Tag: last minute

Last minute gift guide – Christmas presents you don’t need to post… (Sleigh what?!)

That moment of mounting panic when you suddenly realise – you’ve left it too late to post a gift! Uh-oh. But hey, it’s okay – people understand (especially this year with postal strikes and snow causing chaos). Don’t worry: sit back and relax, as we’ve got scent gift solutions you don’t need to post, and which last an entire YEAR…

Here are some ideas that you can ‘gift’ your recipient with immediately, no postage required – simply write them a lovely card and explain you’ve treated them to one of the following (with fragrant swag to follow). If they love to smell great, we guarantee they’ll be delighted…

 

Make them a V.I.P (Very Important Perfumista):

Give 365 days of fabulous fragrance with our Perfume Society VIP Status for only £12, and they’ll get…

•  Exclusive member’s discount on our Perfume Society Discovery Boxes

• Event Tickets: Early access to events – virtually and in real life…meeting with leading ‘noses’ and key figures from the perfume world.

• Exclusive Competitions: just for VIPs.

 

Give them the gift of award-winning fragrance journalism:

For people who love print (we must admit to being partial – for longer features, especially), give them a year of fragrant reading with a Scented Letter magazine Print Subscription for £60. The multi-award winning magazine has won prestigious Jasmine Awards by The Fragrance Foundation, and been described as a ‘must-read’ by industry insiders and perfume-lovers alike. We are delighted that in addition to our digital magazine we can now offer this print subscription of The Scented Letter, delivered to their door.

Appearing seasonally, four times a year, this utterly beautiful magazine beguiles with at least 60 pages of in-depth features, perfume news, features and much more is bound to take you ever-deeper into the scented world. In addition, we feature all the breaking scent news, interviews with ‘noses’ and other creators, alongside fragrant features by the world’s leading fragrance writers. To be read time and again, and adorn their coffee table for years to come!

Treat them to a Seasonal Scents Subscription:

‘What are the best fragrances to wear for Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter?’ To answer this we created the Seasonal Scents Subscription, specially curated to help you get the best out of your fragrance and improve your all-important sense of smell. We’ll guide you on the power of trying and wearing perfume, via online Smelling Notes, Unboxing Video, Hints & Tips.

Each box contains fabulous fragrances for anyone to adore, no matter their gender or taste, chosen from leading fragrance houses beloved around the world. The sample sizes include gorgeous miniatures, and will land at your gift recipient’s door each passing season (approximately every three months) – so they will always have a new scent to make them feel fabulous!

You can choose a Quarterly (£18 every three months) or Yearly (£68) plan. We’ll keep the contents a secret until the day the box is launched – we just know they’ll love the surprises inside…

Fragrances For… feeling calmer at Christmas

Christmas can often be a stressful time for many – perhaps moreso than ever these past couple of years – so we’re turning to the scents that make us feel cosy, soothed, like wearing a hug in fragrant form. All of the below are recently launched and well worth your while seeking out for some quiet moments of bliss, just for you…

 

 

BARBOUR
For Her
Misty mornings beckon, mellow light and stillness, winter sunshine and crisp air reflected in this so-evocative scent that sings of British meadows. Picture rolling, heathered hills, spiderwebs jewelled with dew drops, invigorating citrus soon segueing to the soothing floral heart. Wisps of summer memories are married to a snuggle-me-closer tonka and orris base that is softness personified. Fresh and classic all at once, and we’re loving the on-brand hipflask-esque bottle.
£49 for 50ml eau de parfum
barbour.com

 

 


LE LABO
Thé Matcha 26
The Japanese tradition of drinking matcha tea is far more meaningful than a quick sip, and similarly Le Labo says this is ‘much more than a scent to us. It is a moment of introspection.’ Take time for yourself as the powdery tea accord embraces you with a creamy hint of fig and textural cedar in the base. There’s sweet orange to revive, a whisper of vetiver, too, providing extra grounding comfort.
£141 for 50ml
lelabofragrances.com

 

OSTENS
Cedarwood Heart
Fragrance lasts less well in the central heating system, which is drying to the body, because perfume needs oils in the skin, to cling to. So Alexis Dadier’s Cedarwood Heart eau de parfum creation for Ostens has a complementary fragrance oil, for layering on to turbo-charge this exquisite, dressed-up creation, a-swirl with ingredients from fabled LMR Naturals including galbanum, cedarwood heart, orris, ylang ylang, ambergris, moss and patchouli. What a divine duo.
£135 for 50ml eau de parfum (and matching oil)
ostens.com

 

 

INITIO
Oud for Happiness
Exploring the believed ‘psychoactive and spiritual’ facets of the world’s most precious wood, joyous bergamot greets you like a dear friend, a surge of ginger really awakening the senses before cedar smooths a path to the main feature. When the oudh hits it’s like a bear hug of harmonious happiness; this is  definitely one to spritz on sluggish mornings when the duvet refuses to release you from its plump embrace.
£280 for 90ml eau de parfum
escentual.com

 

MOLTON BROWN
LABDANUM DUSK
Of the little flurry of Molton Brown’s new launches, this rich, Ambrée-woody strikes us as the most masculine, with Nathalie Koobus honouring the traditions of Middle Eastern perfumery via sustainable oudh. ‘I imagined a Middle Eastern palace, where hazes of hookah incense drift into the sunset. This fragrance modernises fascinating labdanum, pairing it with earthy woods to celebrate its smoky facets.’ The long-lasting, leathery trail will ensure you’re noticed – and maybe followed…?
£110 for 100ml eau de parfum
moltonbrown.com

 

 

 

In frantic need of a fragrant gift? Last-minute help is at hand!

Forgotten a special occasion, when a previously-planned fragrant gift would have saved the day? Be it a birthday or anniversary, Valentine’s or simply a little something to say ‘I love you, thanks for being around’ – we’ve all done it. Either dithering at the counter or leaving a tab open on the computer insteading of clicking Add to Basket, it’s easy to be too late…

But we’re here to tell you that all is not lost! Addle-headed last-minute gifters, we have some timely suggestions to get you out of hot water, and in to their scented good books.

Let them know how important they are to you by making them a member of our Perfume Society VIP Club. For only £25 for a full year, it’s the present that keeps on giving. When you sign them up, they’ll enjoy all of these fragrant benefits:

•  Six issues a year of our award-winning online/downloadable digital magazine The Scented Letter – (virtually) the only publication in the world devoted to all things fragrant…

• Exclusive competitions with fab fragrant prizes – including bottles signed by perfumers.

• An exclusive monthly ‘insider offer’ – just for our VIPs.

•  Early access to tickets for all our events – meet with leading ‘noses’ and key figures from the perfume world, attend in-store events, workshops, etc. (Our VIPs are first to hear about these.)

•  A special member’s discount on any Perfume Society Discovery Boxes (normally £19 – but only £15 to our VIPs)

•  Plus choose a FREE Discovery Box from the many tempting optionswe’ve arrayed, encompassing all tastes from new niche to designer classic.

The fragrantly obsessed will ADORE an anual subscription to The Scented Letter, our beautiful, multiple award-winning magazine. For £75, they’ll get to delve in to what’s been described as a ‘must-read’ by industry insiders and perfume-lovers, we are delighted that in addition to our digital magazine we can now offer this print subscription of The Scented Letter, delivered to their door and starting with the current edition.

Appearing six times a year this utterly beautiful magazine, with at least 60 pages on perfume news, features and much more, this is bound to take them ever-deeper into the scented world. Click here for a sneak-peak at our taster issue!

And if they’re not in the UK? We’re overjoyed we can now offer overseas subscribers an International Subscription to our digital downloadable magazine, The Scented Letter. (Alas, we still can’t ship our boxes overseas – and we’re as gutted as you are about it!) For only £20 a year, the subscription gives them six 60-page ONLINE editions a year of this beautiful, multi-Jasmine Award-winning magazine: the only one of its kind for perfume-lovers.

Because of the way our system works, when you click Add to Cart it will send us an e-mail – and we’ll follow up for payment. (If you buy this as a gift; please let us know in your e-mail to us if it’s for someone else.)

So you see? All is not lost for those of us who are, despite trying, still forgetful. We do it ourselves all the time, so no judgement, here. And we guarantee, any of the above will be far more welcome than a drooping garage-forecourt bouquet, any day of the week.

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Forgot the card? Panic over, as Penhaligon's invite you to create a virtual Valentine's bouquet!

That sickening moment you realise it’s all too late: you’ve forgotten the Valentine’s card and now you’re going to be in the dog house…
Oh dear.
But fear not, forgetful ones! Penhaligon’s have created a brilliant (and gorgeously realised) way to present a virtual bouquet, and it’s all to do with the “Language of Flowers.”

‘Thank Heavens for floriography’ they say. ‘A mysterious language of love. Cryptic communications, hidden revelations and coded declarations!’
On Penhaligon’s website, you beging by choosing from a number of flowers, having read their individual “coded” meanings. They vary wildly, so be very careful how you choose, and even more careful who you send that coded message to…
When you’ve selected three flowers, you are guided to the next page where your virtual bouquet is assembled, ready for you to present via email. Ta-da!
We just love the dreamy vintage-style illustrations – and that you get to learn a little of this “secret language” (so beloved by the Victorians, in particular) of flowers and their possible hidden messages.

Even better – everyone who sends one of these virtual bouquets will be entered in with a chance to win the Penhaligon’s Portraits Collection. And once you have sighed in contentment (and relief) at having saved the day, you can see which of the Penhaligon’s perfumes would best be suited to the flowers you chose for the bouquet.
Far from a lost opportunity, and depending on how well the recipient receives your e-card, it might turn out that your forgetfulness might end in a fragrantly wonderful win/win!
Now then, we wonder: who will you be sending yours to…?
Written by Suzy Nightingale