Not surprisingly, I don’t have difficulty choosing a fragrance for myself – but I do find it challenging choosing for others. There are a few critical factors: do I know enough about his/her tastes, does that scent make a statement that I don’t necessarily want to make, and most importantly, is fragrance really very personal and only an appropriate gift in close relationships?
I was recently given new the Chloe Intense fragrance from an unexpected source. She presented it to me with a confident, “I’m sure you’ll love this!” Really? I wasn’t a massive fan of Chloe in the eighties so I was pretty sure I wouldn’t love the new version either. Wrong. Well, I was wrong – she was right.
So how come she knew and I didn’t? How did she translate her knowledge of my personality in to the selection of that particular fragrance? As Toyah Willcox once so rightly said, it’s a mystery.
[Note from bh’s Deb: for those of us who are…erm…of a different generation to Jackie, Toyah Willcox is an English singer made famous in the 80s – I had no clue].
If you think about it, that bold assurance of my taste could have ended up an embarrassing disaster. Which is why, although I was proved wrong in this instance, I would always shop for a fragrance in a department store.
Take the new Harajuku Lovers fragrances. I wouldn’t dream of buying them (for my daughters of course!) unless I could first pop in to David Jones and try out the different types, to get a feel for what would suit them best. Same with Marc Jacobs – I really like the entire fragrance range, but choosing one for my sister’s Christmas present will most definitely need the advice of an expert consultant.
Plus, buying from a department store means more lenient return policies (a bonus if you misjudge someone’s fragrance taste!) and at this time of the year you’ll most likely score a Gift With Purchase offer at the same time. A definite win win.
But it was actually really lovely to be given, out of the blue, a perfume I now adore. I feel it might have added a whole new base, middle and top layer to my life. So thanks, friend.
For the fragrances mentioned, as well as other great buys, head to your nearest David Jones store or simply shop at David Jones online.
Click here to discover what other great offers are available at David Jones this week…
Have you experienced a successful fragrance gift – either of giving or receiving?
Gifting yes! Receiving no.