I’m an absolute sucker for festive scents. Throw a little cinnamon, mulled spice, cranberry or super-sweet egg nog fragrance into a perfume oil, body lotion or (my fave) scented candle, and I will be first in line to snap it up. Here are some of my favourite finds for this year, from luxury products through to more unique, handmade creations and the odd high street cheapie too…
Keep reading for product details and links…
Egnoggin Pumpkin Butter $10 at Haus of Gloi – Beauty bloggers are mad for this vegan, handmade cosmetics brand from the US, and I’m now dying to try some of their rich, festive scents! They ship to the UK and offer sample tubs for newbies.
Christmas Eve Scented Housewarmer Candle from £6.75 Yankee Candles at Scented Candle Shop – One of Yankee Candles’ festive fragrances always goes in my suitcase when I head home for Christmas. They’re affordable, they burn for ages and they smell delicious. No home should be without!
Lil’ Lush Pud Bath Ballistic £1.95 Lush – I spent a while working in a Lush shop, and Christmas was fantastic fun. The limited edition bath ballistics and soaps bought in customers with no effort at all. The Lush Pud is a classic and a great stocking filler for folks who love Lush’s strong scents and fun approach to natural cosmetics.
Cranberry Joy Body Butter from £5 at The Body Shop – Body Shop body butters are a bit of an institution now. Reliably good for treating dry, parched winter skin, they come in all kinds of fragrances, and this rich, juicy festive cranberry is just perfect for Christmas. Apply a few hours before fake tan, and not only will it provide a smooth base, but the scent should mask the tanner’s biscuity aroma!
Senses Winter Magic Shower Gel £2 at Avon – Avon’s festive products remind me of my mom, as she’ll always stock up on little Christmas presents from there (at one point I think I had three or four tubes of their Holly-covered glycerin hand cream). This shower gel has a warming scent that’s perfect for those hungover, post-Christmas party mornings!
Holiday Delight Duo £27.10 from Philosophy at QVC – These 3-in-1 products are brilliant for popping in the bathroom if you have guest visiting, as they do a good job of replacing shower gel, shampoo and bubble bath for those travelling light. Philosophy do a brilliant job of recreating foody scents without making them too synethetic. The cocoa in particular is rich and strong, not at all like the caramel / honey-like chocolate scents you’ll find elsewhere.
Nazareth scented candle £55 by Cire Trvdon at Selfridges – If you really want to impress people over the festive season, this is the ultimate in luxury festive scented candles. It looks luxurious, it smells absolutely unbelievable (rich, spicy and warming) and it lasts forever. Just remember when burning pricey candles to let them melt right the way across the top before you blow them out – otherwise you’ll lose loads of burning time as the wick burns a narrow channel down the middle, leaving unused wax up the sides.
Gingerbread Indulgence Cream £7.20 BL Soaps on Etsy – Crafting / handmade community Etsy is a brilliant place to look for interesting gifts and treats, and there are loads of small cosmetics companies selling their wares this time of year. I like the sound of this gingerbread, molasses and holiday spice body cream from BL Soaps, which is chock full of shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil and jojoba oil for deep mousturising with a warm, spicy scent.
Festive Cinnamon Twin Rack £7 at Marks and Spencer – Good old M&S always come up with the goods when it comes to people-pleasing gifts. They’ve given Cinnamon a festive twist with some added spice in this hand cream and hand wash duo in its own metal rack, which is perfect for popping by the sink during December!
Tags: christmas, christmas body lotion, festive, festive scent, gifts, lush christmas, scented candle, Seasonal Products, spicy, winter