Reader TTS

I have had more messages this year requesting gifting advice than ever before. I can see why: you can’t buy someone those new season “tan leather mules” from their wish list. Where will they

wear them? At the very least, the kitchen, and at the very best, to a Saturday _Strictly _dance-off in front of the TV. You also can’t top them up with their favourite lipstick. With masks

now a permanent fixture on our faces, our beloved bold lips have been temporarily cancelled. I can’t wait for the mask malarkey to be over. I will revenge-buy my favourite reds and wear them

to breakfast. Yes, our choices may feel more limited this year. But there is still scent. Everybody needs to be transported somewhere other than their living rooms right now and that is the

power of fragrance. I’m not suggesting you try to steer people away from their favourite fragrance for ever — that is part of their beauty DNA. My advice? Give them something new to add to

their repertoire. Change the narrative. And that is exactly what you can do with the new, unapologetically extravagant Loubiworld Fragrance Collection from the king of red soles, Christian

Louboutin. Each maximalist red lacquered bottle is more like an object of desire or even an ornate keepsake paperweight, and we haven’t yet got to the fantastical caps bedecked with

ornaments. There are seven to choose from. There is a pineapple! A cat! And a crown, to name a few. My favourite is Loubirouge (£225 for 90ml EDP; harrods.com), which has the fashion

designer’s signature stiletto balancing atop the world. Most important, it’s a delicious scent: it has an after-hours oriental aura to it, a heady blend of zesty cardamom, woody iris and a

gentle hint of vanilla. Yes, the collection is bling and fun and flamboyant, but isn’t that what we all need a little bit of right now? Then there is Ostens, a fragrance brand that if you

haven’t yet heard of, I’m confident you soon will. Perfect for that person who, fashion-wise, buys four high-end pieces a year, choosing them carefully. It is an elevated everyday brand and

the masterminds behind it have worked with the upper echelon of scent: think Diptyque, Cire Trudon and Fornasetti. Surprisingly, the Impression Rose Oil Isparta (£175 for 50ml EDP;

ostens.com) is my favourite. I’m hardly the biggest fan of powdery rose scents, but this has not a hint of the traditional rose — which is why I wasn’t shocked to learn that it’s a

genderless offering. A Middle Eastern interpretation of rose, it’s warm and intriguing and elegant. In the realm of candles, nothing signals instant festive ambience like the Jo Loves

Christmas Trees candle (from £55; spacenk.com), made with fresh pine, incense, lavender and amber. This is a warming log fire in wax form. Gift this to your friend who has already started

decorating and has preordered their limited-edition Christmas jumper. This is a judgment-free zone. Advertisement As for diffusers, I love them, but there are so many miserable ones out

there, both in lack of scent and lack of joyous packaging. Bella Freud’s new ceramic 1970 diffuser (£155; cultbeauty.co.uk) succeeds in both. Richly blended with frankincense, myrrh, oakmoss

and patchouli, it’s winter snug, bottled — keep it in your living room for a round-the-clock cosy, sensual aroma. It will look so good on your shelf, you’ll want to keep it there for

decorative purposes once it’s finished. Finally, the gift you can’t go wrong with. Aesop, the company that somehow managed to make hand soap chic, has launched a three-piece scented candle

range. (What took it so long?) It’s for that relative who likes everything pared back: white walls, grey blazers, Aesop candles. I have been burning Aganice (£80; aesop.com), which is a

warming mix of floral mimosa with spicy notes of tobacco. Go with the gift of scent. I’m in no doubt that the recipient will need respite from the real world. @sarahjossel