The Christmas countdown is on, and any Santa shoppers who have left it late may be approaching panic mode.

If that’s you though, don’t worry – there is still plenty of time to get great gifts wrapped and ready under the tree. Perfume is a year-on-year favourite for a reason, and if you’d like to pick up a fragrance for someone special this Christmas, we've got a hand guide to three of this year’s most popular buys…

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The Classic

Chanel: Coco Mademoiselle

Less predictable and better suited for a younger market than No. 5, Coco Mademoiselle is a Chanel favourite year on year and a general safe bet if you’re not sure of your recipient’s taste in scents. Currently the top-selling women’s scent in the US, millions of ladies can’t be wrong. Eleven years after it was first launched, Coco Mademoiselle has stood the test of time, and it’s a classy patchouli-based perfume that’s sure to impress.

 

The Brand New Beauty

Lancôme: La Vie Est Belle

Top beauty brand Lancôme came out with all guns blazing on this 2012 launch. With no expense spared and one of the most famous women in the world fronting the campaign, Lancôme were certainly hoping that La Vie Est Belle would become one of their iconic fragrances, following in the footsteps of the perennial favourite Trésor. While it may not have caught fire in the way brand bosses may have hoped, La Vie Est Belle is a sweet, feminine fragrance that is selling very well to Christmas shoppers and the scent will appeal to a broad range of tastes.

 

 

The Celeb Scent

Lady Gaga: Fame

Love her or loathe her, there’s no denying that Lady Gaga knows how to grab the headlines. This year it was for more than her music though, as Mother Monster released her debut fragrance. With typical Gaga flair, it couldn’t be any run-of-the-mill ‘smells like flowers’ scent though – instead the pop star created ‘Fame’ – a black perfume that sprays clear and becomes invisible when airborne. The unusual scent is inspired by Belladonna – i.e. Deadly Nightshade, charming, we know. But she must be doing something right; ‘Fame’ has made bestseller lists all over the world this year.