This is the time of year when gift sets come into their own. They look fabulous, they’re easy to wrap and the presentation is part of the appeal. The fragrance versions are especially good; the whole is somehow greater than the sum of the parts.
If you don’t know the exact scent preferences of the lucky recipient then discovery sets are good; an opportunity to try different perfumes from a house you think they might like, with the additional benefit that they’re usually small enough to travel with. Some sets are designed in an elegant travel format.
Here are some of my favourites.
Tiny Temptations, Penhaligon’s
Penhaligon’s always has irresistible presentation at Christmas; this year’s theme is the bakery, with little scent collections presented in jolly scarlet and gold boxes. There’s Dinky Bites with tiny 2ml bottles or Dainty Tartlets, a selection of girl scents in lovely little bottles. But my favourite is the corresponding boys’ set, Tiny Temptations, which includes everyone’s favourite, Blenheim Bouquet as well as Quercus and Halfeti.
£50, fortnumandmason.com
Ormonde Jayne, 8 Days of Christmas
I detest advent calendars (except the picture sort) for the simple reason that advent is a season of preparation for Christmas, not a time for actual presents. This perfectly lovely set is based on Christmas starting as it does, on Christmas Eve and it goes on with fragrance gifts up to New Year’s Eve. There are four travel-sized scents, three delicious scented candles and it culminates with a full (88ml) sized bottle of Levant, which is one of those scents that miraculously, everyone seems to love. And all in the house’s bright and cheerful orange box. Next time, the 12 days of Christmas!
£395, ormondejayne.com
Floris Holiday Cracker Collection
Floris always rises to the occasion with its presentation and this year’s is elegant dark blue and gold. The crackers are fun — there’s the fabulous No. 89 in a single 10ml cracker for the boys or there’s this trio of crackers, Honey Oud, Cherry Blossom and Mulberry Fig, for the laydees. The one drawback is, you can’t actually pull them.
£80, florislondon.com
Byredo, Mojave Ghost, with travel case
This, frankly, is included because I so very much fancy the travel case: chic pale pinky-beige leather with magnetic closure to accommodate three travel-sized vials of scent. It comes in several fragrances, but Mojave Ghost is a bit more unusual: woody (sandalwood and cedar) and intended to conjure up the spirit of the Mojave desert. This comes in a plain white box; check out too the jolly Christmas tartan gift boxes. Byredo is still a cult fragrance and this is one for the devotees.
£160, byredo.com
Diptyque, Palette of eaux de parfum, Discovery Set
Diptyque too never fails when it comes to lovely Christmas boxes and this selection of five of its nicest scents with a cheerful Christmassy slip jacket is irresistible. The scents are Fleur de Peau, Do Son, Eau Rose, Tam Dao, Orpheon. Anything not to like?
£110, fenwick.co.uk
Floris Holiday Cracker Collection
Floris always rises to the occasion with its presentation and this year’s is elegant dark blue and gold. The crackers are fun — there’s the fabulous No. 89 in a single 10ml cracker for the boys or there’s this trio of crackers, Honey Oud, Cherry Blossom and Mulberry Fig, for the laydees. The one drawback is, you can’t actually pull them.
£80, florislondon.com
Byredo, Mojave Ghost, with travel case
This, frankly, is included because I so very much fancy the travel case: chic pale pinky-beige leather with magnetic closure to accommodate three travel-sized vials of scent. It comes in several fragrances, but Mojave Ghost is a bit more unusual: woody (sandalwood and cedar) and intended to conjure up the spirit of the Mojave desert. This comes in a plain white box; check out too the jolly Christmas tartan gift boxes. Byredo is still a cult fragrance and this is one for the devotees.
£160, byredo.com
Charlotte Tilbury The Secret to Love Kit: Love Frequency Spray and Pillow Talk Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury makeup is catnip for teenage girls – actually, you can include me in that – and the nice thing about this little set is that there’s one of her fabulously wearable pink Pillow Talk lipsticks in the set plus her Love Frequency spray. Look, I’m not promising anything with this scent; let me leave it to Charlotte herself: “A vibrant union between bold patchouli, sensual woody notes and velvety addictive musks, Love Frequency is the alluring and perfect woody-floral scent of eternal and all-encompassing love.” It comes in a sweet pink box with a flaming heart cutout.
£44, charlottetilbury.com
Roja Parfums, Travel Collection
Oh boy, this is very classy. Roja Dove’s scents are fabulously sophisticated with uncompromisingly fine ingredients. This set of some of his best known women’s scent includes my favourites: Burlington 1919 and Manhattan. It’s simply packaged in white, with five separately boxed phials of very luxurious perfume. One for aficionados.
£150, rojadovehauteparfumerie.com
Acqua di Parma Colonia gift set
Query: is it actually possible to go wrong with Acqua di Parma cologne? The scent itself is a breeze of citrus uplift and the packaging is just so cheerful and festive. This cylinder gift box with a splash of gold tartan has a trio of good things: the classic Colonia eau de cologne, plus the hand and body wash and body lotion. Universally pleasing, I say.
£135, harveynichols.com
Jo Malone Christmas Cracker
Another Christmas cracker, and what could be nicer to find on your plate on Christmas morning? This has an appealing selection of English Pear and Freesia Cologne, Wood Sage and Sea Salt body and handwash and Peony and Blush suede hand cream. It would be even more perfect if you could pull it with a bang, but you can’t win them all.
£38, jomalone.co.uk
Santa Maria Novella Gift Set, The Melograno Essentials
Now this, friends, is the fairest of them all. All Santa Maria Novella products – from what was originally a 13th century Dominican pharmacy in Florence – have covetable packaging, especially the fabulous soaps, but this gift box is something else – you’ll want to keep it. Inside is eau de cologne – I’ve picked the Melograno (Pomegranate) as being universally pleasing but there are other options – body cream and bath gel, which will make your bathroom smell simply heavenly. Oh and it comes with a lovely ribbon. I can’t think of a prettier present.
£160, smnovella.com
