Around this time of year, my father would go to Selfridges to buy my mother a Christmas present.
He would head hopefully to the perfume hall and after an hour or so smelling shop assistants’ wrists, ended up buying the most attractive-looking box set. One year, she ended up getting men’s aftershave. This guide is to help you avoid that fate, though I should say there are some terrific scents out there that appeal to both sexes.
A few are high risk, others the fragrance equivalent of the O blood group: universally acceptable. As a rule, cologne is a pretty safe bet – fleeting, uplifting and evanescent – if you’re not entirely sure about someone’s taste.
And, if you’re not chasing novelty, the classic scent for the season has to be Caron’s Nuit de Noel, which is meant to evoke a walk to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve: I’d like that in my stocking please, in its dinky Twenties black bottle. (www.parfumscaron.com) Euro 224 (but hurry if it’s for Christmas).
Meanwhile, here are some lovely and interesting scents for this year:
Acqua di Parma Colonia, Vaniglia, 100ml
Is there anyone who doesn’t love Acqua di Parma? It’s original classic cologne is fabulous for any age and either sex and right now it comes in cheerful, festive box. But this is a drumroll for one of its new offerings this year: Vaniglia, which is as far from plain vanilla as it’s possible to get. It’s creamy, not overly sweet, but with a citrusy uplift and a floral jasmine element. Delicious.
£182 | Harrods | Buy it now
Jo Malone Huntsman Assam & Grapefruit Cologne
Is there anything like a black and cream Jo Malone box to cheer a girl up? Well, check out their new range for the Savile Row tailors, Huntsman. It happens to be for men, but we’re terrifically gender fluid in an olfactory way, and this is one to share. It’s an unusual combination, to put it mildly, Assam and Grapefruit, but it’s a warm, uplifting scent, with cardamom in there as well as patchouli. A really pleasing cologne.
£120 | Jo Malone | Buy it now
Ormonde Jayne, Cuir Imperiale, 50ml
As the name suggests, it’s about leather, and it’s heady, heavy and intoxicating. There’s patchouli and sandalwood, musk and incense in there, and it packs a powerful punch. A kickass scent.
£195 | Harrods | Buy it now
Floris, A Rose For… Eau de Parfum, 100ml
In this case, it’s A Rose For…Me! thank you very much. It’s a scent that sets out to evoke the rose fields of Morocco, and it’s lovely, with the rose floral underpinned by depth from sandalwood and incense and soft orris and heady oud. Very pretty. Oh, and it comes with a pen to personalise it, if that’s your thing.
£160 | Floris | Buy it now
Jean d’Aigle, Cadentia, La Veritable, Rose, 200ml
An altogether different rose, this, being a light, sweet, very, very rose cologne from an excellent, traditional French house. Its Eau de Cologne range is the bargain of this selection: the Natural Citrus is an absolutely classic cologne…fresh and invigorating with a fabulous bottle. Splash it on at the beginning of the day, or shake it into your bath, and bingo - instant, classy mood uplift.
£54 | Cologne and Cotton | Buy it now
Serge Lutens: Le Participe Passe, Eau de Parfum, 100 ml
This man is as much of a poet as perfumer: wholly original and uncompromising genius. This is an extraordinary scent: at first whiff, I thought…black treacle, an impression that the dark, treacly colour confirms. In fact, the notes are woody and spicy – fir balsam, cumin and resin – but for me it smells like a sticky toffee pudding might. So, not one for everyone, but wholly distinctive.
£110 | Harvey Nichols | Buy it now
Penhaligon, Kensington Amber, 100ml
This scent is lovely. Naturally, in this office we’re predisposed to like anything Kensington…we’re a hop, skip and jump from the Palace, don’t you know. But even without the local prejudice, I’d go for this amber fragrance with cinnamon and vanilla notes. It’s billed as “Royalty and refinement … powerful yet mastered, well-mannered”…let’s say it’s elegant and very classy and not at all austere.
£137 | Penhaligon's | Buy it now
Byredo, 11th Hour,100 ml
In case you hadn’t guessed, the name is meant to evoke the eleventh hour before the end of time…apocalypse!! “A melancholic yet optimistic fragrance” apparently, meant to represent the last scent on earth. Oh yes? It is a notably fruity fragrance, with wild fig the predominant note. The vibe from this niche Swedish house is genderfluid and modern: the packaging pared down monochrome.
£160 | Space NK | Buy it now
