AmbiPur Room Fragrances - Winter Sensations

When you think back to really special times, whether that be Christmas, childhood or a special holiday, one of the things that often springs to mind are the smells. Fresh mint reminds me of mint tea and transports me back to Tunisia last year, pear drops remind me of going to the sweetshop with my pocket money as a kid and the smell of sun cream immediately brings to mind lazy days at the beach on the hot sand and paddling with the kids. Smell is also a really important part of the way we feel - estate agents even tell you to put a pot of real coffee on and bake fresh bread to give a house that homely feel when potential buyers are coming for a look round.



As they say on the Ambi Pur website : "Creating a welcoming home and a pleasant place to live is something we all aim to do. We take care to choose furniture, flooring and colours but it’s the finishing touches that sometimes make all the difference. Introducing fragrance into your home is one of the simplest and most effective ways of completing your look and feel and it can really bring your home to life."

What I love about the Ambi Pur ranges are that they have seasonal fragrances. Back in the summer, I was using the light, fresh, floral ranges to bring in a smell of the summer meadows. But now that it's dark and cold outside, it's nice to have something more soothing and warming. The winter sensations range is designed to offer just that : "A collection of indulgent fragrances inspired by the smell of freshly baked cakes, creamy hot drinks and a warm, inviting home. Soft, fresh touches of vanilla and jasmine over a rich sandal and cedarwood base: an invitation to dream of winter evenings snuggled up on the sofa." Hmmm sounds lovely - and definitely an improvement on the current mix of pooey nappies, curdled milk and burnt cheese (the winter months are great for eating all those gooey melted cheese dishes like tartiflette and raclette that the French are famous for, but the cooking smells aren't nice ! )

These Winter Sensations are available either as a candle or as the innovative 3volution plug-in air-freshener. "Ambi Pur 3volution helps you carry on appreciating your great home fragrance – by ensuring you never get used to it. Its three complementary fragrances change every 45 minutes, so you keep enjoying them, again and again and again. Fragrances are also available in a refill pack." It's a system that really works. The changes are subtle but marked enough for your nose to pick up on them again so they don't just blend into the background, as happens with most air fresheners when you get used to the smell and don't even notice it any more. They're strong enough to leave the room smelling gorgeous but not so strong as to be sickly or headachey. You can even try them out in the shop before you buy because there are little scratch-and-sniff bits on the front of the box.

I absolutely loved the 3volution - which is just as well, as it should last for ages. According to the manufacturers, "Ambi Pur 3volution Winter Dream provides continuous fragrance for 90 days (if used on a minimum setting for 12 hours per day). " I was slightly less impressed by the candle because, although it smelt absolutely gorgeous, I didn't think the smell was strong enough. It really looks the business, with the little brown specks in the candle wax suggesting that it contains real vanilla (I haven't checked), but the vanilla scent didn't seem any stronger when it was burning than when you sniffed it unlit. It did make a lovely warm glow in the room though - Christmassy or romantic, depending on your point of view ! - and it didn't make lots of smoke, as some cheaper models do. And as they both use the same fragrance range, you can use both the 3volution and the candle to complement each other and get the best of both worlds.

If you haven't bought a real Christmas tree and you can't be bothered to bake a cake, it's a quick way of getting a yummy, homely-smelling house to welcome everyone in out of the cold. And if you fancy a change, there is an alternative wintry fragrance - "Winter Woodland : A warm and spicy fragrance inspired by memories of winter strolls through pine forests and cosy evenings spent at home with loved ones in front of an open fire". Sounds like the perfect smell to accompany Wham's Last Christmas - now where did I put my Christmas cd ?

star rating :
5/5 for the 3volution
4/5 for the candle

RRP :
Ambi Pur 3volution Winter Dream - Primary unit: £7.99, Perfume Refill: £4.49
Ambi Pur Winter Collection Scented Candles - £2.99

Ambi Pur 3volution Winter Dream is available from all good supermarkets and independent retailers
Ambi Pur Winter Collection scented candles are available from larger Superdrug stores, Savers and other independent retailers