Following great tradition started by two wonderful bloggers, Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) and Portia (Australian Perfume Junkies), once a week I or one of the guest writers will keep the lights on in this virtual leaving room, but I hope that you, my friends and readers, will engage in conversation not only with me or the other host, but also with each other.
Saturday Question #27:
What Was The Last Perfume You Gave As A Gift?
We all know that it’s hard to buy perfumes for others, and, as much as we all wish sometimes for a perfume faerie or gravitating bottles, in reality unprompted gifts are rarely “hits.” But with our love to perfume we are still trying to spread joy and recruit others into our fragrant circle.
So, do you buy perfumes as gifts? Who to? Do you consult the recipient, or do you do it as a surprise? What was the last perfume you bought for somebody else? Did they like it?
My Answer
I buy perfumes for others left and right – parents, friends, not to mention my vSO. I’m coming from the time and country where giving any perfume (and especially a “French” one) as a gift was genuinely appreciated and welcomed, regardless of the scent. Of course, as time and surroundings changed, I usually stick to either buying something that I know the person likes (a version of perfume they already use or the one they happened to like in the past), or buy it as a variation on a department store’s gift card (include a sample to try and a gift receipt for the bottle with a blessing to exchange it for something else my friend might like more).
It wasn’t the first perfume I bought for my goddaughter: several years ago we went perfume shopping and ended up getting her Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou. She wears it nicely and still likes it. Last year we wanted to do another shopping trip, but it was a hectic year for both of us, and we kept postponing it. At some point I decided to give her several samples, not necessarily of perfumes that were readily available from the surrounding stores, that she could test at her own pace.
In the process, she found one more new perfume love – JHAG‘s Miss Charming. But we agreed that even a struggling postgraduate student could afford that one from a discounter or subscription site. So, we tried to figure out something more substantial. In the end she told me that she wanted to get… Amouage Dia. It wasn’t one of the samples I prepared for her. Instead, she liked the scent from the Dia soap I gave her once as a Christmas present. So, a year after the birthday for which it was supposed to be a gift, she received from me a set of perfume and body lotion. Not to repeat the exercise, this year her gift wasn’t perfume-related.
I’m wearing my Dia today: it is beautiful. Hopefully, she’ll enjoy wearing it years to come, and I’ll make sure not to wear it to the same occasions – luckily, I have more than enough perfumes not to play “twinsies” (Did you know that was a word?!) or “Who wore it best?” (not that I would expect anyone in our circle to notice it).
What Was The Last Perfume You Gave As A Gift?
Undina's Looking Glass 
Amouage Dia? What a generous gift. The last perfume gift I gave to someone was Monotheme Mimosa, a gift for you. Later on I shared many samples with my perfume friends but last bottle gift given was that one
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I’m honored :) It was a lovely gift – thank you again.
My goddaughter is an exceptional person who deserves to be spoiled from time to time. And I found a good deal for that set (since it’s not new and hot perfume, prices are much more reasonable).
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a real pleasure to surprise you like that.
Having a godmother like that is a blessing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmm, various decants and minis and samples that would probably be, though it is hard to recall the last time, or what they were. Haven’t given anyone a FB in ages, though I have done that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
For one, I have your Chergui bottle :)
LikeLike
The last perfume gift I gave was Givenchy Ysatis for my youngest sister. It is her signature scent.
LikeLike
You haven’t tried to “convert” her? :)
LikeLike
Many times, but she says she feels naked if she doesn’t wear her Ysatis. Her husband asked her many times to wear something different. He is not fond of Ysatis, but it was useless. We both quit on her long time ago.
LikeLiked by 1 person
During lockdown my Grandaughter was doing all my shopping. She loves Britney Spears Fantasy, cheap and cheeful. I bought her a gift set to say thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My first perfume love came to me as a gift from my grandmother many-many years ago.
LikeLike
She also has much more expensive tastes. So do her sisters . Thank God for Britney !!!!!!
Much more in my price range at the moment
LikeLiked by 1 person
I gave my mom Samsara and Insolence for her birthday this year. Usually I don’t buy perfumes as gifts except if I know the person very well and what they like.
LikeLike
Wonderful perfumes to receive as a gift. I hope you’ll get to enjoy her wearing those (with all that “social distancing” and such).
LikeLike
My sister in law wears two perfumes – Burberry Brit and Dkny Be Delicious. I gifted her my bottle of the Burberry- I found I couldn’t wear it once I identified it so strongly with her – and I found a Be Delicious gift set at TJ Maxx that became a Christmas gift. But I don’t have anyone else IRL who likes perfume!
LikeLike
Now you have to be careful not to entice her to like one of your favorite perfumes ;)
LikeLike
I do random acts of perfume gifting. At the Sephora VIB sale in April, I bought a travel spray of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille for an NSTer which was then sent directly to her as a no occasion surprise. I wouldn’t have bought it had she not mentioned using her last drops in either the Daily SOTD or Lazy Weekend Poll.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hajusuuri, that TF travel spray of Tobacco Vanille was my last perfume gift, too! My husband doesn’t usually wear fragrances, but he does appreciate a good tobacco note.
LikeLiked by 1 person
See my comment below :)
LikeLike
Ha! I see that format for that perfume was a hit: I also bought it as a gift to my vSO approximately at the same time :)
LikeLike
These days I wouldn’t buy someone perfume unless I knew they really liked it or wanted it. The last perfume gift I bought was Juicy for a teenaged niece who requested it (the family prefers this system over surprises). The bottle I got her 2 years ago must have run out! (Kidding, I’m sure she has a network of suppliers for the times in between.)
It must be gratifying to expand a younger perfumista’s horizons!
LikeLike
Yeah, surprises are overrated :) Of course, if you were to get something that someone really wanted, it would be a perfect surprise. But more often than not, surprises end up being not exactly what the recipients would have chosen – so, unless it can be exchanged, it creates more disappointment than enjoyment.
I was very pleased that she had chosen Dia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I bought my daughter in law a nice sample set of Neela Vermeire perfumes with each vial 8 ml. She really liked it and Pichola was her favorite. It’s a lovely jasmine scent with spices. She and my friend Monica are the only people I know who wear perfume and enjoy perfume gifts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great gift!
I recently tested Pichola again, and liked it a lot in the hot weather. I will probably try to split the “take two” set with somebody soon.
LikeLike
I think the last fragrance gift I gave was the Berdoues 1902 Trefle & Vetiver EDT I gave my son. He prefers the Davidoff Cool Water, though, so he re-gifted it to my husband.
LikeLike
Well, you tried :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
He didn’t hate it, but he wasn’t keen on the vetiver.
LikeLike
Hi Undina,
For her birthday this year I gave my goddaughter (13) her first bottle of perfume. Just a 30ml of La Petit Robe Noire by Guerlain. She loved the packaging and the fun and flirty frock on the bottle, and she is now happily wearing the fragrance. I figured 30ml would be a small enough amount to get used to wearing fragrance and then maybe for Xmas we could spend a couple of hours at the department store sampling, have some lunch and make a purchase.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re the best godfather ever!!
LikeLike
HA! Making up for the years of neglect when she was no fun to hang out with because she was too young and I hate kids. Now she is a sassy teen I think we are going to get on fine.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a great “introductory” perfume! I hope you’ll be able to help nurturing her tastes.
LikeLike
Thanks Undina,
Let’s see. She knows I love fragrance, fashion and beauty so hopefully it will be something to share. Already she is becoming more interesting in her conversation and taste.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely entree to fragrance! And there are several nice flankers, as you know, with very cute variations on the “little black dress” on the packaging. Even my middle-aged self is drawn to them, though the only one I own is Black Perfecto.
LikeLike
Oh yes, I went for one of the more cutesy frocks on the bottle. Same juice but a fun reinterpretation. I feel that she may end up being a CHANEL girl. Those CHANCE ads are fairly well aimed at a youthful crowd.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 2 people