by Roxanne

posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:51am

We’ve all been there and done that. Buying gifts for someone. To some, it’s a way of repaying an act of kindness, of showing gratitude. To others, it’s to mark another year gone by or a special occasion. Whatever the case, buying gifts doesn’t always have to be mind wrecking. Here are the 6 W’s to follow when deciding what to get the next time a present is due.

 

Who are you buying the gift for? Where beauty products are concerned - perfumes included - consider gender, skin type, age of the recipient and his or her skin concerns. Doing so will help to narrow down billions of items into just a few possible options.

 

Take note of what type of products he or she generally uses. High-end or budget mascaras? Eau de toilette or eau de parfum? What scents do they like and what they absolutely detest. Are they even allergic to fragrances? A good indicator would be the brand of foundation they use. If they aren’t users of cosmetics, perhaps a personal shopper session at one of their favourite boutiques would cut it (an example is Topshop). Makeup palettes are always good value for money as are collections sold in sets. These usually also have attractive packaging, which could stir up emotions of elation, no matter how momentary.

 

Not many people nowadays give for the sake of giving alone. There has to be a reason for passing on this special parcel representing well-wishes. It could be a birthday, the birth of a child, an anniversary or even something more dramatic and deserving, such as winning a fight against cancer. As long as there is a celebration, presents are sure to be appropriate. We spend a great portion of our lives caught up in work and other social obligations that sometimes we forget that life is to be enjoyed every now and then. Presents are tangible emblems that mark the crossing of milestones and they serve as meaningful reminders that our efforts have paid off.

 

The problem of where to present your gift isn’t so much as that of where to get it. It’s very simple, actually. Head to places where you own a membership that entitles you to discounts or customer loyalty points when you shop. Finding benefits like this in online stores and physical boutiques is not a problem with the vast array of choices that we have in the market today. For example, I personally buy my Dior products at a Dior boutique registered under Sephora so that I earn points for both my Sephora AND Dior membership each time I make a purchase. That’s really killing two birds with one pretty smooth stone, I’d say.

 

Nobody gives a present that’s unwrapped. Even items that you buy from the store come packaged in boxes. You can beautify and personalise your present with wrapping paper and a hand written note. Ask if the store offers gift-wrapping services and make sure to find out beforehand if it is complimentary. If you prefer a D.I.Y., pick a wrapping paper that’s best suited for the occasion.  For example, it would be irrelevant to have Christmas trees enveloping your gift when it’s only (or already) April. If you can’t seem to find an appropriate one, you can always use a plain wrapper in the favourite colour of the receiver. For the environmentally friendly, try re-using boxes that you already have and re-wrapping them to customise the entire look. Another cool idea is to use pages from past issues of fashion magazines.