Question:
Originally Posted by purplebird7 I must complete more reviews... We will be the wealthier for that. Such eloquent descriptions!

Answer:
I'm an avid fan of both bottles and samples. I insist on picking up samples in stores. I have a policy of 'no sample, no sale'. I am happy to spend money on bottles if I can afford it. However, I don't like to waste my hard-earned wages, so I don't make blind purchases (there are some historical exceptions).
I order samples online on a regular basis. Miller Harris is a particularly good one to order- they send you approx 19 vials in one box set, with the name printed on the vial so you needn't worry if it detaches from the card. My sample vials outnumber the full bottles now, but if I fall in love I must have the bottle immediately, and other times I grow to love a perfume gradually and will buy a bottle after some time.
The decants offered online are intriguing but I've never sent for any. I'm not sure how the system works on Basenotes so I ought to spend time reseraching the relevant threads. I have some bottles I'd be happy to decant for others if I thought I could do it properly. I decant some for my own use, carrying small vials and atomisers around in my bag or to keep at the office, but I'd be wary of doing this to post to anyone else in case my standards fell short. Some bottles are impossible to get at with their puckered metal fixtures (sorry, don't know the jargon for that) but others, such as Serge Lutens, are made for decanting.
At my local SL stockists the assistants are very generous with samples - they can't bear to see them languish in the drawers. I wish this were the case with all stores. Sometimes I feel as if I'm holding them at gunpoint to hand over the jewels. They are obviously not perfume lovers.

Answer:
I am a full bottle girl...but if I am even remotely ambivalent about a fragrance, I WILL NOT BUY. If it's a fragrance I'm 'in like' with, like Fracas or some of the Bonds, I'll do decant or sample. My Fracas is actually a largish sample that's lasted me two years (but then, I only wear it a few times a year).