ÇaFleureBon Holiday 2021 Perfumes Gift Guide illustration by the brilliant artist Massimo Alfaioli

Black Friday seems to be hanging on, we hope you #shopsmall at Parfums Raffy (discount code) and today, November 29th is Cyber Monday (which for many of us is really 365 days a year). If you are a regular reader of CaFleureBon you know I  always write that I don’t believe in blind buying perfumes as a holiday gift unless it is a much-wanted bottle and that I have reservations even then. 2021 feels different because with worldwide lockdowns, brick and mortar doors were shuttered because of COVID-19 for much of the year. My way of thinking had to adapt to the times; samples are a great way to test fragrances you have read about and yes go ahead and buy-blind. Thankfully some of us will have the opportunity to reunite with family over the holidays but many will not be able to get away, and will be staying home. That is why it was important that each scented present I feature in this guide provides a personal experience, smells great and makes a fabulous gift for friends, loved ones and family.

 Best Perfume Holiday 2021 Gifts That Aren’t Perfume

 

Aftelier Perfumes Chef’s Essences Bitter Orange and Grapefruit are a welcome addition to “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” festivities this time of year. Over the past few months on the rare occasion I drink an alcoholic beverage, my drink of choice has been a Manhattan, which is made with bourbon, Angostura bitters and sweet vermouth. I ran out of Angostura bitters and substituted a drop of Bitter Orange essence instead and it tasted even better. I am not a cook nor a mixologist so I wing it, but the great thing is that on Mandy Aftel’s website she includes recipes. 5 ml ($15-$70) all natural

 

If you have ever visited my home there are diffusers by Prosody London everywhere. It is tough to choose just one but I am recommending Fougere Fauve, especially if you are a fan of vintage perfumes that used real oakmoss.  Fougère Fauve smells like a perfume, which is what  natural perfumer Kershen Teo would have made but IFRA prohibits its use in such quantity. With notes of pine, petitgrain, cedarwood, galbanum, gurjun balsam and a hint of peach, you can smell that it is a nod to Mitsouko and a wonderful alternative to the pine scents usually associated with the holiday season. What differentiates the Prosody London diffusers are the thickness of the rattan sticks which holds more oils and allows scent to waft throughout the room without clogging, which means you never have to flip the reeds, which last for over four months. All raw materials used are sourced globally, sustainably harvested and all-natural 140 ml/$115

 

 Provision Holiday Lip and Body Treat: No one wants to kiss chapped dry lips no matter how much mistletoe you stand under. Soften lips with Connection Lip Rescue Balm by Provision from our Contributing Editor, professional perfumer Sherri Sebastian. The all-natural formula uses orange flower absolute not commonly found in lip balms and is a multi-tasker that can be used on your cuticles as well as a solid perfume. In this Limited Edition soften the skin you are in with Manifest Body oil, which also can be used as a base layer for your fragrance (includes full size includes 15 g lip rescue and a 5 ml travel size of the manifest body oil) $45

Micallef Douce Parentheses Candle: I love all things M. Micallef, and have for years. I own many of their perfumes, in fact I have at least a dozen M. Micallef fragrances on my bureau; not only are the perfumes beautiful but the bottles are GORGEOUS. This year the coup de foudre couple behind the brand, Martine Micallef and Geoffrey Nedjman celebrate the 25th anniversary of M. Micallef, and of course their new candle is as artistic as their fragrances. Douce Parenthèse natural wax candle is intensely green with its dominant note of spruce. It is an artistic collaboration between Martine Micallef and the artist/ photographer Emmanuelle Bousquet. / 180 g $40.83 Euros

 

Best Perfume Holiday 2021 Gifts: Perfumes

 

 

 

During the Holidays– food AND fragrance equal love. Which is why when I saw Parfums Dusita customizable travel set I thought it would make the perfect gift for Holiday 2021, for both foodies and for fragrance lovers. Senior Editor Despina Veneti was visiting the Dusita Boutique so I asked her to write a description (maybe Deputy Editor Ida Meister would bake me the COOKIES on the recipe card!)

“Parfums Dusita customisable travel set is bound to thrill perfume lovers this holiday season. In the elegant box lies the Dusita twist-up travel atomizer containing a 7.5ml vial, along with two extra 7.5ml refills – to be chosen among Pissara Umavijani’s twelve creations. The set will come beautifully packaged in a festive box containing three samples, a pot of French honey with its wooden spoon, an exclusive card, and a cookie recipe (this special packaging is being offered for all travel set and full bottle orders placed until December 31, 2021. (Price starting from 85 Euros). –Despina and Michelyn

Got oud? Chances are the answer is no and the “oud” you see listed in many fragrances is a “re-creation” or of poor quality. Real oud is unlike anything you have ever smelled before; it is truly “The Wood of The gods”. For the oud obsessed perfumista (and that might be you), spare no expense with the Strangelove Gift Set which includes four x 15 EDP bottles presented in a luxe black gift box. deadofnight, meltmyheart, silencethesea, and lostinflowers were composed and formulated for strangelove by founder Elizabeth Gaynes and master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, with creative direction by Helena Christensen. Strangelove only sources their genuine ouds from farms that are 100% sustainable. $595.00 (if sold separately  $780)

Disclosure: some of these products were sent to me for the gift guide, some are from my personal collection

–Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Worldwide: Aftelier Perfumes Chef Essences Bitter Orange and Grapefuii drops

USA, EU and UK: Parfums Dusita customizable travel set

USA and UK: Prosody London Fougere Fauve Diffuser

Worldwide:  M. Micallef Douce Parentheses Candle

USA, UK and EU: Strangelove EDP Gift Set

USA:   Provision Holiday Lip and Body Treat:

To be eligible for our Best Perfume Holiday 2021 Gifts Part 1 please leave a comment what are your plans for the holidays, where you live and as many of these six you would hope to win and are eligible for, please be sure to include at least one scented product that is not a perfume). You must be a registered reader. You can do so here,  Draw closes December 4, 2021

This year every one of the offerings n ÇaFleureBon Best Perfume Holiday 2021 Guide Part 1 will be for draw and all are sponsored by independently owned companies.  Please support them by buying directly from each.

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