Whispering To Santa: My 2025 Fragrance Wishlist and Gifting Game

I’m convinced Santa can smell sillage from the stratosphere, which is why I’m whispering my list before anyone else hogs the good juice. No sweaters, no spa vouchers, just scent that makes the room tilt a little.

The bottle I most want to receive this year is Chanel Les Exclusifs Comète. It feels like a quiet constellation on skin, luminous yet restrained, the kind of perfume that turns a white shirt and messy bun into a statement. I’ve tested it twice on miserable gray afternoons and it gave me soft-focus starlight. If Santa brings only one bottle, make it this.

UnsNiffed pick, the single blind buy I’m willing to risk in 2025, is Creed Queen of Silk. Creed can be polarizing, but the idea of silk-spun florals draped over a warm amber base is catnip to my mood right now. If it leans satin-smooth instead of syrupy, it will be winter-date-night perfection. If not, it will still be a glamorous misstep, and I collect those too.

Gifts I’m actually wrapping:

• For my mother, Guerlain Shalimar Millésime Iris. Classic smoke and vanilla with a cool iris veil, elegant without feeling like museum glass.
• For my brother, Terre d’Hermès Eau Givrée. It is flint, frost, crackling citrus, the office-to-bar upgrade he never knew he needed.
• For my niece, a travel spray of Glossier You. Clean skin, soft musk, beginner friendly without being boring.
• For the coworker who always steals my candle, a mini Diptyque Feu de Bois or Byredo Bibliothèque. Cozy fireside or velvet library, choose your fantasy.

Stocking stuffers that don’t feel lazy, discovery kits. The Frédéric Malle Discovery Set is still the sleekest way to learn your way around a wardrobe, and a roll of travel sprays beats a single risky full bottle every time. If you like a sly gourmand, 10 ml of D.S. & Durga Pistachio is guaranteed compliments. If you prefer shadow and spice, a small decant of BDK Gris Charnel Extrait hits the smoky tea, fig and sandalwood sweet spot.

Rules for blind buying, keep it small, aim for returnable, and stick to houses you already wear. Holiday perfume gifts 2025 should feel a little dangerous, not financially ruinous. If Santa ignores me, fine, I’ll buy my own starlight. I always do.