Scents and sensibility

Shoparound"Smells sell but bad smells can kill a property sale," warns Kirstie Allsopp. The face of Channel 4's Relocation, Relocation, Relocation. The presenter has just launched a mini-range of candles, that includes a fragrance designed to help sell your house. This is a mix of vetivert, cedar and vanilla, that creates a clean, fresh, discreet aerated fragrance. It costs €25 from Brown Thomas.

Everyone, it seems, needs a signature scent these days. A winter wondersmell that will help transport you from the dark doom and gloom into a Mediterranean mindset is Annick Goutal's first fragrance, Eau d'Hadrien, which was created in 1981, and remains fresh and stimulating with a spicy sparkle. It has zesty notes of lemon and grapefruit mingled with refined cypress notes. It is especially effective for dispersing tobacco smoke and unpleasant odours. Price €40 from Nue Blue Eriu.

Fashionistas favour is the fragrance of figs, as popularised by Tom Ford during his tenure at Gucci. Diptyque's fig candle became part of his brand extension. It was burned in both his offices and the boutiques.

The more ecclesiastically minded fashion fiend might prefer the limited edition creation by John Galliano, also by Diptyque, €50 which is on sale in Brown Thomas.

If you'd prefer to inhale something more eastern in origin try Ytsara Incense Sticks, €30, available from The Cloisters at Muckross Park. They feature lemongrass, sandalwood, amber and gardenia fragrances. Call 064 23456 or see www.muckrosspark.com for more details.

Another mail order option that'll mark your territory is one of Marston & Langinger's natural scents of plants and flowers. Try winter garden, greenhouse or orangerie, €42.75 each. See www.marston-and-langinger.com for delivery details.

With Christmas around the corner it makes sense to decorate your home with fragranced candles. Like stock cubes they should be a household staple as they add instant atmosphere.

Oberg's Christmas candle (pictured below) is reminiscent of the traditional aspects of the festive season, featuring mulled wine, cloves and cinnamon notes: wise use of three festive ingredients.

"Christmas is a very romantic time of the year and we wanted to create something that evoked that warm, cosy feeling," says Mark Van Den Bergh, joint MD of Oberg Candles, available in Brown Thomas, Nue Blue Eriu and Concepts in Blackrock, priced around €22.50.

If you're one of those more pure-minded people for whom most smelly candles create olfactory hell, try using a burner instead. It creates less fragrance distortion. Try Works Hot Stone Essences, Deep Calm, which is a soothing and subtle blend of vetivert, lavender and chamomile, €23 from Harvey Nichols.

An easy and au natural alternative is to stud mandarins with cloves. This will create a cheap but chic natural room odouriser.