Our pick of the best scents and fragrant gifts for Christmas …
Buying perfume for someone else can be a challenge, unless they have a very definite signature scent they never waver from. It’s very personal, for one thing. And while we might struggle to articulate exactly what we love, we know pretty instantly if a scent is not for us. If in doubt, scented soaps, creams and hair perfumes can be safer gifts, and mean you can enjoy a scent for less – for example, the eternally beautiful and very expensive Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle hair mist is half the price of the perfume.
TRIAL AND ERROR
Discovery sets are the best way to track down something new, as well as learn a bit about perfume notes and ingredients. As a gift, they offer someone a choice, before committing to a full size: a gateway drug. We love this one by superlative French brand Matiere Premiere, newly arrived at Brown Thomas (€50).
The Burren Perfumery has launched a beautifully considered Perfume Library Experience – an Olfactory Journey (below, €45). As founder Sadie Chowen explains: “I have tried to recreate my own experience of working on a new perfume, breaking it down into simple steps and supplying all the elements, from olfactory pyramids to tester strips. This is more than a discovery set – it is an immersive experience.”
BUY IRISH
If in doubt, go for an Irish scent: some of our homegrown perfumes are so excellent that there’s no reason to look elsewhere. Cloon Keen continues to be my first stop for something exquisite, from sunny La Bealtaine to chestnutty Castaña, an international award-winner. Róisín Dubh, a dark, smoky, inky rose, is one of the best perfumes money can buy, in a statuesque silver bottle that’s refillable; €130.
Other Irish scents to check out include those by Waters + Wild, Green Angel (for their new eau de parfum, Loana) and Voya.
GET MORE FOR LESS
Perfume has become incredibly expensive in recent years. But you can find the work of top perfumers for less. There are top names behind unassuming French pharmacy brand Roger & Gallet, for example (Dominique Ropion’s Bois d’Orange is a classic), from €24. Try Karine Dubreuil’s Vanille Soleil. And the brilliant nose behind designer brands such as Byredo and Victoria Beckham perfumes, Jérôme Epinette, has created scents for the high street too – try & Other Stories: Sicilian Sunrise and Sardonyx Fire (€35 each, 50ml). And discover his Tangerine Boy, Coconut Skin and Mrs Smith (a bright green juicy apple scent, from €25) for cool, colourful fragrance brand Phlur (at SpaceNK).
For an enlightening scent experience, head to Republic of Oud in Co Cork for expert advice and the best range of quality ouds.
Shop Our Glossy Gift Guide
1 MEMORABLE FOR MEN
Hermès Terre D’Hermès Eau de Parfum Intense, from €104 (50ml).
2 THE COLLECTABLES
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Refillable Purse Spray, limited edition, €185. Chanel No5 The Bath Soap, €37, both at counters nationwide.
3 ALL ABOUT OUD
Creed Oud Zarian eau de parfum, €350, at Brown Thomas and Arnotts.
4 THE AFFORDABLE FAVOURITE
Clarins Eau Dynamisante, from €31, at stockists nationwide.
5 LIGHT & SUNNY
Maison Martin Margiela Replica Never Ending Summer eau de toilette, €123 (100ml); www.dublinandcorkdutyfree.ie.
6 THE DREAM DISCOVERY SET
The Burren Perfumery Perfume Library Experience – an Olfactory Journey, €45.
7 THE MODERN CLASSIC
Matiere Premiere Les Extraits de Parfum Vanilla Powder, from €240 (50ml), at Parfumarija and Brown Thomas.
8 THE SPICY OUD
Ajmal Amber Wood eau de parfum, €190, at Republic of Oud.
9 THE IRISH ONE
10 THE FINE FRENCH ONE
Bastille 14 Juillet eau de parfum, from €39, www.luia.eu.
SEE MORE: An Educational Perfume Experience And 5 Seasonal Scents
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