Our seventh annual holiday gift poll. Here are the three questions:
What is the fragrance-related gift you’d most like to receive this year?
Let’s say you were going to ask for just one unsniffed fragrance this year, what would it be?
Are you giving any fragrance items for gifts this year, and if so, what?
My answers:
I'm recycling (why waste?) my 2012 answer: Parfum d'Empire Azemour Les Orangers.
Maybe Hiram Green Shangri La.
I don't think so, but I have not started my shopping yet!
Note: image is Flames [cropped] by laogooli at flickr; some rights reserved.
New York fragonerd PSA: there’s a perfumista meetup at Osswald today starting at 2 in honor of some fabulous European perfume bloggers visiting!
I think the fragrance gift I would be most excited about this year is Le Labo Rose 31. I really need to get my hands on some before Estee Lauder starts futzing with it.
Rose 31 is good+1 about EL.
Darn, I’d love to have gone, but am still visiting people in Philadelphia…
I was there! So were Ari, Daisy, Poodle, Fleurdelis, The Smelly Vagabond who took time out of his studies ar Yale to meet-up, Portia Turbo / APJ and Birgit / Olfactoria. We had a nice snack (tea or hot chocolate) and then some of us met up for dinner at the Empire State Diner where we saw world-class chef/owner Amanda Freitag!
Sounds like a lot of fun!
Oh, so fun! I will join you guys one of these days!
I wouldn’t mind getting By Kilian’s Beyond Love or Taste of Heaven. A bottle of Felanilla would not be discarded, and I would certainly be able to give a very loving home to Cuir Ottoman, Azemour, La Panthère or Baiser Volé.
Either Hiram Green’s Shangri La or MDCI’s Enlèvement au Sérail
We don’t celebrate Christmas with gifts in my family, and I very, very seldom give fragrant gifts anyway as it is so easy to buy the wrong fragrance.
Just so you know, I just got a bottle of 1.7 EDP Baiser Vole on the ebays for about $35! And I didn’t just get lucky – Baiser Vole is really cheap and easy to find there – wayyyy cheaper than at the department store.
Thank you, I will probably try and get this one on ebay. I’m glad you got your bottle for so little money!
The fragrance-related gift I’d most like to receive is the Frederic Malle coffre, which is also my most-desired unsniffed fragrance (the only FMs I have tried are Portrait of a Lady and Une Rose, loved them both). I will be giving minis of Lush Shower gels as gifts this year – I bought several of each of Rose Jam, Flying Fox and So White. I will also keep some for myself – I especially loved the indolic jasmin in Flying Fox.
Also, I was busy all day with relatives yesterday and didn’t get to mention that I wore one of my favorite cheap thrills, Arpege EDP. I blind-bought a beautiful round black 30ml bottle from fragrancenet a few years ago for less than $25, I believe, after reading the great review on this site – thank you so much for the great tip!
Arpege is really lovely! I got a 100ml used tester some years ago, but the nozzle went funny and now its a real hassle to get any out. Should probably think of getting another bottle.
Hi Merlin,
I highly recommend the New England hillbilly method for getting perfume out of a bottle with a funky sprayer. First remove or break off the spray cap, then use an awl, a small icepick or a Phillips screwdriver to push the whole spray neck into the bottle so that there is a sizeable opening in the top of the bottle. Then use a pipette to suck out the perfume and squirt it into a decant bottle with a good sprayer. Toss the mangled empty bottle in the trash.
Thanks, Sajini – I think I’m going to try this! I hope I manage to keep the dark blue glass intact, even if the nozzle is destroyed, because it’s a lovely bottle 🙂 I will be very glad to have some juice again!
So smart, I’m glad you mentioned this–I think I would have been too afraid but you’re right, why not. It’s not like you’re going to drink the perfume–even if you end up with a few shards of glass, they’re not going to get through the new atomizer! Thank you for this tip!
What I’d most like to receive is Desarmant. I just bought myself some Byredo Green and some Samarinda so that’s what I’m actually getting
Oeillet Sauvage or Fiori de Bellogia would be my unsniffed choices
I got the lovely Ambra Nera scented candle for a classmate’s housewarming but I won’t be getting any other scented gifts
The Ortigia one? That thing is so pretty.
Decorative AND smells gorgeous– that’s the one
I am tempted! They do such nice packaging.
Haven’t heard of this line..the packaging is very nice! That fume doesn’t sound bad either!
Dear Santa,
If you swing by Barney’s and got me a bell jar of Borneo 1834, I’d be so grateful. All the 50ml ones have been snapped up and even with careful budgeting I’m not sure I can swing it before spring.
Unsniffed? Denise at Grain de Musc started a lemming for that new By Killian, Smoke for the Soul or whatever it’s called. Sounds lovely and I love the irony of the only non-toker in the family smelling of weed.
I want to give my boyfriend something nice but he goes through perfume like water! I can’t keep up. I might get him 200ml of Terre d’Hermes parfum since it’s relatively inexpensive from discounters. I just hope it lasts awhile.
Santa will be busy over at Barneys this year, LOL…
Well, if Santa could manage to find me a 50ml export bottle (I really don’t like the bell jars) of Borneo 1834 I would be over the Moon!
1. L’Air du Désert Marocain, which will probably be my auto-gift. And 24 Faubourg edp from my husband.
2. Anubis by Papillon Perfumes. I’m practically salivating after it.
3.Encre Noir for my husband and I’ve already bought Eau des Missions for my daughter whohas just got a new job and needs something office-friendly. I already bought her Narciso for her birthday last month.
Oooo, good choices for Santa! I will take both of those as well! hee-hee
What is “auto-gift”?
Undina, the most important part of one’s relationship with oneself rests in the quality of gifts one gives. Auto gifting is thus an important discipline that some of us, cough, cough, like me, cough, practice on an extremely regular basis…
Interesting! I call this “running errands,” as in, “Honey, I’ll be home in a bit, I am running errands after work” 😉
My “after dinner walk for health reasons”.
Absolutely 😀
That’s right – just a gift to oneself when others are incapable of getting it right!
A-ha! I see. I thought it was something like auto-pay where you set up an automatically recurring event (getting a gift in this case) 🙂
Ooh I like that idea. Do I buy at least 3 perfumes a quarter? Frequently. Maybe I should simply designate a day of the month to buy perfume but I tend to splurge and don’t think I’d have the discipline to limit my buying to only the 14th
I own a few men’s scents that , I wear–Encre Noir is one of them, along with Amber Precieux, Prada for Men and Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver.
I will take a Frederic Malle coffret please, Santa!
Unsniffed? Probably a Serge Lutens bell jar that I haven’t tried yet – perhaps Borneo 1934 or Fumerie Turque or La Vierge de Fer. I would also accept (hee-hee) an Andy Tauer – I’m thinking Reverie du Jardin….
Hmmm – I find it’s tough to give perfume-related gifts because it’s such a personal thing – and none of my friends or family are as hopelessly down the rabbit hole as I am! My sister does love the Victoria’s Secret body splashes and lotions (heck, I think they’re fun too – better than BBW anyway, IMHO) and I get those for her from time to time, especially around the semi-annual which is COMING UP!
Oh, and Santa, may I also have a 3.4 oz. bottle of Apres L’Ondee, thanks! 😉
Hey, I’ll take that as an add-on too 😉
One bottle of Tam Dao please and the sooner the better because I fear my withdrawal symptoms may become severe.
Untested? I’ll take one each of Azemour and Corsica Furiosa thank you very much. Robin, your reviews sold me on these two.
I’ve bought a Pacifica Persian Rose roller ball for my niece and Rose Jam shower gel for my Grandma and that should be it.
Oh, if only PdE did travel sizes, I’d own both!
More brands should do travel sizes add mix/match coffrets!
I’m hoping for Ormande Woman from my husband and Safran Troublant from my older daughter.
I’ve never tried Encre Noir and would love to have a big bottle of it. It sounds very interesting, and I’m curious to see what all the fuss is about.
Minis of Rose Jam shower gel were purchased for my daughters (with a big bottle for me!).
I am already going through my 2nd large bottle of Rose Jam. That stuff is like crack.
Haha. This one is a back-up! (Should have bought two.)
wearing Ormonde Jayne Woman right now
hope your fragrant wish comes true! 🙂
Thanks, zara. My decant is almost empty!
I’m getting Voleur de Roses.
For unsniffed, maybe Ambre Russe or Ombre Fauve.
I’ll probably get a couple f those Mysore Sandal soaps Victoria at BDJ reviewed and maybe L’Artisan samplers for my mom and MIL.
Isn’t it hard to believe that 1st of December is on Monday? Only few more weeks before Christmas and 1 week before Santa on December 6th.
1. I would love to receive small bottles of Atelier Cologne Santal Carmin and Rendez-Vous + Rose Anonyme shower gel please 😉 A new book from Mandy After would be cool as well
2. Dior Cuir Cannage maybe?
3. Yes, not sure what at the moment. Perhaps some aftershave splash for Dad…
My SotD is Gabriella Chieffo Hystera
Fragrance related: Any item from Hermè’s new Le Parfum de la Maison line!
One bottle: Allow me to go Luxurious and say Ashlemah by Bvlgari.
I usually gift scented creams (hand or body). Planning to gift Tocca’s Hand Cream minis set or Laura Mercier’s Gourmand Body Cream minis!
Hard to narrow it down…but Santa, how’s about mucho grande Luckyscent gift certificate and I can figure it out later?
I may be getting a designer scent for my niece..she has yet to narrow it down either. lol.
Dear Santa,
I would like a bottle of Tom Ford Amber Absolute. I recently fell in love with it and could not find a single bottle that is reasonably-priced. Oh oh oh (or should that be Ho ho ho?), the Penhaligon’s mini bucket of perfumes is really cute – one of these please.
For unsniffed, I would to have a FB of the DSH Scent of Hope (not sure if I got the name right) because it supposedly smells like the long lost mother of all irises – Iris Gris.
As to fragrant gifts to give, I am giving Bath and Body Works and The Body Shop scented products. My nieces will get Sephora gift cards (and more) and the L’Artisan Sampler Set. My sister realy likes By Kilian Apple Brandy but I’m not made of money so I’ll give her something else.
That L’Artisan sample set is such a killer gift- for anyone, really, but especially for nieces who might otherwise be wearing One Direction or similar mall juice.
Woof, I had not seen the price on Apple Brandy ’til now! Gosh that is hard to fathom.
I got myself so much lately (one cannot sit there and wait for Santa when a good sale appears, right?) that it wouldn’t actually be fair to ask for more … but if Santa really insists this time, I still “need” a bottle of The pour un Ete.
Missed commenting recently–technological issues. Just spraying the final dregs of my Moon Bloom travel spray–may have been my best blind buy ever. I’m contemplating blind buying Shangri La now too! Am a bit nervous about the peach note, but it sounds so wonderful otherwise.
A bottle of Bois des Îles in extrait, maybe?
For unsniffed I’d probably pick Cuir d’Ange.
Will be giving my mother a No5 Soap, among other things.
Cuir d’Ange does seem like about as safe a blind bet as one could hope for, doesn’t it?
No5 soap sounds so nice!
Bois des Isles en extrait . . . that tops my wishlist, too.
For christmas a bottle of Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Cheri, if for some reason this is not possible Heure Exquise will do just fine. please and thank you.
Unsniffed Donna Karan Iris, or just about anything Lutens or Malle.
I refuse to gift fragrance to friends and family only to see it unused and collecting dust over the next year!
1. I’d Be thrilled with a bottle of Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale
2. Amouage Fate Woman
3. Madame Rochas for my mom. Super cheap thrill, and I’m sure she’ll love it!
Isn’t Impériale wonderful? So crisp and uplifting. Do you like the other Guerlain colognes as well?
It ‘s perfect! I haven’t tried the others, but I’m very curious about them. Eau du Coq sounds great.
I have already stocked up on my favorite Malle, Dans Tes Bras, in advance of the EL sale. Also stocked up on Anubis and some Tauers at the Indigo sale. I think at this point I woul like some more Ubar, Fate and Beloved to tide me over, and in the unsniffed category, SSS Amber Incense when it comes availablr. 🙂
That’s smart about FM. It’s hard to imagine Dans Tes Bras is long for this world, if it’s going to be subjected to the demands of the mass market… sigh.
Re: Malle’s less-usual offerings, I really hope you’re wrong, but fear you are right! It just about makes my heart race in anxiety over the lost beauties!
I wish I knew more about how the economics of these things worked. Obviously there is some manner in which it’s feasible but how it fits into the business plan of a behemoth like EL… Makes me think of indie film distribution, another puzzle to me.
1. Angel. Been craving it since Angel Friday, when I spritzed from a Sephora sample. Santa dear, a travel spray would be perfect.
Depending on how I like the sample of Omnia I just ordered, I might scrounge around ebay for a FB. It sounds right up my alley, my concern is I may be asnomic (sp?).
2. Unsniffed…..Givenchy Organza Indecence. Or any dark, boozy, spicy vanilla. No frosting allowed.
3. Might get my mom a decant of a fancy scent she likes, but would never get through a FB of. So that would mean finding a gifting grade bottle to contain the decant. Hmmmm, I think a trip to etsy might be required.
My brother and his guy both love scents, might get them a couple of candles.
As a side note, just got my mini of Atelier Cologne Vanille Incensee in the mail this morning. Pretty happy with how great I smell!
Oooooh, I want to smell that one. I ordered the Atelier Cologne Absolues samples yesterday as an early holiday treat.
Hope you find some gems!
I would love a bottle of Mitsouko! And a bottle of Jardin de Armide.
Unsniffed but yearning for Ubar, Timbuktu, and L’Aire du Desert Morrocaine.
I usually give books but sometimes soaps….haven’t gotten to the details yet.
Fragrance-related gift – I really dislike winter (although I love snow), so I’m in the mood for a tour of Indonesia visiting fragrant plants. This is partly inspired by The Black Narcissus’s March 26, 2014, entitled, “Thieves in the temple: my sacrilegious first encounter with ylang ylang flowers at the Taman Sari Water Palace, Yogyakarta.” I want to stalk corpse flowers, too. 🙂
Unsniffed fragrance request: I NEED a Keen Cloon sampler – I’m hopelessly tantalized by perfumes that aren’t available in the U.S.!
I’m considering giving a friend a set of Annick Goutal Noël candles as a housewarming present.
By the way, I thought of Kevin and Angela this morning when I was out for a walk. A darling black pug INSISTED on crossing the street to meet me – seriously, he tugged against the leash until his owner brought him over for a quick cuddle. 🙂 (See Kevin’s review of Erik Kormann Eau du Fröhliche to understand this association.)
Can’t go wrong with Annick Goutal Noël candles.
right there with you on the Keen Cloon.
I don’t generally buy fragrance gifts for anyone, but my sister has run out of her only bottle, Dahlia Noir edt. So, I’m getting her that, but as per a suggestion from another NST reader, I’m also getting her a discover set from Sephora. Hopefully she’ll like one of the samples and redeem the coupon for a full bottle.
I already bought myself a bottle of PHI and hopefully I will like something in the four samples of Tauer perfumes that come with it and get another Tauer. Hubster is getting me LDDM.
Unsniffed: 15ml bottles of Maria Candida Gentile Exultat, Sideris and Cinabre
Perfume gifts for others: I just got an 8ml decant of Theorema and it’s really not my thing (shock horror!) so if you’ve been a good girl or boy and would like to have it please email me at orange_vermilion@msn.com
Just sent you an email, unless you haven’t been inundated already! 🙂
Great! You got it Kelly.
Where did you get the 15 ml bottles of Candida?
They are available from Twisted Lily. You can order it on line. I haven’t gotten them yet, just wishful thinking for now!
Well, apparently there’s a Malle coffret bandwagon to jump onto! Count me in! (SO, so sad it seems to be gone!!!!) And as I have only sniffed a handful of these, that counts as my unsniffed list, too.
I have no plans to buy fragrance gifts for anyone, although I keep looking for a scent I want to sniff on Mr. Spicebomb–to help mix things up for him! I’ve tried a few things on him already, but nothing’s really speaking to both of us, yet! I’m tempted to bring out my OJ samples and try the men’s scents in there next.
Have you tried Guerlain L’Instant Pour Homme? I know, always suggest it.
No, I don’t think so. What’s it like?
I don’t have easy access to the less-well-distributed Guerlains. Is it likely to be at my local Nordies, you think?
It’s assured and manly, discreet but not snoozy, and one day all men in the Western world will have least tried it, just to make me happy. Not sure about Nordies, but it should be at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver…
Thanks, N!
Discreet but not snoozy could be just the thing. Sometimes the Spicebomb is a bit too much, IMO. Mr. S wears it almost exclusively, as he knows I prefer it over door #2, which contains Bleu de Chanel!
Yes to OJ! I think Sampaquita is so awesome for a men’s floral (and apparently that’s on trend ! http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/floral-scents-for-men-are-blossoming-20141125-11t8ci.html ) but my current guinea pig did not love. Admittedly OJ had some more butch options I prob should have tried first 🙂 Hit it big with Rose 31 though! I also think Robin’s recent rec of Azemour could be great on men–but I kind of want to keep that one for myself!
L’Occitane also does a bunch of nice men’s scents, nicer than the women’s it seems to me–Jonas was mentioning Cade yesterday, very nice. And of course Eau des Baux.
I’m trying to think of what else is good but accessible to civilians–the first few John Varvatos (original, Artisan, Vintage) are all very nice.
I’ll be curious to hear what he likes!
I think the trick is going to find something mainstream enough that he isn’t put off by it, but not so normal that I find it boring. Must be a few happy-mediums out there for us, right?
I like Eau des Baux quite a bit–so cozy! I have meant to drag Mr. S into L’Occitane to try it, but haven’t gotten around to it. Too bad they seem philosophically opposed to samples there! All I’ve ever been offered is a ribbon with scent sprayed on it. . .
Yes so agreed about a happy medium–especially as I saw above that the current alt to Spicebomb is Bleu… A family member of mine switched recently from the Varvatos I had given him years ago to a new bottle of Bleu (picked out by another relative–without consulting me!!) and… I mean really as these things go, it smells fine on him, but after the JV, I was bummed.
Another thought: have you smelled Azemour? (as per Robin’s post on winter citrus.) I think it could be a great citrus for a man. (Actually I thought you when I smelled it–I feel like it might be among the few lighter scents that don’t disappoint in terms of complexity!) Also, Orange Verte, or another Hermes? For contrast to Spicebomb…
Thanks for the thoughts! I agree that Azemour is complex and interesting. Unfortunately, I have almost NO tolerance for orange blossom! I find it so distractingly sweet and soapy in nearly everything.
I know I’ve sniffed several of the Hermes–I remember liking Vetiver Tonka quite well, other than that it was a bit too well-behaved for me (which may be just right for Mr. S)!
I will be sure to seek out the JV scents! Bleu, as you say, is *fine*, it is just a bit boring.
Ohh good to know about the orange blossom–in that case, skip JV Artisan! (https://nstperfume.com/2009/02/19/john-varvatos-artisan-fragrance-review/) But the original and Vintage are still worth smelling, and they are quite reasonably priced, too.
Bottega Veneta Homme? Or, while I’ve only smelled it on paper, but Tom Ford Grey Vetiver seemed very nice. These are less economical but all available for sniffing at Nordstrom!
Actually, if he (and you!) end up liking the BV Homme, looks like Nordstrom has an online-only GWP–minis of Homme and the original if you buy the 3oz bottle. http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/beauty-gifts-with-purchase?campaign=1126hpstory2
(…just gonna sit here on my hands about the situation with samples at L’Occitane!! 😉 )
The L’Occitane at my local mall is more than willing to hand out samples of face creams, hand lotions, and the like (prepackaged in little sample pouches) and they allow spraying oneself with abandon with the testers, but I think they just aren’t given anything to put a fragrance sample into. Has anyone out there tried taking their own sample vial into a L’Occitane shop (and if so, how did it go)?
I should note, I didn’t miss the reference to your “current guinea pig!” Any details you’re willing to spill? How long’s that been going on, how’d you meet, etc., etc? 😀
Strictly a fragrant relationship! 🙂
I haven’t tried Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver yet, but it sounds promising. Kenzo pour Homme is great, too.
I double-checked for you, they still have the “men’s” coffret available (yikes – $200), but yeah, that women’s coffret was gone in a matter of days.
Who has it? I was able to find coffrets on several sites, but then you can’t click on “buy now” or whatever . . .
I was going to say Barney’s, but as of today, it looks like the men’s coffret just sold out! 🙁
Shoot. Thanks for checking, though!
I would love a FB of Ubar, Fate or Opus 1. Or a good vintage Cabochard.
Unsniffed: Chanel Beige. It sounds interesting.
I get fragrance gifts for one sister, my daughter, and four nieces. Lush Rose Jam shower gel last year for the girls, DK for my daughter, and the Puredistance sample set for my sister. She loves vintage Calandre but I haven’t seen that in years. Any ideas for a good source?
Hey anngd, wanted to let you know I’ve found Amouages occasionally at discounters like FragranceNet and BeautyEncounter. I’ve purchased both Lyric and Ubar that way–both for about $160. You know, just in case you wanna pull on Santa’s ear about them! 🙂
I really like Ubar…one of these days. lol.
It is lovely, although I don’t find it’s *right* more than a few times a year–that unusual balance of cheery lemon and formal flowers (and big sillage!). I certainly don’t regret having it available for when it’s right, though!
I found vintage Calandre on ebay for a reasonable price a year or so ago. It takes some patient searching, watching, and knowing which packaging you want.
I would like to receive FM Une Rose as a gift this Christmas, for a non sniff one I would be happy to receive one of SL bell jars.
I already bought 4 sets from Winners, Hermes eau d’ambre set for my mom, Hermes jardin sur le toit set for my mother in law, Hermes eau d’orange verte for my husband and Guerlain Homme set for my father in law, all fragrant gifts this Christmas and I am almost done for the gifts.
What wonderful gifts! I’d like to get on an elevator with you and your family. 🙂
The unsniffed would be Hedonist Iris but would love a bell jar of Sarrasins. But I am probably going to get my grandmother a CK Euphoria mini for Christmas.
I’d love to get vintage Lancôme Climat in a good condition (well, for that parfum in good condition I wouldn’t mind paying 🙂 ).
For the unsniffed one, I’d go for Amouage Sunshine: I love Amouage and even if this one wouldn’t work, it shouldn’t be hard to exchange it for one of the previous ones that I like but didn’t get yet.
I’ll probably buy perfume for my SO but not as a surprise: I know several that he tried and liked, I’m just a designated perfume buyer in our household.
This year, my mom will get a huge bottle of Balmain de Balmain.
As for gifts for myself, I don’t know! Right now I don’t have any perfume wishes, sniffed or unsniffed (I hope this will pass soon). I guess my wallet is happy though 🙂
I have to pick only one fragrance gift?! 😉 I’m going with the En Passant travel sprays. Crossing fingers that if I use one at a time and keep the others unsprayed in the fridge, they won’t spoil before I can get to them…
Meanwhile I’m giving a bunch of fragrance gifts, Flowerbomb, Chloe (the new one) and Rose 31, all selected by the respective recipients. I have varying amounts of affection for these different scents, but no matter; mainly I’ve just been delighted to watch these non-perfume folk’s faces light up when we strike on something they love. Such a joy.
Something unsniffed though… gosh. Cuir d’Ange is probably the best bet for what I’m likely to like, but it feels like a wasted pick when I have silly-easy access to Hermessence testers. Something vintage, I think. Vintage Chanel Gardenia, how about. Or Lanvin Scandal (on my wishlist thanks to Angela’s review!)
As both Fragrancenet and Parfum1 were having crazy sales this weekend, I have just ordered five mini bottles, three bigger bottles, and some bubble bath. I am sure the bonus will be including a partridge in a pear tree…
Dear Santa…can you bring me a bottle of Sacred wood by Kilian?..it would be really appreciated
Perfumes I haven’t smelled that would be much appreciated: Aedes de Venustas (original), Tauer PHI. Both sound awesome, so it’s a tie!
Unsure about all the other questions 🙂
Merlin, by original Aedes de Venustas, do you meant the first one by L’Artisan Parfumeur, or their first squarish bottle?
Nozknoz, I somehow missed the news of the L’artisan one, though now that I’v looked it up, it looks lovely too. But the one I have in mind is the one with rhubarb and tomato leaf – so the first one in the squarish bottle!
I was unsure as to what I would think of rhubarb but I smelled Flashback recently and while it did not have as much body as I would like, I really enjoyed the rhubarb note 🙂
The L’Artisan one sounded perfect, but the incense-tea combination did not work for me at all. I have several Olfactive Studio samples and am really liking that line.
We never got the Indigo one here, but of the others I best like Chembre Noire and Flashback…
Just received Fleurissimo as a gift, and am so busy loving it that I actually can’t think of anything else I would want right now–though I shall definitely be exploring Creed further and I’m afraid my lack of current covetousness won’t last.
Unsniffed? Krigler’s Dolce Tuberose, or Guerlain French Kiss (it’s pink, French, and rosy, can’t resist)
I have a full bottle and shower gel set of Nuit de Tubereuse that I picked up during L’Artisan’s blow-out sale this summer, thinking to give it as a gift. Haven’t yet decided on a recipient! I also ordered ‘perfumed tea’ from Marriage Freres to give a number of friends, so maybe that counts. 😉
Right now, I have no real lemmings, but I wouldn’t mind if Santa brought me a small bottle of Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt. I sniffed it when I was in the flagship Nordstrom in Seattle last month, but they were all sold out of the 30 ml size, and I don’t need 100 ml of anything.
Unsniffed bottles seldom work out, but perhaps a bottle of Aftelier Palimsest? It sounds interesting.
My husband will be getting a bottle or two of something, as usual. I plan to get him a large bottle of PdN New York. Of all the scents I have gotten him over the years, this is perhaps my very favorite on him. I just smells really, really good, and I want to smell it on him again.
Santa no longer comes to our house, but if he did, I would ask him for a bottle of Aedes de Venustas’ new one, Copal Azur. Robin, you stirred my curiosity on this one, and I just received my 3 ml sample today from Surrender to Chance. Verdict: LOVE!
If I were to roll the dice and ask for something unsniffed, I’d go for L’Artisan’s re-release of Oeillet Sauvage (as I’ve never met a carnation I didn’t love) or DSH’s Scent of Hope (because I love just about everything she does, and this one sounds divine, even though I never had the chance to smell Iris Gris).
I’m gifting my mother with PdN’s Le Temps d’Une Fate. She has worn White Linen forever, and I think that she will love this one.
I’d love the Frederic Malle womens’ coffret but it isn’t in the budget this year.
Unsniffed, I’m really curious about Moon Bloom. It sounds amazing.
Mr. Ab. Scent is getting more Divine L’Homme Sage, the kids are getting Philosophy body washes (save for the little one) and if I see any cheap thrill gift sets that look promising, I may gift myself. 😉
Oh, and I’m trying very hard not to snap up a bottle of Hermes Jour de Hermes l’Absolu I found on a reliable discount site today. It even had a coupon, but I’m hoping Mr. Ab. Scent has gotten the multiple hints and it might end up under the tree this year so I’m trying to behave. 😉
I have been eying that Jour Absolu price too (and I love the scent–the rare flanker I prefer to the original!) Realistically I wouldn’t wear it enough to justify a full bottle, but I have a friend who loves it, have been trying to nudge her 🙂
Would you get the bottle or the refill? Usually I don’t care about bottles, and the refill price per ounce is just killer, but the Jour bottles are among the few I’m totally taken with… And for my friend’s purpose, she’d wear it as a signature scent, so she totally could leave it sitting out on her dresser to admire, without fear that the juice might turn before she finished it.
I’d love an European split of the Aedes de Venustas travel sizes (Iris Nazarena, Oeillet Bengale and Copal Azur) (fits the unsniffed cathegory as well).
We adults in my family don’t give Christmas presents anymore, but I try to bring small gifts of body lotions and shower gels to my old mum throughout the year. I’ll keep my eyes open for a nice gift box come the post-Christmas sales ;).
Oh darn I would love a split of those as well, but I am in the middle of the USA! At the risk if getting way ahead of ourselves, anyone in America interested in an Aedes split like this?
An DC for some reason this did not let me chose to have replies sent to my email so I am adding my log in name is my Gmail name as well so you can email me there.
Wierd typos. Stupid autocorrect. LOL.
I’d love to receive Phi, Cuir d’Iris, Mon Parfum Cherie, Ambre Russe or Hedonist (fat chance!) Hopefully one of these will show up …
Unsniffed I would go for Cuir de Lancome or Boxeuses.
And yes I’m giving a L’Artisan set one of the 4 x 7ml ones that now has Seville a l’aube in it. I may also gift some body products as well – maybe Lush. It can be quite a tricky thing to get right but I know the L’Artisan recipient will love it.
This is a cry for help.
Time to buy office staff gifts. I give myself a budget of about $40.00
One of the guys who works here is in his late twenties, and is a construction worker who does office work in between small construction gigs. Not into “Metrosexual” or fashion. Does not wear piercings, jewelry or even button down shirts. He does not wear fragrances but notices the scents I wear and compliments me on the ones he likes. (Not in a flirting way). The last one he liked on me was Pour Cherie Par Camille (My one fruity Patchouli)
So I thought I would get him one of those small travel sizes of a suitably masculine but scent.
The companies that make scents in this price range would seem to be Parfums de Nicolai and Histoires Des Perfumes. Any comments within these brands as to which he might like.
So I thought I would
He does however notice
I’m impressed that this man likes Mon Parfum Cherie par Camille, the most adventurous Annick Goutal!
With PdN, New York and Vie de Chateau are good. I never focused on the HdP masculines but love that brand – hope others will recommend. Smellbent is also a fun, inexpensive brand.
I wish more men would wear vetiver! I’m seeing 1.7-oz Guerlain Vetiver on Amazon for $37.99; there are also deals on ebay and probably elsewhere. (no affiliation)
FYI, just realized I had an e-mail about Smell Bent’s annual sale – free shipping and various discounts through Monday.
I second nozkoz’s suggestion of Smell Bent. They have a variety of interesting scents in travel sizes for $7.00 each. You might think about the one called Commando, which I believe is a skin scent, and then get another, more adventurous choice.
A perfume or cologne might be a scary first step for someone who does not wear it. How about soap? I’ve never tried their soap, but Kevin said that “Atelier Cologne soaps are heavily scented with luxurious lather.”
The only HdP I’ve tried is 1899 Ernest Hemingway. I like it — it is reminiscent of Spicebomb. 1899 doesn’t have any patchouli and it is not fruity, so it probably would not be a stand-in for Pour Cherie Par Camille.
The only masculine HdP I see at http://www.histoiresdeparfums.com/us/histoiresdeparfums/characters-masculine.php with patchouli (and for fruit, “dry fig”) is Marquis de Sade. I would NOT buy that for a co-worker 🙂
Good luck and do share your final decision with us!
I second New York, and maybe Patchouli Intense? from PdN.
Histoires de Parfums has a lovely elegant patchouli called Noir Patchouli. It’s good. My favourite, ( and I am a huge fan of Mon Parfum Chéri) is 1740, the Marquis de Sade.
I know I may be too late to this thread, but one HdP for men that I really like is 1828 Jules Verne. It’s more in the traditional herbal/fougere direction, but it dries down to a warm spiced woody scent. I gave my brother a decant of it last Christmas.
Thank you all for your advice. (Timbaktu is a guy’s scent?
Smell Bents completely disappear after about three minutes on me, so I am reluctant to give them as a gift. (If anyone else has a contrary experience, I’d like to know since their descriptions sound lovely).
I love the Atalier Colognes soap, but somehow scented soap seems like a bigger step than an actual cologne or perfume for a guy.
Based upon price, availability and your recommendations (Perfume1 has a 21% off sale ending today, but you’ll have to pay for shipping), I ended up going with Patchouli Noir for him. I like this brand and was tempted towards De Sade which I remember sniffing a couple of times and liking except for the dreadful name*. But perhaps it was not right for a co-worker. I don’t remember sniffing Pachoulli Noir, since Camille is about as Pachoulli** as I get , but I will take your word as to sophistication. If not, hey its only a gift from someone at the office, not a life long commitment.
Oh, and since Mono Di Orio’s original line seems to be vanishing I used the discount to finally get that Vetyver for myself.
*See Kevin’s brilliant review which neatly encapsulates my feelings about the historical Marquis De Sade: he did not go to exclusive clubs to meet like minded folk and develop safe words- he tortured servant girls/
** Once upon a time, in ancient days, every suburban mall had a patchoulli scented headshop which bongs, rolling papers (supposedly for homemade “tobacco cigarettes) and cheap incense which supposedly fooled one’s parents. Then, the federal government decided that selling bongs was a violation of federal law and the shops vanished. So did the income of many a fine glass blower.
I already asked for a bottle of Black Cashmere, but wouldn’t hate getting a bottle of Jicky, too. Full bottles make me self-conscious, though, so in an ideal world, maybe I really just want decants. And also anything Rose Jam.
Following some very convincing recommendations, my choice for unsniffed is the Neela Vermeire sampler coffret, which, of course, is sold out. The discovery set is still around, but I haven’t done too good a job using up the other samples I have, and the extra milliliters intimidate me. I’m also waiting for Tea for Two to reappear, and think I might like that.
Not counting gifts to myself, I probably won’t give any fragrance gifts because I don’t really know anyone who likes fragrance (weird).
Not weird, really. Well, weird to those of us who frequent this site 🙂 I work in an environmental profession and most of my acquaintances are fellow nature nerds. When I mention that I like perfume, they often respond with at best, puzzled looks, or at worst, frowns and negative comments about perfume.
Interestingly, my mother (retired science teacher and nature nerd) and mother-in-law (nature lover) both wear perfume regularly. Perhaps it is a generational thing? They are both in their early 70s. My mom loves tuberose and other white flowers and my MIL wears Shalimar.
Good morning chickadees, has everyone seen that L’Artisan is on Hautelook this morning? Jour de Fete, Seville à l’Aube, Mechant Loup, L’Ete en Douce, Al Oudh and a whole bunch of candles, all half off.
Should say, several of the perfumes are in 50ml, so half off really ends up as a good price! (Haha now I feel obliged to add I am not affiliated, just excited 🙂 )
Nice…thanks for posting!!
My pleasure, and thanks to Jonas for putting me onto it in the first place!
Did you get anything?
Maybe I did some shopping I can’t mention just yet 🙂
Ooh, how exciting! Well I’ll just have to look forward to finding out what the man in the red suit brings you and yours!
It’s not a bad selection. I promised myself i wouldn’t order unless they had L’Eau de L’Artisan though. I am tempted by the Thé et Pain d’Épice candle but I think I’ll pass on this one. How about you? Will you order anything?
I know, that candle looked so good to me too! I’ve been having some rotten allergies this fall (haven’t even been wearing much perfume, as it seems to aggravate my sinuses when I’m feeling under the weather 🙁 🙁 ) so I decided I probably shouldn’t be breathing in smoke right now!, but I did go for a 50ml of Seville. It originally felt too sweet for me, but as the weather’s turned colder, I find myself thinking of it all the time! And that bargain–given that initially Seville was only available for $165, it feels like quite a steal to get 50ml for $59!
Thank you SO much for pointing this out–I’ve now gotten two full bottles thanks to your Hautelook tips! Very grateful!
No worries. At that price you can call it a cheap thrill.
True! Amazing.
Thank you C.H. and Jonas for the alerts, and please keep posting them!
My number one wish is a solid of Cuir de Gardenia; I’d put on a Marilyn Monroe dress and coo “Santa Baby” for that gem!
A matched pair of Moon Bloom and Shangri La would be an incomparable holiday delight, though I haven’t sampled either.
Fragrance gifts for others include a few sample sets I’m putting together for the nieces from my overwhelming pile and some whipped body butter I’ll be making for my mama and sisters using the oil I infused with lavender from my garden.
Ooh, wow I am so impressed by the whipped body butter! Do you mind telling us a bit about the process? I’d be very curious to hear both about how home infusing works and then also how you make the butter from the oil–are these very involved processes?
Your gift sets for family sound like they will be well received! 🙂
Mine…
My wish… as always, some pristine vintage Bellodgia.
Unsniffed… a sample set of the 4160 Tuesdays fragrances.
Gifts… some Mure et Musc to my mother (and old favorite of hers) and a scented indie-brand shave cream (Dr. Pennskin) to my DH.
Although I own roughly 300 full bottles of fragrance, there are still several I would love to own–some in the Amouage family. I will not be buying perfume for anyone and no one will be buying it for me. (I only receive about 3 gifts on Christmas, and they will most likely be gift certificates.) I would purchase Hirman Green’s Shangri la blind as I love Moon Bloom.
It’s hard to have too much Amouage, isn’t it? 🙂
OMG! Over 300 bottles?! I would love to see that! Your collection is probably like going to a department store. I am so jealous.
I’ve been a good girl, Santa and would like a full bottle of Amouage Lyric Woman. My horded samples and decants are nearly gone. Still haven’t sniffed Andy’s PHI, but would jump on that in a minute. As for fragrant gifts, just some lavender bath oil for a friend and a Black Friday special from Sephora of two Tocca scents (Guilietta and Stella) with a mini hand cream and roller ball all for ten bucks–couldn’t resist.
I’m late to the game as usual. I wouldn’t mind a rich Santa providing me with a bottle of O’Hira but since I don’t know anyone that frivolous I’ve put out hints about a bottle of L’air de Rien.
Unsniffed, I would love a bottle of Maai.
I haven’t decided what we will attempt for Christmas gifts this year, probably very little. My husband’s parents both like perfume and my father in law in particular loves to get the Sephora fragrance box so I’m thinking of some misc. samples and a Luckyscent, MiN, or Twisted Lily gift card.
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Turns out, I still enjoy my family tremendously and even though there were more people around than I prefer, I wish we had been able to visit longer. We were just to the point where Bat had decided that 9 cat lovers weren’t too scary at all and I felt really bad putting him in the carrier this morning.
Hello everyone at NST. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday and weekend. I am just now responding because one of my friends got married this weekend. We were all at this fabulous resort. Just returning home today. They are honeymooning in Costa Rica. Everything was absolutely beautiful. Now to answer the questions at hand:
1.What is the fragrance-related gift you’d most like to receive this year?
– I pretty much have all the fragrances I want at the present time. But, if I were to receive a fragrance as a gift, I wouldn’t mind receiving a Tom Ford fragrance. I love Neroli Portofino and Jasmine Rouge. I also wouldn’t mind getting Bottega Veneta’s Knot. That’s a fragrance I just discovered and like a lot.
2. Let’s say you were going to ask for just one unsniffed fragrance this year, what would it be?
-I really want to try Slumberhouse’s Pear and Olive. So many people say great things about it, so I wouldn’t mind getting a small bottle or decant of it to see if I like it.
3. Are you giving any fragrance items for gifts this year, and if so, what?
– Last weekend I attended a breakfast hosted by Jo Malone in Neiman Marcus. I got a few items for Xmas and one of those items was a gift for my mom. I got her the Cologne Intense Collection by Jo Malone. There are five different fragrances that I hope she enjoys.
And, in addition to giving out Christmas cards, I will give each of my friends who like fragrance some samples. I have so many samples, so I feel sharing what I have would be nice!
The Cologne Intense collection is really nice!
I know I’m late to this party, but…
1. Lemmings: Serge Lutens Boxeuses, Le Labo Ylang 49 (just in case EL messes it up), FM Iris Poudre, or Amouage Lyric
2. Unsniffed: Serge Lutens Cedre or Hiram Green Moon Bloom
3. Fragrant gifts: Probably not perfume, since I don’t really have anyone in my life who’s all that into it. I’d be pretty surprised if I receive any either, though I have an Amazon wish list devoted to it. I have dabbled with making wax room fragrances (the kind you melt in a warmer), and the initial run worked pretty well, so I might come up with some ideas there and give some of those as gifts.
OOh almost forgot.. MikasMinion’s post reminded me.. for my unsniffed list I’d also add a bottle of Maai. I hadn’t heard of this one til recently, and after reading up on it, I think I. Must. Have. It.
My choices are:
1) Umbra (Ramón Monegal)
2) Sel de Vetiver (The Different Company)
3) Yes. L’Heure Bleue (Guerlain)
🙂