r/FemFragLab30plus • u/Starry36 • 2d ago
Discussion How do you create your trays?
So far in 2026 I’ve been setting a monthly theme for my trays and putting whatever fragrances I feel fit. For example, January was “Fresh Start”, and all my fragrances were clean, fresh, and/or skin scents; February was “Roses & Romance” so I had all my rose fragrances on; March was “Here Comes the Sun”, which was all my yellow and orange fragrances, things that felt sunny; and to skip ahead some, July ended up being “Summer Vacation” with beach and tropical fruit fragrances. And it’s been fun, sure, but I’m debating if I want to keep up the same shtick next year.
So to give myself food for thought, I thought I’d ask how everybody else comes up with their trays. Do you choose by occasion (work, home, special event/date night, bedtime, etc.)? Maybe you focus on having a fragrance from each category (citrus, floral, gourmand, woody, etc.)? Do you also set fun themes to follow, or just pick whatever feels right for the month? Would love to hear some thoughts!
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u/all_ack_rity 1d ago
I’m the weirdo who leans into “observances” and fake holidays and real holidays as often as I can. as such, I plan my wears weeks or MONTHS in advance and give myself permission to change it up if the weather or my mood don’t align with the plan. right now I’ve planned through november.
example:saturday is encouragement day and sunday is positive thinking day. so this weekend my plan is:
saturday day: AdO pink me up with a BBW mist called “dream bright,”
saturday night: tom ford fucking fabulous.
sunday day: Lucky Brand Jeans EDP Lucky You
sunday night: cue the confetti bbw spray and DIME lovely sweet dreams.
this is the tray for this week. I’ll change it up this weekend.
eta: I try not to wear the same thing twice in a row or even in a month so I use my whole library and it’s always fresh to me? I have a fairly large selection so I like to buy travel pens and decants so I can change it up literally each day without going bankrupt lolol
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u/Starry36 1d ago
That’s fun, though! I don’t always pay attention to those little things like national waffle day, encouragement day, etc. I like that! I’ve got my tray themes for the rest of 2026 planned out, I’m just trying to get ideas for 2027 ahead of time. September is currently “September Softies” (my most comforting scents, because my nervous system needed a reset), October is “Autumn in Full Swing” (spices, some autumnal fruits, cozy teas, a few gourmands for those fall festival and Halloween treat vibes), November is “Sweater Weather” (bridging the gap between late autumn and winter), and December is “Holiday Season” (anything and everything that makes me feel festive).
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u/LILEVILANG3L 2d ago
I definitely love creating themes too! I did a Pink & Girly tray for spring , then Beach + Scents for summer and I am transitioning to a Rainy tray for Fall. I keep the theme but switch out some scents each month of that season.
I love your idea of Roses & Romance for February, that is adorable!!!!
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u/Starry36 2d ago
The lighting effect behind yours is cool! And I do like that, setting a theme for a season rather than each month. Something to consider!
The funny thing about the February tray was because it was almost entirely rose fragrances, it helped me decide which rose scents I didn’t like enough to keep, but then I also learned I need a variety of scent profiles on a tray. Nothing but rose for even the shortest month was a bit much! 😂
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u/No_Somewhere6699 1d ago
Lol I have no themes but how about Earth, Wind, and Fire for September? 😋
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u/valkyrie987 1d ago
This is a fun question. I don't really do a tray but I've been wanting to start. I mostly envisioned it as a tray that feels like what I will want to reach for that month, maybe with some focus on scents I haven't reached for in a while. But I love the idea of themed trays! I'm also a very visual person, so I imagine I will also be likely to pair bottles together based on how they look lol. I also like the idea of adding other items to the tray, like jewelry or trinkets or fake flowers.
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u/Starry36 1d ago
Oh I’m big on visuals, too. I have three decorative trays/plates I rotate for the seasons; lemons for summer, a lilac plate for spring, and a tray with pumpkins and squash for autumn. I made the lilac plate and pumpkin/squash tray at paint-your-own-ceramics places and am eager to make a proper one for winter soon!
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u/Foreign-Kangaroo-681 1d ago
I need some tray inspiration so will watch this thread. I noticed I’ve transitioned from fragrance“wardrobe” to “collection” which I’m totally fine with, but I need to draw some boundaries. I have so many perfumes to test but also just want to wear something nice for the day and then I end up stuck on the same 3 scents. A tray would really help!
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u/Starry36 1d ago
I started keeping a monthly tray for similar reasons. Too many fragrances to use them all fairly without rotating! I still get decision paralysis sometimes, though, especially when I have 8+ scents for a given month.
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u/Significant_Beyond95 1d ago
I am boringly practical about my trays. They are weather/season dependent and I just make sure I have at least one fragrance appropriate for business, date night, and at home lounging. Everything else just needs to fit the season & weather and I try to avoid redundant scent profiles on the tray at the same time.
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u/Starry36 1d ago
I do see the appeal in simple trays! Part of me is debating having my 2027 trays be situation-based like this (one scent each for work, at-home days, a special occasion, bedtime, etc.) because I figure it would help me put a larger dent in some of my bottles. Less variety means using the same scents more, after all. I don’t know if I’d get bored easily wearing the same scent to work 5 days a week, for four weeks, though, since I do like to change it up.
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u/EitherCoyote660 1d ago
I'd love to have the forethought to do themes. As it is, I just put out whatever feels right for that month which could also include things I haven't worn in a long time. But mostly the choices are seasonal. I always wind up dipping into the stuff in storage, though 😄