Perfume can make a fantastic present, for some couples it’s as much a part of the traditional Christmas as pulling crackers or decorating the tree! However if you buy the same perfume year in year out and you feel like you would like a bit of a change, or that she would but you don’t have a clue how to go about choosing a new scent then I have a couple of helpful ideas.

First up- the technological solution, well kind of…

There’s a web site that takes the brand that your lady currently wears and then will make some suggestions of other brands that are similar. http://www.scentmap.com is the place to go to try it out. Once you have an initial group of suggestions you can then use the “remote control” to help you find new scents.

Next, ask the expert

Armed with a few suggestions courtesy of scent map, you next port of call is the perfume counter. Try to go at a time when you will be able to actually ask the assistant some questions, or go to  place where you can try a few out (on a little piece of card might be better than your own skin for this) as in the end, if you hate the perfume, then it’s not going to make for a successful gift in the long run.

If all else fails…

The “cofret” makes a great option! This is a little mini selection box of a few different perfumes. It’s a great way to try out new perfumes without having to invest in a normal-sized bottle, and they fit very nicely into handbags plus in these days of low-cost flights, it can be very useful to have tiny versions for your hand luggage.