Yahoo Life Shopping
Why you can trust us

We independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals.

It's Taylor Swift's birthday! To celebrate, gift her fave splurge-worthy scent

'Tis the season to sniff out celebs' signature fragrances and wrap them up for your favorite die-hard fans.

As a longtime beauty editor and a bit of a beauty-trend obsessive, I love knowing what famous people smell like and the products they buy. I love it when they dump out their purses for reporters, lean in and whisper, "It's this holy grail serum that makes my face appear like polished porcelain! This is the precise scent that has me smelling so good!" So, when Taylor Swift revealed her favorite perfume earlier this year, I took note. Turns out, it's Tom Ford's Santal Blush, which can also be found in a scene from Swift’s 2020 Netflix documentary, Miss Americana. Since Swift's revelation, I've been stalking the earthy, musky, sexy fragrance for months. And today? In honor of the singer's birthday, I think it's time to invest.

Tom Ford's fragrances are legendary for being luxurious and distinct, and this sandalwood-based spritz is a perfect balance of earthy and floral. It smells like the most confident, feminine-but-not-prissy, classy lady you know. 

$195 at Nordstrom

Santal Blush is a splurge for sure — but that's what makes it a major treat. It's described as "exotic spices enhanced with luxe ylang ylang, warm cinnamon, and sumptuous woods." Like all formal fragrance descriptions, that sounds a little weird, but in real life? It smells cozy and rich, the scent equivalent of draping yourself in the world's most expensive cashmere. It's a must-have gift for the sophisticated Swifties in your life as, even with its intense following, Santal Blush smells truly unique.

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's signature scent is the sexy, earthy Santal Blush by Tom Ford. (Getty Images)

I know, I know. Gifting perfume is always a tricky business. Our scents are so personal and intimate that it may feel presumptuous to choose one for someone else. But, according to gift experts, this intimate connection is exactly what makes presenting a fragrance so thoughtful and meaningful. After all, the right choice shows just how well you know your giftee. And, while any scent-based gift is a risk, it becomes less so when the perfume in question is aligned with their favorite mega star.

There are entire Reddit threads dedicated to Swift's fragrance pick, which fans call "a favorite" and "silky smooth." 

$195 at Nordstrom

There's something thrillingly voyeuristic about wearing the same fragrance as a star you've come to idolize. Perfume is a luxury item after all, which makes these finds extra alluring and aspirational. Stars have all the money in the world, and this is how they choose to smell — and now you can too.

Oprah, Drew Barrymore and Martha Stewart on an orange background
Oprah, Drew Barrymore and Martha Stewart all have excellent taste in fragrances — and by gifting their signature scents, your recipient will too. (Getty Images)

Maybe your gift recipient isn't a Taylor Swift fan? From Drew Barrymore's favorite $10 perfume oil to the top-of-the-line eau de toilette Martha Stewart can't live without, we sniffed out a list of celeb-fave scents that would all make amazing gifts. Stars, they smell like us!

Unlike in the '90s, this distinctly musky oil isn't just for the lady running the "grain" aisle at your local food co-op or the hackey-sack hippies hanging out on your college quad. Today, America's sweetheart/daytime host Drew Barrymore wears this affordable, earthy perfume oil. According to the star's website: "Drew feels her best with a drop of Triloka Patchouli Perfume Oil on her wrists and neck. The fragrance transports her to a lush, luxurious place each moment she catches a slight scent."

$10 at Amazon

I love the idea that Jennifer Garner, a woman I associate with the clean smell of Ivory Soap, is devoted to this sexy, vanilla-sandalwood scent. Among a certain set of jet-setting ladies, Byredo Gypsy Water is legendary (Sienna Miller and Rihanna are also fans) for its unique, distinctly smoky vibes. Garner told Vogue last year that she's "been wearing it forever."

$225 at Nordstrom

This subtly floral, gardenia-based oil has legions of famous fans — there's an entire page devoted to them on Kai's website. It launched in 1999 and since then, the light roll-on has become an in-the-know fragrance staple for celebs and everyday folks alike. Oprah, for her part, loved the Kai signature scent so much, she included it in her Favorite Things List of 2007, and even requested the oil be made into a customized body butter that she raved about on her then-daily talk show. 

More than a decade later, reviewers still can't get enough of it: "The smell of heaven's garden in a bottle," raved one five-star reviewer.

"Smells amazing," proclaimed another. "I always get compliments when I wear it. Floral scent, really yummy."

$54 at Amazon

When asked if she has a "signature scent" in a 2015 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Hayek offered up this iconic fragrance from designer Narciso Rodriguez. To say it's popular is an understatement: A bottle sells every 15 seconds worldwide, even 22 years after its launch. 

With light rose and just a hint of patchouli, For Her is well-balanced, elegant and both floral and woodsy. "It's very musky," Hayek shared.

$66 at Amazon
Explore more purchase options
$105 at Macy's$66 at Groupon

"I have fallen in love with all of Michelle Pfeiffer's Henry Rose fragrances," Kidman told People in 2019. "My favorites are Torn (shown) and Last Light." Actress Kate Capshaw is also taken with the vetiver-and-vanilla unisex scent.

$120 at Sephora

Stewart is known to be a bit fickle with her fragrances, but this scent remains close to her heart: The tuberose and jasmine perfume was created by a dear neighbor who gifted her a bottle before his passing at age 93. "He would induce me to bring over a six-pack of Corona beer, and he would give me a bottle of Fracas," she told Allure in 2021.

$185 at Amazon
Explore more purchase options
$173 at BeautyTheShop

Who doesn't want to smell like a classy dame? Helen Mirren shared this favorite scented spritz with Glamour back in 2020, calling it her "go-to perfume." Fragrance scholars say it's a light mix of bergamot, lemon, mandarin orange and fig leaf, which makes it bright and spicy, just like the ageless beauty herself.

$156 at Nordstrom

According to Women's Health, Aniston prefers this old-school French floral scent, which just happens to be the perfume I saved up for and wore in my suburban Philadelphia high school to seem worldly and très Parisien.

$68 at Amazon
Explore more purchase options
$58 at Macy's$62 at HSN

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.