How to choose a perfume as a gift

The women's perfumes given most fall into two families: sweet florals such as Miss Dior, J'adore, Coco Mademoiselle, Gucci Bloom and La Vie Est Belle, and warm sweet ones such as Black Opium, Good Girl and Hypnotic Poison. If you know her current perfume, choose from its family; if not, a sweet floral is the safer gift. See all the site's perfumes.

For men there are three families: fresh, such as Sauvage, Bleu de Chanel and Terre d'Hermès for work and summer; warm oud, such as Oud Wood by Tom Ford and Oud Ispahan by Dior for winter and occasions; and the classics, such as The One, Pasha de Cartier and Burberry Hero. The safest is an edition of his current perfume or one from the same house.

Three ways, from the safest to the boldest. First: you know their current perfume, so you choose an edition of it (Intense, Absolu, Elixir) or the same one in a larger size. Second: you know only the house, so you choose from the same house and the same family: if they wear a floral, choose a floral. Third: you know nothing, so you pick two or three from one level and let them choose from the link without seeing prices.

What does not work: giving your own favourite. A perfume is a gift for the recipient's nose, not yours.

For a birthday, an anniversary or Mother's Day, flowers with perfume is one gift delivered once: a flower arrangement with a perfume from Dior, Armani, Valentino or de Marly. It suits someone who wants to send something that shows and something that stays. See flowers and perfume.

You do not need to spend much to give a perfume with a known name. There are perfumes from Atiyab Al Kuwait, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Roberto Cavalli and Mercedes-Benz at the first level, delivered in their box the same day. Sort the perfumes by budget on the perfumes page.