Yikes! Didn't know that about the shipping $$$. That's no good! As for MKK... people always seemed to think it was so foul, but I really didn't find it nearly so "OMG FOUL!" as people thought. And, I thought A McQ Kingdom was foul. MKK wasn't something I'd really wear much, but for a person who otherwise likes Jicky, Kielh's Musk, HL EdP, etc., it'll probably be a hit. Nevertheless, I'm one of the few people who admit to not really liking Lutens very much as a house. I've had a number of bottles, and they all just feel TOO MUCH to me. Never really the right balance for my nose, though because they kept getting such attention, I kept giving them chances thinking something must be wrong with me. Miel de bois was the only one I found "neat," but it too was too much... and they ranged all the way down to putrid (Santal Blanc.) Chergui, Fumerie Turque, Cedre, Arabie, and several others were just "meh" to me.
Tell me about it. I admit my last purchase was last year but I got the bottle shipped free. I was not happy when I had to go back to the people who got in on the split with me and inform them of my fuckup. As for SL I completely agree. Frankly, I thought they all sucked, but I remember the MKK sample to be pretty decent and Cuir Masquerade to be the same. Figured I'd swing for MKK to fill out my sample request.