How to Gift Fragrance at Christmas
Some people shy away from buying fragrance as a Christmas gift because it’s easy to get it wrong. Our tastes in perfume are so personal, which makes it pretty daunting when it comes to buying a fragrance for someone, but it’s not impossible. Of course, you can always opt just to buy your loved one yet another bottle of their favourite fragrance, but isn’t that a little bit, dare I say, boring? It is! Gifting is all about giving somebody something wonderful – something new and exciting that perhaps they don’t realise they want!
In this guide, I’ll be helping you gift perfume this Christmas. The idea is to take what people already like and offer them something similar – something they don’t have but are likely to love based on their tastes. It’s super easy and relatively low risk, all you have to do is place your faith in Escentual this Christmas! We’ve got you covered, whether those on your gift list are all about freshness, bling, sweetness, or all of the above. So if they like fragrance, they’ll definitely like something on this list.
If they like freshness, they might like…
Roger & Gallet Néroli Facétie Extrait de Cologne
Let’s kick off with some freshness, shall we? This is an easy category to go for and is the safest of the lot, because who doesn’t like a bit of freshness?! If you’re buying for someone who likes their fragrances refreshing and light then you really do have your options wide open – there is literally so much choice. I’d opt for something that screams freshness right from top to bottom, a cologne perhaps. This leads me to Roger & Gallet, who do a cologne better than anyone else. But let’s not be traditional and pick one of their classics, no, let’s opt for one of their fancy new Extrait de Colognes which provide a more complex and intense sense of freshness. My pick would be Neroli Facetie, which presents the golden light of neroli accented by warm beeswax. It is freshness with a twist, which might encourage your lover of all things fresh to be a little bit more adventurous!
Get this if they like: Acqua di Parma Colonia, 4711 Original or DIOR Eau Sauvage.
If they like something showy, they might like…
We all have that one friend who is super flashy. Everything they own is fancy, shiny and often dripping with gold. In fact, they themselves can often be found presented in top to toe bling, and we love them for it. This kind of friend is very at home with anything offered by MOSCHINO, because let’s face it, MOSCHINO designs for the exuberant, the playful and the bling-obsessed and their latest fragrance, Fresh Gold is no exception. Housed within the luxe twist on a household cleaner bottle, this time dipped in gold, Gold Fresh Couture is a warm floral oriental with a cocktail-esque twist of peach up top and an addictive, waxy vanilla base with luminous floral accents. It’s just that thing for the person on your gift list who accepts nothing less than gold, gold and more gold.
Get this if they like: GUERLAIN L’Instant de Guerlain, Roberto Cavalli Eau de Parfum or BVLGARI Goldea.
If they love a floral, they might like…
White florals get a little bit of a bad rep in the fragrance world, I think. They’re often seen as old-fashioned or just a bit too much. White florals are the kind of thing you either love or hate so if you have someone on your list who loves a floral, then I have just the thing. Earlier this year Gucci launched Bloom, an ode to a garden in full bloom. It’s one of those rare occasions where a fragrance smells exactly as the marketing spiel describes it – it really is a lively garden in full flower, boasting heady notes of Rangoon creeper, jasmine bud and tuberose. The result is an exotic white floral with a surprising, milky lightness and transparency. Which in hindsight, might make it the perfect gift for someone who thinks they don’t like a white floral just as much as someone who knows that they do.
Get this if they like: DIOR Pure Poison, BVLGARI Jasmin Noir or Elie Saab Le Parfum.
If they love a super-masculine scent, they might like…
A masculine explosion – that’s how I’d describe Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf. It’s almost as if someone filled a grenade with chest hair, pulled the pin and let loose a cloud of unbridled testosterone. What’s great about this fragrance is that it’s quite multifaceted, much like the male species and it has both typically masculine facets (spices, vetiver and wood) and feminine nuances (vanilla and amber), that work together to create an intensely modern masculine fragrance that really could be worn by anyone. So if they like a bit of macho, then there are fewer fragrant gifts more fitting than Spicebomb.
Get this if they like: Guerlain L’Homme Idéal, YSL Opium Pour Homme or Paco Rabanne 1 Million.
If they love something sweet, they might like…
Mon Guerlain was easily the biggest launch of the year – it was literally everywhere and GUERLAIN pulled out every stop to shine the spotlight on this brand new signature scent, which took inspiration from Hollywood actress, director and humanitarian, Angelina Jolie. As is the trend, Mon Guerlain is sweet, but unlike a lot of modern scents out there it treats sugar with a luxurious touch. No surprises there, folks, this is GUERLAIN after all and no house knows how to make delicious fragrances better than this one. The beauty in Mon Guerlain comes from the pairing of lavender, with its toasted sugar notes, against a backdrop of musk, vanilla and sandalwood. It comes together as a luminous treat of pink toffee and it’s the perfect gift for someone who adores a touch of sweetness in their scent.
Get this if they like: Giorgio Armani Si, Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb or Lancome La Vie est Belle.
If they always wear something sexy, they might like…
Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up
If you’ve explored the world of Juliette Has a Gun before you will know that everything they do is served with tongue pressed firmly in cheek. They are a cheeky perfume brand that creates beautiful, anti-establishment perfumes with more than a slice or two of fun. Oh and Juliette knows how to do sexy too, so for those people on your gift list that serve up sex appeal in spades (I’m thinking of your partners here, people) then Juliette Has a Gun is perfect. Their latest launch is Sunny Side Up is an essay on sunkissed sandalwood. It’s silky, soft, salty, sandalwood-centric and a bit milky too (thanks to a jasmine note) with a trail that smells like warm skin after a day sunbathing. Oh, and the bottle looks like an egg sunny side up too! Perfect for those on your gift list who are super sexy (and more than a little bit cheeky)!
Get this if they like: MUGLER Alien, DIOR Hypnotic Poison or Comme des Garçons Wonderwood.
If they’re always cool and casual they might like…
BVLGARI Eau Parfumee Au The Vert
Last but not least we have those on your list who are cool and casual all the time. No situation is too stressful for them and they breeze through life with a love for stylish simplicity. Buying fragrance for these cool cats can sometimes be difficult – perfume is often filled to the brim with complexity, even the simplest of scents take a lot of work to make them appear so. I think the coolest, calmest and most casual thing one can go for is a spritz of green tea and none do green tea better than BVLGARI. Eau Parfumee au The Vert is the standard bearer for all green tea fragrances – it’s juicy and refreshing with a dry underpinning of green grass, tea and musk. It’s like a calming aura that feels best when dressed down. Get it for those casual folks in your life.
Get this if they like: MUGLER Cologne or CK One.