Hello everyone. To my readers in America, Happy Thanksgiving! For others amongst you, Happy Hanukkah! I hope you’ve had a wonderful day, filled with warmth, laughter, good food, delicious desserts, and much relaxation.

The Hairy German would like to wish all of you — regardless of location, nationality, or beliefs — a lovely Friday and weekend to come. He also insisted that I share this photo of one of his brethren:

Frankly, I think my Teutonic Overlord is much more dashing:

These days, Thanksgiving in America can be as much about shopping and sales as it is about family and loved ones. Surrender to Chance is having one of its very limited-time, big specials that I thought you may want to know about. International readers, this would be a good thing for you, too, as Surrender to Chance ships globally for a flat fee of $12.95 which comes to about €9.

The sale starts right this minute on Thursday, November 28th, and the details are as follows:

Starting now until midnight Eastern Time, Friday, November 29, take 20% off everything in the store with code gobblegobble.  

 November 30 and December 1 (through midnight Eastern time), take 15% off with code ourthanks.  

In addition, they say:

As our small way of thanking you, from December 1 through the 25th, we will pick out randomly a recipient from each day’s orders for a gift from us.  Some of the gifts we have this year are really special – Serge Lutens complete wax sample sets; Francis Kurkdijan, Penhaligon’s, Nest, Tocca, Mona di Orio, Atelier, A Dozen Roses minis; Tom Ford deluxe atomizers; Penhaligon’s sample set; Fragonard mini set; By Kilian sample set; fragrance sample gift bag; and more!

The site has just received the new Puredistance BLACK, for those of you interested in testing the fragrance.

After this limited-time sale ends, you can still order things at a discount. The December discount codes are:

5% off with code prettylights

8% off orders totaling more than $75 with code holidaycheer

Cannot be combined with any other code!

For those of you who may be new to Surrender to Chance (STC) and who don’t know where to start, the site has numerous different sample sets divided by house, perfume note, brand or more. This would be a great time to try out some niche perfumes, especially in sampler sets for things like Serge Lutens, Amouage, Profumum Roma, Neela Vermeire, JAR, Ormonde Jayne, Mona di Orio, Guerlain’s prestige lines, Le Labo, Frederic Malle, Dior’s Privé line, Chanel’s Exclusifs, Roja Dove, and more. Or, you can opt to try a wide range of things based on a favorite note, like amber or florals.

To that end, I’ll copy over the information from an old post which has the direct links to various different sets offered by STC, so that you’ll have a place to start. I don’t think the pricing listed in the original links from a few months ago will have changed, but you can check:

SAMPLE SETS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER:

Below are links to various sample sets, sorted either by brand or by note, along with some good sets for beginners who are just starting to enter the world of perfumery. I will continue to update this list for a little while longer with additional sets and perfumes you may want to consider:

Serge Lutens Exclusive Bell Jar Fragrances Sampler Set, pick any 5 in 1/2 ml vials for $18.99. I highly recommend this set, which includes some personal favorites like Fourreau Noir, De Profundis and more.

I have to give some love to my favorite Winter Serge Lutens fragrance, Fille en Aiguilles, in single form at $3.99 for a 1/2 ml vial. I adore this scent, own it, and it is one of my favorite perfumes as a whole. You can read my review of Fille en Aiguilles to learn more about why it’s perfect for Christmas.

Serge Lutens Non-Export Les Sompteaux Series with Muscs Koublai Khan, Cuir Mauresque (which I love), and Ambre Sultan for $11.99. I have this set and I think it’s a good one, though the vials are the usual 1/2 ml for Lutens.

Serge Lutens 5 Fleurs Nobles Sampler Set for $19.99, from Tubereuse Criminelle to Rose de Nuit, Un Lys and more. Or, you can go for 8 Lutens Non-Export Floral fragrances (most of which are available here in the US, so don’t let the title put you off) for $26.99 and that includes the beautifully purple De Profundis carnation scent, among others.

Serge Lutens Non-Export Set of 3 for $11.50 with Borneo 1834, Chergui, and Fumerie Turque.

Serge Lutens Non-Export Pick Any Five Samples for $18.99.

Serge Lutens Les Eaux Boisees Series of 7 perfumes for $27.99, including Chene, Bois Oriental, Bois de Violette, Bois et Fruits, and more.

Serge Lutens Export Gateway Sampler Pack (4) for $15.00 including Ambre Sultan. Note, however, that they say 4 but only 3 perfumes are listed. I don’t know why.

All Serge Lutens with several pages to go through if you want to pick individually.

All Profumum Roma fragrances offered by STC.

Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist.

All Neela Vermeire perfumes, including a 4 Sample Set of all her current fragrances (Ashoka as well) for $25.99. The vials are 1/2 ml each.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland Sampler Set of 12 winter fragrances in 1/2 ml vials for $28.99.

A Jack Frost winter fragrance set of 10 fragrances in 1/2 ml vials presented in a gift box for $21.99.

Autumn Sampler Set focusing on smoky or incense fragrances. 10 fragrances in 1/2 ml vials for $24.99.

Chanel Pick 6 (with a large number of Les Exclusifs on the list) for $16.99.

Chanel’s Les Exclusifs set (minus the new 1932 which few people seemed to like much, including myself) for $36.99.

JAR, the exclusive, legendary jewellery brand that I talked about in this post, is also offered on STC, from Bolt of Lightening talked about in the television show, Hannibal, to Jarling, Golconda, and others.

Luca Turin/Tania Sanchez’s Perfume Guide’s 4 & 5 star perfumes: Out of 200 perfumes, broken down into category, choose any 3 for $9.99 (or 2 orders of 3 for $18.98, 3 orders of 3 for….)

Same thing for just the top 5 star rated perfumes, divided by category or list.

Tom Ford Private Blend Sample Set (any 5 out of the 23 with 1/2 ml vials) for $13.99:  (this is a great price, I think, especially as it is discounted from $14.99, so you save a little more. But the vials are small.)

Tom Ford Private Blend Sample Set (19 of them in 1/2 ml vials) for $49.99.

Tom Ford’s new Atelier d’Orient collection.

All Tom Ford fragrances on the site.

Vanilla Niche Perfume Set of 20 for $52.99.

Amber – Comprehensive set of 20 niche classics – for $42.99.

Amber – Women’s Sample Set of 12 for $24.99 (and it includes my beloved Alahine!) or a Set of 5 not so interesting ones for $12.99.

Amouage Library Collection Sampler of 6 for $19.99 (I was actually preparing a review of one of the Library collection and I think there may be a better sampler set for the size of the vials elsewhere for $30 but with this sale, you may want to opt for Surrender to Chance instead).

Amouage Women’s Sampler Set of 8 for $29.99.

Amouage Men’s Sampler for $22.99.

The entries for all the fragrances with Patchouli.

Decanting Supplies and empty sample vials for your own use.

Sex & Perfume – Pick 2 of any animalic scent from various houses like Amouage to Mona Di Orio, Nasomatto and more for $8.99. (Scroll to the bottom of their page for links to more perfumes that are meant to evoke your inner vamp or sexy side.)

Pick 10 out of 100 fragrances that “every perfumista must try” (their words, not mine) for $29.95.

The page with lists of various Oriental or Woody Oriental sets that they have.

Floral – Pick Your Flower – Spicy, Aldehydic, Woody & More – Pick 3 for $9.99.

3 of Roja Dove’s own perfumes — Scandal, Unspoken & Enslaved — for $11.49.

Puredistance perfumes starting at $3.99 each.

One of my absolute favorite boozy amber perfumes: Teo Cabanel’s Alahine starting at $3.99 for a vial.

Dior’s Privée line or, as they call it, Le Collection Couturier fragrances. The full Sampler set of 13 is $35.99 but you can also buy them individually starting at $3. Mitzah, Grand Bal, Patchouli Imperiale, Bois d’Argent, Rose Isphanan are all very popular.

Frederic Malle perfumes, along with a Gateway Sampler set of 3 for $16.49 or a set of 4 carded 2ml samples for $23.99.

Le Labo City Exclusives Sampler — a set of 6 (I think) for $19.99 but they are only 1/4 ml vials.

Sonoma Scent Studio — all perfumes listed along with various sample sets.

Ormonde Jayne Pick 3 Sample set for $10.99.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Sample Set of 8 for $19.99.

Guerlain Set of 4 Classics (in non-vintage, reformulated version) for $14.99 or Set of 7 for $19.99.

Guerlain niche L’Art et La Matiere Collection sampler set of 8 for $37.99

Guerlain’s niche Elixir Charnel Collection – sample set of all 4 predominantly gourmand fragrances in the line for $17.99. (This is a pretty good deal if you like gourmand fragrances.)

Guerlain’s niche Desert d’Orient Collection — all 3 fragrances in the line for $12.99.

Histoires de Parfums Sample Set of 5 for $22.99.

Arquiste Sampler Set – the full 7 perfumes in a set for $33.99.

Link to all of the perfumes by Andy Tauer of Tauer Perfumes but, alas, no sample sets.

Vera Profumo sample set of 3 for $12.99.

Orange Blossoms – Comprehensive Set of Luxury/High-End perfumes — 14 for $39.99.

M. Micallef Sample Set of 3 for $14.99.

Etat Libre d’Orange Sample Set of 5 for $18.99.

Robert Piguet La Nouvelle Collection Sample Set of 5 for $22.99.

The page with all their Vintage or Discontinued Fragrances.

CaFleureBon Scents of Seduction Editorial Sampler — 12 curated scents chosen by the editors of CFB for $29.99.

Oriental Fougère Set for Men — High End Luxury Sampler which includes a Clive Christian — 10 for $23.99 but they are 1/4 ml vials.

Parfums de Nicolaii (the Guerlain grand-daughter/niece) with any 3 of her perfumes for $9.99 but, be careful as not all of these are currently sold on her website since she seems to have opted for more “Intense” versions of some of them. However, things like the Fig, Vanilla Tonka, or New York fragrances are still there are quite popular.

Rose Perfumes – “9 breathtaking fragrances” for $36.99; a set of 7 Dark, Dirty niche Roses for $29.99; 6 Bulgarian Rose fragrances for $14.99; or a Beginner’s Set of 7 for $15.99

Patchouli Set of 11 Niche/High End and rich fragrances for $41.99, along with a 9 Patchouli Set for $31.49 which are all in 1 ml vials.

24 Best Perfume Masterpieces selected by the late, great Guy Roberts for $33.99. They’re not the vintage formulation but they’re a fantastic way to start on some legendary classics.

10 Best Niche Perfumes for a Beginner in 1/2 ml vials for $21.99. (It’s their list of what they think would be 10 good ones to start with.)

Chypres: A Beginner’s Guide to Oakmoss: 9 samples of the most famous Classics for $27.99.

The legendary Roja Dove’s recommendations of 10 scents from the past 100 years that he believes to be the true classics of their decade. Roja Dove’s recommendations of 10 in 1 ml vials each for $29.99.

More Roja Dove choices of “Classics through the Centuries” with Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 of fragrances (with a gift box) that he thinks are legends. The sets have 13, 18 and 16 perfumes each, respectively, and are in the $24-$29 range.

Four whole pages of different sets for Beginners categorized by perfume note, from Amber to Saffron, peony to geranium.

– I’m not completely convinced on this next one but Perfume Posse selected 22 Classic and Niche Beginner Scents by type which are sold in a gift box for $44.99. I don’t think some of those would be on my Beginner Intro list, but I believe in giving people options.

Page with the overall categories of sample sets.