9am

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa a la la la, la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, Fa a la la la, la la la la. I cannot believe it is still November and this is stuck in my head already. Yes it that time of the year and I swear it is creeping up sooner and sooner.

Well if you are scratching your head about what to get your loved ones or close mates can I suggest perfume. Yes I know it is intimate and very tricky to buy for someone but if you follow these simple suggestions you can give someone, something more than a present – my mum still wears a rare perfume (JAR Jardenia – Joel Arthur Rosenthal) that my dad bought for her eons ago.

Helen Keller (author, activist and lecturer, she was the first deaf/blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree) called smell the fallen angels of our senses. I cannot agree more, good and great smells trigger memories of treasured moments in our life. Giving a scent as a gift is more than just a bottle - it is a trousseau of memories waiting to be opened, discovered and relished over and over again.

Before you rush out and buy someone a scent, follow these guidelines
• Buy a scent for someone close and special only
• Gather as much information as possible about what the person is already wearing
• Find out if the person has any allergies or intolerances
• Ask what sort of flowers they enjoy, or where they have been and what smells make them reminisce or be direct and ask what scent family they enjoy – floral, woody, citrusy, spicy or oriental
• If they are already wearing a certain brand/style of perfume; maybe buy a complimentary scent
• Never buy scents in a hurry – set aside at least an hour
• Mornings are best when your nose and the store are fresh and not crammed by the constant spritzing
• Think carefully about the kind of message you want to project.
• Never buy on the first spritz
• The best way is to narrow down your choice and take away four perfumes blotters
• If you have been spraying your wrists – wipe with some hand sanitizing liquid, rubbing alcohol or witch hazel to get rid of the smell completely wait 5-10 minutes and try again.
• Keep in mind our nose can get sensitized to signature scents so sometimes a change is as good as a holiday.
• There is also the familiar notion that we all smell differently – we don’t smell things differently we interpret and describe them differently.
• The best time to buy scents is during the holiday season as almost every brand brings out a coffret (a gift box or set. A coffret might include several fragrances, or a fragrance and matching body products) which is value for money because you sometimes get a complete set of fragrance, shower gel and body lotion  which are not usually sold individually outside of the festive season. The set works out to be more value for money than just buying the fragrance on its own

Here are my picks for the season… I will list notes of each scent making it easy for you narrow your choice or make a selection.

New Releases
• A Scent by Issey Miyake is a great play on words ‘ascent’ ‘a scent’. This a true green floral made up of jasmine, galbanum (aromatic gum resin), lemon verbena, hyacinth, musk, crystal moss and cedarwood. Simply genius! And the bottle is the height of simplicity. - Unisex
• Lola Marc Jacobs includes notes of pink peppercorn, pear, ruby red grapefruit, peony, rose, geranium, vanilla, tonka bean and creamy musk. Marc Jacobs is regularly releasing excellent scents - this is certain to become a classic.
• A sure fire way to win anyone’s heart is to give them a slice of fragrance history Dior has released 3 scents that were landmark fragrances of their time - in fact beyond their time.
• Dior Eau Fraiche (1953) – Sicilian mandarin, bitter orange and patchouli – citrusy fresh scent - Unisex
• Diorissimo EDT(1956)  - greens, bergamot, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, rosewood, amaryllis(belladonna lily), boronia, jasmine, sandalwood and civet – Dior’s signature scent - a perfect floral for the House
• Diorella (1972) – jasmine, Sicilian lemon, honeysuckle and vetiver – a spicy green, aromatic floral.
• Robert Piguet Futur was originally released in 1960 but has been reworked for the recent rerelease. Piguet is famous for training designers like Balmain, Givenchy and Dior. This scent is a green woody floral fragrance made up of bergamot, neroli, violet leaves, ylang ylang, jasmine, vanilla, cedar and patchouli…just sublime!
• Idole d’Armani is a scintillating mix of Sicilian clementine, juicy pear, ginger, davana (an aromatic plant from south India,) saffron absolute, Egyptian jasmine, Turkish delight rose, vetiver, patchouli, and gourmand notes.
• Dolce& Gabbana Rose the One is a girly girl’s best mate - fruity floral is the best way to describe this enchanting scent with notes of  pink grapefruit, mandarin, cassis, Bulgarian rose, peony, lily, lychee, vanilla, musk and amber.
• If you want sexy, distinctive and special all rolled in one scent you cannot go pass Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver. It is a wonderful concoction of orange flower, grapefruit, sage, nutmeg, pimiento, citrus, spices, rich woods and oakmoss – no fancy coffret but a definite, definite must have! - Men
• Davidoff Hot Water is going to rock the fragrance world just as Cool Water (an all time best seller) did. It is a warm spicy erotic scent that features notes like red basil, absinthe and wormwood, pimento (a variety of chilli), while the base note is Benzoin Siam (a aromatic resin obtained from the bark of specific trees.) – Men
• Bvlgari Eau De Parfum II posses all the hallmarks of a modern day classic from the bottle, to the packaging - the scent itself is a clever mix of violet, star anise, licorice, mandarin, iris absolute, patchouli, vetiver, benzoin, ambergris, Cistus flower and musk.
• Amouage- In 1983, His Highness Sayyid Hamad bin Hamoud al bu Said had a desire to bring back the Arabian art of perfumery to Oman, and the Amouage perfume factory in Muscat was built. The first fragrance was created by master perfumer, Guy Robert whose creations include Hermès Equipage, Doblis and Calèche, Christian Dior Dioressence, and Madame Rochas, is a master of the gilded and elegant compositions that evoke mirrored ballrooms and Strauss waltzes. Amouage is one of the most luxurious and coveted brands around the world. Amouage Epic For Man hits all the right notes – certainly not for the faint hearted it is woody oriental featuring pink pepper, frankincense, cumin, cardamom, saffron, mace, nutmeg, myrtle, geranium, myrrh, oud, sandalwood, patchouli, leather, cedarwood, musk and castoreum. Totally sexy!
• Stephen Jones Millinery EDT is collaboration with Comme des Garcons. The worlds most coveted milliner’s perfume is a violet concoction with hints of clove, carnation, rose, jasmine, heliotrope and amber.
• Philosophy Unconditional Love is a fruity concoction of white flowers, blackberry, blackcurrant and vanilla. A young scent perfect for someone who has never received fragrance as a gift before.  

Fragrance Wardrobes
• Chanel Fragrance Wardrobe is the ideal gift if you can’t make up your mind – 5 of Chanel’s enigmatic parfums (3.5ml each). They are No 5, Coco Mademoiselle, Allure, No 19 and Coco. Definitely will win you extra brownie points.
• D&G’s Fragrance Anthology is pure genius – an instant fragrance wardrobe if you buy the complete set or pick and choose individual scents. There are currently five in the range all named after tarot cards - Unisex
- 1 Le Bateleur (the seducer) - A sensual rush of bergamot, pink pepper, and juniper berry, cardamom, birch leaf, wood, and musk…a somewhat masculine finesse – (green woody)
- 3 L’Imperatrice (the empress) - Top notes of rhubarb, red currant, and kiwi meld dramatically with a floral heart, deepened by base notes of sandalwood, grapefruit, and musk. (Fruity floral)
- 6 L’Amoureux (the romantic) - It has a spicy cardamom and juniper berry over an aquatic accord that is grounded by an earthy base of vetiver and white cedarwood. (Spicy woody)
- 10 La Roue De La Fortune (the risk taker – wheel of fortune) - Pineapple and green notes brighten a lush heart of tuberose, gardenia, and jasmine. Robust patchouli, vanilla, and orris are base notes (oriental)
- 18 La Lune (the moon - dreamer) - Lily, tuberose, and rose notes blend softly with a base of musk, sandalwood, and leather. Top notes of bergamot and apple provide a green twist (floral leather)
• Jo Malone Cologne Collection is a collection of six scents that you can mix and match or wear on their own. The selection comprises Sweet Lime & Cedar, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Nectarine Blossom & Honey, Grapefruit, Pomegranate Noir and White Jasmine & Mint.
 
Tried and True
• Sisley Eau Du Soir is a perfect balance of contrasts between the freshness of citrus, sensuality of floral and chypre notes, and intensity of amber and musk. This limited edition bottle is a glorious mix of colours turquoise and coral.
• Daisy Marc Jacobs Silver Edition – I would buy this just for the bottle…it is common knowledge that daisies do not have an identifiable scent but this young, light, fresh and easy to wear fragrance has strawberry, red grapefruit, gardenia, violet , jasmine, vanilla and musk.
• Estee Lauder Sensuous is definitely a good coffret with 100ml of parfum, full size body lotion, body shower gel and a refillable atomizer. Sensuous scent is a very wearable fragrance that is suitable for just about anyone; it takes on a new demeanor with each wearer. It has accords of lily, magnolia, jasmine petals, molten woods, amber, sandalwood, black pepper, juicy mandarin pulp and honey.
• Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme, we featured this scent earlier this year and I think it is one of the all time great men’s fragrances. It is made up of an intelligent mix of bergamot, cypress, violet, tobacco leaves, jasmine, patchouli, amber, and incense.
• A coffret by Polo Ralph Lauren Blue just spells traditional male. It contains generous sizes of fragrance (125ml) after shave gel (100ml) and shower gel (100ml.) The scent is a classic mix of melon, cucumber, tangerine, clary sage, geranium, basil verbena, velvety moss, amber wood, patchouli and musk.
• Giorgio Armani Attitude Extreme takes me by surprise – I like this scent- it is spicy citrusy oriental but with a sweet twist made up of Sicilian lemon, cardamom, cedar, coffee, amber and patchouli.
• Another fragrance that was featured earlier this year, this limited edition coffret is a hoot. Juliette has a Gun Bullet by Romano Ricci, great-grandson of the great haute couturier Nina Ricci has done it again. The Lady Vengeance scent in a rechargeable purse fragrance, in the shape of a bullet. Each bullet comes with 4 vials of perfume oil. Lady Vengeance is a sensuous rose scent made up of Bulgarian rose, vanilla and patchouli (a bushy herb of the mint family)

Stockists
Armani, Bvlgari, Chanel, Davidoff, Dior, D&G, Dolce Gabbana, Estee lauder, Gucci, Issey Miyake, Marc Jacobs, Polo Ralph Lauren – Myer/David Jones and all exclusive perfume stores
Jo Malone: www.jomalone.com.au David Jones
Sisley: Selected David Jones stores
Tom Ford – selected David Jones stores
Amouage, Robert Piguet and Juliette Has A Gun - available exclusively through Agence de Parfum - www.agencedeparfum.com.au 07 3846 2227
Stephen Jones and Philosophy – www.meccacosmetics.com.au

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