HoneeBee Quote

"I love to give a fragrant candle," he says. "I light one the moment I walk into my office in the morning." -Colin Cowie

An Experience as a gift

When most ask what they want for their birthday, they usually answer with the traditional gift answer....an object of sorts. Whether shiny (ahem...diamonds) or lacy (umm..lingerie) certain tangible items come to mind BUT I want you to think of experiences as gifts. For example, a bottle of wine turning into a trip to wine country or sneakers turning into personal training sessions with a running coach.

I want you to rewire your brain to not just think of picking up a dress for your wife but instead scheduling an appointment with a style expert at her favorite boutique to fit her for the best dress she has ever worn, all while getting style advice on the most flattering pants for her figure, why accessories are so important and of course, why she should be so in love with her husband for this experience.

I'm talking about not only giving your hubby tickets to the next home football game but giving him tickets to his home team's game when they are away. Giving him the opportunity to visit another city, while cheering on his fave team, in some fab seats. Oh and while your at it...have a signed jersey in his hotel room. Who's still in the running to becoming America's Next Top Wife?

See where I am going with this? It's time to amp up some gifts and turn them into experiences. I want to note that all experiences do not have to be expensive but they must be special....you're in the right ballpark if you get anything in the range of a smile, tears or jaw-dropping antics.

Please know, that gifts are still wonderful and treats in themselves, I'm just giving more options to this gift thing!:)

So in future blog posts be on the lookout for Experiences.

source: flickr.com

Gift Tip #19: Perfume/Cologne

Have you ever walked past someone and they smelled so fantastic that you had to give them a second look? I have and just thinking about it makes me smile. Why not make a special friend that person--the one that makes everyone do a double take? Purchase them a bottle of perfume/cologne...but before you do make sure you are purchasing the right smell goods for them.

Tips on purchasing scents...

Buying perfume and cologne is personal so be sure you are getting the right scent for the giftee, you should know other scents they like and mention those when purchasing a new scent. Most stores will recommend a new perfume/cologne is the same scent family.

If you have no clue, then it may be best to try another gift (just being honest!) or getting a variety of scents. For example, Sephora has a scent sampler, which contains samples of their top 10-selling fragrances, a gift voucher of equal value that can be redeemed at any Sephora store for a full-size bottle of any one of the samples included, and a fragrance guide.

A few of my fave scents right now are:

-Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan

-Very Hollywood by Michael Kors

-Lola by Marc Jacobs

Fun Facts

-Perfume (Latin "per fume" meaning "through smoke") was highly favored by the Egyptians, Romans, and Arabs.

-In 1370, at the behest of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, the world's first modern perfume - "Hungary Water" was made by blending scented oils in alcohol solution.

-Perfumery has used a number of aromatic sources like plants, animals, and synthetic sources in the making of perfumes. Plants are used as a source of aroma compounds and essential oils.

Smell good while shopping....

sources: sephora.com, articleclick.com