Time to Christmas Shop! Part 1 {Perfumed List - Holidays Gift Guide 2012}
Mid-November already! It's time to Christmas shop for those of us who already feel behind...less prepared than those who start in September, or August even, but more willing to get Holidays anxiety than the group of people who will scramble to the counters at the last minute, because it's easier to forget and remember just in time.
In Paris, Christmas street lights went on on Thursday, a reminder to get going. If you don't particularly feel festive, a good way to get into the flow is to look at what kind of goodies you might want to gift, anticipating the glow of happiness on the faces of your loved ones.
Here's a random list of gift ideas.
Above is Lush Bathtime Chritmas Favourites, a limited-edition tin box of bath bombs inspired by the tradition of Xmas tin boxes (£29,95). Use it, then re-use it with real cookies inside and keep smelling the vanilla. A fun way to teach your kids that bathtime can be actually playful and memorable thanks to the power of olfaction. Lush boutiques & online...
Want to offer an unusual, conceptual scent which is nevertheless clearly appropriate for the occasion? Think of Demeter Holy Water available in many incarnations ($6-$39,50). It's part of their 30 top best-sellers. It's religion with a little humor and mostly atmospheric rather than transgressive or punishing perfume notes.
"We actually have good memories of church. The porcelain font, ozone scented water, oak scented pew.......all mingled. Lovely, we think. To capture this scent, imagine an old European church, in a small town off the beaten track. This is the scent of the blessed water you might find there in an old stone container. " Demeterfragrance.com
One of the best fragrances to come out this year of 2012, you can't go wrong with the latest L'Ambre des Merveilles by Hermès. The bottle is brilliantly festive evoking a shower of stars captured in a circle of gold. The scent is magical. Trust us, we smell quite a number of duds, and even good fragrances, this one is stellar, pun intended ($108-$149) (forthcoming review for the patient ones). Hermès, Nordstrom, Sephora.
Why not think about a classic? If you want to emulate G.I.s who went to France and back with bottles of Chanel, Guerlain and other typically Parisian perfumes to offer their sweethearts, you can do the same almost by offering Nuit de Noël by Caron (Christmas Eve) in extrait in a ravishing Art Deco black opaline bottle. Be assured that thousands of other people will have done the same at some point around the same time of the year since 1922 ($230). Nordstrom, Caron boutiques.
More ideas to come, including beauty products, food presents, and home accessories too.
