Highly recommend as lady that assisted was extremely
Knowledgeable & spent time with myself & my son in our purchases. Allowed me to exchange my mind on a perfume.
Will be back for sure.

Overpriced and antiquated method of doing business. We bought a bottle of perfume I absolutely loved for $170 to later realise that the RRP was $140 and could be purchased at chemist wharehouse and Amazon’s for a mere $50. When questioned why their price was so well above RRP we received responses in a rude and condescending tone. When asked to exchange $170 for a gift receipt we were limited to only a credit note for perfume section ONLY that would be valid only 3 months!
I was appalled at their service, tone, and attitude by not listening to their customers.
They pride themselves on being knowledgeable and being in business for over 50 years, but my god they need to shape up their attitude and how they run their business or ship out.
WILL NEVER SHOP THEIR AGAIN, and will be glad to see them close up shop as their goods can be found elsewhere at more reasonable prices (which is a thing now in the 2020’s…)
Do your research before spending a single $1 at this store.

Approximate cost: $170

good selection of perfumes and accessories

I love this store, great products and service. Much prefer their old fashioned customer service than bring ignored elsewhere . I always get the help j need to find things got myself and prezzies. Just last week I got great jewellery for my niece for her formal. That was fun and a trip down memory lane as I got my wedding jewellery there 20 years ago . Unlike a previous reviewer I hope their around for a very long time to come.

I called this establishment to ask about my favourite perfume, Joy. Unfortunately, recent IFRA regulations have greatly restricted the use of jasmine oil, which was a major component of Joy (as well as other great classics, such as Chanel No 5). I take a keen interest in fragrance industry developments, which are well documented online, so was aware of this.

However, when I asked whether the Paint n' Powder had a version of Joy pure perfume older than 2010, because it had been reformulated recently, they assured me (wrongly) that Joy was "just the same as it's always been." The saleslady I spoke to was very rude and condescending, as though she couldn't understand why the question was being asked. For a perfume shop that prides itself on being helpful and knowledgeable, this was a big red flag. They simply aren't aware - or don't care - whether the classics they laud in their shop remain as complex and beautiful as they were in the past. And they are arrogant to customers who don't just accept the sales pitch they deliver but ask questions about their purchases. By way of contrast, the sales people at another perfume shop I sometimes frequent are well aware that many classics have been reformulated so are making it their business to source older bottles of the same. They listen to customers who tell them that the latest purchase of their beloved perfume just doesn't smell the same, instead of arrogantly dismissing them or refusing to educate themselves further on the matter.

Back to Paint n' Powder...I then politely asked the saleslady the price of Joy and was told - again, rudely - that it was $695 for 15ml pure perfume, and $895 for 30ml. If I remember correctly, the price did not include a Baccarat crystal bottle so why it should be so high was difficult to understand. As a point of comparison, I recently bought a 50ml bottle of mint condition Joy pure perfume (vintage, with sealed Baccarat crystal bottle) for $190 AUD at an online auction house.

I honestly can't understand how the Paint n' Powder remains in business, given that they are woefully misinformed about the nature of the reformulations that have been occurring recently to many perfumes, they are clearly over-priced, and their customer service is lacking to say the least. There are now many reputable online businesses that offer the same classic fragrances (and fresh stock) with genuinely helpful customer service and greatly reduced prices: strawberrynet.com, fragrancenet.com, fragrancex.com, eBay & etsy, just to name a few. Case in point: I recently picked up two 75 ml bottles of Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue (EDP) online for less than half the price at the Paint n' Powder. This included shipping costs.

A word about freshness of stock at online retailers, as staff at Paint n' Powder like to bad mouth them by claiming bottles are 'old.' With the exception of discontinued fragrances, which you would expect to be dated as they are no longer in production, all bottles I have bought at reputable online companies have been new and fresh. This can be easily verified, for most brands, by plugging in the batch code of the bottle/box into www.checkcosmetic.net. The latter gives the date the bottle was manufactured, and is good for working out the age of perfumes that were released within the last decade or so.

However, it is certainly not the case anyway that 'old' perfumes are ready for the scrapheap! By disparaging certain perfumes as 'old' and 'stale', Paint n' Powder show they have zero understanding of the worldwide demand for vintage fragrances. If stored carefully away from heat and light, it has been my experience (and the experience of many others around the globe including expert perfume critics such as Luca Turin and Octavian Coifan) that perfumes can last indefinitely.

It's clear to me that the people running Paint n' Powder need to pick up their game fast or find themselves another business. I would not recommend them and I will not give them mine.

Approximate cost: $Over $1,500 (for the past 2-3 years)

Good selection of perfumes, you can also find ones that you can't find any longer in department stores - I think they do offer a service where you can order a particular perfume, but not sure if they still do. Very small shop and a lot of the accessories are over the top - I'd use it mostly for the selection of perfumes. Staff knowledgeable, but not always friendly if you want to browse.

Approximate cost: $98.00

Looking for a perfumery which stocks exclusives like Creed? Paint 'n Powder has every rare perfume under the sun, and it their rarity is certainly reflected in the price. However, if you have a favourite that you cannot find in Australia, try this store!

Approximate cost: $200+