It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that I've got a whole drawer full of fragrances. Only a few of them, however, are full-sized bottles (Tresór, Sensi, and Sunflowers). The rest are medium sized (50ml or 1.7 oz) or, more likely, that which is known as a Mini. A Mini is a small bottle, generally around 5ml but possibly a bit more or a bit less, depending on the manufacturer. Minis can last a surprisingly long time, particularly if it's a fragrance you want to wear but not wear often (those "have to be in the mood for it" type fragrances).

I love Mini perfumes. You can carry them with you easily, you can get a small bottle if you think you might like the fragrance but aren't sure (and a tester vial often isn't enough to know for sure; some fragrances really need to grow on you, I find), or, like me, you can indulge your passion for fragrances without being stuck with a huge bottle of something you really find you don't like and without breaking the bank.

I've found some marvellous fragrances by buying (or receiving as a gift) a pack of Minis. I discovered my beloved Tresór that way, and the Chopard Casmir (which I've reveiwed here) arrived in my hands the same way. The package of Estée Lauder minis I got introduced me to the gorgeous Beyond Paradise, among others (I was already familiar with some Estée Lauder fragrances, having worn them for years).

Mini perfumes are quite affordable, and are readily available. People sell them on eBay, and many of the big online fragrance stores also have them (some have a whole section just dedicated to Minis!).

Oh, one other odditiy, though... Minis are frequently labelled "Not for Resale". This is pretty absurd, because the manufacturers certainly know that the bottles are resold. The sale of minis is a multi-million dollar aspect of the billion dollar perfume industry. Some manufacturers even offer their minis in an individual box, but some, for whatever reason, cling to the old practice of putting "Not for Resale" on them, knowing full well they're going to be resold, and just for the record, the label on a package isn't legally binding and should be of no concern to the consumer.

So there's my love affair with miniature perfumes, and I highly recommend it as a pleasant and not-too-expensive hobby. If you're into fragrances, it's definitely something to try, and you may find something you absolutely adore (I'm certainly going to be getting myself a bigger bottle of Beyond Paradise!), or you may just enjoy trying something you normally wouldn't wear and discovering, once you've given it a chance and worn it acouple of times, that it's something you actually like.