How to choose a perfume gift for a special occasion

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Last week I bought a scented gift for my fiance’s niece Rachel for her college graduation. A very special occasion! My aunt had given me a bottle of Diorella perfume many years ago at my high school graduation and I still wear It. So I wanted to buy Rachel a perfume to link this happy occasion of graduating with a fragrance.  I wasn’t sure about her taste in perfume, only that she is 23 years old and likes perfume.

So I went to the perfume shop The Perfume Lounge which specialises in niche perfumes in Amsterdam. Where Phine helped me choose an appropriate gift for her.  She thought Olfactive Studio could have a perfume Rachel would like, since young women of her age usually like their fragrances. I choose the Olfactive Studio discovery set with 7 fragrances of 4 ml spray samples. This will give her plenty of possibilities to test them extensively. If she likes one of these she can choose a full bottle of one of the Olfactive Studio fragrances as a gift. I like the fact that Rachel can sample all fragrances for a longer period as the samples are 4 mls and experience which one she likes best. Rachel loved her present very much and we will see which fragrance she will choose.

Buying a Discovery Set and later a full bottle is probably not a common solution for all scented gifts given its price tag but I find it a good idea for a special occasion if you have a bit more to spend on a gift. It will also work well if you are buying a present with more people together for example at work or with a group of friends.

What do you think, would this work for you? Do you give perfume as a gift? How do you choose a fragrance for someone else?

Disclosure: photograph 1 and 3 made by me, photograph 2 made by Rachel.