The amount of sleeps till Christmas is getting shorter and shorter by the day now (well obviously..) and it can be pretty hard knowing what to get your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife etc. A great choice is a nice expensive perfume/aftershave, everyone likes to smell nice and it makes anyone feel special to have a little spritz of luxury to add to any outfit for the day, or evening. I’ve searched high and low for a perfume/aftershave guide, and there isn’t actually that many about, so I thought well I’m going to put one out there. I’m always smelling perfume and aftershaves whenever I go shopping and I’m always the one taking loads of those pieces of card and spraying different scents on them.Now is the perfect time to get your presents, as your going to start seeing some offers about, not to mention black Friday will be making an appearance soon. I’m going to pick 4 perfumes and 4 aftershaves of all different budgets, that I know are winners and will leave you being top present buyer. I’m not going to waffle on any longer, I’ll just get on with it!
Under £30
Elizabeth Arden Fragrance Gift Set £22
This is a pretty good price if you ask me, your getting to try 4 different scents, for a small price. Scents include 5th Avenue, which is combined of mandarin, jasmine. nutmeg, vanilla and sandalwood, so quite an exotic smell. Sunflowers is also included, I love the bright coloured bottle. This smells like peach, melon, sandalwood, jasmine and bergamot, I really love the smell of this one. Can I just say this £15 brand new for a 30ml, you’re getting a 15ml in a £22 gift box, with 3 other sprays included. The third one is Red Door, which has notes of plum, passion fruit, rose petals, red amber and mandarin, I also love the smell of this one. Lastly, Green Tea which smells like rhubarb, lemon, peppermint, green tea and orange zest. All in all you’re getting some lovely fragrances here and overall I’ve worked it out and it should cost you £26.50. Also if you spend £60 or more on Elizabeth Arden on Feelunique, you can get a free beauty bag worth £132! Another gift for your girlfriend or wife, or perhaps someone else on that Christmas list!
Paul Smith Extreme Men Fragrance Gift Set £26.50
This is for the daring type of guy and is a really masculine fragrance, the name “Extreme” matches the fragrance really well. Think spicy and notes of rosemary and nutmeg and rather woody. It’s a really nice wintery (why isn’t this a word?) smell, which is why it makes a really good gift. Not to mention the packaging, I love the bottle, its not overly chaotic. It’s bold and out there, colorful and stands out, if I’m describing your man, then this should probably be on your gift list. Perhaps a smell for somebody late 20’s plus, as I couldn’t picture someone younger wearing this. I don’t mean that in a rude way, I just feel like this is more a day at the office smell, or dinner out, not something young and fun, and that’s not me being stereotypical, if that’s how it comes across, that’s not how I mean it. It also includes a 75ml shower gel, so they can smell twice as good. A 50ml on it’s own would cost you the same price, so you may as well for the same price, get the gift box, it makes more sense.
Under £40
Emporio Armani Diamonds Fragrance Gift Set £38
Well let me just start of by saying this, this will make any girl feel special and you’ll more than likely see a big grin on her face. This gift box comes in two different scents, one being Rose, (pictured above) one being Violet. Inside the box is the same fragrance but two different sizes and shapes, one being a 50ml and the other a 20ml. I guess this is so you can have one sitting on your dressing table and a little travel one, that’s how I would use them anyway. To buy this on it’s own, would cost you £36, so for an extra £2, your getting an extra 20ml. Let’s talk smell then, its floral, fruity, and sweet. It’s nice and light, girly, it’s the next best thing to diamonds. What’s not to like, it has electric pink luxurious packaging, it comes across as a bit of a flirty fragrance, and the bottle is simple, yet sophisticated and eye catching. I have a feeling this is going to be pretty big hit for Christmas, as I have seen quite a few people pick this up already and to be honest I don’t blame them!
Montblanc Legend Fragrance Gift Set £38
Let’s face it, who hasn’t heard of Montblanc? It’s a brand known worldwide, you only have to look at the box, to know how extravagant this is. It’s simple, yet I love it, and lets just take a moment to appreciate the two toned bottle. Inside the box is a 50ml bottle and a 100ml shower gel. I shall just do my little price comparing for you, I hope its not annoying, I just wanted to show you what your getting for your money. This would cost you the fragrance on its own £39, which is a £1 more than the gift set, and without the shower gel as an added bonus. Its quite mysterious, with notes of French lavender and Italian bergamot, it sounds quite girly, but I can assure you its not, which is probably what makes it so mysterious. However its also crossed with sandalwood and tonka bean. It’s a refreshing smell, something a bit different, your not going to get anything close to this smell, which makes it more exclusive, and something to get your hands on. I think this could appeal to multiple target audiences.
Under £60
This is a gift I have actually asked for Christmas myself, I love the pink snake skinned box, finished with a black bow, it’s just too cute. Jimmy Choo has very quickly become one of my favourite fragrance brands, all their different perfumes smell divine, and the scent doesn’t fade throughout the day. The bottle is also something else! Tinted pink and covered with gems. Inside you get a 60ml bottle and a 100ml body lotion. The scent of this fragrance in particular is rather warm and fruity, it really is stunning and perfect for both day and night. I think Jimmy Choo is probably best known for their amazing fruit smells and I can assure you guys if your reading this for inspiration, or girls if your buying for a friend, the person who receives this, will not be dissapointed. Again this would cost you on its own £51, so you may as well make it special and get the gift set, with an added bonus of the body lotion. Also if you decide to buy this for yourself before Christmas, it makes a great party season scent, and will leave everyone asking you “what have you got on”. I have my fingers crossed for myself!
Diesel Only The Brave Gift Set £42
Wow. Diesel really have gone all out here. This bottle is incredible, if you are someone who goes for fragrances for the nice bottle then this is probably one of the best out there right now. Inside you get a 50ml bottle and a 100ml shower gel. The bottle looks like its clenched by a fist and I love the icy cool blue tone too. It also comes in a black colour too, but I feel like the coolness of this gift set in particular, is very wintery and a perfect present. The scent is notes of lemon and mandarin and that combination together is lush! It also has a hint of spice. I really like this smell and I currently have this in my mind as a possibility for my boyfriend. I think this is a good one for a young audience, as its as bit more bling, I mean you only have to look at the box and you get that. It’s a £1 cheaper to get the gift set and also what just came to mind was I’m sure we’ve all been there, if you haven’t been going out for long with someone, maybe just a few months, and it’s like do I get them something small, and all of these would make a great gift if your stuck for that.
Under £80
I have so much love for this already! How cute is the sleigh on the front of the box?! If this doesn’t scream Christmas, then I don’t know what will. I love the colour, its so subtle and rose gold is so big at the moment and I love it, I just want to buy everything in this colour! Literally if it wasn’t for the fact I’m banned from buying myself anything until after Christmas, I would more than likely be getting this for myself. I love the bottle too, the ribbon coming off it, is delicate and makes this perfume really elegant. Enough about the packaging though. Inside the box you get a 50ml bottle and a 100ml body lotion. The scent is notes of orange blossom, jasmine and cedar wood, its beautiful and would make a really special gift for any lady in your life of all ages. Just to give you an insight on how popular this fragrance is, the perfume on its own is in fact currently sold out. You know it’s good when everyone is buying it! This really is the definition of luxury, with 5 star reviews, you can’t go wrong with buying this.
VIKTOR&ROLF Spicebomb Gift Set £69
Now I know I’ve spoke a lot about this, however this is really good value for money, you get a 90ml, yes 90ml for around the same price you’d get a 50 or 60ml. Plus you also get a smaller 20ml version, which was described as gym bag sized, which is actually a really good idea! I love the shape of the box it comes in, its not your standard square or rectangle shape. I also love the shape of the bottle inside, its very unusual, your not going to get that anywhere else. The scent has notes of grapefruit, bergamot, lavender, cinnamon leaf and saffron also included. It smells sooooo good! This I’d probably get for someone late 20’s plus again, as it’s a mature smell. Also I’d get this one for someone who likes spicy smells, a bit like Old Spice, if they don’t, they’re probably not going to love this as much. Another good one if you want to treat yourself before Christmas, for all the Christmas party’s coming up, as you’ll more than likely be the best smelling person who attends.
I hope this gives you some Christmas inspiration and if you liked this post then I’m thinking of doing blogmas and these are the kind of posts you’ll be seeing.
Thanks for reading!
A x
littlemissminor 