By now you guys know how much I love talking about fragrances. My mom is the most important person to me, she's my best friend, my biggest admirer and supporter. She's amazing but she's not into perfumes so I love gifting her fragrances that I think would be right for her. These are fragrances that remind me of mothers in the sense that I picture them on a woman that's nurturing, that makes you feel safe and gives you that certain feeling.  Mother's Day is the perfect occasion to give perfume as gifts as the world of perfume is hard to navigate and to know what's good and what's bad. These are my recommendations of very popular fragrances that are super feminine, elevated, sophisticated and worth your money. I think these 9 fragrances are perfect gifts for Mother's Day and something my mother would wear. My heart goes out to those of you who no longer have a mother. 

Narciso Rodriguez Narciso  $98 for 3oz

A floral woody musk with notes of gardenia, rose, musk, vetiver, cedar and patchouli. JK Rowling mentioned this fragrance in her book Troubled Blood. The musk is powdery, but not in a baby powder way. It has woody notes and feels almost narcotic from start to end.  It's intoxicating with a strong character that is clean and dirty at the same time. I picture a confident and sophisticated woman in a white pantsuit wearing this.  It reminds me of those big-hitter perfumes of the 90s. Definitely a mature woman's perfume. This may be discontinued so if you can't find it, Narciso Poudree is a similar floral powdery musk scent minus the patchouli

Tom Ford Velvet Orchid $134 for 1.7 oz (comes in 4 sizes)

This fragrance has notes of rum, orchids, white florals, myrrh and suede. It's a boozy floral that smells like orchids drizzled in honey. It's opulent, sensual, smooth and creamy but still classy.  

Chanel Gardenia $240 for .5oz

Created in 1925 and is a beautiful fragrance. It's a very soft, elegant and vintage scent. Everyone can't wear Chanel No. 5, which by the way is celebrating its 100th anniversary. 

Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady $255 for 1.7oz (comes in 4 sizes) 

This super-highly acclaimed fragrance is an amber floral. It has notes of rose, incense, sandalwood and amber.  I can picture this on a boozy day drunk divorcee or someone over the age of 60.  This also comes in a bubble bath, hair oil and shower cream. This is an iconic scent and the brand's #1 seller. 

Armani Prive Rouge Malachite $310 for 3.4oz

An amber floral fragrance that is very popular and signature scent worthy. It has notes of tuberose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, benzoin and amber.  Mr. Armani said he was inspired by Russian culture when he created this scent. 

Delina  $340 for 2.5oz

The most talked about fragrance has notes of turkish rose, peony, incense, and rhubarb. The incense in this perfume makes it last for days, the projection is really strong. If you like a white musk, then this is your perfume, but it's too strong for me.  It also comes in travel size, body lotion, shower gel, hair mist, and a candle. This year they released a lighter version of the fragrance if the original with the incense is too strong for you. There are a lot of fakes on ebay in the same pink container,  but you'd have to buy the authentic one to compare to see the slight differences.  

Montale Intense Cafe $170 for 3.4oz

An Amber Vanilla fragrance with notes of rose and coffee.  This smells like a sweet caramel Starbucks coffee with a metallic opening. If you like coffee scents, this is for you. It also smells like chocolate, vanilla and Greek Orthodox incense.  

The founder of the House of Montale spent time in Saudi Arabia where he created fragrances for the nobility. Thus his house has a strong Arabian influence in their perfumes which are incredibly strong and long lasting. That is done by using oud (agarwood) in all of their perfumes. Oud is a dark aromatic resin made from molded trees which some people say smell like gasoline. Montale makes 142 perfumes and Intense Cafe is their #1 best seller. I'm not the biggest fan of the bottle shape.

Montale sells a Discovery Kit on their website of 5 samples of your choosing for $20. I'd recommend trying Intense Tiare, Crystal Flowers, Rose Night,  Roses Musk and Intense Cafe.

If your mom wants a mature peachy scent I recommend the next two:

Memo Marfa $300 for 2.5oz

A floral woody musk fragrance with notes of orange blossom flower and very loud tuberose.  It is sweet, tropical, creamy and luxurious. It also comes in a hair perfume for $70.  Hair perfume is fragrance for your hair that has less alcohol to not damage your hair. It's also a cheaper way to buy an expensive fragrance. 

Kilian Good Girl Gone Bad $240 for 1.7oz

A fruity floral fragrance with notes of osmanthus flower. It's unisex and I would describe this as an expensive laundry detergent. I can picture this on a sweet old lady in church who didn't know how much perfume she put on. For me this invokes a scent memory of what my middle school guidance counselor wore. This also comes in a  travel size for $50. I have to say that GGGB and Marfa do smell similar to each other. 

I happened to walk by an osmanthus bush last month and the perfume smelled just like the flower. I get all my perfume samples from Scent Split so I never blind buy full size bottles.