Perfume should be one of life’s luxuries, the sole purpose of which is to give olfactory pleasure. And yet with every Kim, Justin and Gaga releasing yet another syrupy celebrity juice, these days fragrance can feel too accessible and common to be special. But Christmas is a great time to buy perfume as brands compete to bring out the most spectacular editions and the bar is raised for pretty packaging. Just any bottle will not do.

Chanel No.5 remains the mother of all fragrances in every sense of the word: generations have grown up sneaking spritzes of the luminous aldehydic jasmine rose scent from a beloved matriarch’s bottle. Now is the time to give it back in a limited edition 200ml bottle which will be enough juice to bewitch another generation. For those with a sweet tooth Prada have brought out their Candy fragrance in an immodest 900ml size. Diabetics should proceed with caution.

If you’re looking for something off the blockbuster track then there are gems to be found in the niche perfume brands for those looking for the beautiful and unusual. The namesake fragrance by New York boutique Aedes de Venustas is now available in the UK. The scent is crisp and tart and uses notes of rhubarb rather than the standard citrus to give it a fresh bite. The latest collection from By Kilian explores sweet and spicy facets of fruit in winter wonderland appropriate white bottles rather than the brand’s usual austere black.

For the more traditional, this is the time of year to keep an eye on the special editions of classic fragrances. Annick Goutal release seasonal editions of their fragrances in “butterfly” bottles (named for the butterfly shaped stopper) and this Christmas is the turn of a cyan blue, painted Nuit Étoilée with gold illustration. Perfume can easily fall into the lazy level of gift but with all the variety on offer at this time of year there’s no excuse for anything other than special.

Lipsticks. A symbol of glamour and grooming, what could be more demurely feminine? But that innocent stick of pigment and wax hides subversive subtexts and precision engineering which would make a watch-maker look twice. The bullet is just the tip of the iceberg.

Colour may be the first thing we’re drawn to, but the packaging is also an important consideration. For those occasions when you have only one hand free, Guerlain’s Rouge Automatique operates with a one-touch mechanism: slide the switch and up pops your lipstick. Our current favourite shade is the holiday edition “Lou-Ling”, which is a sheer raspberry red with a hint of shimmer.

Chanel’s new Rouge Allure Intense lipstick may look like the classic Rouge Allure on first glance but, like the best leading ladies, it has had some expensive work done on the sly. The Chanel lipstick engineers have reworked the case so that the lipstick now pushes smoothly into the case with no catch. There are also new shades in the range including the neon orange “Excentrique” which never fails to lift the mood on application.

Tom Ford has released a collection of reds that are presented in the brand’s classic black case and perfect for the mistletoe season. Packing intense names such as Slander, Reckless and Narcotic, these lipsticks are for Saturday nights not Sunday afternoons. After all, if you’re going to give the gift of lipstick, it should have glamour, form and function. Your lips deserve nothing less.

Whilst the fickle and faddy amongst us will be willing to try the latest vial of mythical snake oil to primp and beautify, there are others who will find their holy grail face cream and stick to what works beautifully best. But that’s not to say that the best things don’t come to those who are consistent. Christmas is when your tried and trusted favourites get super-sized and served up in deluxe editions to add a dollop of decadence to your daily routine.

The Definitive Crème by Crème de la Mer serves up the beloved face cream in an abundant 500ml portion. At this size you can afford to be generous and lavish your hands, neck and décolletage area, the exposed areas of our skin, which age fast but don’t get the care and attention they deserve.

La Prairie has triple-sized its Caviar Luxe face cream, given it a crystal studded case, a silver serving spoon, and then housed the set in leather coffret. Whilst it’s impractical for your hand luggage, twinkling away on a dressing table it’s unlikely to be overlooked.

If size isn’t your thing then perhaps you’d prefer hand-crafted artisan flacons? Afficionados of Nina Ricci’s classic fragrances might love them a little bit more as a collection of extrait de parfum Lalique bottles in a collector’s coffret.

Even the daily staple of tea is given the luxe treatment in the world of Jo Malone. Open the hefty black laqueur Tea Trousseau and you’ll find three exclusive tea fragrances and pâtisserie inspired scented candles for the aroma if not the taste of a genteel English afternoon tea.

For those who know what they like and prefer their tried-and-tested beauty potions over the one-hit-wonder creams, the perfect gift might be an encore of more, more and more of the same, but in a luxurious decadent new outfit.