Discover the Magic of Penhaligon’s World of Wonder Christmas Collection
Step right up and prepare to be amazed by the enchanting Penhaligon’s World of Wonder Christmas gift collection! Drawing inspiration from the captivating world of the circus, blended with a touch of festive frost, this 2022 collection promised jaw-dropping scents, arresting novelties, and fragrant finales, all festooned with charming bows. I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Penhaligon’s store in Brighton to explore this delightful and visually stunning range firsthand. The store itself was beautifully decorated for the festive season, enhancing the magical atmosphere of the collection.
The Penhaligon’s World of Wonder collection features a spectacular array of gift sets designed to captivate and delight. Highlights include Halfeti’s Showstopper, containing a full-size 100ml of the iconic Halfeti fragrance along with a luxurious 300ml hand & body wash. Luna’s Grand Debut offers a 100ml perfume and a 300ml lotion, all presented in the year’s unique festive packaging that perfectly embodies the circus-meets-frost theme.
For those wishing to sample a variety of exquisite scents or seeking gifts for fragrance aficionados, the miniature perfume sets are excellent options. The sets for Leading Ladies (featuring The Favourite, Elisabethan Rose, Halfeti, Empressa & Luna) and The Showmen offer 5ml bottles of five popular fragrances respectively, perfect for discovering new favourites or for convenient travel without carrying full-size bottles. Additionally, the coveted Doors of Wonder Advent Calendar, filled with 24 scented gifts including perfumes, candles, soaps, and hand creams, was a highly sought-after part of the range, available online for those who wanted a daily dose of Penhaligon’s luxury leading up to Christmas.
Penhaligon’s fragrances are widely renowned for their beautiful, luxurious, and deeply complex scent notes, crafted with exceptional artistry. What truly sets them apart, in my experience, is their remarkable longevity. A small application truly lasts all day, a characteristic that makes them feel incredibly special and, in my opinion, fully justifies their premium price point as you don’t need to reapply frequently throughout the day. You really don’t need to use a lot to achieve a strong, lasting fragrance, proving that a little goes a very long way with Penhaligon’s creations.
Penhaligon's World of Wonder perfume bottles display
I was generously gifted a selection of items from the World of Wonder range and a couple of other Penhaligon’s fragrances to experience firsthand and share my thoughts. Halfeti, my long-standing personal favourite from Penhaligon’s, is a truly captivating fragrance that I have loved for years. It’s a rich, woody, floral, and spicy scent that always draws compliments whenever I wear it. Its complex profile includes captivating notes like grapefruit, cardamom, bergamot, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, and musk. I find it feels particularly fitting for autumn and winter with its warmth, though it works beautifully all year round.
The Leading Ladies Set, containing 5ml mini bottles of some of Penhaligon’s most beloved scents including The Favourite, Elisabethan Rose, Halfeti, Empressa, and Luna, is an excellent option for discovering new fragrances or for convenient travel without carrying full-size bottles. These miniatures are also presented in adorable packaging, making the set a lovely gift.
Penhaligon's Leading Ladies miniature fragrance set
Constantinople was a delightful scent I immediately fell in love with during my visit to the store. It shares a woody and aromatic profile similar to Halfeti but possesses a distinctively more powdery, soft, and slightly frosty, wintery feel. Its intricate notes include patchouli, pine, iris, lavender, pink pepper, and vanilla, creating a unique and appealing aroma that feels sophisticated and comforting.
Penhaligon's Constantinople perfume bottle on display
As a cat lover with a dilute calico named Luna, owning the Luna perfume from Penhaligon’s felt like a personal connection and destiny! I was happy to pick up a 50ml bottle. This fragrance, featuring bright top notes of lemon, bergamot & orange, delicate middle notes of rose, juniper berries, jasmine, and a base of balsam fir & musk, strikes me as a beautiful fresh, floral scent perfectly suited for the spring and summer seasons, light and airy yet still complex.
Penhaligon's Luna perfume bottle next to floral display
Highgrove Bouquet was the elegant scent my mother gravitated towards and ultimately chose for herself. This beautiful fragrance, created in collaboration with Highgrove Gardens and the then HRH The Prince of Wales, truly captures the essence of a perfect garden in spring or early summer. It’s wonderfully fresh and earthy, bursting with life and natural fragrance, featuring main notes of lime blossom, mimosa, and cedar, evoking a sense of stepping into a blooming sanctuary.
While I’ve done my absolute best to describe these exquisite scents through words, nothing truly compares to experiencing them firsthand. Fragrance is such a personal and complex journey, and the notes can interact differently with individual body chemistry. For this reason, I highly recommend visiting your local Penhaligon’s store to sample the range yourself and find the fragrance that speaks to you most.
As an added treat for readers interested in the Penhaligon’s World of Wonder or other luxurious scents, be sure to follow me on Instagram! I’ll be hosting an exciting giveaway very soon for one of the stunning Penhaligon’s Christmas gift sets from the collection!
