What's a good perfume to buy my wife?

[jd_1138]

My wife isn't very "girly" and she ran out of perfume a couple of years ago. I figured I'd buy her a bottle of perfume/cologne for her b-day next week. She's hard to buy for. She never tells me what she wants, and when I buy her a small appliance or something, she complains that I am not romantic. lol

At the supermarket, women walk by and sometimes their perfume is really nice. I am sometimes tempted to ask what perfume they are wearing.

I asked the women at work, and they both giggled and said "it's up to the woman herself, it's very personal!" and wouldn't suggest a perfume for me to buy. Neither wear perfume to work.

What's a good perfume?

 

[Andy M.]

'It's up to the woman herself. It's very personal.'

 

[Dawgluver]

what's a good perfume to buy my wife?

Oh dear. When I wore cologne, it was Elizabeth Taylor's Passion. Instead I would suggest body wash and some nice smelling lotion. Lots of folks have allergies to perfume. I haven't worn it for many years.

Places like Bed Bath and Beyond have nice gift baskets with body wash, body squirt stuff, and other goodies.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I'm guessing that if she hasn't replaced her perfume since she ran out, she's not into wearing any anymore. I stopped wearing it when I worked in a mall 20 years ago. Didn't want to annoy anyone who came to our stand in case they had an allergy. Now just like Dawg, I don't bother either.

What DOES you wife like to do? Garden? Get her some nice leather garden gloves, maybe a couple of perennials to plant while using them. Maybe read? Take her to a local book shop to browse for something she would enjoy, then take her out to a small cafe. If she likes watching birds outside, get a new feeder and mount it on a shepherd's hook and keep it filled. Maybe a hummingbird feeder, too, if you buy a double hook. I have two doubles outside my kitchen window. BTW, it takes me FOREVER to prep meals because of it, but worth every minute.

If you rack your brain and come up with something she doesn't appreciate, then just throw your hands up in the air, say "well, I tried" and leave the room.

Good luck.

 

[Kayelle]

What a nice thought JD.. You're on the right track.
There was a time that every woman had what they wanted for a "signature scent" and it was personal, as every scent doesn't have the same effect on every woman.
It's amazing, but true.
In this generation, people get off on objecting to scents of any kind, and ridiculous in my view.
Anyway, my favorite perfume of all time is Coco, the signature fragrance of Coco Chanel. Buy her some bath powder. She'll love it.

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes, this is definitely a personal question I too stopped wearing perfume some years ago. I do like nicely scented body lotion, so Dawg has a good thought there.

I love getting a pedicure and DH gave me a gift certificate to my favorite salon for Christmas. He has also gotten me a gift certificate for a massage before, which I greatly appreciated. Another time, it was an entire spa day - a facial, massage, manicure and pedicure, including lunch. I loved it

 

[Katie H]

I agree with what some others have said, perfume is a very personal thing.

Over the years I have changed my "signature" perfume so, for me, one scent and one scent only might not be right...at the moment.

You might do some sleuthing and see what fragrances your wife gravitates to. See if she likes a floral fragrance or, perhaps, she's more drawn to spicier scents. In the world of perfume you can go from the ridiculous to the sublime when it comes to choices.

As carefully and in a sneaky manner, try to determine what her last fragrance was. Not sure why she's not wearing it, or any other, but maybe she thought you didn't care for it (didn't comment one way or the other when she was wearing it) or that it might have been too costly to warrant it.

Enlist the help of a close friend. Many times friends have information that you don't.

As for what to do...if you are set on buying her perfume, you might want to give her a gift certificate to a high-end store that sells perfume and let her choose for herself and accompany her when she goes to pick it out. You could make the trip a joint effort that both of you could enjoy.

 

[Andy M.]

If you want to make a romantic gesture, pay attention to your wife to learn what she likes and dislikes. You should be doing this anyway. It's part of the deal. If not perfume (she's not used it in years) consider some jewelry or other personal gift.

 

[Dawgluver]

I've always preferred power tools to perfume. Years ago, DH gifted me with a scroll saw and a Dremel. Love them.

 

[roadfix]

I used to buy my wife the perfumes she used regularly. But that was a long time ago....

 

[Lance Bushrod]

Jo Malone and it's British to boot. They have many fragrances and all are good. Get her several. I even wear it occasionally.

 

[Zagut]

I've always preferred power tools to perfume. Years ago, DH gifted me with a scroll saw and a Dremel. Love them.

There you go. Get her a hammer drill or a table saw.

Another name for perfume is toilet water. Now just how romantic is that?

I'd much prefer a power tool over water from the toilet.

But I'm a guy so don't pay any attention to what I have to say.

 

[Dawgluver]

There you go. Get her a hammer drill or a table saw.

Another name for perfume is toilet water. Now just how romantic is that?

I'd much prefer a power tool over water from the toilet.

But I'm a guy so don't pay any attention to what I have to say.

Zagut, you are a man after my own heart! I already have a hammer drill, several routers, and a drill press. The table saw is DH's, I won't touch it.

The smell of freshly cut lumber, to me, is a fine perfume.

Sorry we're all so helpful, jd...

 

[Zagut]

Zagut, you are a man after my own heart!





The smell of freshly cut lumber, to me, is a fine perfume.
You see, Perfume is subjective and comes in many scents.

Sorry we're all so helpful, jd...

Nawww.... We never drift threads here.

Dawgluver, Go ahead and get your fingerprints all over the table saw.


And then ask him for a jointer and surface planer to show his for you.

 

[jd_1138]

Zagut, you are a man after my own heart! I already have a hammer drill, several routers, and a drill press. The table saw is DH's, I won't touch it.

The smell of freshly cut lumber, to me, is a fine perfume.

Sorry we're all so helpful, jd...

lol, thanks for all the awesome suggestions. I wrote down the names of the perfumes mentioned and will try to smell them at the local Penny's makeup counter thingy.

Yeah I'd personally prefer power tools, myself. I had a bunch of Ryobi power tools (impact, drill, reciprocating saw, circular saw, multi-tool, lanterns, jobsite radio). But I sold them to a veteran who's starting a remodeling business.

I switched to DeWalt. I only have an impact driver but will be adding all the other stuff as soon as money allows. I highly suggest a multi-tool if you all have never used one. It comes in handy for sanding or trimming wood and other materials. Also, an impact driver makes driving fasteners much easier.

 

[Dawgluver]

Dawgluver, Go ahead and get your fingerprints all over the table saw.


And then ask him for a jointer and surface planer to show his for you.

Heh. The issue with the table saw is not fingerprints, it was given to DH after a good buddy cut off a couple of fingers with it...

Getting back to perfume, go to a high end store, and sniff. Perfume is different smelling on everyone. Back in the day, I used Charlie, which was popular. I found out it smelled like a swamp on me after wearing it for a couple years. My mom broke the news to me.

I can't stand sitting next to someone doused with perfume on an enclosed space, like a plane.

 

[jd_1138]

Good idea, Dawgluver. Taylor Swift has a line of perfume, and wife loves her, so maybe she'll enjoy having her perfume. I'll have to smell it first. I am not sure if it's an el cheapo perfume or a nice fancy one.

 

[Dawgluver]

DH has used my perfume, even though he's a manly man. I suspect Taylor's is worth a try. Use it on yourself first, sniff after an hour.

Otherwise, I would go with power tools. But that's just me.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

I too agree that a woman's scent is very personal... for me I have two,
Wicked Wahine and Pink
both soft and "powder-y" scents. I've also found that perfumes can be too heavy and I agree with others that powders and lotions, as well as body mists are a great option.

Now, when it comes to food and/or cooking, what about a month of those meal kit subscriptions? Or snack box or cocktail/wine subscriptions?

I would LOVE to have a healthful meal, say once a week or so, that I don't have to shop for/make, nor get take out or go to a restaurant when I'm tired and just want to get into my PJ's, put my feet up with a glass of wine and relax.

Gee, could someone tell MY husband this?!

 

[medtran49]

Taylor's bottle reminds me of the Sun, Moon and Stars perfume. Do they even still make it? Our big dog, Keena, grabbed DD's bottle off the bathroom counter one day when we weren't home. She either drank it or it all evaporated before we got back cause we found the empty bottle laying on the staircase with the torn off atomizer beside it.

But, back to the OP. I would never pick out a perfume for someone else. It's just too personal. When my DD and I used to shop for make-up and perfume together, she'd love the way some brands smelled while I would never be caught dead wearing them.