Top 5 Cool and Covetable Valentine's Day Gifts: Fragrance and Beauty

This year, I was in the mood to put together a short but sweet Valentine's Day gift guide, which features goodies from the practical to just plain pretty. There's still time to order up your gifts, so I'll keep the intro short!

Shea Terra Argan Oil Beauty Kit ($26) and Divine Ginger & Orange Fair Trade Chocolate Bar ($3)

I am a HUGE fan of Shea Terra Organics and the brand's proprietor/globetrotter/mix mistress/Mom of 14 Tammie Umbel. While we enjoy her lavish products, she's sourcing ingredients in far off lands while 8 1/2 months pregnant, slipping and sliding down sand dunes. This Argan oil sampler has a lot to offer for a small price, giving you a taste of some of their best-selling products (which also happen to be some of my favorites). The Argan Oil Beauty Kit contains: Argan & Rosemary Cleansing Oil, Argan Oil, Argan & Rose Serum of Youth, Argan & Green Coffee Eye Serum (7.5ml each). The Divine Fair Trade Chocolate Bars they sell are all delectable and there's a wide choice of flavors-- and every one of them is $3 apiece. Shea Terra proves that thoughtful, earth-friendly gifts don't need to cost much at all.

Hamsa Perfume and T-Shirt Gift Set ($65)

Newcomer to the fragrance scene Hamsa by Celine Leora has a very cheery scent disposition with bright but rich notes of white lotus, frankincense, blackcurrant and coffee. It's clean and uncomplicated, and I would categorize it as "happiness juice". This lovely gift set which includes a bottle of the perfume and an adorable blinged-out girly t-shirt is begging to be given to a beloved University girl this year. This fragrance screams of youthful exuberance and hope, and  having a Hamsa-adorned bottle in her dorm room at all times is definitely stacking the deck in her favor. That can only be a good thing!

Aurelia Skin Care Relax & Repair Night Time Gift Set ($100)

This is one of Aurelia's brilliant gift sets that I love so much. This one contains a full-size bottle of Cell Repair Night Oil (which smells mainly of mandarin, orange blossom, lavender and rose) with teacup & saucer, special evening tea blend; all gift boxed and beautiful. I love and frequently use the Cell Repair Night Oil- it boasts a crazy-gorgeous list of exotic oils & extracts like Mongongo, Ootanga, Baobab and Kigelia-- I am a devotee of these uncommon African gems and what they do for my skin. I could spend the next hour expounding on my love of this product, but I must quickly mention the incredible blush-salmon-colored teacup and saucer and the specially blended caffeine-free loose herbal tea. Equally desirable is their gift set containing a morning blend of tea and a jar of their amazing Miracle Cleanser plus an anti-bacterial soft bamboo muslin cloth. That set goes for $85, which you can also get through Aurelia's website or Beautyhabit.com here in the States. If you have an adored friend, sister or co-worker who you are shopping for this Valentine's Day that is also a confirmed beauty snob, here's your chance to one-up them and blow their mind. Like, forever.

Jane Tran Sprouting Crystal Bobby Pins ($25 for 2) and Crystal Sprout Pony Box ($35 for 2)

In my tireless search for the cutest hair doo-dads in the world that don't annoy me, aren't juvenile, are super-attractive like jewelry but don't stand out too much, Jane Tran usually does it for me. Her prices are generally below France Luxe's prices, which is another hair doo-dad brand I love. These incredible Sprout accessories have charmed me completely. I must have silver, and prefer colors that don't stick out too much, but there are brights and gold-tones available as well. Jane Tran gets it. It's better to have a few killer designs with lots of color options than to have a bazillion of everything, or even worse, your entire line in one metal-tone or color palette, so that 50% of the world won't even look at what you've got to offer. Anyway, GO JANE! Whether your girl has a ponytail fetish or is a bobby pin freak (or both, like me), these are super-chic, day-to-night accessories that won't ever look wrong.

Cinq Mondes Aromatic Scrub With Spices- Java's Ritual: Indonesia and Kassa Glove ($60/$18)

CINQ MONDES! Where do I start? Okay, that's right. Short Valentine's gift guide. Breathe in, breathe out. I've recently had the chance to sample a bunch of Cinq Mondes products because I got a sweet gift-with-purchase sampler from BeautyHabit.com. I had a blast with everything, but this was in my top 3 must-have products from the lot of samples I tried. The Aromatic Scrub With Spices is one of the most heavenly things I've ever experienced. From the fragrance (mixed spices and herbs with plenty of resins and salts) to the scrubby, then melty texture and the way it feels on your skin- it's absolutely astounding. A complete sensory pleasure- and one of the only high-end spa bath products I would ever lay my money down for. I can spend on facial cleansers and masks without hesitation, but not nearly as easily for the bath/shower. I feel differently about that now. One or two indulgences of the highest order will only help your mind focus and your body relax-- and that's living out your full potential. Tell people that the next time they tease you for your beauty product obsession. They will still think you're weird, but your aesthetician won't.

This is the real deal, and used with the Kassa Glove for extra exfoliation (and so as not to tax the skin on the palms of your hands too much with rough textures), it's the perfect vigorous, aromatic scrubbing you need to begin or end your day. It softens your skin so well that if you're running short on time, you really don't need to moisturize unless you'll be facing harsh elements. This would make the perfect gift for... well, anyone with a nose who also takes showers, baths, steams, anything. That's probably a few people you know. If you plan on treating yourself for Valentine's Day (and why not?), this is the one product I would recommend the most. It's a self-love thing.

Now here's what else you should know: though I love and support BeautyHabit all the time, all Cinq Mondes products are less expensive at Dermstore.com. Plus, if you add the products to your shopping cart from your favorites list, that's an additional 10% off. Also, there's a nice gift with $60 purchase- a 15ml bottle of Cinq Mondes' Olivia Giacobetti fragrance called Eau Egyptienne (it's amazing). Good products, great deal!

I hope you have at least found my list entertaining if not informative, and best of luck to any of you who still have shopping to do. I'm lucky, because my Valentines (husband and cat) are very easy to please-- they both want noms and cuddles, and that's what they'll get!

HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!

Holiday 2012 Gift Guide: Fragrance

Giving the gift of scent can be tricky. You need to know the recipient pretty well. Ideally, you'd take their personality, lifestyle and taste into account and build on it a little bit-- perhaps suggesting something new for them. Sometimes, there is subtext involved in the act of giving. If you would like to convey a sentiment in a cool and rather exciting way, perfume is just the thing to bear the message. Perfume's allure is in part due to its fragility and the indulgence of wearing something that begins to disappear as soon as you let it out of the bottle. It's a phone number written on the palm of your hand at 3am, and at its best, a safe place for the soul to rest. The way I see it, perfume chosen thoughtfully and gifted is a compliment of the highest order.

By Kilian In the City of Sin EDP ($245) and Back to Black candle ($85)
Let's start off with a bang. If the price of the gifts you are shopping for doesn't really matter, you'd be hard-pressed to do better than By Kilian's offerings. Consider a bottle of In the City of Sin, my favorite from the new collection (In the Garden of Good and Evil), with its sleek white and gold minaudiere-style box, plus the universally loved tobacco-scented Back to Black candle. If you're going for visual impact, white and gold paired with black and silver is ultra-sexy.

In the City of Sin Eau de Parfum with case

Back to Black candle

Aftelier Wild Roses Eau de Parfum 30ml ($170)
Everyone knows someone who is crazy about rose, and yet even the biggest rose fanatics may not have had the opportunity to try a natural rose composition with the complex and masterful swagger of Wild Roses. This fragrance was inspired by a variety of roses, alive and growing, with the subtleties of each variety on display-- even the dirty ones. Add to that a touch of sweet honey and a dash of rich, aromatic bliss, and you've got Wild Roses-- a fascinating study in the cultivation of the senses.

Wild Roses Eau de Parfum

Ramon Monegal Perfumes Impossible Iris 50ml EDP ($185)
Every time I indulge in Impossible Iris (which is a lot), I always exclaim how shockingly wonderful it is. It lifts my spirits immediately, yet it has a grown-up sensuality to the blend. Orris paired with raspberry has turned out to be my OMG note-pairing of the year, all because I met Impossible Iris. It was named so because the iris is rather fleeting-- it wasn't meant to last. It was originally created by Ramon Monegal as an anniversary gift for his wife, somewhat of a fragrant "love poem", but luckily, he decided to share it with the rest of the world. If the orris is fairly fleeting, the longevity of the scent overall is excellent-- its pepperiness, tea-like timbre and sharp cedar base... and that raspberry accord that is anything but treacly. Don't call this a fruity floral, buy it for someone you dearly love and call it a day.

Impossible Iris

Le Labo Patchouli 24 Eau de Parfum 50ml ($145) and Anis 24 Classic Candle ($70)
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with Le Labo, especially due to the likes of Patchouli 24, one of the most gorgeous, rich and smoky tobacco, birch tar overdosed, tea and tonka perfumes ever. It survived a reformulation intact- as near as I can tell, only the color of the juice has changed from rich amber to pale yellow. Men and women alike love it, and it is widely considered to be Le Labo's best (I say Oud 27 ties with Patch 24, easily). Le Labo's candles are beautifully scented and simply designed, and like almost all of their labels, can be personalized for gift-giving, or for you. If you're shopping for a foodie-type, they will love the Anis 24 candle.

Neela Vermeire Creations Discovery Set 10ml set of 3 fragrances: Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling 90 euros to US (about $116.75). Set is exclusive to NeelaVermeire.com.
Neela Vermeire's singular, millenia-sweeping vision of her native land, India, is simply striking. I've adopted Trayee as one of my highest-rotation fragrances this year, but to see the whole picture, one must experience all three. All should probably be worn sparingly, so each 10ml bottle will last quite awhile. Okay, confession: I overspray. I don't do it before I go out or anything, I just like the feeling of being overwhelmed by these fragrances. I've even dreamed of them: the perfumes changed form and morphed into music. I could see the musical notes floating in the air, and could hear the tabla in the background. A woman next to me sniffed at the passing musical notes and said to me, "Ah, Mohur!". It was an extraordinary dream. A gift, actually. Which brings us full circle.... the passion and emotion in these fragrances will make even the most wizened perfume-lover weak in the knees. Trust.

Trayee, Mohur, Bombay Bling

Maria Candida Gentile travel sizes: Exultat, Cinabre, Gershwin, Barry Lyndon, Hanbury, Sideris Reg. collection 25 euros (about $32.38) for each 15ml travel spray. Large sizes available in US at IndieScents and Parfum1. 
Italian niche perfumer Maria Candida Gentile's work emerged in the US earlier this year with her initial 6 offerings, and I had a moment. It was the kind of moment where I can't believe there's not a single fragrance I can say anything negative about. Each is inspired by interesting (and sometimes unexpected) people or places, and each has a story to tell. It is the scented narrative that MCG weaves into her compositions that I love to get lost in. The travel sizes are on sale, and are a steal at 25 euros each (additional 20 euros to ship to US). Order a set for someone who appreciates the truly independent niche creators, the unusual and the free-spirited, and especially the uber-talented. And order a second set for yourself.

Exultat

Guerlain L’Heure Bleue Parfum 30ml $327 at Bergdorf Goodman
This little slice of perfection speaks for itself. I've always been partial to the vintage EDT, but the parfum version of L'HB is incredible. It teases you with warm, ripe apricot compote in the top notes and an even warmer, rounder rose in the heart. This notoriously ethereal perfume comes to life in a different way in parfum concentration. I wouldn't trade in my vintage EDT for anything, because that was the first perfume I remember picking out for myself as a teenager (oh, the Guerlain counter experience!), but if you were really quick about snatching it out of my hand and replacing it with the parfum, I would probably smile. A lot.

Guerlain L'Heure Bleue Parfum

Gorilla at LUSH Tuca Tuca 30ml bottle $29.95
Tuca Tuca is in my opinion, the best deal in fragrance at the moment. For a mere nickel under $30, you get a whole bottle of one the most sexy and distinctive perfumes I've ever tried and loved. It's the perfect black leather jacket fragrance-- it's all spicy incense, iris and violet, woods and tonka bean and it's thoroughly unisex. Gorilla at LUSH actually has about a half-dozen fragrances I think are wonderful on so many levels, but Tuca Tuca takes the cake. If you want to be funny, throw in a log of Pink LUSH Fun-- it smells very much like a sweeter version of Tuca Tuca.

Tuca Tuca Eau de Parfum

LUSH Fun- Pink (it's squishy soap!)

L’Artisan Mure et Musc Extreme scented gloves $480  
I feel an odd sense of gratitude towards L'Artisan for creating these leather gloves scented with Mure et Musc Extreme. It is a nice gesture to honor the rather humble beginnings of perfumery in Grasse, when the public demanded scented hides of all sorts. These gloves are beautiful and timeless-- the perfect spot of luxury for gifting someone extraordinary.

M. Micallef Ylang $245 for 100ml bottle at Luckyscent/ Scent Bar
I have been waiting for Ylang. Well, not Ylang specifically, but I have been holding out hope that a new Micallef creation would endear itself to me like Black Sea or Note Vanillee did a couple of years ago. Now that I think of it, it was really Martine Micallef's perfumes that kicked my niche perfume habit into high gear. The Sea collection is gone but not forgotten. Ylang is part delicate hothouse floral, part sugared coconut and aromatics-- but in the end, Ylang is simply super-feminine, definitely gourmand and absolutely delicious, and... take a moment and look at the Swarovski-ed out bottle below. Yes, this gift will look good on you no matter who you give it to. Me? This might be one I'll have to hoard in secrecy. This also comes as Ylang in Gold, which has a subtle golden shimmer added. 

M. Micallef Ylang

LeSnob : Perfume (about 6.79 GBP at Amazon.co.uk and 3rd party sellers via Amazon.com US)
Yes, I'm plugging this book again, because my friend Persolaise wrote it, and I have my very own page in it. Unfortunately it didn't even have much of a chance to get off the ground in the US, and was pulled from Amazon on the day it was due for release. The good news is that you can still buy it new at Amazon.co.uk, and it's a lovely little gift for admirers of fragrance of any ilk, and its rather upbeat and welcoming tone is refreshing.

Captain Blankenship Phosphorescent 5ml rollerball perfume ($30)
While I find the entire line of CB perfumes to be lovely, there's something about Phosphorescent...what is it? Reminiscent of the briny deep, living seaweed, deciduous needles from an unseen forest, citrus fruits and exotic flowers,  but mostly that toe-curling saltiness. This will be the fragrance I reach for in the dead of winter when my soul is crying out for warmth and/or I get my annual urge to act out scenes from H.P. Lovecraft stories. Brilliant and satisfying.

Captain Blankenship Phosphorescent

April Aromatics Deluxe Sample Set (US orders via Etsy- $128, Europe- order via AprilAromatics.com- 99 Euros)
In this deluxe sample kit, there are 9 X 2.5ml perfume sprays in a lovely boxed presentation. German perfumer Tanja Bochnig creates fragrances which are all-natural, organic or wild-crafted, cruelty and chemical/synthetics free. If you have someone in your life that is a Class A Bunny-Hugger like me, take my word for it-- this would be a particularly amazing gift. I'm admittedly very picky when it comes to naturals because I've been spoiled for awhile now. Suffice it to say that I'm impressed by the quality of these abstract watercolor washes of scent. Each one has its own charming qualities, but the real stand-outs for me are Jasmina (a perfectly bright and sunny narcotic jasmine), Nectar of Love (a strange and addictive dry, smoky tobacco Oriental), Liquid Dreams (summer fruits, delicate florals, green and fresh and cheerful), and Precious Woods (musky, woods with varying textures, animalic and intense). It's tough to walk the line between wearable and edgy, especially with natural materials, but Tanja seems very comfortable on that tight-rope.

April Aromatics Deluxe Sample Set

Are any of you planning to give the gift of perfume this holiday season? If so, please dish! 

Holiday 2012 Gift Guide: Natural Beauty

This feeling of giddiness I'm experiencing at the moment could only mean one thing-- it's holiday gift guide time again! I have made many new discoveries over the past year and have found some beauty products that not only perform well, but are natural and/or organic, are pleasurable to use and have high quality ingredients. On this list you will find simply beautiful gifts for the discerning beauty junkies in your life. Without further ado, release the list!

[Gorgeous natural gift wrapping using burlap and organic cotton by The Ribbon Lady at May Arts: step-by-step instructions & free download-able tutorial  HERE]

Aroma M Camellia Hair and Face Oil Set $145
This beauty duo is inspired by the traditional formulas used by Japanese Geishas, and somehow it seems all the more luxurious for it. The hair oil delivers gorgeous shine and hydration and imparts the scent of tuberose with an earthy touch, while the face oil charms with a geranium-based floral blend. Best of all, camellia oil features prominently in both, which means  all types of skin and hair will benefit due to its versatility. A hardcore skin/hair care enthusiast's dream.

In Fiore Veloutee- $58
Veloutee is a gorgeous jasmine-scented natural balm for lips and under eyes that has an incredible number of anti-aging constituents, such as black current seed oil, calendula, carrot seed oil and marula. Loaded up with In Fiore's signature floral essence blend and housed in a chic metal compact, this is one sexy balm that will give anyone on your gift list a thrill.

ILIA Beauty Limited Edition Lips & Eyes
Inkpot Lipstick and These Days Tinted Lip Conditioner $24 each
Mascara in Asphalt Jungle $24
I am in love/lust with ILIA Beauty. Their colors range from everyday-wearable to wild and wonderful. Their newest limited edition collection is to die for. Inkpot Lipstick is richly pigmented and can be dabbed on as a purplish-berry stain or applied right from the tube for serious pop. They've recently launched a new mascara line that offers the same diversity that their lip products do. My favorite one is pictured below- Asphalt Jungle, a gorgeous charcoal grey for those who like to swim in the cool side of the pool. I love that ILIA's products are all organic, which is a huge comfort when faced with the statistic that a woman, on average, consumes about 2 pounds of lipstick/lip balm in their lifetime.

Holistic Silk eye mask with lavender $65
Holistic Silk makes these luxurious silk and velvet eye masks filled with organic lavender, and they come in a bunch of colors. Treat the frequent traveler on your list with one of these, and they'll be thanking you all year long.

Pai Sea Buckthorn Hand and Nail Collection $32
The gift sets that Pai has on offer this year are really amazing and well-priced. This hand and nail duo is the kind of thing you'd do well to buy a few of, because it will make everyone happy, including yourself. All organic, anti-aging and seriously moisturizing without greasiness, the Sea Buckthorm Hand Cream is the best and most effective hand cream I've used in some time. The Sea Buckthorn Cuticle Balm is exclusive to this gift set, and is a bedside-table must-have. Treat yourself every night before bed.

REN Trio Set for Men $85
This all-natural and organic trio for men contains Tamanu High-Glide Shaving Oil, High-Glide Cooling Shaving Cream and Multi-Tasking After Shave Balm. Once the man or men in your life try this once and realize that shaving doesn't have to be semi-painful drudgery, they will need no more convincing. Want to kick up your gift-giving prowess a few notches? Add a gorgeous silver Edwin Jagger shaving set for $125 (not pictured).

Kjaer Weis Beauty Reborn Gift Trio $140
Green make-up artist Kjaer Weis has created one of the most highly coveted lines of natural and organic cosmetics, complete with sexy, refillable metal packaging that lasts a lifetime. Each product even comes with a polishing cloth for the case, so it can double as a mirror. Spirit Beauty Lounge has a fabulous gift set available where you can choose your colors of Lip Tint (my fave is Bliss Full, shown below gift pic), Cream Blush and Eyeshadow. Weis has mastered the art of eco-luxe, and this stuff is just too good not to share.

Aftelier Ancient Resins body oil $40 for 50ml bottle
As you drink deeply from the sultry well of resins and spices present in Mandy Aftel's newest body oil, you soon realize that it's no small wonder that the ancient Egyptians would literally get high by enclosing themselves in spaces filled with frankincense smoke. It makes an ideal gift for anyone who loves intense, earthy fragrances, has chronically sore joints or muscles, or those who worship at the altar of Frankincense, one of the most perfect natural substances on Earth. The scent profile is rounded out by Balm of Gilead, benzoin, elemi and labdanum. This is the real deal, and it will blow your mind.

LUSH Emotional Brilliance Cosmetics: Liquid Lipstick in Perspective ($22.95), Liquid Eyeliner in Independent ($22.95), Eyes Right Mascara in Black (18.95), Liquid Eyeshadow in Intuitive ($22.95)
Makeup hasn't been this much fun in... well, ever. Whether you're in the store or online, you can spin a wheel with a different colored dots on the outside and the wheel will decree what mood you are in, and which colors you should be wearing. It is a gimmick, yes, but it's cute. Less corny are the cosmetics themselves. The liquid lipsticks are satiny and ultra-comfortable to wear, the liquid eyeliner comes in all kinds of fantasy colors and stays put indefinitely until removed, and the mascara is rich and gorgeous (and boasts a wheatgrass base). The colors I chose below are just a few of my faves, and at this time, the mascara only comes in black. The wide range of colors in the Emotional Brilliance line make it easy to customize your selections for the natural beauty-lovers on your list.

Vered Organic Botanicals Introductory Set $68
Vered Back is a master aesthetician and herbalist who makes a whole slew of wonderful face and body products. From her cult favorite, Le Chocolat Citrus Foaming Face Scrub (yes, it smells as gorgeous as it sounds) to my personal favorites, Therapeutic Balancing Face Oil and Herb Infused Toner, the array of trial sizes packed into this adorable kit are what I consider to be mandatory testing. If you buy this for someone on your holiday gift list, I highly suggest you do not pick through the contents prior to wrapping, or it will never reach its intended recipient. Or, you could just buy two.

This year, I feel I could have made my list three times as long as in prior years, there has just been so much brilliant beauty products that have hit the market in recent past. Oils are finally hitting the mainstream, thanks to tireless champions such as Nav Mundi, the woman behind Beauty Huile blog. Consumers are starting to realize that there are alternatives to what they've been using for so long-- ones that are healthier, natural, organic and in so many cases, far better than their synthetic counterparts.

This is why I love the small boutique lines. Some are made and bottled by hand by individuals and teams with vast amounts of knowledge and experience with botanicals, beauty and natural healing. They are in touch with their customer and possess a profound chicness that informs the ingenuity, integrity and quality of their products. My list represents beauty with brains and a lot of heart... I won't settle for less than that, and now that this sector of the beauty industry is steadily growing, I won't ever have to think of settling.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: The Most Covetable Fragrant Gifts

All year long I've been gathering intel on what I consider to be the most tantalizing, squeal-inducing gifts, jotting down notes on everything that gives me a thrill. What follows is a list of my favorites paired with the type of person that might enjoy each gift the most.

For your favorite xenophile luxury junkie:
Amouage Jubilation 25 Candle with holder (available at Amouage.com for 165 euros, candle by itself also available for 120 euros. Available in the US at Lady Ruth Perfumes for $220)
Arguably the finest incense-y candle you will ever come across. It looks every bit as beautiful as it smells.

For the boyfriend or husband who really needs to toss that bottle of cologne you hate (or you'll toss it for him):

Soivohle Transcendental Musc Pour Homme ($135 for 35ml spray at LizZornPerfumes.com)

Welcome to the 21st century, honey! This fragrance is a modern take on musk. It's fresh, addictive and will increase snuggleability by about 1000%.

For the frustrated city-bound nature worshipper:
Juniper Ridge Steep Ravine Natural Room Spray $15, Soap $8, Yuba solid perfume $65 (at juniperridge.com)
Place these three things together in a pretty gift bag and give to the nearest wistful city slicker you can find. There's no substitute for the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, but all of Juniper Ridge's products are created from that environment. They also donate a part of their proceeds to environmental conservation for the region. It's a win-win for everyone- stunning, resinous, woody natural fragrances for you, and much needed help for the environment. Juniper Ridge is one of my best discoveries of the year.

Juniper Ridge Steep Ravine Room Spray

Juniper Ridge Steep Ravine Soap

Juniper Ridge solid perfume

For someone who works with their hands a lot (and unfortunately, it shows):
Becca & Mars 3 Piece Holiday Hand Candy set ($25, scents are: Orange Clove, Peppermint Vanilla, Winter Night)
Becca & Mars make the most amazing all-natural sugar hand scrubs, and this set of three jars will make anyone happy who needs some serious hand-smoothing action and would like to smell festive while doing it. You can also split up the set for smaller (yet still fantastic) gifts.

For the lady who was most certainly a flapper in a past life:
Opus Oils Les Bohemes deluxe coffret (10) 1 dram roll-on  bottles (in oil or alcohol base, your choice. $300 available through Opus Oils Etsy site)
I thought about choosing only a few of Kedra Hart's Les Bohemes line to feature, but I am inclined to feel that would be a crime. This is a set of all ten fragrances in dram roll-on bottles, and they are designed to be layered together or worn alone. The whole line is brilliant and executed with a sense of fun that is infectious.

For the dedicated but persnickety perfume enthusiast:
Aftelier Oud Luban solid perfume ($210 for 1/4 oz at Aftelier.com)
Yes, I can name a dozen people I know who are like this, all of whom I adore (and okay, I might be one of them too). In truth, any of Aftelier's perfume solids make stunning gifts, but Oud Luban has stolen my heart. Its woody, smoky spiciness with a mouthwatering orange topnote makes it particularly wonderful for the season. A connoisseur's delight.

For family, teachers, your veterinarian, hairstylist... yes, anyone!
NEST Sir Elton John Holiday candle ($38 at CandlesOffMain.com, 8.1 oz, 50 hrs burn time)
This candle has a gorgeous balsam fir and citrus fragrance and spot-on presentation with its deep aubergine glass vessel and wax to match. This is how you get major bang for your holiday buck.

For the vintage villainess:
Ayala Moriel Bon Voyage Purse Roll-on Trio 5ml each- Sabotage, Espionage, Film Noir ($175.50 at AyalaMoriel.com).
With this trio, you can choose any of a number of different perfumes, but I love these three together. It sets the scene for a particular type of character- the 1940s Film Noir Villainess. She's got perfectly waved hair, kohl-rimmed eyes and deep red lips. She's smoking a cigarette and packing heat, and she looks damn good doing it.

For someone who wants to bone up on their perfume history:
Francois Coty: Fragrance, Power, Money ($25.55 at Amazon)
Francois Coty's life story is a fascinating one and is intertwined with the history of perfume as we know it. This book captures the good, the bad and the odoriferous.

For your friend who has a growing curiosity about perfume:
Ormonde Jayne Discovery Set, 12 x 2ml spray sample vials (44 GBP at OrmondeJayne.com)
Ormonde Jayne's entire range of scents is available in this gorgeous discovery set, and it's such a pleasure to explore. Just about everyone I know loves at least one Ormonde Jayne fragrance- there are delicate tropical florals and rich, woody chypres and everything in between. A brief word of caution: this set has been known to turn a person with a harmless affinity for perfume into a bona-fide, sample-hoarding scent-obsessive.

For a much-adored femme:
Guerlain L'Art et la Matiere Iris Ganache 75ml ($235, available at Bergdorf Goodman in store and now online)
Iris Ganache is my holy grail gourmand perfume. It has a very sexy elegance about it and the creamy sweetness bounces off of the cool iris in the most bewitching way. It comes in a lovely presentation box along with a bulb atomizer and a regular one, and the bottle itself is a feast for the eyes. Iris Ganache (or any of the L'Art et la Matiere line) would be a luxurious gift for the most cherished girly-girl in your life.