3 Tips For Creating the Perfect Gift Basket

This gift basket and perfume tips are part of a shop hosted by Collective Bias, Inc. and Coty. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftingAMemory #CollectiveBias

I love this time of year because it’s my excuse to buy things for my daughters without feeling like a shopaholic. My daughters are very different in what they like as gifts. My youngest is super simple now that she is older, a gift card is all she wants. Yep, she takes all of the fun out of holiday shopping. hehe Now, my oldest, that apple didn’t fall far from the tree, she loves anything beauty-related, but her absolute favorite gifts are makeup and perfume. I decided to make a little pre-holiday gift basket for her. She’s away at school and I miss her like crazy. So when she starts holiday break, she will have an extra special gift in addition to what she will receive for the holidays. I know she is going to love the Beyonce Heat perfume set. She is a serious Beyonce stan (superfan) and she kind of reminds me of a mini-Beyonce…hair color and all.

My daughter has problematic skin and I have a skincare set that is perfect for her. She’s a gorgeous young lady, but she inherited my mother’s skin and allergy issues. Somehow it skipped me and went to her…poor baby!

I included one of my favorite sets to give her a bit of makeup. I elaborated a bit more on why I went with a set over individual products below.

I know most of us are trying to figure out what gift to buy the special people in our lives. Here are a few of my tips for purchasing perfume as a gift.

1. Gift Sets- Most often, gifts sets are offered at a discount, and purchasing the set can serve two purposes. If you are giving the set to one person, it allows them to layer the fragrance which causes it to last longer. Not only that but, if the set is less expensive or just a few dollars more than the bottle of perfume alone, it just makes sense to spend a few extra dollars and get more bang for your buck. The other option is to break the set apart and divide it among multiple people. I do a combination of both. If I see that I can add $5 and buy a set that I can gift to two or three people, I’m all over doing so.

2. Travel Size – I love travel-sized sets of anything. I notice most often people, including myself, never finish products and they just seem to sit forever while we attempt to cycle through several products. For my daughter’s gift basket, I bought her a mini-set that I also bought for myself. I initially bought the set to try several products that I never purchased before. The set was $25 for five items and one of their full-sized liquid lipsticks is $20. I know neither of us will actually finish an entire tube, so the travel-sized set makes sense. Plus, we can put the items in our purses or carry-on luggage and go! Most travel-sized sets are purse and TSA-friendly, so why not?

3. Sales and Discounts – I’m frugal and I don’t like paying full price for anything unless it’s absolutely necessary. I picked my daughter’s Beyonce set up from my local Walmart store; however, I know many of us like to shop online. I normally purchase items in-store if it’s just one or two things or if something is not offered online. If I shop online, I check Ebates.com to see if the store I’m purchasing from offers  money back. Both Walmart and Sephora are listed on the Ebates site. Walmart currently has 5% cashback and Sephora has 4%. I’ve forgotten to purchase through Ebates before and I was so upset with myself. I have to spend money regardless, so why not get money back. I look at it as a discount.

How To Pick Fragrances – When I pick fragrances, I think about three things.

1. I first determine how often the person wears perfumes or if they wear it at all. I would never buy perfume for a person that I notice doesn’t wear any type of perfume or body mist.

2. I think about the scents they normally wear. If I notice they normally wear fragrances with citrus notes or vanilla notes, that’s what I’m going to buy for them. It just so happens to be my daughter’s preference.

3. I look at the person’s age. I would never buy someone my daughter’s age a mature fragrance that I would buy for someone who is older than me. Most people in different ages groups will have different preferences.

Check out all of the Beyonce fragrances at your local Walmart. I found the set I bought my daughter in a center isle display.

I hope you find the perfect gift for the people you are shopping for this holiday. I think my daughter will love her basket.

Check out more ways to gift a memory this holiday season!