Perfumes That Smell Like Christmas

If one perfume smells like Christmas to the most people, it's this one. La Vie Est Belle is built on praline — caramelized sugar and nuts, the smell of the cookie tray coming out of the oven — over vanilla, tonka and patchouli, with pear and black currant up top and a soft iris-and-jasmine heart. It's sweet the way the holidays are sweet: warm, generous, a little indulgent, never sticky.

$70–$145, and it's the easiest Christmas bottle to give or wear, from the cookie exchange to the family dinner to the drive home. It carries, so two sprays is plenty. Buy it for the woman who starts playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving — or for yourself, because December is when it smells best. See the full breakdown.

Bianco Latte — white milk — is the perfume the sweetest Christmas gourmands are chasing. Caramel opens it, honey and coumarin warm the heart, and vanilla and white musk round it into something creamy, like warm milk with honey stirred in or a caramel fresh off the stove. Five notes, and every one of them belongs in the holiday kitchen.

$130–$185, and it's the creamy-caramel original a lot of cheaper bottles are built on. It wears soft and cozy, and it suits every December moment that's about comfort — baking day, the movie night, the long breakfast on Christmas morning. Buy it for the woman who wants to smell like dessert without smelling like a candle. See the full breakdown.

If the smell you're chasing is the Christmas-cookie candle — the one that's lit from the day after Thanksgiving until the tree comes down — this is it. Vanilla 28 puts brown sugar and tonka in the heart, opens on vanilla orchid and a little jasmine, and settles into a warm amber base: sweet, golden, unmistakably baked. The jasmine and patchouli keep it from being pure frosting, which is what makes it perfume instead of a room spray.

$85–$125. It's the easiest pick on the page to wear every day of the season — cozy at home, sweet enough for a party, soft enough that nobody at work minds. Buy it for the woman who already has three vanilla candles going and wants to smell like the room. See the full breakdown.

Lost Cherry is mulled wine's glamorous cousin: black cherry and cherry liqueur with bitter almond on top, plum and rose in the heart, and cinnamon, cloves and Peru balsam warming the base. It's the color red as a smell — the velvet dress, the lipstick, the second glass of something spiced at the party.

$245–$325 — the splurge of this section, and a bottle that makes an entrance under the tree. It's sweet and boozy rather than fresh, made for evenings. Buy it for the woman who hosts the party, not the one who just attends it. See the full breakdown.

Angels' Share is the adult version of a Christmas cookie: the cinnamon and praline are there, but they've been soaked in cognac and rested in oak. It opens boozy, warms into cinnamon and tonka, and dries down to vanilla, praline and candied almond — the same sweet-spice math as a tin of holiday cookies, plus the bottle of brandy that always sits next to them on the counter.

$170–$235, and it's unisex in the best way — the bottle she'll keep reaching for long after the decorations come down. Buy it for the woman who'd rather have the nightcap than the dessert, or split it with whoever's on the couch next to you. See the full breakdown.

Naxos is a hot toddy in perfume form. Honey and cinnamon carry the heart, tobacco leaf, vanilla and tonka make a deep, golden base, and lavender and lemon up top are the squeeze of citrus that keeps the whole thing from going syrupy. It smells like the drink you make when someone comes in from the cold — and the honey cake on the plate next to it.

$245–$335, and it's the honey-and-tobacco original the cheaper versions copy. It's rich and it carries, so one or two sprays is the right dose. Buy it for the woman whose idea of a perfect Christmas Eve is a fire, a blanket and something warm in a mug. See the full breakdown.

Every December has one night where you actually get dressed up — the office party, the friends' party, New Year's Eve — and Libre Intense is the bottle for it. Lavender and mandarin open it bright and clean, orange blossom and jasmine fill the heart, and the base is Madagascar vanilla and tonka: warm enough for the season, polished enough for the dress.

$115–$165, and it's the pick on this page that works the hardest outside of December too. It carries through a long night, so two sprays before you leave is plenty. Buy it for the woman who wants the vanilla warmth of Christmas without smelling like the cookie tray. See the full breakdown.

Good Girl is the box of chocolates under the tree. Almond and coffee open it, tuberose and jasmine make a bold white-floral heart, and the base is cacao, praline, tonka and vanilla with a thread of cinnamon — sweet, dark and a little dramatic, which is exactly how the stiletto bottle looks on a dresser.

$95–$195. It's built for evenings: the Christmas party, the late dinner, the bar after. It's the gift that looks like a present before it's even wrapped, for the woman who'd rather be the most memorable person at the party than the most comfortable. See the full breakdown.

Love Don't Be Shy is the dessert table at the Christmas party: marshmallow, sugar, vanilla and caramel, lifted by neroli and orange blossom so it smells like flowers on the table rather than a bag of candy. It's the marshmallow perfume a whole shelf of sweeter, cheaper bottles is trying to be.

$210–$290, and the Kilian bottle is a gift on its own. It's sweet, bright and flirty — the party perfume for the woman who's first on the dance floor. Two sprays, and expect someone to ask what it is before the night's over. See the full breakdown.

Black Opium is the espresso after Christmas dinner — the cup that gets everyone back up for the party. Coffee and bitter almond in the heart, a little licorice, pear and pink pepper up top, and a vanilla, patchouli and cashmere-wood base that keeps it sweet and dark at once.

$70–$165, and it's one of the most recognized perfumes in the world, which makes it a safe and exciting gift at the same time. It's made for nights out: the party, the bar, the late one. Buy it for the woman who's always the last to leave. See the full breakdown.