Selfridges Fragrance Advent Calendar 2026 Review

Hi everyone! Today I want to share my quick review of the Selfridges Fragrance Advent Calendar 2026. As many of you know, the launch was a complete mess. With demand so high and so many scalpers trying to get their hands on the calendar, a lot of people missed out and were understandably disappointed.

The whole situation has left me with mixed feelings about the experience, and having one of the fragrances arrive shattered certainly didn’t help. Still, I thought it was worth sharing a quick review for future reference. Hopefully, Selfridges will learn from this year’s mistakes and do things differently next year.

Fragrance Du Bois Patchouli Gourmand (30ml, worth £96) – an oriental vanilla fragrance with top notes of mandarin, lemon, and pink pepper, middle notes of cocoa, cardamom, and marshmallow, and base notes of tonka bean, patchouli, vanilla, and sandalwood. This one feels perfect for winter. It’s sweet and boozy.

Le Labo The Matcha 26 (15ml, worth £36) – a fragrance with notes of fig, cedar, matcha tea, bitter orange, and vetiver. It’s been on my wishlist since its release, and I really like it. It has a creamy fig scent with hints of citrus and matcha.

Bibbi Parfum The Last Mango (30ml, worth £67) – a fragrance with top notes of blackcurrant and incense, middle notes of cedarwood, cypriol, mango, and oud, and base notes of sandalwood, myrrh, and musk. I like the summery mango note in this one. It smells just like fresh, ripe mango.

Mind Games Queening (15ml, worth £40) – a fragrance with top notes of cotton flower, apple, and cypress, middle notes of orris root, rum, and saffron, and base notes of vanilla, coconut, and musk. It’s a pretty scent, but I’d say the longevity doesn’t justify the price tag.

New Notes Latte Di Cherry Extrait de Parfum (15ml, worth £44) – a fragrance with top notes of cherry, almond, red berries, and sweet orange, middle notes of spices, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and Turkish rose, and base notes of tonka bean, vanilla, musk, sandalwood, amber, and vetiver. This one smells really nice too, with a super sweet, syrupy cherry note.

Thameen Riviere (50ml, worth £200) – a fragrance with top notes of saffron and black pepper, middle notes of Turkish rose, sage, and carnation, and base notes of leather and cypriol oil (nagarmotha). This is my mother’s favourite fragrance, so I’ll give it to her.

In the next drawer, we have three parfums from INITIO:

• INITIO Oud for Greatness (10ml, worth £35) – a fragrance with top notes of saffron, nutmeg, and lavender, a middle note of agarwood (oud), and base notes of patchouli and musk.
• INITIO Musk Therapy (10ml, worth £24) – a fragrance with notes of white musk, musk, blackcurrant, bergamot, mandarin orange, magnolia, white sandalwood, and Hedione. I really like this one. I find it a very calming scent for autumn, and the longevity is amazing.
• INITIO Lift Me Up (10ml, worth £31) – a fragrance with top notes of magnolia and bergamot, middle notes of tonka bean and ylang ylang, and base notes of vanilla and musk.

V Canto Arkano Della Luna (15ml, worth £36) – a fragrance with top notes of red apple, hazelnut, saffron, Bulgarian rose, and Amalfi lemon, middle notes of raspberry, coconut milk, Tahitian vanilla, flowers, and Indian jasmine, and base notes of caramel, frangipani, ambergris, and oakmoss.

EX NIHILO Lust in Paradise (50ml, worth £255) – a fruity rose fragrance with top notes of Rosyfolia, blackcurrant, pink pepper, and ginger, heart notes of rose, Petalia, and jasmine sambac, and base notes of musk, Ambrofix™, Akigalawood, and cedarwood.

The next drawer contains two Penhaligon’s fragrances:

• Penhaligon’s The Tragedy of Lord George (10ml, worth £32) – a fragrance with notes of wood, brandy, amber, and tonka bean. I’d call it The Tragedy of Mary, since mine arrived shattered.
• Penhaligon’s Halfeti (10ml, worth £22) – a fragrance with top notes of cypress leaf, saffron, cardamom, artemisia, bergamot, and grapefruit, middle notes of Bulgarian rose, nutmeg, and jasmine, and base notes of oud, cedar, leather, sandalwood, amber, tonka bean, vanilla, and musk. It’s a nice fragrance, especially once it dries down, and the longevity is good too. It’s just not quite my taste.

In the next drawer, we have two Liquides Imaginaires fragrances:

• Liquides Imaginaires Blanche Bête (7.5ml, worth £17) – a fragrance with top notes of milk, ambrette (musk mallow), and Mystikal, middle notes of tuberose, jasmine, incense, and Mahonial, and base notes of vanilla, musk, tonka bean, and cacao. I quite like this one. It has a lovely soft, creamy scent with sweet vanilla and musk notes.
• Liquides Imaginaires Liquide (7.5ml, worth £17) – a fragrance with top notes of saffron and mandarin orange, middle notes of solar notes, orange blossom, carrot seeds, jasmine, and coriander, and base notes of white musk, vanilla, labdanum, ambroxan, woody notes, and patchouli.

Ormonde Jayne Suede Silhouette (88ml, worth £225) – a fragrance with top notes of saffron and bergamot, a middle note of suede, and base notes of vanilla and oud. Unfortunately, I find this one a bit too strong and masculine for my taste.