In the hit song ‘Who Do You Think you Are?’, the wise prophet, Gerri Halliwell, once said “giving is good, as long as you’re getting”, and whilst this may not be entirely true, as it is always lovely to give gifts too (Christmas is all about giving, apparently), it would be a lie to say that receiving presents isn’t pretty awesome. In fact, I’m happy to admit that I’m a bit of a monster at Christmas and have been known to supply lists to my family, of things I would, much to their dismay, even though I have eased off over the last few years, in a vain attempt to be less of a brat. But still, one must think of themselves every now and then and it doesn’t hurt to have a strong idea of what it is that you want in life.
Anyway, I digress. Everyone is doing gift guides at the moment and I find them difficult because there is just so much out there to choose, and so many people to choose for, that putting together a comprehensive selection of what to buy for whom, is pretty much mind boggling for me. So, in lieu of an actual gift guide, and seeing as my favourite subject is myself (I kid, of course, kinda…), I present to you my personal wish list of fragrant treats for Christmas. Perhaps this will serve as inspiration for gifts you’re buying, or maybe it’ll just be an insight into just how much of a demanding little sod I am. Either way, I hope you enjoy my joyful gathering of scented gifts.
Let’s start with something comprehensive from Arquiste. Now, the problem with the Arquiste line is that I find myself really enjoying most of the fragrances in the collection. Whether it be the stripy, masculine gardenia of Boutonnière no.7, or the spicy chocolate of Anima Dulcis, or even the translucent vanilla of The Architects Club, Arquiste has a lot to offer and this makes choosing just one bottle incredibly difficult. So much so in fact, that the brand has released two handy little Travel Sets which between them, contain 5ml sprays of the 9 fragrances in the Arquiste collection. Obviously, not being able to choose, I’d have to be gifted with both…
Split into ‘Florals’ (Flor y Canto, Fleur de Louis, Infanta en Flor and Boutonièrre no.7) and ‘Citrus and Woods’ (L’Etrog, L’Etrog Acqua, Anima Dulcis, Aleksandr and The Architects Club) the Arquiste travel sets are available in 4 x 5ml/5 x 5ml Eau de Parfum for $70.
If you’re a regular reader of The Candy Perfume Boy, you will know that one of my favourite brands is Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and that my most favouritest perfumers is the man behind that brand. So for Christmas, my little list wouldn’t be complete without something from the house of MFK, and this year I am lusting after their gorgeous set of three Christmas candles. Housed in frosted glass votives and etched with a golden Parisian scene, these delightful candles smell like the softest and most powdery spiced gingerbread. They are beautifully delicious, refined and subtle.
The Maison Francis Kurkdjian Christmas candles are 70g each with a burn time of 20 hours. 3 x 70g is €65.
Travel sets and candles are great, but one really cannot beat a full bottle all wrapped up underneath the tree. I’ve always got a few bottles of something or other on my wish list, but this Christmas I’m jonesing for the scandalous Putain des Palaces (Hotel Slut) by Etat Libre d’Orange. This is a fragrance that I’m constantly on the very tip of biting the bullet for, but I never seem to find myself pressing the ‘buy now’ button. I adore the fact that it comes across as ruffled bed sheets soaked in French perfume and sweat, and I need it in my collection. Perhaps I just need someone to bite the bullet for me?
Putain des Palaces is available in 50ml Eau de Parfum for £59.50 and 100ml Eau de Parfum for £99.
As you’ll have seen from my Escentual post last week (a review of Caron’s Parfum Sacré), I am in full-on winter mode with my fragrance wardrobe, in fact it won’t be long before the big heavy hitters in my collection, i.e. MFK’s Absolue Pour le Soir and Byredo’s 1996, come out to play. One of my top scents for winter is Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir, a ruby red fragrance that pairs winter spices and pulpy fruits to create a mulled-wine effect that is fizzy and vivacious. I adore Pomegranate Noir, and when it is dressed in dramatic red ribbon as this year’s limited edition is, well, it simply is an absolute must-have. On the list it goes.
The Limited Edition red Pomegranate Noir is available in 100ml Cologne for £89.
When I was a kid, my mother had a gorgeous Esteé Lauder solid perfume housed within a gold and red elephant-shaped compact. I remember being fascinated by the shiny red enamel on the outside and the smell of Beautiful within, which was so ‘my mother’. Long after the solid perfume had been used up I would sniff the compact and enjoy the fading imprint of Beautiful’s abstract bouquet. The Beautiful Harrods Christmas Bear Compact would make a wonderful gift this Christmas, not only because it would serves as a joyful olfactory time capsule to the past, but also because it’s just so darn cute. I’d have to share it with Ma though.
The Beautiful Harrods Christmas Bear is a limited edition available exclusively to Harrods for £185.
Last, but certainly not least, no Christmas wish list on The Candy Perfume Boy would be complete without at least one Thierry Mugler fragrance present. I am, after all, a die hard Mugler fan boy and a card-carrying member of the Muglerati. But what does one ask for when they are as decked out in Mugler as they physically can be? Well the answer is simple: one asks for the Mugler fragrance that they don’t own. In my case that would be the officially recognised demi-Angel that is Innocent. It’s been years since I’ve sniffed this one and I remember it being a super fruity interpretation of Angel with lots of praline and candy floss. To call it divine, is an understatement.
Innocent is exclusive to Thierry Mugler online and is available in 25ml (£26.50), 50ml (£40.50) and 70ml (£49) Eau de Parfum.
Join the Discussion
Tell me, dear reader, what are you wishing for this Christmas?
Disclaimer
Image 1 my own. Image 2 via Arquiste. Image 3 via groomingguru.co.uk [edited]. Image 4 via lenomo.ru. Image 5 via Jo Malone. Image 6 via Harrods. Image 7 via tattoodonkey.com.
The Candy Perfume Boy 