When it comes to gift giving, a chic fragrance will always be well-received. That said, choosing a scent for someone else - especially if you don't have time to sniff any yourself - is no easy feat. Thus, our team of perfume lovers have shared six blends you can blind-buy with confidence...
While scent can be subjective, many of the best long-lasting perfumes boast universal appeal, or at the very least, some common ground. A woody floral, for instance, might please a lover of warm and musky signatures as well as it does a traditional floral fragrance fan. This sort of crowd-pleasing aroma makes for a chic and low-maintenance gift, as it's likely to impress and can be ordered online - in the very likely event that you haven't had the time to sniff your way through a physical perfume counter. This is especially true if you're unsure of your loved one's fragrance tastes but still want to treat them.
Now, we know what you're thinking: how do you tell a cult favourite from a polarizing blend? Mercifully, woman&home's beauty team - all of whom are perfume obsessed - have got that part covered, having shared six scents and sets that are tried, tested and proven compliment-bringers...
6 chic perfumes that are safe for blind-buying this Christmas
When it comes to selecting a perfume for someone else, it's best to avoid anything too niche or potentially polarizing. An oud perfume, for instance, can be very heady and strong, so is perhaps not the safest of choices. A classical rose perfume can also tread into similar territory. Very sugary gourmands or fruity scents - like strawberry perfumes - can also be a tad risky.
We would therefore recommend opting for subtler scents, like clean laundry-like blends or smooth vanilla, green fig perfumes and florals with depth - either through sweetness or woody base notes. Musky and fresh unisex fragrances are also a very good and sophisticated option. And in case you're looking for a specific scent (that checks one or more of these boxes) to speedily checkout, these are our team's top picks...
RRP: £170 for 50ml | Notes: Bergamot, fig, bay leaves, cedar wood, vetiver, musk and black tea leaves
Digital Beauty Editor, Fiona McKim recommends Le Labo's Thé Noir as a guaranteed winner this gift-giving season: "I wouldn’t normally consider ‘crowdpleaser’ a compliment - I’m a big bold perfume fan and the fact not everyone loves them is part of the appeal. However, Thé Noir by the always-giftable Le Labo is the exception, being distinctive but also loved by everyone I’ve seen give it a sniff. Sticky fig is the overriding first impression, with a bit of fresh bergamot that’s balanced by smoky tea and a sexy tobacco dry down. It’s gender-neutral, crisp yet comforting, has a sunny green freshness but also something of the night about it… Ok fine, it’s a big old crowdpleaser, I adore it and so would anyone I reckon."
RRP: £39 for 30ml | Notes: Grapefruit, neroli, patchouli, sea spray and orange blossom
Digital Beauty Writer, Sennen Prickett recommends the affordable Jones Road Shower perfume, as it bottles up that freshly showered scent that surely everyone can get on board with: "I’ve always been on the hunt for a scent that leaves a positive lasting impression on others, so I was over the moon to get so many compliments on my Jones Road ’Shower’ fragrance. This perfume mirrors that fresh, soapy scent of a hot steamy shower, equipped with a zingy citrus body wash - it’s simply hard not to love. Plus, it’s super affordable, making it a great gift idea for a fragrance lover."
RRP: £60 for 30ml | Notes: Lily Of The Valley, pear, aldehydes, ambrette seeds, iris, rose absolute, orange flower, white musks and patchouli
Delicate, clean and ever-so-slightly musky, Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson suggests Maison Margiela's Lazy Sunday: "This scent really bottles up the feeling of being tucked into freshly laundered sheets on a sunny Sunday morning. It's clean and powdery but not in an overpowering way and once settled on the skin, offers a musky warmth that is so comforting and inviting. It's got an aftershave-y quality to it, which I think adds to this scent's universal appeal. Plus, the bottle is so chic." Another selling point is that this blend is one of the most popular in REPLICA's perfume collection.
RRP: £49 for 30ml | Notes: Damask Rose essence, cherry accord, neroli, jasmine absolute, oakmoss, patchouli, ambroxan and love accord
Beauty Editor, Stephanie Maylor names Elie Saab's Elixir Love as the perfect blind-buy scent as it's "very pretty, and not too overpowering." She adds, "I can't imagine anyone not liking it," with its sweet and delicate blend of damask rose, jasmine cherry and musky oakmoss and ambroxan. It's one of those scents that really melts into the skin and affords a very alluring and flattering impression.
RRP: £33 for 50ml | Notes: Fig, cardamom, orange flowers, jasmine, solar flowers, cedarwood, sandalwood, cashmere wood and tonka beans
Sarah Cooper-White, Group Beauty Director of Woman & Home, also recommends Beauty Pie's La Flâneuse, as she's received so many compliments when wearing it - with people asking what the scent is, "Plus it's a bit cheaper than other fragrances too." Fig perfumes have also been very trendy this season, which is another pro in this scent's favour and adds to its gifting appeal.
RRP: £58 for 100ml | Notes: Violet, muguet, styrax, jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, cedar, amber and musk
Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha Badkar recommends a blend of delicate violet and warm amber, with a hint of tuberose for a chic impression: "I usually hate tuberose in perfumes - generally I find it overbearingly floral or way too sweet with a hefty amount of green. But somehow, Granado managed to transform the note into somewhat of an addiction for me. It softens the usually sharp floral note with a top layer of ever-so-subtly sweet violet and a touch of woody, balsamic styrax. Quite musky at the base but absolutely not overwhelmingly so, it dries into its warm amber and cedar notes for a soft, powdery and animalic impression that has a chic edge of sharpness."
Gift and discovery sets are also a great option, especially at Christmas time, as they offer a range of mini scents, often for the price of one full bottle or thereabouts. Senior Beauty Editor, Rhiannon Derbyshire recommends the Floral Street Discovery set as you can mix and match, and it allows someone to try the scents before investing in a full-size bottle at a later date. Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson also suggests the Maison Margiela REPLICA Memory Box set and for a very luxurious and festive gift, the Diptyque Limited Edition Eau de Parfum Discovery Set.
