Nik wants to buy the perfect fragrance to give his girlfriend for Valentine's Day. He lives in London, so has great access to perfume stores, and he'd like to keep the cost below £100 (about $140). Here is what we know about the object of his affections:
She an actress in her late 30s.
She's originally from the Balkans but has been in the UK since she was young.
She likes summer beach holidays in Greece, the theater, eating out and skiing.
In terms of style, she goes for elegance but with elements of fun, such as the odd bit of bright color or statement jewellery.
She does not seem to like big oppressive fragrances, or anything too old-fashioned (probably no big florals or lavender). Her current rotation includes Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil, Comme Des Garçons Incense Zagorsk and Carthusia Mediterraneo, plus she has a soft spot for Gucci Rush.
What say you?
Note: image is post_te [cropped] by fedewild at flickr; some rights reserved.
what about a Jo Loves sampler set that comes with a voucher to get a 50ml bottle? I haven’t tried any but they sound fun and interesting. If they are anything like the Jo Malone scents, they won’t be big or old-fashioned either.
Great suggestion! I got the Jo Loves sampler set last year with the gift voucher, and it was fun to try all the scents; some are really unique, although ultimately I chose a more traditional floral. Also, the Jo Loves boutique is a really pretty place to visit in a lovely London neighborhood, so Nik could make a date out of it. Finally, the color theme of the shop is all red and white, very fitting for Valentine’s Day!
My post about my own experience buying the Jo Loves sampler: https://scentsandsensibilities.co/2016/10/29/fragrance-friday-jo-loves/. Also, forgot to mention that their packaging is also all red and white, and very pretty! Someone else suggested a date night for Nik to present the gift — I think that’s also a wonderful idea.
It sounds like she enjoys refreshing and bright green scents, my favorite is Clarins Eau des Jardins, it’s uplifting and bright, with grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, orange, black currant bud, greens (mint & bay leaf), drydown is vetiver & white musk. It’s light and surprisingly long-lasting, drying down to a soft musk (not powdery) skin scent.
L’Ombre Dans L’Eau from Diptyque is nearly the same perfume notes, with a touch more spice and the greens are sharper. I’d say it is a stronger version of the Clarins scent at twice the price.
Figue Amere by Miller Harris with notes of amber, orange, violet leaf, balsam fir, cedar, bergamot, rose, narcissus and seaweed. It hits the right balance of fruity without veering too sweet and has a beautiful sea salt driftwood note that I find compelling.
My favorite of the bunch is Antonia’s Flowers Tiempe Passate, with cedar, amber, bergamot, rose and clementine. Very much the same vibe as Fig Amere but without the fig note, compelling, soft and beautiful. The bottle and presentation is also gorgeous.
Diptyque does a couple of discovery sets – five 7.5ml sprays – and I think both include L’Ombre. The packaging is really lovely and they go for about $100.
It is slightly above your price range (though the five purse sprays are 90 pounds), but Ormonde Jayne Sampaquita might fit the bill. It is a bright but not overwhelming jasmine with the grassy, peppery Ormonde Jayne signature.
That is funny because I was wondering about OJ Champaca — it is a shame OJ does not do mixed travel sets.
Maybe Nahema or Apres L’Ondee would fit the bill. Or maybe Kyoto might work if she likes Zagorsk. Maybe LADDM would be another option.
Oh! LADDM is a great suggestion! I second that!
SO I am thinking something bright, with some fruit, but classy. Something that goes from beach to ballroom. Neela Vermeire’s Bombay Bling!
Here’s a link to more info (scroll down): https://www.neelavermeire.com/neela-vermeire-creations–creations-2.html#bb
The price is high for the 60 mls, but 15 ml travel sprays are pretty easy to find online in the UK.
Vermeire discovery sets can be had also.
I like the idea of a sample set because it is tricky to anticipate what will smell good on someone’s skin. It’s also fun to try different scents from the same brand. By Kilian does beautiful Olfactive Harmonies travel sets of quarter ounce vials with their attractive travel atomizer case for $145. Also, Hermes offers a Nomad Set of four fragrances for less than $140. The small bottles are attractive — the same colored glass as the regular size. You can compose your own set (within certain categories), and I would especially recommend including Cuir d’Ange.
Parfumerie Generale has interesting, well-composed scents for under $140. Indochine is very appealing, and I’m particularly curious to sniff the new Suede Osmanthe, which has been compared to SL Daim Blonde. Notes include aldehydes, black tea, osmanthus, apricot, Suederal, Cashmeran, and musks.
If there is a perfume shop like Arielle Shoshana where you can sniff a range of niche fragrances and take home samples to test before buying, I would recommend that you take her shopping and sniff together. Enjoy the hunt!
The “Discovery set of 10 eaux de toilette” from Diptyque is most unfortunately £120, because otherwise it would be perfect — I think since she likes lighter, more modern scents, Diptyque would be a good bet. Might be worth sniffing a few of the individual scents anyway to see if any strike your fancy — a number of them do come in travel sprays.
There is a set of five, too! http://www.diptyqueparis.com/edt-pre-composed-set.html is the US link. Net-a-porter has a five-edp set that is well within the price range: https://www.net-a-porter.com/gb/en/product/1035795/diptyque/eau-de-parfum-discovery-set–5-x-7-5ml
I saw that! I thought given her preferences, the 10 EdTs might be better than the 5 EdPs, but who knows!
I just suggested this in a response further up – I should’ve read all the way down . . .
I too love the idea of an Hermes set. Based on your girlfriend’s current perfumes she has some knowledge of perfume and a strong sense of personal taste, and that makes it hard to buy for someone! But with a set she will have some fun variety.
I’m not seeing something called a Nomad set on the Hermes website, but there are two options. if you go for the $124 one, my personal recs based on her taste would be Kelly Caleche, Eau des Merveilles, Voyage, and Jour Absolu. If you go for the $164 one, definitely Osmanthe Yunnan!!! I believe Brin de Reglisse is also much-loved though I haven’t tried it.
Oops this was supposed to be in reply to nozknoz
Thanks, Regina! I would tend to agree with you to go with the Hermessence set if possible. There are 13 fragrances to choose from, if I’m counting correctly.
Cuir d’Ange is an Hermessence. I like Iris Ukioye for spring, and I think Ambre Narguile and Santal Massoia are popular.
Since she already likes and wears Un Jardin Sur le Nil, maybe she would like the Jardin series coffret available through Sephora (am I right to think that would be available in the UK?). The mini bottles are very cute; there are four 7.5 ml bottles, including Un Jardin Sur le Nil, Un Jardin sur le Toit, Un Jardin en Mediterranee, and Le Jardin de Monsieur Li. Neiman Marcus in the US is also selling a Jardin set of three 15 ml sprays (Nil, Toit, and Monsieur Li), but I don’t know if they ship to London; maybe one of the big London stores has the same set.
As several above have mentioned- Hermes travel set/sample set. I got 4 travel sizes of Hermes in store last year. You could pick from the essences for them. They tend to be lighter and quite a variety to choose from. Rose Ikebana was my best!
I feel like the Hermessences would work because she likes Hermes Un Jardin sur Nil and Gucci Rush. Although I’m not sure why I think Rush is like an Hermessence, but I do!
Here are a couple of additional ideas. Many of the Annick Goutals might be scents to consider (Eau de Ciel, Eau de Charlotte and Vent de Folie are a few I like – I seem to like some of the perfumes mentioned that the girlfriend likes, so I thought I’d put those our there.) The Annick Goutal bottles are very pretty, too – both the new and the old ones. There is also Penhaligon’s Artemesia, Parfums de Nicolai’s Vie de Chateau, and if Geranium Bourbon is still available from Miller Harris, that might be something to think about, too. There are also all of the 4160 Tuesdays, plus Incarnata by Anatole Lebreton (lipstick notes, violet, suede). I am wearing Dojima by Mona di Orio today, and that one maybe a bit spendy, but is so beautiful with its ambrette, rice powder and orris.
Hope you find a good one to surprise her with, Nik, with all of our suggestions!
I thought of Annick Goutal, too–maybe Ninfeo Mio or Heure Exquise (although I think the latter is above the price limit)–and, for some reason, Caron’s Aimez Moi comes to mind.
Also a bit above the price range, but I think worth consideration, is Papillon’s Dryad.
I’d also like to suggest that Nik consider paying a visit to Bloom Perfumery, which carries a large range of niche fragrances.
I spent a little time there on a trip to London a few years ago (I wanted to check out Rozy, which wasn’t available in the US at that point), and found the staff to be very knowledgeable and helpful (without making me feel at all pressured). I suspect they’d have a number of suggestions.
I think Chanel No. 5 L’eau would be perfect. The 25 mL is realy cute and he can even oresent it with a dizen roses and still be within budget!
Possibly the Cire Trudon coffret?
I was thinking that, myself.
Hermessences do seem to tick some of the boxes, and I agree that rose ikebana is a super likeable, as is cuir d’ange… But buying fragrances for someone else is still tricky. If it were me, I would adore a boyfriend who does the legwork of identifying, say, 3 -4 contenders (as Nick is already doing with his question here) and then spends a romantic date helping me decide which of those will be the one. Dinner and a perfume, if you will. ????
Reading about her, I was thinking Philosykos (especially knowing she loves holidays in Greece).
Along the same lines and equally recommended is Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi – in that gorgeous blue bottle!
Very late to the party, but these were what first came to my mind, too!