I’ve stopped believing people when they say ‘Oh there’s this place where you can get all these brand names for so much cheaper!’ It happened with Sable Square near Canal Walk, and if you go to Access Park, you’ll know that loads of the clothes are rejects, just as expensive as in shopping centres, or in sizes that no one can fit into! It’s why I never shop at Meltz, because I spend 4-5 years there just to find something in my size, which is not ideal, because you miss out a lot of living when you’re in a clothes shop for 5 years.

So when I heard that Fragrance Boutique were offering identical fragrances to the designer ones, just in unbranded bottles, I basically called bullshit and didn’t visit the place for a few months. Until one day when I had a few hours to burn and thought, hey let me sex myself up for cheap and see what Fragrance Boutique is all about.

So I browsed their catalogue and settled on the Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio, which has some or other code on their bottles. I was a bit shocked when it actually did smell the same as the Armani version, which I have used before. I was even more shocked, when hours and hours later, I could still smell it on me, and it hadn’t changed. I was expecting it to change into something hideous, but it was as if I was wearing Acqua Di Gio. I was tricking people into thinking that I could actually afford Acqua Di Gio.

Great success!

Sean Lloyd — Doesn’t look too bad in the mornings

Now I haven’t had the chance to test out any other fragrances from them, but based on my Armani test, these fragrances are exactly the same as their name brand counterparts, at a fraction of the price. I’m talking R150 for 50mls, and R210 for 100mls. It’s insane!

I don’t know how it’s possible, because it feels like I’m buying fake CD’s, which I hate, but it must be legal surely? I don’t know what the implications are for the global fragrance industry. If we keep buying the unbranded ones, will major fashion labels stop designing fragrances? I don’t know the answers, but at these prices, it’s hard not to buy from Fragrance Boutique for your daily scents. This is what they have to say about their fragrances:

Fragrance Boutique fragrances are of the same high quality levels as branded products, as the source of the fragrances are directly from Grasse, in France, where the vast majority of the worlds fragrances are produced.

In most instances our fragrances are produced in the exact same factories as the branded fragrances, under the exact same strict quality controls (they are simply not packaged and branded, as the branded products are).
The ladies fragrances have a perfume strength, which has a 30% oil concentration. This ensures the quality of our product.
Men’s fragrances are sold in Eau De Toilette strength.

Naturally you can’t find all your fragrances there, and one of mine is pretty much exclusively found in New York, but it’s WELL worth getting it from there.

But seriously, give Fragrance Boutique a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Click here for the Fragrance Boutique website.