Gift-with-purchase fragrance sets sound a little suspect and smell a little stale.

But you'll get a whiff of something better at the new La Petite Parfumerie, . It's actually Cherie (formerly of Wayzata) transplanted in Excelsior.

Owner Diane Wissink has loaded up the shop with skincare by Caudalie and Kiehl's and home fragrance diffusers. For Valentine's Day, you can get the best-selling Fresh Sugar Lips Rose ($23), which is our new favorite tinted balm.

However, it is near impossible to walk out of the store without a new signature fragrance. The lines range from the trendy Bond No. 9 and Juliette Has a Gun (from Nina Ricci's great grandson) to Audrey Hepburn's signature Spring Flower by Creed to Santa Maria Novella (the oldest pharmacy in the world). You take a whiff of each fragrance from presprayed bottle tops and can cleanse your sniffer with neutralizing coffee beans.

Wissink believes people should smell nice, instead of, say, like Paris Hilton. And not get a headache from a scent.

Which is something sweeter than perfume.

La Petite Parfumerie, 287 Water St., Excelsior, 952-475-2212. Sale: Through Valentine's Day, crystal-covered heart accessories by Tarina Tarantino are 15 percent off.

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