Gift Guide: Heaven Scent Gifts

To paraphrase Little Women, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without any lovely smelling presents. Isn’t there something just too exciting about the waft of expensive oils and unguents from under the tree? Bath bubbles, aromatherapy oils and glorious perfumed candles are always welcome – no matter what your budget or recipient.

Belle presents fail-safe suggestions to woo your loved ones and sweeten the tempers of tricky relatives.

1. Heavenly Oils, £14 by Aromatherapy Associates, aromatherapyassociates.com.
Even the name is evocative of the season. Silent Night contains wild camomile and vetiver to help calm down after the festivities and Clear Dawn might be a winner for waking up on Boxing Day morning after too much turkey and a surfeit of liquor chocolates.

2. Eau de Campagne Scented Candle by Sisley, £40, 0207 591 6380.
Reminiscent of summer, this candle is inspired by the fragrance of freshly cut grass. Elegantly packaged, it’s as much an ornament than a scented candle. Light it, sit back, and think of a light breeze on a June day as you relax by a roaring fire….

Organic Scented Candles, £9.25, BeautyShed.co.uk
A stunning range of scented candles in the most extraordinary and original smells such as Blackcurrant & Licorice, Lemongrass and Black Tea & Cracked Pepper. Handmade from a natural sustainable plant source and subtly scented with essential oils.

3. Flickering Touch Massage oil by Lelo, £24.99 from lovehoney.co.u
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Sauce up your Christmas Day with Lelo Flickering Touch Massage Oil in Balsam Fir and Bergamot. Infused with gold flakes the oil is sensual and smooth smelling. Combine traditional Christmas smells with a traditional way of celebrating! Create a romantic atmosphere after the Quality Street and family film. If you’ve got the energy…

4. Organic Rose Otto Cleanse & Perfect Gift Pack, £16, drorganic.co.uk
A perfect daily cleansing duo suitable for all ages and skin types. Start your daily cleansing routine with the gentle cleansing milk, follow with the Rose Otto Toner and enjoy the delightfully light scented combination of organic Rose Water, Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel. Feel radiant and smell gorgeous.

Scented Candles by Jane Packer, £19.50, janepacker.com

The legendary florist recently branched out into her own glorious scents, and now you can invest in one of her scrummy candles. In such unique scents as Green Orchid, Vetiver and Lemon Grass or Rose, Black Violet and Cyclamen. Make your home smell like an up market flower garden. The most picky of recipients will adore these.

5. Collections by  L’Occitane en Provence, feelunique.com
L’Occitane can always be relied on to provide classy looking gift sets. Feelunique has a brilliant range of top end sumptious-smeling beauty products from Elemis to Decleor. Try the L’Occitane Shea Butter Discovery Collection for just £17 or sweet talk the man in your life with the Men’s Collection, £27.

6. Design your own Fragrance Kit, £19.99, firebox.com
Not strictly speaking a fragrance gift, but how much grown-up fun is this? Each kit contains six exquisite aromatherapy oil blends, which you can combine to make your very own perfume. You even get a purse sized atomiser to dispense your scent. Choose from Fresh, Oriental or Floral.

SenSpa Reed Diffuser, £45, senspa.co.uk
Diffusers are so the way forward. Classier than plug-in room fragrance – ew – and less dangerous than candles. They infuse any room with a light and lasting scent. The smell of SenSpa uses eight essential oils, including lemon, lime and bergamot. Better than stale turkey, and creates a feeling of spring even in the depths of winter.

7. Maison des Senteurs Fragrance Diffuser Trio, £15, Marks and Spencers
If you can’t decide, why not choose one of each from Lavande Provencale, Fleur d’Orangier or Senteurs Blanche – all of which are blended with essential oils and create a natural and long lasting fragrance. Just divine.

8. Miller Harris Citron Citron Eau de Toilette, from £40, bathandunwind.com
Another glorious beauty website – so much easier to shop on-line when it’s freezing outside and toasty warm indoors. Miller Harris perfume is fresh smelling and beautifully packaged. Comes with a free Miller Harris Fragrance Sampler set while stocks last.

White Musk Fragrance Collection
, from £2, The Body Shop, thebodyshop.co.uk
Anything from the Body Shop smells amazing, but there is something intrinsically Christmassy about the light sweet scent of White Musk. Also, it’s phenomenally inexpensive. Perfect as a little extra or stocking filler.

by Alice Smellie

Alice Smellie

With a passion for beauty and over a decade’s experience working for national newspapers and magazines, Alice has written for such publications as the Independent, Harpers, Grazia, ES Magazine,Daily Telegraph, Brides magazine and InStyle magazine. For the last five years she has predominantly been writing beauty features for the Daily Mail. Her obsession with decent mascara is rivalled only by her increasingly desperate quest for effective anti-wrinkle creams. She adores cheap chocolate, expensive champagne and Edward Cullen with a passion and hasn’t left the house without wearing make-up since 1993 when the local newsagent didn’t recognise her without lipgloss.