Hi there Perfume Posse! How the holy hell did this happen? It’s less than a MONTH till Christmas. I’m in shock here and am not quite sure how the years have jumped from Christmas to Christmas with only DAYS in between. It freaking CER AY ZEE. What’s on your Fragrant Christmas Buying List 2017?
I know not all of our Posse readers are doing the Christmas thing, whatever your holiday plans of whatever religion or whether you are a complete bah humbug kinda person I’m sorry if you feel ploughed over with our festivities. An especially hard time for people who are private, loners, far from family or without. Hugging you from across the waves and hoping you can find some sparkle in our fragrant Christmas excitement too.
Fragrant Christmas Buying 2017
Through the year I have been squirrelling away a small cache of fragrant bits & pieces to add to Christmas hampers in 2017. They, by themselves, aren’t big ticket items but I’m hoping that they will bring a smile to the crews faces and let them know how much we love them all.
Banks Botanicals: Pink Marshmallows In The Morning: Hand & Body Wash
My girlfriend Suzanne Banks makes this fabulous natural, no awful rubbish inside, best for you and your skin, can’t get enough of the fragrance product. I have been gifting it the last three years and every year about this time since there have been discrete enquiries if it’s back on the Xmas list.
Suzanne has also released a range of no awful rubbish inside fragrance this year, they are beautiful smelling oils and kind to our earth. Usable for personal scenting or in diffusers.
I think she’s sending to the world this year Banks Botanicals
Gascoigne & King: Candles
Made by hand by my mate Bronwyn Gascoigne. Even the wicks are selected for non smoky, excellent even burn and they come in lovely reusable glasses.
Bronwyn makes candles for fragrance aficionados, unusual combinations that set an ambience a cut above most other brands and far above anything up to even double her price range. Because she does so much of the work by herself the costs are kept low and the product is superb.
You might also like to check out their soaps. YUM!
Gascoigne & King send to the world very reasonably.
Nesti Dante: Floral Soaps
I happened across this marvellous six-pack of soaps in Nesti Dante’s floral range and instantly the became part of my Fragrant Christmas Buying. They are a regular soap bar size, rather than their usually ENORMOUS products. I like the idea of splitting them up into separate Christmas Hampers so everyone will have a beautiful soap for their bathroom, kitchen or undies drawer.
Crabtree & Evelyn: Hand Creams
This is a 16 pack! I figured I could match the soaps and hand creams so people are getting a bit of a story. Honesty compiles me to tell you all that the box these came in was damaged so I got the lot for about 1/4 of retail price. How could I walk past such a bargain? The thing is I love hand cream (though I so rarely use it) and the girls usually carry one in their bags, so something simple to have on hand (see what I did there?) for a shoot of fragrance and self pampering throughout the day.
you might like to read about my fave Best Smelling Soaps on Perfume Posse, great Christmas ideas.
Over to you lot. What fragrant stuff is on your Fragrant Christmas Buying List for 2017?
Portia xx
Portia also writes for Australian Perfume Junkies
FAB-ulous finds, dear Portia!! Especially love those multiple sets where you can split them up and share the wealth. THanks for sharing!! And yes, how on earth did it get to be December — again?!!!
Soaps and lotions make such lovely gifts! I’ve purchased some of the hand lotions from Tocca this year to include in Christmas hampers for my sister and best friend. I will also get them each a fragrance; M. Michalef Ylang for sister and for my Chanel loving friend the new No 5 lotion with gold-flecks. I’m loving that for myself for nights out!
My sweet husband is terrible at finding gifts for me so we agreed I’d do the shopping; less stress for him and win for me!
I have purchased Areej Le Dore Flux de Fleur and Guerlain L’heure de Nuit.
WOW! Everyone is getting the good shit at your house Kathleen. Excellent.
Portia xx
I’m asking Santa for a bottle of SDV or enough money to cover it or find me a bottle of Liu for a reasonable price. Can’t find Liu anywhere (Saks, NM, etc). Nobody asked for perfume for Christmas.
Hey Eldarwen22,
I bought Liu today. Couldn’t bloody help myself.
Lucky no one did, more for YOU.
Portia x
I’m attempting to turn my sister on to Dame Perfumery’s Earth Mother (only fair since I asked for the cologne and the big body cream). She’s getting the larger sample and the small body cream to see if she likes it as much as I do (“obsessed” is the word I think I’m looking for). I gift mini-hand creams to almost everyone, including the clerical people who actually run this place, so I’m always on the lookout for these and have order some from L’Occitane. And I’m hoping that Santa brings the bottle of Diorissimo I asked for, since I’m being so good and all this year…
Oh MaggieCat,
If EVER you deserved the Diorissimo, it’s tHIS YEAR.
Portia xx
I got my young niece a bottle of MJ Daisy. Last year it was Prada Candy. She’s a budding perfumista. I also got for myself La Compagnie de Provence black tea scented lotion.
Another lucky niece. Fun to spoil them isn’t it TaraC?
Portia x
I am a total sucker for foofy soaps! I get those for people too. And by people I mean me. And my little niece had a “perfume-making kit” on her list, and I went and looked at it and it is a colored water ABOMINATION. So I thought, why not skip this and just get her some real, but age-appropriate, perfume? So I got her a mini-bottle of Chasse aux Papillons. And a Pusheen purse because I’m not horrible.
WOW! Lucky nice HeidiC. I hope she gets oodles of joy from her grown up perfume and will remember you fondly when she’s a full blown perfumista.
Portia xx
Portia, those little soaps & the C&E hand creams just made my heart flutter! I love little soaps like that (which might explain why I have not one but TWO totes fulladem 😉 xoxoxoA
HA! Yeah, they breed Musette, but it also helps if you use them.
Portia xx
Oh my goodness, you’re making my mouth water! It’s funny…… it’s this time of year that I want to go to the funny old grocery/international foods/pharmacy nearby and just wander around the aisles — they have all sorts of holiday goodies from around the world upstairs, and soaps and lotions and things downstairs. I’m kind of pining for a foofy floral soap, lol.
Anita gave me some fantastic creams made by ….. somebody. Cucumber scented, for meeee! I think she has an Etsy shop.
I LUH that little shop – actually it’s not that little, is it! We have an ‘international’ shop here in Peoria that’s nowhere near as fabulous as yours – but has some fun stuff – and that’s where I’m doing a lot of my little gift thingy buys this year.
The ……somebody….is Camille Lee from soyphisticatedcandles.com/ and omg am I loving the cucumber Whipped Dream Cream (I had her make up one for me when she was doing yours). I’mo prolly lose. mah. mind. and get a lot of what I had her make up for you.
xoxoxoA
It’s so easy to love you March.
Portia xx
I don’t think anything at this time really. How cute is the name ‘Pink Marshmallows in the Morning’ though!
Hi JenniferS,
And it smells even better than its name.
Portia xx
*list
On my Santa (a.k.a. Ron) are Micallef Ananda Tchai and the New Terry de Gunzberg from Barney’s called Délectation Splendide. And leaving nothing to chance, I just email him the direct links. SO much easier! LOL!? xoxo
HA! Always good to create non let down Christmas moments Robert. I bet he’s grateful for the direction.
Portia xx