One of my friends came to me looking for ideas for something to give to his girlfriend. I of course offered some of the usual suggestions, but we both stumbled a bit when the idea of fragrance came up. This led me to further wonder: is perfume a good gift for a girlfriend?
Would I have wanted to receive perfume back when I was dating? Here’s what I concluded:
Perfume is a good gift for a girlfriend if you’re in a more serious or long-term relationship and know the person well. New romances or casual dating may perceive this as too intimate of a gift in relation to your status level with one another.
Now, that being said, even if you’re in a committed relationship, that doesn’t mean that perfume is a good gift for every girlfriend. As I indicated, it’s a pretty personal gift, so you’re going to want to take a few things into consideration before making the purchase.
How To Decide If Perfume Is A Good Gift For Your Girlfriend
If you’re considering perfume as a gift for your girlfriend, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before committing to a purchase:
- Does she already wear a fragrance?
- What scents does she like?
- Is there anything she’s allergic to?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions, then you’ll have a trickier time making this into a thoughtful, well-received gift.
Even if your girlfriend doesn’t wear a fragrance currently, it’s not a total knockout, but you’ll want to approach the situation carefully. Has she ever mentioned being interested in perfume? Does she compliment you on your cologne to indicate she enjoys scents? You’ll want to make sure she’s interested in perfume, otherwise it may be perceived as you think she smells bad.
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Knowing her favorite scents is equally important. There are an incredible number of fragrances available, so you’ll need to know what her personal tastes are to make a good decision. Don’t just choose something you like, as that will reflect poorly on you as the gifter.
For instance, I cannot stand the scent of Patchouli. No hate to those of you that love it – you do you! I would never want to receive a perfume with that aroma personally, though. It would be in the back of my closet never to see the light of day.
Allergies maybe aren’t as often thought of. However, the last thing you want is to give your girlfriend a perfume with an ingredient that causes a hive reaction. This is especially important if the fragrance you’re looking at uses natural components.
Determining The Right Perfume to Gift Your Girlfriend
If you have decided that perfume would make a good gift for your girlfriend, then you’re left trying to figure out the right option. As I mentioned, you shouldn’t just pick a scent that you like – you want something that she’ll enjoy.
Not only does this make her more likely to wear it, but she’ll appreciate the thought that went into it.
The simplest way to determine a good perfume to gift your girlfriend is to start with one she already enjoys.
Using a fragrance finder, you can determine the notes of her current perfume, and get recommendations of other fragrances in the same vein. From there, I tend to narrow down by budget – if you didn’t already know, perfume can be pretty expensive!
If she doesn’t currently wear perfume, try to find out the general scents she likes. Scented candles or lotion are a great idea to sleuth out the types of smells your girlfriend likes, and then look for a perfume with those notes.
Sample Vials Make a Great Perfume Gifting Option
You’re still not quite sure what perfume your girlfriend might like, and don’t want to commit to an entire bottle? I have great news for you: sample or trial sizes are an amazing option! I use these when I’m trying to find a new fragrance for myself, but it makes a great gift choice as well.
Here is how to give sample vials of perfume as a gift for your girlfriend:
- Research and pick 3-5 scents you think she’d like
- Order sample vials of the scents (either online or from a perfume counter in a store)
- Gift the trial sizes, and tell her that you’ll treat her to a full bottle of her favorite
This way, you’ll have the thoughtful gift to give, and she’ll get a say in the final pick as well. Thankfully, there are a variety of designer fragrances sample sizes available online, so you won’t even need to leave the couch to put this together for her!
Turn Gifting Perfume Into a Date With Your Girlfriend
Another good way to gift perfume to a girlfriend is to turn it into a date. Plan a day together, and make one of your stops a fragrance destination. You’ll be able to sniff real-time, and make it into something you can both enjoy.
You could even get something for yourself at the same time, giving you each a new “signature scent” exclusive to your relationship. Now that’s romantic!
Physical locations where you can go for perfume include:
- Department stores (like Macy’s or JCPenney)
- Beauty stores (such as Sephora or Ulta)
- Fragrance shops (Perfumania, Fragrance Outlet)
Though, pro tip: I’d probably still come home and order the final choice(s) online so you can shop around for deals. My personal favorite perfume, Light Blue, is about $40 cheaper on Amazon than the closest retail store.
Smell You Later!
I hope if you’ve been debating whether or not perfume would be a good gift for your girlfriend that I’ve given you the tools to help you make the decision. Not only that, but if you have decided to go that route, now you should have some ideas for making it happen!
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