Every year, from mid-December, the level of sales of cosmetic products skyrockets, the excitement lasts until about mid-January (yes, some people still celebrate the Old New Year), then the situation returns to normal until the next - "men's" - holiday. Brands begin to prepare for the "winter" in advance, organizing activities in stores and attracting the art of packaging. No one has canceled the rustle of shiny paper, the aristocratic satin ribbons and the subtlety of postcards with cozy snow-covered houses and silver-horned deer. Despite all the achievements of civilization, these primitive tricks are still pleasing to the eye and paralyzing the will. Cosmetic boutiques are filled with confused customers who are trying their best to please their family and friends and choose a good and necessary gift.
The main question is how appropriate is it to give something that promotes a purely individual approach?
Natalya Cherkasova, curator of the LNiche project, perfume expert, shares her discoveries: “It is interesting to observe how a man behaves when he has decided to give a girl perfume, but does not know what she loves and what she uses. Such a hero enters the store and intuitively chooses a consultant who appeals to him outwardly, approaches her and asks: “What perfume do you like? What do you use yourself? " The rest, as you know, is already a matter of the professionalism (or motivation) of the seller. Unfortunately, this is a road to nowhere. If you have already decided to make a cosmetic gift, then you should know your tastes and preferences, and even better, have direct instructions from the person you are going to make happy."
This is said by a person whose life is intimately connected with what we call beauty. And here is the opinion of Maria Boucher, director of the Austrian Higher School of Etiquette: “According to statistics, only 20% of gifts given on one occasion or another end up in people's homes, the rest, as a rule, is sent on a further“journey”. This also applies to cosmetic and perfume surprises, which is not surprising. Each beauty product has a number of indications and contraindications (including allergic reactions, for example), so giving such things to unfamiliar people, colleagues, partners is definitely not worth it. Most likely, this will go into the next hands, but you can expect about the same "attention" in return. It's easier with close friends and family, especially if you know someone is dreaming of a perfume, an eyeshadow palette or a luxurious bath line. In this case, it is appropriate to "make a fairy tale come true."
So, the main rule of a beauty gift: you are not sure, you don’t know a person’s tastes well - don’t buy, choose something else; sure - take it, pack nicely and carry it under the tree. By the way, returning to packaging, which has now really turned into a separate art form, here is another festive life hack from Natalya Cherkasova: “To create a mood in the house, just a few bright packages and colored boxes. I remember how on December 31, I came home with red Hermes bags, which I put under the tree, then guests began to come and put their own, gradually a beautiful New Year's “island” formed in the room, no additional decorations were even needed."
As a matter of etiquette, you must open the gift right away and express gratitude. What to do when there is no certainty that the presented fragrance is suitable?
“You see, if you tell the ideal story of polite people, then you don’t give perfume, but your counterpart opens the gift right away,” explains Maria Bouchet. - Because if a person presents something with love, then he wants to see the reaction. I myself love to give gifts and I am waiting for the moment when I will tell the story, why I chose this one and how my choice is connected with a particular person. But if suddenly you were given a perfume, and you don't know whether you want to use it or not, this is already a consequence of the wrong gift, explains Maria Boucher. - The first mistake was made by the donor, who chose such a personal, intimate thing. On your part, it will be the second impolite step not to open the gift."
If it turns out that the only option is perfume, choose "strong classics". The name of the brand makes a good impression and, as it were, says that you are "in the subject."
By the way, there is one life hack that helps a lot in such a situation. It happens that the perfume you find after the holidays does not tell you anything - neither the name of the perfumer, nor the list of notes on the Internet, nor even the brand are completely unfamiliar. The easiest way to make the right decision about their future fate is to look into the nearest cosmetic and perfume store and listen to how the scent sounds on the blotter and on the skin. If you like it - it means the hit happened, no - you will think what to do next with it.
And yet, the surge in popularity for cosmetics on the eve of the holidays is not accidental, because more and more people began to voice their desires and "order" what they really dream about. “If you take your family and close friends, then discussing upcoming events and preparing a“gift fund”in advance is normal,” continues Boucher. - Moreover, it is appropriate to talk about the material boundaries of purchases. Such collusion will also save you from possible envy and comparisons. This is especially true when gifts are presented in public - during a family dinner or a friendly party. Ethics is important here. Sometimes one "well, very expensive" surprise can hurt everyone and spoil the mood for a long time. As soon as someone tries to prove themselves more successful … the holiday usually ends. So an open or unspoken agreement is a guarantee against unpleasant surprises.
Beauty ideas in a beautiful design:
B'right Delights Set (face cream, eyebrow conditioner, eye cream, face serum), Benefit
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A photo:
One more point: if by his type of activity a person is connected with what is called the "beauty sphere", then it is normal and natural for him to give what he knows best. Agree, if you come to a winery, it is strange to try mineral water there! What a person produces, he shares. Most likely, they are just waiting for some expert opinion and help from him."
The opinion of beauty professionals:
Victoria Roschaninova, founder and head of the Kraftway clinic
“I love beauty gifts. Usually, if I go to an event with friends, I understand what they need, and carefully select what might fit. Since I work with cosmetics and do a lot of testing, there is usually a 100% hit. But, frankly, most often my friends expect gift certificates from me to the clinic. This is very convenient, because you can do what you really need. We have had a system of gift certificates for different amounts for more than 10 years. And this is the most requested story. Sometimes for the holidays we issue a certificate “Beauty Day at the Kraftway Clinic”. It consists of several procedures that are never superfluous. Most often, women acquire certificates and present them to mothers, girlfriends, bosses, and, very rarely, men. Once I came up with an interesting gift idea - a whole basket of all kinds of masks: for face, hands and nails … And it worked! Everyone uses masks, even those who do not have any special skin problems: they do not hint either at age or at any imperfections that need to be corrected. In addition, they are convenient to take on trips."
Edgar Shabanov, General Director of Clarins Group in Russia
If you know a person, then giving beauty gifts is very good. I must say that I cannot remember the dissatisfied. It is more difficult just with those who, as they say, beauty addicted - have a strict skin care scheme and follow it … It's better not to interfere there. In other cases, interesting discoveries and even revelations may occur, which I know about by profession and experience, but some do not yet. I will not dissemble, I have given only Clarins for a long time. This is a great opportunity to introduce the brand to those who did not know about it. Moreover, sometimes I buy Clarins creams and Mugler or Azzaro fragrances, if the office doesn't have what I need, or there is a profitable promotion in the store.
I am sure that it is appropriate for any modern man to present skin care for a holiday. But here the key word is "modern", someone who keeps up with the times, is successful, wants to look good, understands that taking care of your appearance is part of culture. Such a gentleman will definitely appreciate both the moisturizing fluid for the face and the cream for the eye area. Personally, I don't expect beauty gifts, because I work in the industry and have everything I want. Sometimes I give myself gifts, now they are increasingly associated with travel and a healthy lifestyle."
Photo: Getty Images, Nikolay Gulakov, Gleb Kordovsky, archives of the press services
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