The Top Gift People Wish You Wouldn't Give



Magazines almost everywhere are putting out multi page spreads lauding the latest perfumes you'll want to give. Some even tell you who would be a perfect match for each scent. Unfortunately this is marketing at some of its most unhelpful. That's right, perfume (and we do not mean the novel of the same name), tops our list of what not to give this year and here's why...

Doing extensive research (alright, standing in numerous return lines) a very apparent trend started to emerge;


Returner: "hello, I'd like to return this..."
Store person: "all right sure, was there anything wrong with it?"
Returner: "it was a Christmas gift and I just don't use this stuff"



The number of times I heard this was ridiculous. Couple that with huge amounts of pricey perfumes being sold for a few bucks on ebay after the holidays or given to others and you have the answer. Perfume, like jewelry, is just too personal to give during the holidays and at $60+ a pop do you really want to take the risk?

The truth is perfume reacts differently to each persons body chemistry. Even simply sniffing it out of the bottle can produce misleading results as the scent on on a strip of paper, on the skin or after a few minutes can be wildly dissimilar from one another.

Are there exceptions? Sure! If you can snoop around and see what a person is nearly out of can work but you need to be certain that the person hasn't become bored with the scent. Perhaps they're on the quest for something new.

It's at this point that some will reach for the good old gift card and say here, go at it at the perfume counter. Good idea but there might be an even better one. A number of retailers have put together little boxes of perfume samples. What's better is they come with a coupon or gift certificate inside so that your gift receiver can go and pick up a full sized bottle of perfume of their choice. It's like receiving two gifts in one as sample vials make great purse sprays. My favorite has to be the sets offered by SEPHORA which also provides free gift wrap. SEPHORA's sets are very reasonably priced and they give a verity of perfumes based on their best sellers. These include Pink Sugar and newer scents such as Daisy.

"The key to being a standout gift giver is knowing gifts, like relationships, come in all levels of intimacy. Perfume is a very personal thing. "

Even with these samplers take the time to think about the person you're buying for. Do they even wear perfume? Are they sensitive or allergic to chemicals? Do you know what scents they have a certain aversion too? In my case I adore chocolate but in perfume form it causes me to recoil. With the amount of chocolate I indulge in most people would assume I would want to be permeated in it too. Not quite. If these are questions you find yourself unable to answer, move on to something else a little less personal. The key to being a standout gift giver is knowing gifts, like relationships, come in all levels of intimacy.

Also Read:
- Forget Perfume, I'll Take What He Has
- Coming Up Roses - Gifts, Soaps, Creams & Balms
- Make Your Own Solid Perfumes To Give
- 20 Major Holiday Saving Tips
- Worst Hostess Gifts To Give : You Asked For It
- The Top Gifts You Shouldn't Give

Comments

Anonymous said…
This article was dead on. We all hate going through the cosmetic department of most stores for this same reason. No one wants to be way-layed by a scent that they do not personally find attractive. Good point too about each person's own body chemistry. Smelling the bottle or a paper strip tells you little about how it will interact with the recipient. There is an exception though. I've been blessed to receive exquisite perfumes and body creams from my close family members. They know me intimately and never miss in their frangrance purchases. Valuable article...money saving advice!
Gave That said…
Yes, you've hit it right on the head--those who know us very, very well have heard us say, "I fell in love with ___fill__in__the__blank__scent___ today" and can get it as a gift. While in all those long lines it made me wonder if there would be much of a line at all if scented gifts hadn't been given in the first place. Thank you for your comments and kind words... and please do keep coming back!

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