Top Christmas Scents

If you are thinking of giving the gift of fragrance this Christmas look no further. Freak Deluxe has sniffed out the best scents for you to give to your loved ones.

For Him

Marc Jacobs BANG, £38.50 for 50ml EDT, The Perfume Shop

For the young spirited fashionisto this fragrance has a sensational bottle and scent. It’s the perfect masculine scent for men with a free and unapologetic approach to life. BANG is a heady fusion of pepper, wood and spice resulting in an explosive, elegant and sophisticated scent that embodies the sensuality of the wearer. The heart is enriched with masculine woody notes, while the base includes Vétiver, White Moss and Patchouli. The chic design of the bottle is dynamic, daring and artistic; a classic approach with a sudden bang.

Bvlgari Man,  £41.50 for 60ml EDT, The Perfume Shop

For the sophisticated man in your life, Bvlgari Man is a luminous and sensual woody fragrance with elegant crisp top notes, a sensuous woody heart and musky base. Inspired by an unedited vision of natural elegance, it represents the absolute declaration of masculinity and innate charisma.

Bleu de Chanel, £42 for 50ml EDT, Chanel

This fresh new fragrance goes against the grain for Chanel, Bleu de Chanel embodies a tribute to masculine freedom. Its enigmatic blue defies definition. Too blue to be black, too black to be blue. A bottle of dense, solid glass which blends authority with elegance. The scent is infused with notes of bergamot, lemon, grapefruit, “deep blue sea accord”, peppermint, frankincense, pink pepper, nutmeg, ginger, jasmine, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, and labdanum.

For Her

Love Chloe, £49.50 for 50ml EDP

The perfect addition to any dressing table with pink gold accents and a chain attaching lid to bottle. Love Chloé is a feminine, elegant and multifaceted fragrance that will seduce an assertive and sophisticated lady. With top notes of Orange Blossom and Pink Pepper; Iris, Lilac, and Hyacinth at the heart; and Talc and Rice Powder at the base.

Trésor in Love by Lancôme, £41.50 for 50ml EDP

Trésor in Love is a chic addition to the Lancôme family with it’s black rose decoration on the neck of the bottle. The Trésor in Love woman expresses all her femininity and grace to seduce the man who falls for her charms, the fragrance of the treasured moment in love. The fragrance opens with accords of nectarine, bergamot, peach and sour pear. A heart blooms with Turkish rose and elegant jasmine, while a base includes cedar.

Dolce & Gabbana The One, £47.50 for 50ml EDP

This scent has fast become a timeless classic, with notes of mandarin and peach that leads into a heart of jasmine and ends with a base of vanilla, amber and musk. Dolce & Gabbana The One is a warm, oriental floral with modern sensuality. It’s a fragrance with a strong personality and a contrasting golden sweetness. Created for the ultimate diva, the one is at once tempting, modern and glamorous, embracing a touch of classicism.

Idylle by Guerlain, £45.50 for 50ml EDP

For the Gossip Girl fans out there Idylle by Guerlain is the perfect stocking filler, a sensual floral fragrance for women who dream of love. Idylle is a bouquet of fresh and sensual flowers: lily of the valley, peonie, freesia, lilac and rose. The Bulgarian Rose, the star ingredient, is balanced by patchouli and white musk to give a sensual base to the fragrance.

All ‘For Her’ scents from The Perfume Shop

Galaxy Book Club with Claudia Winkleman

We met up with Claudia Winkleman and other book lovers at the Dean Street Townhouse to talk about our love of books and possibly starting up our own book club. We arrived to the smell of fresh coffee and pastries, which was a great start to a chilly Monday morning; as soon as we heard it was all going to be filmed the smiles were gone!

We spoke about books old and new, children’s books, books to film, and all time faves.

Claudia couldn’t leave without giving us some lil ‘gifts’ to add to our must read lists:

Madame Depardieu and the Beautiful Strangers – Antonia Quirke

Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Game Change – Mark Halperin

The Lincoln Rhyme Series – Jeffery Deaver

The Galaxy book promotion runs until the end of May 2011, there are 1m books to be won. To enter you need to buy a promotional bar and enter the code online at www.galaxybookclub.co.uk.

Top Holiday Nail Colours

As we know nail colour has been a huge thing for the past few seasons, brands from Models Own to OPI are giving us on trend camels and festive metallics so there should be no excuse for bare nails this particular holiday season!

Rudolph Reds

Clockwise from top left: Scarlet Sparkle, £5, Models Own; Dorothy’s Shoes, £2.99, Miners; Red Alert, £5, Models Own; Siren, £7, No.7; Ali’s Big Break, £9.95, OPI;

Christmas Camels

Clockwise from bottom left: Beanie, £7, No.7; Over the Taupe, £9.95, OPI; Cadogan Square, £11, Nails Inc; Highland Mist, £7, No.7; Nude #1, £10, Nail Girls.

Fir Tree Greens

Clockwise from top left: Cuckoo For This Colour, £9.95, OPI; Zulu, £13, NARS; Evergreen and Green Flash, £5, Models Own.

Golds, Frankincense, & Mehr

Clockwise from bottom left: Gold #1, £10, Nail Girls; Molten, £2.99, Miners; Glitzerland, £9.95, OPI; 25 Carat Gold and Gold Digger, £5, Models Own.

Christmas Bauble Purples

Clockwise from left: Midnight Lavender, £2.99, Miners; Damson Dream, £7, No.7; Magenta Divine, £5, Models Own; Purple #8, £10, Nail Girls; Violetta, £7, No.7.

Silent Night

Clockwise from bottom left: Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, £9.95, OPI; Grey, £2.25, Claire’s; LBD, £2.99, Miners; Mushroom, £5, Models Own.

Mulled Wine

Clockwise from top: Temptress, £7, No.7; Burgundy, £2.25, Claire’s; Tease-y Does It, £9.95, OPI; Mulberry Shimmer, £2.99, Miners; Queensgate Mews, £11, Nails Inc.

12 Cocktails of Christmas with Patrón

Ultimate luxury drinks brand Patrón are launching a pop-up bar this month with leading retailer Harvey Nichols. The Patrón Bauble bar will transform the menswear floor in Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge into a Christmas wonderland with a grotto installation offering a selection of festive cocktails.

The Patrón Silver Reindeer at the Bistrotech last Christmas       Source: Urban Junkies

The adult only grotto open from 12-9pm will provide a luxury setting to enjoy the perfect antidote to a hard day’s Christmas shopping, also doubling up as a man crêche.

The Patrón Silver Reindeer at the Bistrotech last Christmas

The Patrón Christmas Grotto will open from 16th -23rd Dec to over 18’s only.

Here’s 5 0f my favourite “sounding” cocktails, ones I want to sample and possibly make myself.

Spiced Silver Dove

Mandarin and Pomegranate Golden Cobbler

Old Saint Nick

Patrón Tree-quila

Mrs Claus

Get down to Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge from 16th-23rd to sample one of these and to find out what the other 7 are.

Forever 21 Takeover

US fashion label Forever 21 is taking over the European market at warp speed, and have announced that they will be setting up shop in London.

After opening stores in both Birmingham and Dublin this year, Forever 21 will be opening a flagship store on London’s Oxford St. F21 are taking over the space currently occupied by HMV (the one at the good end opposite Bond St tube, near Selfridges) all 35,000 sqft of it.

The store is scheduled to open in August 2011, there are currently 470 F21 stores worldwide and have recently launched forever21.co.uk and forever21.eu