Our last holiday gift post for 2012 is all about luxury, just in case anyone has money to burn this year. Listed in order from what-a-bargain to holy-cow-you've-got-to-be-kidding.
If you missed them, check out part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets), part 3 (home fragrance), part 4 (gifts for men), part 5 (solid perfumes), part 6: (more travel sizes & coffrets), part 7 (budget & stocking stuffers).
From Chanel, body cream in the Les Exclusifs range: "Subtly scented to flatter any fragrance in the LES EXCLUSIFS Collection, this exquisitely soft, light cream envelops the skin with pure luxury. The sumptuous cream is perfect for layering, for the ultimate LES EXCLUSIFS experience. Presented in a beautiful coffret." $130 for 150 g.
The Disney Cinderella fragrance in a Swarovski edition: "Adorned with twinkling crystals, this Swarovski-edition bottle sparkles like a glass slipper in the moonlight." $175 at Sephora.
From Cartier, Baiser Volé in Extrait de Parfum. 30 ml for $200 at Nordstrom.
From Annick Goutal, the butterfly edition of Nuit Etoilée: "Long-awaited by collectors, this butterfly bottle is colored in a unique midnight blue and adorned with a soft Milky Way painted in fine gold." €190 (about $245).
From Hermès, leather travel cases in Iris, Pink or Mustard Yellow. Each holds a 10 ml spray refill in Jardin Sur Le Nil, Terre d'Hermes, Eau des Merveilles or Calèche. (Also available in other colors, or in a larger size with a greater choice of scents.) $190 for the case, $60 for 3 refills = $250.
From Guerlain, 30 ml of the classic Jicky ("the starting point of modern perfumery") in Extrait de Parfum. $327 at Bergdorf Goodman.
My personal pick from this year's crop (although I'd take the Jicky and the Hermès travel case too, and the Baiser Volé wouldn't hurt) — from Frédéric Malle, the 2012 Coffret Collection, with 5 ml bottles of Musc Ravageur, Une Fleur de Cassie, Le Parfum de Thérèse, Noir Epices, En Passant, Lipstick Rose, Lys Méditerranée, Iris Poudre, Angéliques sous la Pluie, Bigarade Concentrée, Vétiver Extraordinaire, Une Rose, L’Eau d’Hiver, Carnal Flower, French Lover, Dans tes Bras, Géranium pour Monsieur and Portrait of a Lady. $320. There are also smaller collections for men (8 fragrances, $180) and women (15 fragrances, $285).
From Bois 1920, a "collection of Bois 1920 fragrances displayed elegantly in a wooden box with leather top"; includes 17 ml bottles of Sandalo e The, 1920 Extreme, Real Patchouly, Vetiver Ambrato, Sushi Imperiale, Sutra Ylang, Agrumi Amari di Sicilia, and Classic 1920. $385 at Barneys.
From Bond no. 9, the Peace Offering: "The Scent of Peace once again, this time in a signature gift collection featuring a 3.38 oz. eau de parfum, body cream, and candle. Lovers of peace will find sublime contentment here." $430 at Saks Fifth Avenue.
From Jo Malone, the Tea Trousseau: "Unexpected scents. Understated elegance. This exquisite, limited-edition, lacquered chest is inspired by the British tradition of taking tea." With 100 ml cologne sprays in Assam & Grapefruit, Earl Grey & Cucumber and Sweet Lemon, plus deluxe candles in Sweet Almond & Macaroon and Parma Violet. $695 at Bloomingdales.
From Roja Dove, the Imperial Collection edition of the Diaghilev fragrance. £750 (a little over $1200) for 100 ml Parfum at Harrods.
From Thierry Mugler, Angel in the Show Deluxe Superstar bottle: "Rich, opulent and ever glamorous, this deluxe limited-edition bottle, adorned with elegant Swarovski crystals, is created in France by Brosse, celebrated glassmakers." $2550 for 425 ml of Eau de Parfum.
A 900 ml bottle of Prada Candy, just in case you need, you know, more. "A cylindrical presentation case in coordinating pink safiano leather encases the bottle, resplendent on a podium inside. The Prada Candy logo is embossed in golden letters while inside a plush black satin lining, soft as silk and embroidered with the Prada logo, adds the exquisite final touch." $3500 at Neiman Marcus.
Robin, I thought you said that you loved Jicky only in edt. Has something changed? Has the….what’s the expression about hell being suddenly frozen?
Can’t stop laughing at your Prada comment …”in case you need, you know, more”
reminded me of another classic from you I’ll never forget was “Dior Me, Dior Me Not, the latest limited edition from uh, Dior, is now available…”
Hahaha, likewise laughing hard at this description–and also at what comes to mind for establishments that could make use of an industrial-sized vat of Prada Candy. That would have to be one classy strip club…
Thank goodness! I was getting tired of buying 9 100ml bottles at a time
No, I love it in EdT, it’s true, and I probably wouldn’t wear the extrait very often. But just look at that bottle! I would never buy it but I’d make room for it somewhere
I don’t care for Jicky myself, but that bottle! So so gorgeous.
I never tried anything from F.Malle
And I want to try: Angeluque sous la Pluie, En Passant, Iris Poudre, Parfum de Terese, L’eau d’Hiver and (most of all!) Dans tes Bras – not sure if it’s wise to spend 300$ (in Russia it’ll cost even more!) on a discovery set (half of the bottles in the most optimistic scenario are likely to not do it for me) – but I’m seriously tempted
It is probably only worth it if a) you’re a very active swapper or b) you can split it with several other people. But boy, there are some gems in that box.
Again, I’m sorry,
which ones are fb-worthy for you at the moment? or at least 15 ml bottle worthy (hipotetically)
I have Le Parfum de Thérèse, En Passant, Vétiver Extraordinaire, Une Rose, L’Eau d’Hiver and Carnal Flower, all in 5 or 10 ml. I would not mind having some Portrait of a Lady. I need to spend more time (ha) with French Lover and Géranium pour Monsieur.
Oops…meant to include Lipstick Rose & Iris Poudre in the ones I would not mind having. Neither of them are really “me” but they’re both brilliant. Really, the whole line is brilliant, there are just some that truly don’t suit me — Musc Ravageur, Bigarade, Cassie.
Thank you! Is Dans Tes Bras still in a purgatory basket?
Probably. Basket is so full, it’s hard to say.
Yea, you were right! The luxury edition wrote itself! They are all gorgeous! (gosh! Am I chatty today…)
Ooooooh … 10 ml travel sprayers, but are these prefilled/only work with Hermes refills? When will they get the hint that people might want empty travel sprays to fill themselves.
You pop in an already full glass spray…so no, can’t use it w/ other fragrances, unfortunately.
Question! Does anyone know whether that FM set is sold at the Printemps brick-and-mortar? Thinking that if it could be eligible for the VAT rebate, I’d really have to have it; I do have an elf who might be able to go by there for me…
(I ask that assuming that the FM boutique doesn’t participate in the VAT program, but maybe I’m mistaken?)
I’m so sorry, but I don’t know.
Not to worry! (It would be extraordinary if you somehow knew the inventory status of every perfume outlet worldwide!) Just wanted to ask in case someone happens to have been by there lately.
Oh shoot. That FM coffret is SO TEMPTING!!!
*sticks fingers in ears, shuts eyes tightly and hums loudly to self*
I’ve been doing it for an hour already!
Would it be cheaper to buy FM lotions in order to get acquainted with the ones you “like on paper” from the line?
Hope it works for you
No! I’ve made up my mind!
There is just something fundamentally wrong with a discovery set.
It’s like courting more than one man at a time, you know?
I’d rather obsess over someone – ONE – for a couple of weeks before moving on to the next one)
Dans Tes Bras – here I come!
LOL — are you sure courting more than one man at the same time is such a bad idea?
“Well, I mean to say, what? Absolutely! ” – Bertie Wooster
Isn’t it clear that I’m a romantic?!
+1 for mention of Bertie Wooster. We don’t get enough mentions of Bertie Wooster around here.
He is my true and only love)
Btw, I always try to see what fragrances he uses (in the series) His dressing table often has more than one!- I’m guessing something British, although a dandy he was – he might have had smth ocasionally French – smth Jeeves would have allowed!
in one scene he was spotted near Geo F Trumper
That does rather beg the question of what Jeeves would have approved, doesn’t it? Perhaps a discreet application of a classic cologne…
… not that Bertie ever did anything discreetly. Ever.
It’s true — Bertie would buy something by Hugo Boss or D&G, Jeeves would accidentally pour it down the drain and substitute Floris Gentleman or something.
Although the big FM set is more like setting oneself up with an entire harem!
You see, in order to be interested in trying something I have to be infatuated with its image, or name, or bottle, or description – or some interesting note…
For example – I can give you the reason why Dans Tes Bras – I love it’s notes and some creations of Roucel have worked for me in the past – but more importantly – I have this picture in my head of one dear person asking me: “What is it you are wearing today?” – and I’ll answer
– Dans tes bras…
I actually really want the Prada Candy bottle.
I have a really soft spot for those ginormous display perfume bottles in stores (those xxx Litre size you know ;)) and plus its in Safiano Leather (the leather used to make their hand bags).
So yea, Merry Christmas to you too.
I have always wanted one of those huge factice bottles! Some day I will find one, in Goodwill or something (yeah, sure).
There is a Woman’s Picture short where Brian Pera’s character finds a huge factice in a vintage shop. He dances with it. Great scene!
There is a perfect Parisian bathroom in one of the shoots on The Selby that is adorned with huge, beautiful factices; I particularly remember Chanel No. 5, Joy and Shalimar.
There is only one fragrance I need in a 1 L bottle. It would be difficult to apply though)
Just completed the holiday shopping for my nieces and nephews (aka “writing checks”). Am now officially to broke to buy any perfume for months, regardless how tempting…. Hope you are all having a great holiday season.
And you!
All the nieces wanted gift certificates this year…they’re growing up.
Which proves that blood is thicker than perfume, I guess!
that would be “too broke”
A couple of things on this list I’d want. The Baiser Volé in extrait is divine. And the Malle coffret, oh my. Actually, the Jo Malone coffret ain’t half-bad either, but maybe seems a bit overpriced.
The thing is, that after the Malle coffret, everything else seems overpriced…that is, if you can get that for $320, you have to think really hard about anything that costs more — is it worth more than all the works of Frederic Malle?
Yes, that was my exact line of thought about the Jo Malones… If ALLtheMalles is $300ish, are 3 very nice Jos + a candle worth $600? uhhhhh….. Sorry, Jo.
That’s so true! The Kilian and Xerjoff exploration sets are also good deals. Since I don’t have the attention span (and probably not enough years remaining) to use up more FBs, I particularly love exploration sets.
LOL on the 900mL Prada Candy – that is some conversation piece!
Christmas with Family is coming really early this year! The immediate family is celebrating a week from today as one of my sisters and her family are going on a Christmas cruise. The one with extended family is in two weeks. Yikes…gift cards and cold hard cash (!) predominate this year’s gift-giving.
Now, on my covet list — the 2012 FM Coffret Collection. I may consider it for a birthday gift next year.
For another luxurious leather travel case, check out the Byredo website. Each is $120, perfume not included. 3 x 12mLs EDP vials are $110, therefore, overall a little cheaper than Hermes.
I’ve enjoyed the entire holiday gift series!
Oh, then do enjoy the early Christmas! And I’m jealous of the Xmas cruise, that sounds like fun.
Yes, we had that Byredo case in one of the gift posts. Maybe the men’s? Not sure, but it’s very cute.
And thanks!
Yeah, add me to the list of people drooling over the FM coffret. 90ml for £195 is hardly amazing value but I’m sat here wondering if Liberty sell these since they are doing £30 off when you spend £150 all December…must.resist.
I like it that all these travel sized cases are coming out – cos then the company produces refills and it seems that a set of refills of any frag is less than a small bottle of it. So even if you are not in a position to trade them (which would be ideal) you can at least have it for less…
Re the Chanel, so one body cream is meant to suit any and all of the fragrances in the Les Exclusifs collection? Didn’t know there was such a thing as a one-size-fits-all in perfumery. I wonder what the unifying note(s) is/are in the collection that makes the cream compatible with every one. Or what the cream smells like, for that matter.
i am curious myself. I wish I asked to see / smell / try it when I was at the NYC mid-town boutique last Saturday!
Yes, that’s the deal. I am guessing it has a very light scent. The few comments I’ve seen have been positive, but I would not spend that much on cream in any case so did not investigate.
I have a feeling Guerlain may have one of these too? Same concept. I’m a cynic: I don’t think there is much in it, just a marketing angle to get you to buy a product you don’t really need. But Chanel undoubtedly makes gorgeous body products, so if a little jar of this cream turned up under the Christmas tree at my place, I would not say no!
Does Guerlain really? Never heard of it.
If I’m remembering correctly. Elena on Perfumeshrine once did a post on it, I think. Can’t remember what it is called.
Got it:
http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/guerlain-delice-de-peau-new-scented.html
To my nose, it was a *very* soft floral lemon musk scent. Nice, not offensive. I topped it with a spritz of Cuir de Russie, just to see what would happen. Weirdly, I liked the effect. It moved the bite of leather more to a floral leather, more like Cuir de Lancôme. Any lotion makes things wear longer on my skin, so it certainly helped in that sense. It had a nice texture, non greasy, but emollient. I don’t want to spend my perfume dollars on this cream, but it was an interesting effect. I like their No5 cream much better, FWIW. Be well.
Ah good, I’m not the only one who’s smelled it! I basically agree–can’t say I got lemon, but very soft floral musk works for me! If fruity weren’t such a dirty word, I might invoke that too, but this is a very long distance more refined than what that term tends to connote. Regardless, I definitely agree, not offensive, great texture, rather nice, but very pricey.
I wish I had been born into a wealthy family or a lottery winning one. Too many lemmings and too little money.
Ah, I really hear ya!
If I had the dough, it would be that FM coffret.
That AG bottle is nice as well, haven’t sniffed the fume yet..mint isn’t a fave note of mine but maybe the pine saves it!
Even if Angel was all you wore, as potent as it is it would take you decades to use 425 ml. And the Prada…seriously?
Using Kevin’s findings 735*2*9= 13230 spritzes or equivalently
18 years of use if applied only 2 spritzes a day
well, for liberal appliers – 6 in the morning and 6 at night (same fragrance day and night…night and day) it’ll last only 3 years
That’s more years than most people expect to get out of a marriage! What a commitment to a fragrance – until death (or turning over) do us part, lol!!
I don’t even really like body lotion–something about the texture–but I think the Chanel cream smells so marvelous I might have to revise my opinion.
The question I keep reading all over the web is this: Has anyone smelled the new Chanel body cream???
So, I have, but I’m terrified now that anyone should rely on my undercultivated nose as the sole account! So taking this very much with a grain of salt: I’d say it is, as Robin anticipated above, very light. It’s also very lightly sweet, emphasis on the ‘lightly’: I’m pretty phobic about most things sweet, but I found it very pleasant in its mild way. I feel like the best use might be as a gift to someone who is going to be happy with some Chanel body cream just for the sake of luxury–it’s hard to imagine anyone being offended by the scent. Inoffensiveness notwithstanding, I’d still say anyone who is more invested in how it wears with his or her favorite Exclusif will probably want to test this before committing. While it’s not strong, it does seem distinct enough that I expect at least some people will feel it changes their favorite fragrance; whether that’s for the better will surely be a matter of debate! For instance, I can def see it turning up the volume on Beige, which I would not care for; but the same for 28 La Pausa would be an improvement, in my eyes. It might soften Coromandel…or it might bring out more sweetness than I care for! Et cetera!
For whatever any of that is worth!
Sorry to bring the CdR subject again. But I’ve been wearing it for the last copule of days – and I have to say – it does smell strange the first couple of hours – but its more like Yunnan Pu-erh tea strange. Maybe those are the tannin resins that are used when working with leather… but I assure you – there’s nothing barnlike.
Wore it to the university liberally applied (6 spritzes) – no nasty comments, no one tried to avoid sitting beside me.
And since CdR is the least sweet scent I own – it was a very nice break from Shalimar (I’m testing it quite vehemently since I’m trying to find our wether I need that 30 ml parfum bottle)
You and Abyss totally inspired me. I went back to Chanel to give it another try and for my trouble was rewarded with a bag full of Exclusif samples–jackpot! Haven’t gotten to CdR again yet but now I’ll be able to try it properly.
And good to know it didn’t turn up any noses. Maybe it’s just me!
Drat, Diaghilev is the one I’m most curious about, but at that price, I guess it’s just as well they don’t ship. For looks, I love the blue AG bottle!
I’m also curious but I’ve never even tried Diaghilev… Is it related to Mitsouko in any way? Or some Caron fragrance he made his ballerinas wear? (I’m also interested what Bolshoi (Guerlain) smells like)
Ahhh… the sweet pre cold war times – when at least something Russian was en vogue)