Refan Fragrances

torek, oktober 15, 2013


Are you familiar with imitation fragrances? You know, the ones that are duping famous fragrances for a fraction of the price? There are conflicting opinions about them, but I have been buying them for years. I wrote about individual scents here and there, mostly in my monthly favourites, but it's time for a proper post. I have to admit, I really like them and I notice no difference between the original and imitation, apart from the pretty bottle and, of course, the price. Sure the bottles are really plain, but hey, at least they're cheap. They nozzle sprays a fine and even mist, plus I can easily throw a bottle in my bag without the fear of breaking or any spillage. Though, you do need some sort of a labelling system if you own more than one. Over the years my collection has grown quite a lot and all I own are in the smallest 15 ml bottles. I'm a person that rarely sticks to wearing one fragrance for a longer period of time and at times I switch my fragrances daily, so these fragrances are a nice way for me to own several scents without breaking the bank. 

The list of available fragrances in Slovenia is here (it changes, so check their website for a more current selection. Locations of shops are also on the list).
Currently, I have these in my collection (names are as they are on their list of fragrances):

001 Dior Miss - Dior Cherie
The definition of a girly scent, but for a classy young lady. The sweet fruity notes of strawberry and cherry are mixed with sticky caramel and cotton candy which are then rounded by patchouli to give it a more grown up feel. This is the only fragrance I notice the difference from the original and even that only in silage. The Refan version is fainter, however, I owned Dior Cherie years ago and swapped it due to it being absolutely too strong (it felt so suffocating to me at the time), so I actually prefer this one.

022 H.Boss - Nuit Woman
Gaga's Fame and this are my absolute favourite scents right now. It's such a lovely everyday scent - grown up and yes, a bit generic (just a typical Hugo Boss fragrance). It starts with a fantastic proper peach bust and then the scent evolves into a more flowery fragrance (white flowers) with some sandalwood. It ends up smelling a bit like fabric softener, but an expensive kind. I'd describe it as the perfect everyday, office scent. The lasting power is fantastic for such a scent with no strong base note like vanilla or amber.

023 Bvlgari - Omnia Coral
Fresh, fruity and green. This is how I imagine a tropical garden with coral hibiscus flowers smelling like. If you like Daisy, you'll like this. As the original, the staying power is very weak.

110 Laura Biagiotti - Venezia (not available anymore)
A creamy, woody fragrance with some vanilla. I hear others notice a strong plum note, but it doesn't develop on me.

127 C. Chanel - Chance
A much fresher and lighter version of Coco Mademoiselle, but without the sweetness. I mostly get pink pepper and patchouli with a hint of citrus and jasmine. 

138 Bruno Banani - Purple Woman
It's actually Bruno Banani Magic Women, I don't know why the name is different. It's a sweet, fruity, yet a more warm scent that has quite a lot of silage. I get strawberries and other berries with some musk and violets. 

166 C. Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle
One of my absolute favourites. To me it smells like camomile tea with honey mixed with patchouli. It's like a toned down and grown up version of Miss Dior Cherie. Actually, I would love to own an original bottle of it, simply because I find the bottle stunning.

177 Burberry - Body 
It smells like roses, but not like a grandma type of rose. Normally, I dislike rose scents with passion, but not in this composition. There are other notes that temper the rose scent, which makes it smell more fresh, creamy and powdery. Basically, it's a clean skin scent. There is supposed to be peach in it, but I don't smell any fruity notes at all.

178 Armani - Emporio Armani for Her
The wood, floral notes and musk combined create a simple, fresh, clean and classic scent that is slightly bitter.

08 L. Lempicka - Lolita Lempicka
This smells like anise and licorice with vanilla. It's spicy, warm and fuzzy, there are clouds of vanilla surrounding the person who uses it. I find it hard to wear as I really need to be in the mood for it, but this is a very wintery scent.

Roberto Cavalli Eau de Parfum
One of my favourites. It's a very heavy, rich, balmy and strong oriental-floral fragrance. This is a scent for those who want to be noticed. It's a fantastic mix of orange blossom, benzoin, vanilla, pink pepper and tonka bean. I got mine from Croatian Refan, but I think it's available in ours as well (n.024).


I owned several other scents, but the one I'll repurchase is Chanel n.5 because it's such a lovely, classic scent. 
I also bought several men fragrances for my family and friends as gifts, in fact I (re)purchased 210 Z.Davidoff Hot Water and 219 Paco Rabanne 1 Million several times (both are brilliant). 


Have you ever bought an imitation fragrance? Do this kind of shops exist in your country? What is your take on them?

Have a great day!

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25 comments

  1. Tudi jaz imam zelo rada Refanove parfume. Do zdaj sem zase sicer kupila samo 2 - Dior Hypnotic Poison in pa Cashmir (ni videt nobene znamke poleg imena). Oba dišita fenomenalno! Tudi moške parfume sem pri njih kupovala za darila in so vedno vsi bili zadovoljni. :) Mislim, da bom zdaj v kratkem šla kakšnega od teh tvojih povohat, predvsem me zanimajo Dior Cherie, Coco Madmoiselle in pa Cavalli. Lolito Lempicko imam pa orignal parfum in je božanski! :D

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    Odgovori
    1. Sestrična tudi obožuje oba ta parfuma, sama jih pa še nisem imela. Dior Cherie in Cavalli sta pa kar nova na seznamu, sem vesela, da so jih vključili v ponudbo :)

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  2. Jaz iskreno niti ne, jim bom pa prav pisala, če pošiljajo tudi po pošti.
    Sem nora na parfume, vendar se zadnje čase zadržujem z nakupi, zaradi cene pa tudi zato ker mi je smešno met 40 parfumov...

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    Odgovori
    1. Ne vem če pošiljajo po pošti, jaz obiščem trgovino ko sem kje pri BTC-ju v LJ. Sama kupujem samo najmanjše flaške tako, da se mi ne zdi preveč :)

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    2. Ja sem ugotovila ja :/ ja nič bom počakala, se morm en dan odpravit ja :D

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  3. Super objava, si mi dala nekaj idej:)) Tale Dioer Cherrie me je zamikala :) Sem včasih ogromno kupovala Refan parfumov, vmes pozabila, pred kratkim spet kupila in dobro da si me zdaj spet opomnila. Jaz ne vidim popolnoma nič narobe s temi parfumi, psloh če so odlični ponaredki. Originale itak plačaš blagovno znamko in ne dejansko vrednost, no poleg seveda dizajna steklenice:)

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    Odgovori
    1. Mene čisto nič ne moti, da niso originali. Tudi če npr. ne bi bili čisto enaki (čeprav po večini so). Pa mi je všeč to, da lahko za zelo poceni dobim dober parfum. Moja wishlista je še kar dolga :)

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  4. I have used imitation perfumes for years. They're cheap and have some really good dupes (others are a bit so-so). Although Refan has stores here in Spain, I've actually never tried their dupes, always reaching for local dupes such as Saphir or more recently, those from La Botica de los Perfumes.
    My top perfumes/dupes include: Flower by Kenzo (I could honestly drink that stuff), Anais Anais and Lolita Lempicka. I got a crush on J'Adore lately and that will probably be next in line.

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    Odgovori
    1. I'm familiar only with Refan and La Gusta in Croatia, but it all looks the same to me :) Flower is really nice, but I've never tried Anais Anais :)

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    2. Thanks for posting this comment! After reading this revealing post (I didn't know there were perfume dupes available!!!) I was wandering if I could get it online from Spain. What a surprise that I even can check stores that offer it, thanks!!!

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    3. You're welcome. I'm glad it was useful :)

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  5. Hmm, zdaj pa vem, kaj si bom zaželela za rojstni dan. :)

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  6. Včasih, ko sem bila še v srednji šoli sem jih kar pogosto kupovala, ker takrat je bilo fajn, da daš manj za parfum in ti ostane denar še za šoping, žuranje, itd...Moja stalnica je bila Dior Hypnotic Poison...sprobala sem še nekaj drugih. Sicer je vonj skoraj enak originalu pa tudi obstojni so..ampak sem pa opazila, da so tud zelo močni, če sem jih predolgo uporabljala sem dobila hmm nekakšno alergijo ..rdeč vrat in pekoče. Verjetno zaradi alkohola. Sama imam najraje original že zaradi lepih stekleničk ( ampak cene so žal res kar visoke) . Če bi imeli pri refanu tudi te novejše oz da bi imeli večjo izbiro bi mogoče šla večkrat tja. Jih bom pa še občasno kupila. Sploh za darilo se mi zdi super npr za tiste osebe, ki sicer radi lepo dišijo pa jim ni pomembna embalaža. :)

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  7. I had no idea anything like this even existed!

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  8. Jaz sem si zdaj kupila Issey Miyake, imam pa že dva nova na seznamu. :D

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  9. Jaz sicer še nisem kupila niti enega, jih pa kupuje moj brat. Enkrat je za rd dobil parfum od Bruno Bananija in ko mu ga je skoraj zmanjkalo, je kupil točenega in dejansko med njima ni bilo nobene razlike. Sem že razmišljala, da moram iti tudi sama pogledat v trgovino in kupiti kakega.

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  10. Odgovori
    1. 15 ml je 5,18€, 30ml je 8,65€ in 50ml je 13,74€. Mislim, da so cene še vedno takšne, čeprav te so od lani :)

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  11. Meni su Refan točeni parfemi zaista kvalitetni, s obzirom na izuzetno povoljnu cijenu, a mirisi su lijepi, i što je najvažnije postojani. Ja svoje kupuje redovno u Biljnoj apoteci BIOMED u SArajevu, a nekada naručim i preko njihove online apoteke online apoteke ! Refan parfemi Sarajevo !

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  12. Između bezistana i Latinske čuprije u Sarajevu ima Refan prodavnica koja toći Refan parfeme. Na Baščaršiji naša biljna apoteka Aromatica ima već pakovane Refan parfeme i sapune i još neke kremice. Lijepi parfemi, a nisu skupi.

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  13. Iskreno, Refan parfemi nisu loši, štaviše fakat jesu kvalitetni. Nisu ni skupi kad skontaš. Nijanse mirisa su prelijepi, i mislim da može zadovoljiti svačiji ukus. Ja sam prvi put čula za njih sa webstranice Sjemena Zdravlja , a čula sam da ih uskoro imaju u prodaji i Herba Vitas . Nalaze se u mnogim apotekama u Sarajevu. u Sve u svemu super mi je da neko piše o Refan parfemima. Odličan blog!

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