I know you very sophisticated and savvy folks will have some ideas for a gift for my sister's upcoming birthday...

Shall I describe her?

6' tall, "willowy" type
Age 32
Naturally sallow-brown skin, oval face, brown eyes,
Shoulder-length chestnut hair, never fussed-over
Supermodel-beautiful, and
Thoroughly heterosexual, but affects a kind of blase' mannish garb & outward style... no makeup, as if she had "nothing to prove" !
Highly independent, with no declarations of upcoming marriage at all
speaks fluent German, very good Spanish, plenty of Italian
Has travelled Europe extensively
Sensitive and intelligent
Plays bass guitar in a folk band
A real-estate agent selling megamillion properties in the USA and Tuscany
Lovely, dulcet voice and smooth, feminine manners, never EVER loud or boisterous, polite to a fault



So... what fragrance or family would suit such a young woman? as you can see, she is both "femme", yet independent; modern, yet old-world.

Guerlain Vetiver.

Thanks, reiha... great call. I'll consider it!!


I forgot to add a couple things:

Sun-sign: Virgo
She likes sensual, handsome, brooding, dark, slightly hippie-fied guys: Long hair, tan and tatts is cool by her.
With her Amazon height, she naturally gravitates towards guys as tall as she is!
To downplay her own great facial beauty, she'll sometimes wear funny granny spctacles.

Serge Lutens Chergui or Terre d'Hermes, depending on how she feels about sweet?

Your sister sounds delightful and would be so proud of the way you describe her!
How about something from the Santa Maria Novella range (seeing as she works in Tuscany
she may know this perfumer already) I love the Cologna Classica, Garafano or Melograno.

.

I love these virtual present-picking threads. It's as much fun as shopping IRL! Rasputin, what has she gravitated toward in the past? Sometimes what a person likes to smell can be very different from their image, to show another side entirely of their personality.

You've said that you have experimented with making some originals. What better present than an antique cut crystal bottle (from a local flea mart or antique store) filled with something you've concocted just for her. I think she'd be thrilled.

Even for your sister, I think it's too personal to choose a fragrance. It only take one bad incident to make a certain note doomed for life, or a particularly good incident make a note cherished for life. These are stuck in the back of ones mind, I guess the subconscious. If I were she, I'd love a gift certificate to a really nice website like Beautyhabits. I'm sure she would love a little collection of your originals. Both ideas allow her to 'play'.

I think

L'air du desert marocain

Fumerie Turque

Santal de Mysore

SMN Fieno

Dzongkha





Actually, she sounds a lot like my late aunt, who wore Rive Gauche. But I don't recommend it because I understand that the new is far inferior to the vintage. Not familiar with the new, so I can't say personally.

I agree with the Chergei and also would suggest Detchema by Revillon.

Galileo's Daughter, we are thinking on the same wavelengths!

I too was going to suggest Dzongkha and L'Air du Desert Marocain. Parfumerie Generale's Bois Blond and Profumum's Olibanum come to mind too.

Sung
Sung Jewel
MaxMara
Eternity Purple Orchid
Patou ENJoy

I bet she would love a scent that was more of a skin scent, not a lot of throw...something like Lovely or the Sentual.

If you think that she would enjoy something louder than maybe Samsara.

Being that she likes slightly hippie-fied guys.... something with Patchouli, maybe? I really don't have a suggestion, other than that tho.

MY GOD! This girl doesn't need any help! She's got it altogether! Can she be my new best friend???
Give her a non fussy............classic understated perfume that is confident. Do NOT know what to recomment. She's got good taste!

I second the Lovely, and the patchouli fragrance.
NR
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise
DK Chaos (a less expensive version is available at Long Lost Perfumes, called Anarchy)

Feminite du Bois or Blvgari's green tea scent, depending on whether you want to give her a staple or something more expressive.

You know, I just recently tested out Escentric Molecules Escentric 02 -- it's a crisp, sugar-free amber. Very light and a little sparkly, yet it still retains that smooth amber warmth. She can always add an extra spritz if she thinks it's coming off too light.

It also has the benefit of a great, contemporary presentation. I like the graphics they use for their bottle, as well as the clean shape of the bottle itself.

http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/detail.asp?...3&section=1

For someone tall, model beautiful and achingly indifferent to it all, Escentric 02 could be perfect. I'd of suggested Elternhaus MoslBuddJewChristHinDao, but it's impossible to find at twice the price.

I like the suggestions of Feminite du Bois and Guerlain's Vetiver, and I'll throw Habit Rouge and Jicky into the ring.