From the niche new beauty brands doing something different, to the industry’s evergreen icons, Sophie Bew opens up AnOther’s dream vanity. Up this week – festive fragrances for the home
There’s something about December that requires atmosphere-setting more than any other month in the year. For me, it’s perhaps an attempt to retread nostalgic ground and recreate the magic of childhood Christmases past – or, more accurately, Christmases that never happened, those that appeared on screen and therefore twinkled twice as brightly. With scent being the most evocative of our senses, this is a gratifying way in which to set-dress your home for the festive period – and perfumers understand this with increasingly bonkers and brilliant sensitivity. In candles, you also have glow, sparkle and warmth and in diffusers, an oft-hidden secret weapon for olfactive inspiration. Here are just a few of the best on the market right now – a perfect gift for a host, or preferably one’s self.
Loewe – Incense
Incense-scented candles are an instant way to bring a feeling of history into a space. In fact a good one can smell more like a memory than a live smell. Loewe’s new Incense iteration, inspired by the aromatic resin extracted from the Boswellia Sacra tree, is earthy and resinous but a dash of fresh citrus brings an unexpected coolness, like the cold stone of an alter, or an unlit fireplace. The delicate scent lingers like years’ worth of ceremonial incense clinging to a cool tiled chapel wall. It’s truly evocative – a scented candle on an experiential level.
Cire Trudon – Gabriel
A rich gourmand ode to firewood, Cire Trudon’s Gabriel has golden amber and vanilla notes, so unlike some colder smoky firewood-inspired scents this one captures the hum of fireside warmth. In its crackled green glass jar, it is a visual spectacle, too. As the candle burns down, light beams through the golden sunburst design and bounces around inside against the gold-leaf-painted jar interior. It’s a splendid object.
Santa Maria Novella – Melograno Diffuser
Melograno, in the form of the traditional scent-impregnated terracotta pomegranate, is one of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella’s most famous fragrances – and bestselling products. Reminiscent of the apothecary’s hallowed halls in Florence, the fragrance’s warm patchouli, resiny labdanum and musk notes meet creamy rose and ylang ylang, sparkling pomegranate and fresh spicy citrus. The room fragrance diffuser offers an ancient sort of pleasure, inspired by the fecund symbolism of the precious Persian pomegranate tree.
Acqua di Parma – Bosco Diffuser
With the self-proclaimed scent of fresh forest air, the Bosco diffuser doesn’t disappoint. This really does smell like a Christmas tree. It has the exact the same cold, early morning sharpness of a bauble-ladened tree, when the sun isn’t fully up yet and the house is still half-asleep – the moment before you flick the fairy lights on.
DS & Durga – Portable Xmas Tree
This is a very gentle piney scent, perfect for those who prefer their candles to whisper rather than wallop. With top notes of balsam fir and dwarf pine crystals, heart notes of clove water and spruce and base notes of amber, and Austrian pine it is glacial and resinous – crisp, dark and quiet at the same time.
Byredo – Choco Mascarpone
This limited-edition candle from Byredo is described as “floral and woody with notes of coffee, bitter chocolate and jasmine”. To me, though, it smells like pipe smoke, an old red leather chair and chewy chocolate-covered toffees – it’s an annual grandfather’s visit in a glossy black glass jar. If you like a sweet, nostalgic scent this will be a festive favourite.
Frederic Malle – Joyeux Noel Perfume Gun
An ingenious invention, Frederic Malle’s perfume gun disperses a spritz of scent into the air with both subtlety and longevity. Joyeux Noel is extra special: it glows with cinnamon, amber and vanilla and the softness of pine needles – a crisp (not toilet-y) eucalyptus brings a buzzy, fresh snow sparkle. It smells like excitement, or the anticipation that comes with slipping into a special party look.
