What A Girl Wants: Kilian Hennessy Perfume

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future, but every girl–whether she’s naughty or nice–deserves at least one bottle of perfume by Kilian.

Kilian Hennessy, pictured above, is heir to the Hennessy cognac, but it is his passion for perfumery for which he is revered. His new collection, In the Garden of Good and Evil, is composed of three scents: In the City of Sin, Forbidden Games, and Good Girl Gone Bad. The delectable trio are at once delicious, complex and completely harmonious. Packaged in identical white bottles beautifully embellished with raised floral braiding, a Kilian fragrance would make a most-welcome gift this holiday season.

In the City of Sin is rich and spicy, resonating deeply of sweet cardomom and cinnamon which merge with fruity top notes to create a delectable mélange. In a word? Divine.

Forbidden Games opens on a heady mix of fruits–apple, peach and plum–before blooming into a floral heart of Bulgarian rose and jasmine, with sweetly smoldering undercurrents of Madagascar vanilla and Laotian honey.

My favorite scent in the collection, Good Girl Gone Bad, is a profound mix of fruits and flowers, ripe with unmistakeable tuberose. Sensual and unrestrained.

As if the fragrances themselves aren’t reason enough to splurge, Kilian sweetens the pot even further with an outstanding packaging–each bottle is entombed in a fabulous white hinged clutch, above, that’s adorned with a writhing gold serpent with glistening eyes. It’s a prize that would tempt even the strong-willed.

Kilian’s creations are $245 for 1.7 ounces and available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Call 415.986.4300 and have them charge-send you a bottle for your sinner or your saint.