Question:
Hello all you lovely basenotes I have a question -
Just bought a sample of the EDT of Burberry London and it smells much, much better than the EDT in the 3.4oz bottle my girlfriend just bought. The bottle dry down doesn't make a difference and still has a sharp, cheap smell that lasts.
Anyone seen such a quality difference with this beautiful scent?

Answer:
I bought the EdP unsniffed because of the honeysuckle. Unfortunately, it was waylaid by the other notes, which rendered the scent, to my nose, a sickly sweet, unwearable fragrance; i.e., cheap. I'm going to experiment with some oils and lotions to see if I can upgrade this potion into a scent with more depth and class.
No offense to those who find it delightful on its own. I'm old as dirt, my chemistry is an ongoing mystery, even to me, and I can't always rely on my nose to be truthful (sigh)!

Answer:
Love Burberry London, plaid cloth bottle. Always find the edp stronger and more lasting in most fragrances, if that helps/

Answer:
Originally Posted by Zosia Just bought a sample of the EDT of Burberry London and it smells much, much better than the EDT in the 3.4oz bottle my girlfriend just bought. The bottle dry down doesn't make a difference and still has a sharp, cheap smell that lasts.
Anyone seen such a quality difference with this beautiful scent? It seems you're asking about variation in quality between bottles of the EDT, not differences between the EDT and EDP formulations. Is that correct?

Answer:
But how can there be such a difference between the sample, which I adore, and the larger bottle?
How can I be sure that the bottle I want to buy will be like the sample? Both are EDT.

Answer:
There are two unrelated Burberry scents for women with the name Burberry London. The first was released in 1995 under the name "Burberry", then it was renamed "Burberry London", and then it was renamed "Burberry" again around 2005. That was when a new scent came out with the "Burberry London" name.
Sometimes stores will still stock bottles of the 1995 scent that date back to the period when it was labelled "Burberry London."
However, if your girlfriend's bottle is covered with plaid fabric, then she's got the 2005 stuff and the mystery remains. (Or maybe your sample is the 1995 stuff -- in which case the fragrance you're seeking is now sold as "Burberry" without the "London".)

Answer:
Thanks so much for the info. Didn't know there were new releases and renamings in the history.
Yes, my girlfriend's bottle is covered in plaid and she said she bought it without a box, online at a perfume retailer....imagination perfume I'm pretty sure. It has a cap.
Does this mean it's a tester? Are there typically scent variations between bottles of testers and retail bottles?
Does this mean that my vial is actually the old Burberry? How can I tell? - the sample says Burberry London, no dates, cream cover with the famous plaid, creams with the red line.
There is a definite distinction between the two scents. The large bottle has a sharpness while the other has a softness with a subtle sweetness.
I'd like to get to the bottom of this and I guess the only way is to try to buy the old Burberry - does it smell the same as Burberry London?

Answer:
No, the old London does not smell the same at all, at least to me. New London is a very floral, with lots of honeysuckle........and I adore it. Old London is sharper, with a musky scent and I can't stand it.

Answer:
Zosia, your best bet is probably to visit a department store or other retailer and try Burberry (formerly known as Burberry London) and (the current) Burberry London side-by-side to figure out which one it is that you like. Or you could order samples of both from a place like scentedmonkey. A tester (if that's what your friend has) normally smells no different than a made-for-retail bottle.

Answer:
Thanks so much for your answers. I will go tester hunting. That a good idea.
Meanwhile, it was my birthday recently and my girlfriend ended up giving me a 3.4oz bottle of Burberry london. Turns out she got one for me too. So, so sweet of her!
I just haven't got the heart to tell her that it's just not the one I"m after. I like that subtle vanilla sweetness in the vial sample.
Well, I'll try it a few more times and see if it develops on me like I hear other people say. Meanwhile I've put it on my swap list in case anybody wants to try a Burberry London without the sweetness....it's OK...just not what I had hoped to buy.
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...and you know what Bellarosa? I'm starting to think that this is the old london with new plaid packaging by your scent description.
Waaaaaaaa! Why do perfumes play such an important role in our lives?????