Dominique's Perfume Gift Guide 2024 💖🎁

Fragrance for everyone!

Perfume isn’t a great gift.

Whaaaaatttttt????

No, I know. I’m making a perfume gift guide and the first thing I say is “don’t do it.”

I’m not clickbaiting you… You CAN gift perfume, but there is a way to do it. And if you were hoping for some perfume gift ideas, some unique luxury perfumes to scope this holiday season, you did in fact still come to the right place! I’ve got you!

Shiny, packaged-and-ready-to-go fragrance gift sets may be beckoning you in your local department store, but please heed my warning… if you don’t know if they like the perfume ahead of time, if they haven’t already tested the perfume, if they haven’t explicitly said they want this exact fragrance, pump the breaks. Welcome to the perfume gift guide 2024: a lesson in not f*cking up your holiday gifting.

Perfume is expensive, and it’s incredibly personal. Perfume performs differently on different skin based on a number of factors (ie, it smells different on everyone), and performs differently based on climate, humidity, temperature, etc. It evolves over time, and doesn’t smell the same upon first spray as it does two hours later… it’s designed this way. It’s so subjective that even the most beloved, best selling perfume has people out there who absolutely cannot stand it.

So let’s start with my best suggestion in “how to gift perfume” if you don’t know what perfume they like: perfume discovery sets.

Discovery Sets

Not only is a perfume discovery set a better option for the gift recipient, but discovery sets make for more affordable fragrance gifts in general (especially if you’re gifting with luxury brands like these). This way before you sink $200-$400 on a bottle of niche luxury perfume, you can have them do several wear tests, and then go get a full bottle together if that’s part of your gifting budget/plan.

We’ll begin with the more accessible price point and work our way up: Affordable (yet luxurious!) perfume gift sets under $100.

shop some discovery sets I like, here

UNDER $100

Sephora Favorites Perfume Sampler Set — is this niche? no. but this is by far one of the best fragrance gifts you can give becauuuuseeeee it comes with eighteen samples (that’s a metric f*ck ton) and a credit for a FULL SIZE BOTTLE of the one you (they) choose. It includes a ton of best-loved best-selling fragrances for women, including a few of my favorites, like Princess by Kilian. They’ve got Prada Paradoxe, YSL Libre, Tom Ford Café Rose, Margiela Lazy Sunday Morning, and Juliette Has a Gun Not A Perfume. This is an excellent buy for the just-under $100 price point.

Memo Paris Discovery Set — Of my niche perfume recommendations, I love Memo perhaps the most. They’re still pretty under the radar, many of their concoctions are exclusively available in Paris (making them even rarer and ensuring you won’t smell like everyone else), and they’re olfactively designed to be scent-poetry (the founder is a poet!). This is truly one of the best houses for niche fragrances for collectors… and because they’re not available in many places around the world, this set of samplers is an excellent way to try before you order a full bottle online.

Parfums de Marly — One of my other favorite houses in Paris, and the creator of two of my personal favorite fragrances (and my signature scent!). This set of testers will give you a nice range of their exquisite collection, but I’m knocking points off because they no longer include Safanad (we’ll get to this). BUT! For under 40 euros, this is a nice way to sample (most of) their greatest hits.

Jovoy Discovery Coffret — if you can’t make it to Paris to peruse the sultry scented aisles of Jovoy Rare Perfumes in the 1er arrondissement, try their discovery set with a mix of ultra-niche, super unique, very luxe perfumes (and it’s like 50 bucks!).

Santa Maria Novella — I visited this 800 year old perfumery in Florence last year, and was sooo enchanted by the stunning antique “pharmacy” … their kit includes eight of their greatest hits, including one of their originals: Acqua della Regina, Fresia, Rosa Gardenia, Rosa Novella, Angeli di Firenze, Melograno, Tabacco Toscano, and Pot Pourri. Acqua della Regina, specifically, was commissioned by Caterina de’ Medici, made by Dominican monks in 1533, and given to Enrico di Valois (King Henry III of France) when they got married.

Dries Van Noten — this niche designer set from DVN includes 10 fragrances, including three of their greatest hits: Soie Malaquais, Fleur du Mal (from one of my fav noses), and Jardin de L’Orangerie (on my personal wish list).

Filigree & Shadow Discovery Set — I discovered this American-based niche perfumery this year on TikTok! These are hands down the most unique, most artful, most striking and emotion-inducing fragrances I’ve yet to smell. And they’re water-based, so not only are they excellent for even the most sensitized skin types, but they can ship around the world with no problems. The nose, James Elliott, did an episode with us on This Is Fine! this year… It's an amazing perfume 101!

Gabar Discovery Set — London-based with Myanmar roots (low key I miss Burmese food so much, but that’s another topic), this discovery set is “inspired by three specific regions in the brand's homeland.” I personally own Ground, their second fragrance, and it’s so sophisticated… I’m dying to try the rest of the collection!

VERY MUCH NOT UNDER $100

by Kilian Narcotics Travel Collection — if you’re into sweet florals, you’re going to be addicted to The Narcotics from Kilian (including the Rhianna signature fragrance, Love Don’t Be Shy). These are travel sized fragrances, and they come with a gorgeous case that you refill with each small bottle — so it’s priced accordingly. But, THEY ALSO HAVE A SAMPLE SET AT SEPHORA FOR LIKE THIRTY BUCKS!!!

Diptyque Build Your Own Eau de Toilette — one of the best French niche luxury perfumeries, these are all incredible unisex fragrances… and you get to choose which five you want for just over 100 euros! If I were making a box, I personally would choose Eau Duelle, L’Eau Des Sens, L’Eau Papier, L’Eau Rose, and 34.

Dior Collection Privée Coffret — 10 mini perfumes from the Dior private collection, all of which I’ve huffed multiple times as I bop around all the Diors and Grand Magasins of Paris every single week. I love Jasmin Des Anges, Lucky, and Ambre Nuit.

Byredo Discovery Set + Gift Card — This set is €195, but includes €165 toward a full size perfume… and has twenty four fragrances to choose from and test… I think that’s pretty sweet tbh. Like this is a slam dunk gift. This is especially awesome if you don’t live near a store that carries Byredo… you get to have the full in-store experience, test the majority of their collection

Guerlain Coffret (PALETTE ICONIQUE) — this one is super expensive, and the most luxurious of all of them… it’s like four hundred bucks. These aren’t sampler spray bottles, they’re eight 10mL mini bottles that last quite a while. For the price, I do wish they had an atomizer as I find the pour-out dispensing to be quite annoying HOWEVER this is a gorgeous way to truly test and experiment with eight of the best, most iconic fragrances from their high end line, L’Art et La Matière. Spiritueuse Double Vanille is an absolute masterpiece from this house; I’ll get into Cuir Béluga (from one of my other favorite noses), Angélique Noire, and Musc Outreblanc below.

see my ShopMy perfume shelf here

Full Bottle Luxury Perfume Recommendations

If you’re shopping for yourself, or going to get samples for someone else, these are some of the best niche fragrances to gift this holiday season — my personal favorite recommendations, plus what’s on my wish list. If you’re going to ignore my advice about not blind buying, I can’t stop you… but here are what I consider to be the best fragrances for gifts this year.

Memo Paris: As mentioned above… I’m obsessed with this house. Here are two I’m in love with, and one on my wish list. Two are only found in Paris, sorry!

• Sintra: The scent that introduced me to this exceptional house, my marshmallow neroli milk dream come true, a coup de cœur… Sintra struck me with magic from my very first inhale. This is a crowd pleaser, sweet but not saccharine, has some edge, and my friends recognize it immediately (and want to borrow it). This is close to being my signature scent, and it’s constantly in my rotation.

• Odéon: Exclusive to Paris, sensual and sweet, dark and rich, juicy and elegant… this is the scent of a love potion, falling in love in Paris under the starlight, bopping into a jazz club, a tonka infused cocktail, a stroll on the seine, the world being a bed of roses because you’re in love… it’s just absolutely magical and intoxicating. And because I got this last Christmas, it will forever remind me of my first winter in Paris. This is so niche, so rare, and you have to travel to get it… unless you’re in Paris of course! If not, you can get that sweet, sweet VAT refund.

• Zante: on my wishlist this year is a last minute dark horse/switch up/jump scare — one that isn’t even on Fragrantica?!?! Two of my favorite scent profiles: an orangerie (orange blossom, nerloli, and petitgrain) and patchouli/amber. I never thought I’d find a combination of these two seemingly disparate scent families… and I was wrong. I just smelled this at Memo and immediately fell in love, love at first sniff. I had originally gone to deliberate between two other Paris exclusives — Quartier Latin and Palais Bourbon — and fell in love with this instead.

Parfums de Marly: Both of these are particularly femme, and both are absolutely STUNNING. You can get them anywhere in the world online I believe!

• Delina - one of the top fragrances for women internationally; it debuted in 2017 but Delina has recently exploded internationally in popularity. This screams “pretty girl” and in a really rich, elevated way. It’s juicy, tangy, punchy, fruity, tart, refreshing, femme, playful, and fun. The musk, rhubarb, citrus, peony-rose combo is just so princessy… and the bottle totally matches the vibe.

• Safanad - my signature scent, especially when I want something “safe” but truly beautiful. So polished and classic, but not boring or basic. An amber orange blossom. It’s solar and warm, like drops of golden sunlight, but has levity thanks to the white floral. It’s the warmth of your sun-kissed skin in a mediterranean summer, laying seaside with a cold drink. Yet it doesn’t SCREAM summer, and can be worn in any season.

Xerjoff Casamoratti Bouquet Ideale: From the Italian house Xerjoff, within their women’s Casamoratti line, you’ll find this underrated, under-the-radar warm syrupy amber, caramelized sandalwood, cinnamon-kissed fall/winter scent. The name was so misleading to me as I anticipated a floral (and was thrown off by the red bottle color), but the scent itself is simply divine… deliciously so.

Fragrance du Bois Sirène: This is the most recent addition to my collection, my first cherry fragrance, and a love-at-first-sniff moment from my recent journey to Givaudan perfume labs in Paris. The sandalwood-esque Japanese incense base gives some woody-spicy (not smokey!) heft and power while a juicy, tart, tangy-sweet dark cherry dances with a milky lactonic accord, and some sparkling pink pepper. There’s a delicate oud, a bit of barely-there floral… it’s boss bitch, it’s bewitching, it’s seductive, it’s powerrrrful, it’s gorgeous.

Alessandro Serpico Tabacco: This is so niche that it also doesn’t have a page on Fragrantica (not even the line itself), but I discovered the brand in Ischia, a small island off the coast of Naples. This warm, spicy, sultry, ultra-unisex fragrance was so intoxicating, it took every ounce of strength not to buy it on site after the first sniff (which would’ve been a rookie mistake!). However, I’ve been so impressed with this small family-owned perfumery, and am wishing for a sample set myself.

ULTRA LUXURY

If you’re going full send and ready to drop coin on some high-end perfume gifts, I’ve got you (obviously).

Guerlain: the house of all perfume houses, founded in 1828 in Paris (which makes me think of the soon-to-follow Haussmann-itization of my beloved city), this private collection is extremely luxe, extremely prestige, and — as you may have anticipated — extremely expensive. These are an indulgent treat.

• Musc Outreblanc - this is number one on my current wish list… milky breathy cloud like almost creamy iris-musk with sandalwood and orange blossosm. Clean and fresh but not soapy, with some body… truly so angelic. And it LASTS. This is not a one or two hour whisper of skin-scent musk. This is an all-day, 8+ hour scent.

• Angélique Noire - speaking of angelic, ANGELIQUE NOIRE BABY. The combo of this with Musc OB is ouuuutttt of this world ethereal. Heavenly celestial perfection. On it’s own, a juicy warm vanilla, with an almost green-tinged component thanks to the angelica flower. My mom decanted me some of the bottle I got her for her birthday/mother’s day gift this year (she’s insane but I’m grateful). Two of my friends also got this fragrance this year and I’m obsessed with how much they love it, too.

• Cuir Béluga - this is the full bottle I got this year; one of the best unisex fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Another soft, cloudy, cashmere-soft vanilla suede with some amandine (can I use that as an adjective?) heliotrope, amber, and a whisper of aldehydes. It’s stunning, so cool girl (like model-off-duty vibes), and gives effortless chic.

Amouage Guidance 46: the mac daddy, the crown jewel, the please-don’t-rob-my-house perfume. The one that stunned all my friends, got me compliments from random strangers, and lasted 24 hours on the first test spray. From one of the most beautiful artisanal fragrance brands I discovered this year: Amouage. This brand has been on my radar for a while and I finally got to experience them in store at Jovoy in Paris… and one spray of Guidance 46 was all it took. From the same nose as Delina (Quentin Bisch), came Guidance, and eventually the extrait (intensified) iteration, Guidance 46.

I guarantee you, this fragrance is like nothing you’ve ever smelled… Woody and nutty, with sandalwood, amber, vanilla, hazelnut and almond. Warm, spicy and slightly sweet thanks to the vanilla, frankincense, pink pepper, and saffron, giving it an otherworldly, exotic component. Floral and slightly fruity, from pear, an almost peach-tinged osmanthus, rose water, rose, and jasmine.

This is an insanely high concentration of perfume oil (46% … EDT is 5-15%, EDP 15-20%), therefore it is BEAST MODE and lasts a very long time. One to two sprays, MAX babes. so while it’s the most expensive perfume in my collection, it will also last through a nuclear apocalypse. worth it!!! My friends used my birthday cagnotte to get this stunning masterpiece for me, and I’m impossibly grateful (sobbed at the restaurant, lol).

What (and How) to Pick a Perfume Gift

Here are some tips on how to choose the perfect fragrance gift…

• Check their Fragrantica. If they have an account on Fragrantica and you know how to find them, check their “Perfumes I Want” shelf.

• Ask what they already wear. Next time they’re wearing a fragrance, give them a compliment and ask what they’re wearing… you can then type THAT fragrance into Fragrantica (or another site like Base Notes, Parfumo), and see which fragrances have similar notes and structures.

• Go perfume shopping together. The easiest way to see what they like? Go out with them to some shops, sniff stuff together, and see what they jive with and what works on their skin… then surprise them! You can use this guide as a list of things to try when you go out (your personal luxury perfume gift ideas list), and then get the gift later after it’s been properly tested.

• Get the discovery set. Sometimes this is the best option — let them decide for themselves, and let the discovery and the process be the gift. Again, if it’s within budget, you can give them the set and offer to buy the full size of whichever they choose — making it more of an interactive (and still exceptionally generous!) gift.

GET MORE GIFT GUIDANCE!!!