Our three favourite scents for the festive season – which really are too gorgeous to be given away as gifts …
If you desire a scent with some serious sex appeal, anything with ‘jasmine’ in the name is a pretty safe bet. One of the latest offerings from AERIN (part of the brand’s foray into fragrance) Ikat Jasmine combines jasmine sambac with jasmine Egypt infusion with the addition of tuberose and sandalwood – making for an incredibly soft, sensual and slightly animalistic scent. £85 for 50ml available from esteelauder.co.uk
Diptyque are considered by many to be the crème de la crème of candle companies (just one of their potent wares can perfume a whole house). We were quite taken with Pine Bark, part of their limited edition holiday collection inspired by the Indian Festival of Light, Pine Bark is a smoky little delight, containing Japanese cypress hinoki, together with cedar and pine. £45 available from Diptyque
Jardins d’Ecrivains is an intriguing new range of scents, candles and body products inspired by creator Anaïs Biguine’s love of literature. Based on classic French author Colette’s famous heroine, a spritz of Gigi is like time-travelling back to Paris in 1900. A playful, sprightly scent just like its namesake, it combines orange blossom neroli, jasmine, sandalwood and white musk. £75 for 100ml available from The Conran Shop