It’s nearly here again... the great and glittering golden Feast of Christmas! We have to make it extra special this year: we owe it to one another. Do you have all those vital lists to hand? Invitations, guests, menus, cards... GIFTS?
With Les Senteurs we’ll help you to pick a luxurious unique gift for each and every one of your friends and loved ones. The very special magic of Les Senteurs makes choosing presents a pure pleasure and a joy forever. The delight is all in the giving! Whether you are shopping online or joining us in the beautiful Elizabeth St boutique, always remember that one of the most exciting parts of Christmas is the anticipation and preparation. Make it a festive labour of love!
Perfume has to be the most glamorous of gifts: it is the stuff of dreams, a fabric of fantasy. Through its transformative powers scent makes Cinderellas of us all.
Fragrance leads you down the winding trail of memory and nostalgia. Scent enchants the present and makes priceless memories for the future. In glittering bottles and elegant boxes, perfume is a treasure that is both thoroughly modern and as old as civilisation.
How do we remember the Three Kings of that very first Christmas? For their magnificent gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh. How thrilling that we can still offer these at Les Senteurs - perfume oils more costly than gold; sumptuous incense resins to ignite the imagination and stir the heart.
So just for you, here’s our proposed 2021 Gift Guide: every kind of character catered for, every budget accommodated.
One rule to remember: always suit the gift to the recipient. That really is the key to success. Consider the recipient’s personality, put yourself in their shoes and then trust to instinct.
For the Novice: those eager ones at the very start of their journey into perfume:
Keen to know more about the world of perfume? We are more than happy to guide you on the great romantic adventure of scent. We’re knowledgeable and imaginative: but also friendly, informal and flexible. At Les Senteurs we go at your pace. Stay in your comfort zone or run wild, it's your journey.
Why not treat your Special Someone to a Private Consultation with one of our resident fragrance experts in the New Year?
Sip a chilled glass of champagne in our intimate gilded Private Consultation Room while you discuss your dreams, your favourite smells, your hopes and memories. Between us we’ll find your very own signature scent from our shelves. (Maybe more than one!).
Who could resist? And don’t forget you can always include a Les Senteurs Gift Card to complete the experience with style.
For the Seekers of Truth; the Inquisitive Ones:
These types are bound to go crazy for our exclusive and varied Discovery Sets. These are really gorgeous and a perfect gift for every perfume lover. A selection of fragrances come elegantly displayed, beautifully boxed, easy to post, fun to explore and stunning to wear. A different scent to try every day over the Christmas holiday... and ideal for travellers at any time. The contents of a Discovery Box help you learn to recognise the style of a perfume House, to identify ingredients and to try world famous scents without breaking the bank.
For the Ones Who have Everything:
Our insight into human nature hints that these lucky people find great pleasure in small unusual gifts, the quirky and the apt. So, they’ll be thrilled to know you’ve gone to the trouble of visiting the legendary Les Senteurs to choose something special for them.
How about a really exquisite bath time treat from a House that’s been in business since 1760? Creed’s Aventus is a living legend in the form of richly moisturising and gloriously scented soap. It looks exceedingly handsome and smells like a dream. There’s a Bath & Shower Gel available too. Both products are made with expertise and love. Creed is only one of our many iconic names. Anything from the sublime Frederic Malle is guaranteed to please: maybe try the latest exotic and dramatic fragrance Synthetic Jungle - or the supremely sensual and perennially popular Portrait of a Lady? A further suggestion: anything in the Baccarat Rouge 540 line by Maison Francis Kurdjian will beguile even the most blasé. The Scented Body Oil or a perfumed Candle will carry the lucky recipient to the outer limits of cosy erotica.
For the Nostalgic & the Collector. The Ones Who Remember:
Since the 1980s Les Senteurs has lived up to its formidable reputation as the country’s original and premier niche perfumery. This is the place to find rare masterpieces for those who demand arcane olfactory perfection. Historians of perfumery rave over Grossmith’s Phul-Nana. Green, dark and shady as a Victorian fernery, Phul-Nana translates as the The Lovely Flower and was once Britain’s ubiquitous bestselling fragrance. Other legendary names from the past must include the opulent voluptuous Pois de Senteur by Caron & Isabey’s swooning Lys Noir.
For the On Point Connoisseur: the Ones at the Cutting Edge:
Les Senteurs honours the past - but we also spotlight the present and create the future. This is the place to find scents by Andy Tauer the ultimate niche perfumer of today and creator of the cult classic L’ Air Du Desert . Enjoy a very merry Christmas with his new & exclusive Sundowner! Or drink a Yule toast in Kilian’s Apple Brandy on the Rocks.
We are especially proud to stock many exciting British brands such as the elegant and romantic Kingdom Scotland and the magnificently exotic Papillon. Smell the ice flowers and snow in Albaura or the shimmering fur, myrrh and honey in Bengale Rouge. Those great British talents Tom Daxon, James Heeley and Ormonde Jayne are all generously represented on our shelves. Too many of their treasures to list in full but to give you a flavour, try luscious Fuyu, magisterial suave Cardinal and the intoxicatingly aphrodisiac Ambre Royal. And last but by no means least (and okay not British), don’t miss out on the wicked wit of Etat Libre d’Orange. From Fat Electrician to I Am Trash; this brand has something for everyone.
For the Traveller: the Ones Always on the Move & the Bringers of Joy
The most venturesome Christmas traveller of all has to be Santa Claus - and he’s also known to be a prolific filler of stockings. So here are a few choice suggestions that won’t weigh down your luggage and are sure to delight your hosts at journey’s end! The supremely stylish Sylvaine Delacourte now offers exquisite 30ml sizes of her bewitching scents, all exclusive to Les Senteurs. In addition, Sylvaine Delacourte provides Discovery Sets which offer an elegant introduction to all her three classic ranges.
And talking of which, why not delight someone you love with one of the new and exciting Ormonde Jayne Discovery Lab sets or the especially curated Les Senteurs’ Arcadia Gift Set offering 5 x 15mls of their beautiful range.
We know our customers have been clamouring for years for the return of the handy 30ml perfume bottle, the size that enables you to be liberal with your purchases. Great news then, that two of our most in demand and sophisticated fragrances B683 and Ganymede are both now also available in this alternative format. Perfect for the toes of both stockings!
Travalo have neat and nifty atomisers to fill with your own perfume; every fragrance addict needs at least a couple of these. And of course, Frederic Malle supplies a festive scarlet Travel Spray Case to keep your precious 10ml phials safe, secure and impeccably curated.
And for the Ones Who Love to Stay Home and Hibernate:
Many of us just long to be cocooned with our dear ones in warmth and fragrance, with the world locked out. In which case, light a row of Christmas candles and warm your hearts at the glow.
You really must try Les Senteurs’ very own exclusive scented candle collection created in collaboration with top perfumers and Claire Hawksley. As you’d expect from the gifted family who set up Les Senteurs 35 years ago, each candle is an individual work of art, a memory and emotion - a poignant insight into the minds and hearts of their journey.
Candle addicts should not miss out on Country Home - a Frederic Malle classic; or the Maison Francis Kurdjian perennial favourite Mon Beau Sapin - the irresistible resinous spicy fragrance of the festive tree. And then there’s the whole stunning Cloon Keen range to explore, hand-made in Ireland. Bring the piquant fruity verdance of Gooseberry Leaf or Fig Tree into your kitchen or bathroom. Candles are only half the story. Cloon Keen have also created one of our loveliest winter perfumes, the atmospheric Castaña. Gauzy, nostalgic and gourmand, Castaña is the perfect scent to wear at home on Christmas night, smelling of sugared roast chestnuts and starlight.
And lastly but by no means least... never underestimate the euphoric benefits of a hot scented bath and shower. Lorenzo Villoresi’s sweet and powdery Teint de Neige is a perennial best seller. This delicate but pervasive fragrance is as soft as swansdown and available not only in perfume but in an array of luxurious bath time accessories. Take a look at our tempting selection of complimentary oils, body lotions, gels and dusting powder. Learn to love layering - and envelop yourself in one of the perfume world’s greatest secret delights.
So, there you have it, Christmas 2021 all wrapped up at Les Senteurs - Gift a little fragrant luxury this year!
