be your first H item. Hopefully, she will take you under her wing so that you have a great first experience! Good luck and enjoy shopping!

P.S. If you like roses, I highly recommend trying the Rose Ikebana. Its my favorite!
 
#6
The H boutiques don't look down on fragrance purchases at all.

On my first visit to H, fragrance was the only H thing I really knew about, and after deciding to purchase 2 (and an agenda) I was offered a bag! Also, the H boutiques tend to throw in a LOT of free fragrance samples (male and femle) if you appear interested, so you can take them home to try. I have received the equivalent of a 30ml bottle of Terre in samples alone, not to mention the other fragrances they do. I was told by my SA that they have heaps more samples at Xmas time.

If I were you I would do some fragrance research before going to the H store (names, types of smell etc) then go in asking to smell one or two particular fragrances (rather than some vague "I want a perfume"), and the rest will lead on from there. Hope it goes well! :smile:
 
#7
You can buy small sample vials of the whole Hermessence range here:
http://theperfumedcourt.com/search.aspx?manufacturerid=6d1fe27d-a64f-4f5c-be8a-2390447e86cb (they have Doblis too!) for a few $s. IMO samples are the best way to get to know each scent, you need hours to go through the full circle and you won't have that time in a store.

The most comprehensive H range I've ever seen was, surprisingly, at a tiny little Croatian airport of Pula. They had everything (except the Hermessence line of course).

Last spring my local pharmacy (small rural Irish town) carried 4 or 5 of the newer ones (2 Jardins, Kelly C., Merveilles, Terre d') but sold out pretty quick - still worth looking at regular drugstores sometimes, one never knows what they are up to.

True they give a lot of samples at H stores (I even got them without purchase sometimes) - but mostly the "mainline" ones, I had no luck yet with an Hermessence sample...
 
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#10
Don't be intimitated going into the store. I have seen many times people just walking in for perfumes. Some of them received free samples too. Just keep smiling and be polite and ask.
 
#11
If you're near a Sephora, I would call to see if they carry Hermes fragrances. I was able to get generous samples of several scents with no pressure to buy anything.
 
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