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Channel your inner explorer with these 8 perfume discovery sets

Smells like adventure

By Briar Clark

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / February 10 2022

Try as we might, commitment's just not our style.

Well, at least when it comes to fragrance, we just can’t seem to make up our minds.

And we get that there are loyalists out there with a signature scent that’s fragranced their whole lives, but we just ain’t one of ‘em.

In summer we like something fresh, maybe a little bit sweet. But when winter rolls around we like to spice things up, and get warm and cosy with our perfume choices.

As for spring and autumn? Well we have a tendency to swap between earthy, woody scents, ambers and subtle hints of musk with touches of white floral fragrance here and there.

You see, there really is no telling where the scented predilections of our nose are going to lead us.

That’s why we’ve become fond of hoarding pint-sized mini perfumes.

Otherwise known as discovery sets, these veritable olfactory buffets allow us to sample every possible perfume palette one might imagine. Here are eight perfume discovery sets we’d encourage you to explore.

D.S. & DURGA More Smash Hits Vol.2

D.S. & DURGA are old hacks at creating introductory perfume discovery sets. This excellently curated collection is their second dalliance with the concept and houses a plethora of equally moreish, intoxicating and enchanting scents. Think: orange blossom, jasmin, green fields of coriander, smokey musk, Italian citrus, and woody ambers and leather.

$85 at MECCA

ROEMY Edition 1 Discovery Set

Homegrown talents in fragrance, ROEMY, have created this capsule collection in the hopes of transporting the wearer to a distinct time, place and headspace. Lounge in the aroma of summer, explore the depths of a forest in autumn, get lost in a moment of nostalgia, sink into the moody mire of a winter’s day, or create something new with a thought-provoking modern scent.

$49 at ROEMY

Le Labo Classic Collection Discovery Set

Le Labo fragrances are notoriously luxurious, and possess a cult-status among the beauty community’s well-educated like no other. Explore the brand’s signature parfums Another 13, Bergamote 22, Rose 31, Santal 33 and Thé Noir 29, without having to commit to one of the extravagantly priced full-sized expressions of the same scents. Genius.

$45 at Le Labo Australia

Memo Discovery Set

With each fragrance in their range dedicated to a distinct geographical location, owning the Memo discovery set is much like a wandering expedition all its own. Traverse the continents with this band of incensed olfactory offerings serving as your travel guide. All things considered, it’s probably a far more reliable option than committing to a plane ticket these days anyway.

$69 at Libertine Parfumerie

who is elijah DISCOVERY SET

We’ve been obsessed with unisex summer fragrances all season long, and this collection of gender neutral scents carries the same sharing mentality. Spicy, biting, fresh and sweet, this discovery set allows one to embark on a far more sensual journey than one necessarily intends when experiencing a new spritz.

$35 at Adore Beauty

Art Meets Art Discovery Playlist

We can’t say we’ve ever experienced synesthesia but perhaps we can get a little closer to blending the senses of sound and smell with this music-inspired discovery playlist. Named and brewed with iconic sonic moments in mind, each perfume lends a fresh experience to a familiar touchstone of musical history. Engage in a multi-sensual understanding of hits such as ‘Like A Virgin’, ‘Sexual Healing’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Besame Mucho’, ‘Lilac Wine’, and ‘I put a spell on you’. How does it feel?

$45 at Adore Beauty

Diptyque 5 EDT Coffret

Diptyque debuts unexpected and undeniably fresh scents unlike any other parfumerie in the business. If you’re a fan of green-leaning, eye-opening, breath-taking fragrance then you need to sample each and every vial in this coffret, which contains Eau des Sens EDT, Do Son EDT, Philosykos EDT, Eau Rose EDT and L'Ombre dans l'Eau EDT.

$166 at MECCA

Goldfield & Banks Discovery Sample Collection

Want to have a layered understanding of the land you stand on? Goldfield and Banks cite Australia as the main inspiration behind their fragrance collection and this discovery set allows you to wander from state to state freely. From ocean-inspired scents to desert blooms and dried out driftwood, there are familiar and mystical elements to these perfumes that make the experience all that more personal.

$50 at Adore Beauty

Want to further embrace an air of discovery? These are the best new beauty products launching this month.

Main image credit: @dsanddurga

Briar Clark

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).