Fragrance is without a doubt one of the most gifted (and possibly most returned/re-sold) items at Christmas! The allure of the fragrance gift set! So when jotting down ideas for this years Christmas gift guides here on Makeup Savvy I decided I need to focus on fragrance for one of them.
Gifting perfume can be tricky, although it may not seem it, especially if you don't know what your recipient prefers, so my first section of this guide is all about giving a gift of fragrance that is foolproof - yes, it can be done! Moving onto affordable fragrances after that and then more luxurious scents for the ones you really want to treat this year. I really hope this fragrance gift guide gives you a little inspiration!
Fail-Safe Fragrance Gift Ideas
Lancome Fragrance Miniatures Set
BUY NOW (£29.00)
If you know a specific fragrance brand the person you are buying for likes then a good gift idea is to see if that brand has a gift set of miniatures out especially for Christmas. This means your recipient will get to try out more from the brand they love and possibly discover a new favourite. The above Lancome miniatures set is a perfect example of this, it containing 5 deluxe miniatures that are sure to please any Lancome fan! Side ramble - I actually bought this as a gift and after sneakily smelling all of the scents now want to keep it for myself... except the green bottled fragrance, not my thing!
Clean Classic Rollerball Layering Collection
BUY NOW (£18.00)
Another good gift idea is to go for a fragrance layering set or single note gift set that anyone that enjoys trying new scents will enjoy using. There aren't many on the market but I came across this one and loved the look of it and on trying it discovered so many scent combinations I love. The idea behind this set is to use the 'Air' rollerball as the base scent/unifier and then you can layer different scents over it, bringing an extra element than if you were to use each rollerball alone. If you know someone who loves fragrance and would appreciate a gift they can slowly discover new scents with then I'd highly recommend this particular gift set.
Ghost Trio Deep Night Eclipse Lipgloss Gift Set
BUY NOW (£12.00)
Although most fragrance miniature sets are more affordable then picking up a full sized perfume I still thought it would be helpful to include a budget option, possibly for a teen or as a stocking filler type present. Ghost is always a good option if you don't know what fragrance someone would like as it's a safe zone brand with scent most people seem to like. The sizes of both miniates bottles are generous and I also like that this set includes a wearable nude lipgloss mini!
Scentaddict Subscription Service
BUY NOW (£12.00 per month)
Lastly, I had to mentioned a new fragrance sampling service that I really think is such a good idea! Although you can't gift this you can pay for this monthly for as long as you wish and include your gift recipients name & address instead of you own. The idea behind this is that for £12 you will be sent a 8ml fragrance refill each month to place in your sleek travel atomiser which you receive with your first order. Plus you also receive a £12 voucher to redeem on the full size every month. What I love about this service in particular is that it's not a limited choice of fragrances but actually a choice of over 250+ and includes lots of very premium brands such as Tom Ford, Chanel, Viktor & Rolf and Gucci to name but a few. This really is a very good idea to give as a gift or to treat yourself to!
Other fail-safe fragrance gift options: DKNY Be Delicious Mini Gift Set and Estee Lauder Modern Muse Coffret Set.
Affordable Fragrance Gift Ideas
Vera Wang Princess EDT 50ml
BUY NOW (£20.00 - on sale!)
When it comes to picking up fragrances of a budget it's easy for them to smell cheap, which is something you certainly don't want! So it's good to know at least a few select brands that offer affordable but nice scents. Vera Wang Princess is one of those scents that is not only affordable but loved my many, making it a good choice if you know someone that likes something sweet and floral... it's also a good silage for the price and comes in a really nice bottle that doesn't look cheap! A nice choice for anyone in their teens to mid-20s.
Calvin Klien Eternity EDP 30ml
BUY NOW (£20.90)
A brand to be aware of if you want to pick up a perfume for someone, both male or female, is Calvin Klien. Their newer scents do have a higher price tag but on the whole, most scents are pretty affordable and again not cheap smelling and with nice bottle designs. I personally love Eternity, I wore this in my early twenties and this year I rediscovered and love it just as much. It's certainly a grownup scent so not one you'd want to pick up for a younger family member but I think would make a nice gift for anyone 20+, even a mum or aunty.
Missguided Babe Power EDP 80ml Gift Set
BUY NOW (£28.00)
Finding affordable fragrance gift sets can be tricky as the average price of them these days is around the £40 mark. However, this gift set caught my idea and would make a lovely present for someone in their late teens or early 20's. It comes with a good size 80ml size of Babe Power and a large matching fluffy pom pom keychain. The fragrance itself is very very sweet (it instantly makes me think of pix n mix and candyfloss!) so it's definitely the kind of scent you know who it will suit; someone that's into gourmand almost sickly sweet scents. I know my 16-year-old self would have loved to have received this at Christmas!
Other affordable fragrance options: Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely, Monsoon Rose Gold and fragrances from The Body Shop.
Luxury Fragrance Gift Ideas
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Christmas Limited Edition EDP 50ml
RESERVE & COLLECT HERE (£58.30)
If you really want to treat someone with a fragrance I either feel it should be with someone you know they love or something that's extra special. Which is why I wanted to include this absolutely stunning limited edition for Christmas 2017 Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb gift! Of course, buying an expensive fragrance blind and without knowing if the gift recipient will like it will always be a risk, however, going for a fragrance that is hugely popular is your best option here and Flowerbomb is certainly a hit with a lot of people. It's simply a luxurious smelling floral perfume that most people mind they love if they like floral scents in general. You can pick up this specific bottle from World Duty-Free which is found in all main airports or by reserving online and collecting it. So if you have a flight booked over December it's a great way to pick up a discounted limited edition fragrance for someone. But of course, you can still find Flowerbomb in quite a few department stores, just not with this specific extra-pretty bottle design!
Jo Malone Cologne 30ml
BUY NOW (£45.00)
Another lovely gift idea for someone special would be to buy them their first Jo Malone fragrance, which if they love fragrance will be warmly received! For this, especially as Jo Malone offers so many different colognes, it would be a good idea to visit a Jo Malone counter (don't fear, they are friendly!) and discuss what scents and fragrance your gift recipient already enjoys and I'm sure they would be able to find a scent you feel matches the person well. Another reason to pick out a Jo Malone fragrance for someone is purely for the experience of receiving a scent from the brand as from the iconic black ribbon and packaging it does all feel very special.
Escentric Molecules Molecule 1 with travel case 30ml
BUY NOW (£46.00)
Lastly, I wanted to throw an option in to gift the serious fragrance fanatic. If you do know someone that fits this bill then giving them a scent needs to be special, even Dior, Gucci and the like possibly won't cut it here! Which is why I had to include Molecule 1, a scent based around one note - Iso E Super, a subtle aroma that melding with the wearer’s natural pheromones and for this reason smells different on anyone. It's also a fragrance I've found works well as a base for other scents, making them more 'me' and unique in a sense. There's no other fragrance like this one on the market so this may just be the perfect gift for a fragrance fan. This 30ml version also comes with a handy metal travel case which is a nice extra touch.
Other luxury fragrance options: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Armani Pivoine Suzhou Soie de Nacre and Dior La Vie Est Belle
Let me know which fragrances you have gifted others in the past and how you decide what they will like.
Next up for my Christmas gift guides is a favourite - under £25 beauty gift ideas!
Fee xo.