How to give a perfume without losing your friend?

Come on, we bet you've already experienced one of these 2 situations:

1. two weeks before Christmas in a crowded Sephora, you are desperately looking for a perfume to give to your sister . Paratrified by the 2,450 options available to you and your 80% chance of being wrong, you end up buying him an 18th bottle of his own perfume.

2. on December 25, it's your turn : you open the package left by your grandmother under the tree. Here is a gleaming “Rich B*tch” bottle, the latest Gazole. Hey, he smells exactly like Fanny - the girl you hated in your 3ème C class, who was ruining your life in Latin class...

In short, for Christmas or a birthday, choosing a perfume for a loved one is not an easy task . But no worries, we'll give you a little helping hand. Follow us, we investigate and give you our best tips to become the expert in 100% successful perfume gifts .

How do you know which perfume she will like?

Start by hunting for clues. If you've always dreamed of being a detective, now's the time: put on a trench coat, take out a notebook and prepare your questions. “Okay, but what questions should we ask?” Try to find out his/her taste in perfume: does he/she prefer fresh, woody, sweet, flowery scents? Does he/she prefer niche perfumes , or rather classic sure values? Is he/she more eau de cologne or eau de parfum ? In short, gather as much information as possible before you start.

Decline your favorite perfume

If you know the name of his favorite perfume, it's jackpot. It will be easier to please him. In this case you can:

• opt for the higher format (always nice!)
• try another type of concentration : be careful that the smell does not stray too far from the original concentration used by your loved one. Because even if the name of the perfume remains the same and as surprising as it may seem, it can happen that from the eau de parfum to the eau de toilette, the perfumer has decided to change a few notes so that the result is more harmonious. and therefore the smell is different.
• or offer them a gift box that contains products derived from the fragrance: body lotion, shower gel, mist or even aftershave... The derivatives are a great gift idea that will allow your loved one to scent themselves with his favorite smell. A bit like our R ayon Vert candle & perfume duo : sure to be a hit under the tree.

Otherwise, we continue the investigation: head discreetly - on tiptoe and magnifying glass in hand - towards his collection of perfumes. Inspect the most used bottles and the notes he/she seems to prefer.

You can also simply ask one of their relatives to continue to gather as much information as possible regarding their tastes.

Risk appetite

If you like adventure and risk - and your loved one often likes to change or discover new perfumes - why not try giving them a new one ? Who knows, it could be his next crush!

First, put your tastes aside. The idea is not to offer a perfume that could appeal to you, but to offer a fragrance that your loved one could wear with pleasure. Tastes and colors, you know that cannot be discussed...

The simplest thing is to turn to smells that he/she likes (be adventurous but not too much!). You know now - after carrying out your little investigation - that your loved one has the habit of wearing this or that fragrance, that he or she likes this or that olfactory family. All you have to do is note down his preferences, the notes that stand out the most from his collection and share them with a perfumery advisor: you will surely be directed towards something that will please him! Don't hesitate to favor mixed perfumes : you have even more chances of liking him.

Here are also our few tips to avoid “oh, it smells good... thank you!” (although not at all) and your loved one ends up with yet another perfume on her dresser that she will certainly never use - yes, it can happen, so we prefer to plan ahead:

• First tip: always offer the chosen perfume accompanied by its sample . This will allow him to test it on his skin and see its evolution before opening the bottle. This is what we do at Bastille: all our perfumes come with a sample for exactly this reason, and returns are free!
• Second tip: you can also offer the perfume accompanied by an exchange ticket - without the price displayed, of course - so that the person can change it in case of disappointment.
• Last fallback solution: it is also possible to turn to less risky gifts which will allow him to discover new smells. We think in particular of bed mists, room fragrances, or even candles.

For example, if your friend likes white flowers like jasmine and he/she really needs to relax, we have the ideal gift: our Pleine Lune candle , a pretty limited edition made in collaboration with Lorraine Sorlet . With essential oils of neroli and bergamot, this soothing and comforting candle is likely to please him! Even if it means introducing him to eau de parfum a little later, for a future occasion...

Daily routine

Also take into account what your loved ones do during their day: do they work in an office or outside? Do they do a lot of outside activities? Are they team Netflix or team Saturday night fever? All this will allow you to know if they need a powerful perfume or not, rather fresh or rather opulent... For example, if the person in question does a lot of sport, he or she will surely want a fresh perfume to feel good after a good shower. If he goes out a lot, a strong perfume will help him get noticed. Last example, if she spends most of her free time hiking in nature, there is a good chance that woody or green smells will appeal to her. Are you following us? Obviously, it's not an exact science, so don't bet everything on it and take your detective notes into consideration to be sure to give him the ideal perfume !

Personal values

Is your friend vegan? Or are you a fan of clean beauty, committed brands, natural or made in France make-up? Is she a young mother who is careful about the products she puts on her skin ? Here too, try to find in the perfume you give her the commitments she follows on a daily basis. At Bastille , it's quite easy: all our perfumes are vegan, 95% natural, formulated with organic wheat alcohol and of course made in France. Don’t hesitate to ask brands when you have any doubts!

Style above all

It is often said that clothing style reflects our personality. Don’t hesitate to base yourself on that! Besides, this will allow you to know if you really know him/her: so, are you a good friend or not? If you want, we can help you a little: if his/her clothing style is rather classic and he/she is a little shy, don't go and offer him/her a very experimental perfume : there is a greater chance that he/she will don't take responsibility for it, and that's not the goal! On the other hand, if his personality is bubbly, joyful and his clothing style is slightly atypical, you may be able to venture into niche, more unique perfumes.

We thought of everything

At Bastille, we've planned ahead with a sample box that includes all the perfumes in our collection, and a voucher to receive your favorite perfume in a 50ml version! Our five perfumes are all very different from each other: they represent 5 very distinct olfactory families . No more doubt, your loved one will find happiness there! And if you ever want to put your detective skills to good use without taking too many risks, all our perfumes come with a sample. So go for it, you no longer have excuses:

Finding the right perfume for a loved one is a mission that you can now take on with flying colors. Follow our advice carefully, try to know as much as possible about the person and don't worry: in any case, you will have offered a wonderful moment of olfactory discovery to your loved one, and we bet they will appreciate it. Merry Christmas !

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Photos: Jules Theret, Margaux Corda