13 yo DD has asked for a bottle of Dior perfume for Christmas.....

[BaconAndAvocado]

.......to which I replied a firm No.

I’ve bought her a bottle of Nina Ricci. A third of the price.

One of my friends however didn’t think there was anything wrong in this.

To me, she’s far too young for something like this.

Like most of her friends, she does wear a bit of make up but obviously nothing high end.

Thoughts?

I still remember the first bottle of perfume my DM bought me when I was your DDs age. It was Chanel and we chose it together. It lasted for ages and I still have the original bottle. There's nothing in it but the ghost of a fragrance now, but when I open it..oh, the memories it brings back of my lovely DM are priceless.
Swap the one you've bought and get your DD the one she wants.She will appreciate it, and that you've listened to her.

My first proper perfume on my 13th birthday was Poison ( probs showing my age here) 🤣I think it was pricey at the time and all my friends were wearing it, it was almost a being 13 and a little more grown up thing. If you can’t afford it, that’s one thing, but if you can and it’s the one she’d really like, why not 🤷🏻‍♀️

Get her some perfume parlour dupes for her stocking.
Dd had a bottle of Miss Dior about that age and Chloe, which was her scent till she was about 20.

Please don't give her the same perfume you wear. What 13 year old wants to be told by their friends they smell like their mum.

"No, no, no, your Mum smells great..."

perfume is something much more personal, a way of constructing a narrative about yourself

I think that is a lovely turn of phrase! And yes humans have been perfuming themselves and decorating themselves since time immemorial, after all it is hard wired into us all to attract a mate, I think the reason I dislike it on children/young teens is that I think they should be blossoming into themselves without the need for fragrances , make up etc.

And yes it absolutely applies to boys too.

My post seemed to hit a nerve with some of you , I never called into questions anyone’s parenting , I shared my reasons why I wouldn’t buy the designer perfume, not once did I say I think everyone who disagrees with me is a terrible person !

yabu if its within the budget. I would sooner have no perfume than one I didn't want.

You haven't seriously bought her the same perfume as you use have you? Poor kid will be gutted.
I hope this is a wind up.

I bought DS a nice bottle of CK something or other. He was 12.

He was so chuffed. Can’t see the problem and also how miserable to have asked for one scent and be given a totally different one. It’s not “air du temps”?? 😳

Love j’adore

jeez don;t give her the same perfume you use!!!

not perfume but when i was 11 all I wanted for christmas was an adult bureau type desk..the kind with a lock and a drop down flap. My parents were dubious....did I understand there would be NOTHING else from them as it was such an expensive thing? I know they thought it was too much of an adult gift for a child but I said I really wanted it. That was some 50 years ago. I still have the desk, still remember that Christmas.

Miss Dior was my first perfume too. I was about 13.
I’m approaching 60 now, and think Nina Ricci is “old lady” perfume!

Surely it's about the smell, so a different perfume is no use!

I started on the high end perfume and make up around 14 - it was my thing and I was (am) really into it. As long as she understands the cost and it's within your budget, where's the problem?

I wouldn’t see an issue with this. If the price was an issue I’d find something that smelt similar or help her chose another perfume within the budget.

I’d never buy Nina Ricci for a teenager unless discussed beforehand, it is something My Nan and Mum used to wear and is a very strong old fashioned smell. Not something I can imagine a teen wearing.

YANBU I wouldn’t spend a fortune on perfume.

Not only would she get fewer presents that she actually wants but someone her age tends to overspray so she’ll probably use it up quite quickly.

Why is she too young for an expensive perfume but old enough for a cheap one? I would understand something like refusing to buy a young child makeup because she’s too young but I don’t get the logic of her being too young for the one she wanted but old enough for a cheaper one you chose.

I like her style.

Is the Nina Ricci ironic? DM who is mid 70s gave up her Nina Ricci habit in her 50s as it was too old lady. Your poor DD!

Glad to see she’s changed her mind. Spending a small fortune on a scent that you have no idea if it actually suits you is crazy.

Plus I’m a killjoy and 13 year old me just stunk of Charlie all the time .

That said though, if she does show a future interest in perfume take her to John Lewis or Boots to try a few out first.

I know she's moved on now OP, but I saw your thread title and just wanted to chip in. When I was 13 I wanted a gold Dior mascara I'd seen in a magazine. It represented everything that was fabulous and luxurious and glamorous. My mum never would have bought me such nonsense but her lovely friend who was like an Auntie to me did and I will never forget the magic of being given this gorgeous thing. She passed away recently and it's one of my favourite memories of her, that she didn't see a silly girl asking for things that were too grown up for her.

@Woohooforwine

If she’s smelt it and loves it YABU, if she has never tried it and wants it just because it’s Dior YANBU.

This

Perfume is very personal and if it's about the scent she prefers then yabu. Has she smelt the Nina Ricci one?

I’d get my DD the one she actually wants!

This is why she's asked for it, because of the name.

It's a classic perfume house - much better than the perfumes by Beyonce, etc. Probably getting more for your money than one of the celebrity perfumes that come out for Christmas.

The good thing about Dior, Chanel etc is that once you've found your scent - you have it for life - pretty much guaranteed.