In 2019, during just the 2 weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, over $170 million of perfume was sold. And while women’s scents dominated that number, men’s scents flew out the doors too, becoming the fastest growing category of the industry. Love is definitely not the only thing in the air around this time.
Scent is intimate, deeply personal, seductive, and has a tight-knit connection to emotional memory. Of course people are obsessed with it as a loving gift, regardless of gender.
While it may be an amazing gift, anyone who has ever tried to gift a fragrance will tell you how hard it is to get just right. But they probably weren’t reading an expert blog that tells them all the secrets they need to know, like someone we know. Good job, you cunning little courter.
So, let’s roll up your scented sleeves and get into a few things you should know and consider, in order to gift your loved one an irresistible potion that’ll have both of you enamored. And FYI, all these tips work year-round, anytime you want to give absolutely anyone a really special something for their senses.
Think Outside The Bottle
We see a lot of people just focus on the collection of bottles on the top of a dresser as a jumping off point about what their recipient likes, or doesn’t. And while that gives you some information, it can be an extremely narrow focus that will just make your job harder.
We live in an entire world of smells, far away from a bottle-strewn dresser or nightstand, that each of us enjoy. What’s their favorite drink? Coffee, tea, gin? Well, guess what? Those can be perfume notes too. Do they love the smell of rain, have a favorite flower, a favorite time period, an author they admire, or a favorite place? This may seem unrelated, but perfume is an art form all about story, memory, and sense of place, so every bit of that can help you choose. Don’t believe us?
Would they love to cozy up with Hemingway in the early 1900s; bring them there here. Is being in the life of an exotic gardener from Beverly Hills more their speed, take them there here, or maybe they want to wear one JFK’s favorite fragrances. That juicy goodness can be found here. And these aren’t even a single snowflake on the tip of the fragrant iceberg.
It’s not all about hard to pronounce notes and celebrities, you know? Plus, not only will you get to make your loved one smell unique and incredible, you can get some massive bonus points for showing how much you pay attention.
A Note on Notes
We’ll be the first to tell you that a perfume is more than just the sum of its parts, and note lists can be very deceiving, especially if you find yourself reading words you have no clue how to say or smell. But, you can do some good detective work on the sly with those tricky little note lists.
So, go ahead, take note of those already existing bottles your sweetheart has collected (and don’t forget about lotions or aftershaves too). Now, you’re only a simple Google search away of finding the lists of notes that make up all their favorite things.
Do you see any themes? Maybe sandalwood pops up a lot. Are you reading names of a lot of fruits, or indulgent foods like coconut, vanilla, or chocolate? Or does it all just keep sounding like a you’re reading all the signs at a flower market?
If you can come away with some themes, your detective work will be well-rewarded because you’ve just figured out entire categories of smells that you now know are beloved, eliminating endless amounts of overwhelming choices.
Find a few things under that fall under those umbrellas, and pick the best-fitting one from just a few. Sounds a lot easier that way, doesn’t it?
Picture A Day In The Life
Your rock-climber boyfriend with the office job is probably not going to be well-suited and ready to smell like cupcakes. Your social-butterfly girlfriend who’s always at some gala is probably not going to be too enthused about something light and breezy that everyone else is wearing.
Think about who they are, where they end up in their days, and what kind of aura could follow them and their surroundings around easily.
Rock-climber boyfriend that has to be next to people in the office would probably be perfect in something light and close with vibes of green mountain air. Try Nuit de Megève for winter or Apsu for the spring and summer months. Social butterfly gala-girl could definitely rock something deep, spicy, and seductive, no contest. We'd love to scent her with Leopard by Sarah Baker.
Remember always to ask: Where does this particular scent go, and where would your recipient be taking it?
Light Up the Room Instead
Does all of this scent talk still make you a little nervous? How about if we said you can give a great piece of fragrant art still, that never has to go directly on anyone?
Go ahead up to that “Search” bar and type in the word “candle.” Because you’re actually now on a website with a ton of them, and you can still make someone swoon by giving them 40+ hours of a knockout scent, wrapped in the iconic art of Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol, that has them thinking of you all day. Add a bottle of wine, and a cute date night in, with a room surrounded with fragrant phantoms, and we totally think you won this year.
Feeling daring?Gift Not a Candle by trailblazing Juliette Has a Gun for ambery, cozy, cetalox, the one ingredient that created a craze in the perfume industry.
Just remember to match the scent with the space. You might not want to grab a candle that smells like a tropical paradise for an apartment with a lot of exposed brick, metal, and animal prints. Get the idea?
The Gift You Can Keep On Sniffing
Admittedly, we might be biased, but we think that giving someone a chance to explore and engage with unique scents, month after month, is a really cool way to not only let your loved one find their new favorite things, but to gift yourself the opportunity of watching them light up, sharing in their new discoveries with you when they find them. Yes, we’re talking about our Olfactif niche subscription boxes.
Scent can be a really powerful bonding moment, and our subscriptions gift 3-6 new scents every single month, that neither of you have probably ever heard of. Each box truly contains enough juice to last the entire month. It also takes the pressure off you, and gifts them a potentially endless amount of brand new signature scents.
Oh yeah, and this applies for both the boos and boo-ettes out there, because we have boxes for everyone. However, we’re staunch believers here that scent actually has no gender and that you can rock anything you feel like spraying, anytime you ever want to spray it, no matter who you are.
If you’re curious, you can nose around here. (see what we did there?)
So, now that you’re well equipped to confidently give one of the most prized gifts that ever could be given - go forth, love, be loved, and we wish you and yours the very best of memories – olfactory and otherwise.
Photo credits: Photo by Fran on Unsplash; Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash; Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash; Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash.
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