Choose a perfume for a gift

Choosing a perfume is like picking an olfactory identity for yourself or for someone else (see Testing a perfume). Deciding to offer a perfume as a gift is delicate because you need to know the person’s tastes. Either you know the fragrance they are faithful to or you decided to give them something new. In any case, offering a perfume as a gift is a great idea, but you must conduct a small investigation beforehand in order to really please the person concerned.

You know the name of their perfume

It will be easier if you know the name of their perfume. Because then you can surprise them by offering a larger size of the perfume they love, give them another concentration (eau de toilette/eau de parfum) or even another derivative of the fragrance (lotions etc). You can also surprise them by offering a completely new fragrance they can have for special occasions, weekends or for a new season for example (parenthesis fragrance).

• Offer the perfume in another concentration: eau de toilette or eau de parfum?

If you know the name of their perfume, it will be easy to find their gift. You can gift them the eau de toilette of the perfume they use for example, or of another concentration. Just be aware that when you buy a different concentrate, the scent will be “re-orchestrated” so it will slightly differ. When working with other concentrations, the perfumer can decorate the perfume chord and the soul of the fragrance with different various notes.

The scents between an eau de toilette and an eau de parfum can be very different, which is surprising, especially since the name of the perfume is the same.

There are no rules in this matter because some brands only change the alcohol level and concentration without changing the orchestration. In this case, the scents between the two concentrations will be much closer.

In summary, it is suggested to find out about the person’s preferred concentration as there can be notable olfactory differences between an eau de toilette and an eau de parfum of the same fragrance.

To find out the name of the perfume the person uses, you can ask one of their loved ones, to be sure.

If you are close to them enough, you can sneak into the bathroom to find the name of their favorite scent. Small warning, however: there are collectors of perfumes who can have 15 to 20 different scents to which they are more or less loyal. These enthusiasts can wear a different one every day depending on the mood, the weather, the circumstances or their dress! Then look at the one that has been used the most.

• Offer the other fragrance products: gift boxes and the derived products.

Another great gift idea for a woman is to offer body cream or body lotion of the same fragrance. Sometimes there are also hair mist, shower gel, bath oil or luxury soap.

For a man, you can choose derivatives such as after shave cream, shower gel or a soap. The “gift boxes” made up of several products is a nice gift.

 

 

You do not know the name of his perfume

If you do not know the name of the perfume of the person to whom you want to offer a gift, you can offer them a new fragrance and surprise them with an audacious choice.

Know how to put aside your personal tastes in order to please!

The rule is not to project our personal tastes when choosing a gift, when it is a perfume. Everyone has their own olfactory register. Some like the fresh citrus notes, others like woody, chypre, oriental or floral notes. What you like may not necessarily appeal to the person you want to please.

Often, we observe that some people want to offer a perfume that they particularly like because it reminds them of the memory of a loved one, regardless of whether the perfume in question may be suitable for the friend concerned.

Four ideas and tips on how to gift a fragrance 

Four approaches are possible in order gift the perfect perfume:

1. The ideal is to offer a perfume that comes with a sample, so it can be tested before opening the box (see Testing a perfume).
2. You can also offer the fragrance with a voucher, without the price tag, so the person can make their own choice.
3. Otherwise, you can opt for a "parenthesis" perfume as gift which is a fresher fragrance like cologne, or freshwater, easy to wear during warmer days. The notes are fairly neutral and generally appeal to everyone. It is an additional perfume that does not compete with the "identity" perfume that the person usually wears. Dovana or Oranzo from the Sylvaine Delacourte Collection are in this spirit.
4. Finally, you can also opt for a home fragrance, or even a candle, if you want to take less risk (The four candles around the four seasons by Sylvaine Delacourte would be a great gift: "Equinoxe de Spring”,“Summer Solstice”,“Fall Equinox” and “Winter Solstice”).

 

 

The occasions to offer a perfume: the gift type.
There are many opportunities to please those you love, all year long! Perfumes will always be a good choice to show your affection for your family and loved ones.

• A perfume for mother's day

The first celebrations in honor of mothers took place in ancient Greece, during the ceremonies of Rhea, the mother of the gods. She is the goddess of fertility, of life. Today, mothers are celebrated in spring, the season of renewal. For this occasion, offering a perfume is delicate. As always, it is better to know your mother’s tastes (see Gift boxes) but that does not prevent you from offering a perfume from another olfactory register (see Perfume "parenthesis", fresh water, cologne, "additional" perfume). Mother's Day takes place in May, spring month, when sweetness returns. Perfumes with floral notes, around orange blossom, for example, are perfect for the season (see Sylvaine Delacourte's Orange Blossom Collection). Oscarine by Sylvaine Delacourte pays homage to the feminine lightness and joy of life thanks to its joyful accords. You can offer an olfactory journey to the heart of mystical Egypt with Osiris by Sylvaine Delacourte, a delicious and bewitching orange blossom nectar. Just like the return of light and sunny days, the orange blossom of Olyssia is caressing and bright.

• A perfume for father's day

For a Father's Day gift, you have two options:

1. Either you know his favorite perfume, the one to which he is very loyal to and you can offer him a larger version of it, or gift it to him in an eau de parfum if he usually uses eau de toilette. There are also derivative products for men: after shaving cream, soaps, shower gels, deodorants. You can put them in a beautiful gift box. 
2. Or you know that he is not very faithful to his perfume and that he would like to change. In this case you can seek advice from a salesperson in a store or ask online customer service to find a fragrance in his olfactory register.

For example, online on the Sylvaine Delacourte website, we give advice on choosing perfumes. In the Sylvaine Delacourte brand, you will have the opportunity to choose a few more masculine fragrances such as: Smeraldo, Helicriss, Valkyrie, Vangelis, Oranzo and Ozkan.

• A perfume for a birthday

To find the best perfume to gift for someone's birthday, you have several options:

1. You know the name of their signature perfume and you gift them their favorite scent.  
2. You surprise them with a fresh, parenthesis scent they can use for special occasions, weekends and holidays. It is even better if it comes with a sample, so they can try the perfume in case they do not like it!
3. You can opt for a candle which is a perfect birthday gift. It is a beautiful symbol with its flame which can refer to the birthday cake.

 

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musks and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.