BEAUTY

How to buy perfume as a present — and get it right

Scent can be one of the trickiest gifts to buy, but get it right and you’ll be in their good books for ever

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The Sunday Times

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Buying perfume for someone else is a risky business. Buy the right (or the wrong) fragrance and you can “change someone’s olfactory world for ever”, the British perfumer Lyn Harris believes . Nail it and they’ll always be thankful to you for introducing them to their new signature scent. But misjudge a fragrance gift at your peril.

So, how to pick the perfect perfume? Scent is very much an extension of personality, and herein lies the secret to a successful purchase. “Be guided by who they are,” says Olivia da Costa, the founder of the cult fragrance house Olfactive O. “Think about the places they enjoy and what they like to do for work and