MAXINE GORDON makes sense of the new scents you may receive from Santa.

NO Christmas stocking is complete without a nice smelly surprise for its owner - and I'm not talking about three-day-old socks or a slice of fruit cake left over from last year's festivities. A bottle of fine fragrance is a classic Christmas gift: and there's nothing like finding a sneaky bottle of your favourite scent nestling under a couple of satsumas to keep you smiling as you stuff the turkey and peel the sprouts.

Most of us have a favourite perfume or aftershave which we hope to be replenished at this time of year. However, increasingly, we are becoming more adventurous and sticking our noses into some of the new scents each year.

Which is just as well because fairly regularly classics are laid to rest: discontinued and destined never to darken the back shelf of a fragrance counter again. So it's a wise man and woman who chooses to splash out on some new scents at Christmas time.

The good news is that there is plenty to choose from. Many of the leading manufacturers bring out new products in time for the lucrative festive market.

And the even better news is that the Evening Press has put ten new fragrances - five for her and five for him - to the test to see which ones hit the right top notes.

We asked the experts at Fenwick's, Coppergate, York, to select ten new scents for our yearly tried-and-tested feature. All products are tested blindly, so testers are not influenced by designer names and fancy packaging. They are judging by the smell alone.

But when it comes to buying a new fragrance, people rarely select by aroma alone, says Fenwick's perfume manager Carol Lumley-Holmes.

"For many people it doesn't really matter what it smells like, it's the name and the look which matters," says Carol.

It seems many of us are suckers for a big name, a logo and a fancy box or unusual design. Best-sellers this year include the latest scents from Chanel, Armani, Hugo Boss and Burberry, which has put its distinctive check on the bottle.

Carol says people are also snapping up Kingdom by Alexander McQueen and Stella, the new sexy scent from Stella McCartney, who together are leading the charge of the British fashion designer into the multi-million pound fragrance industry.

Chanel No 5 is still the big mamma of the fragrance family, but snapping at its heels is Chanel's newest baby: Chance, which has been specifically designed to appeal to a younger market and is proving hugely popular.

In men's fragrance, the lure of the designer is equally strong, with the big names such as Gucci, Armani and Christian Dior stealing their share of the festive spending frenzy.

For anyone tempted to try something new - or buy something new for a loved one - Carol suggests they do some homework first.

"Find out which fragrances they have already and which are their favourites," she says. "Are they dark or fair? Trendy or traditional?

"If you tell our staff, they will be able to make a suggestion. There is always something for everyone."

Updated: 10:02 Tuesday, December 16, 2003