If you’re a man, and you want to get the special lady in your life a lovely new bottle of perfume, then the aisles of the local department store can seem rather scary. With orange-faced staff leaping out and spraying you unwittingly with the latest Calvin Klein perfume, you could be forgiven for bursting into tears and running away. Well, still your nerves and read on.
Pick your family. There are a variety of different ‘families’ that perfumes can be found in, but in normal terms this is actually just ‘groups’. There are floral, woody, spicy and fresh, amongst others. Generally speaking, your special lady will probably have her favourite family already, so purchasing in this area is normally a good idea (if you’re unsure, sneak a look at her perfume bottles when she’s not looking – it’ll usually describe a fragrance as being floral, woody etc).
Work out the budget. Make no mistake, if you want to get your lady a perfume that she’ll actually like, there’s a definite cheapskate limit (Tesco value perfume is likely to lead to the parting of the way). However, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend hundreds. There are a wide variety of online retailers that stock a range of both designer and celebrity perfume at good prices. As with anything you’d buy, make sure you shop around.
If you’re going to test by smelling, don’t overdo it. It’s important to remember that your nose (and your brain) can only deal with three or so different fragrances at once. Beyond that you may find yourself undergoing ‘smell fatigue’ (yes, really), meaning that you won’t be able to tell the difference between scents anymore. If this happens, then go away and come back tomorrow. If you don’t, then there’s no telling what you might end up coming home with!
So, for a great gift this Christmas, get the special lady in your life a Calvin Klein Perfume – it will go down a treat!