If Christmas has, once again, found you with a long list of presents to buy, little time on your hands and not that many ideas on your mind, it's always safe to turn to tried and tested formulas. Getting your loved ones a favourite fragrance or a new jewel (or, if they're that lucky - both) is bound, while also making your life easier, to leave them glowing with contentment.

On the scent front, you should look out for several retailers. Beauty Zone and Pretty Shop are among the best in the field, combining good locations with a formidable variety in terms of perfumes, high-class cosmetics and make-up. There you will find newest products from Versace, Dior, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Hugo Boss, Givenchy, La Prairie and Lancome, among others, and a good many special discount offers and gift packs for Christmas. Beauty Zone's stores are on the ground floors of City Center Sofia and Mall of Sofia and at 62 Vitosha Blvd. Pretty Shop is on 3 Positano Str and 13 Uzoundjovska Str in Sofia (both on the respective corners with Vitosha Blvd), 42 Knyaz Alexander Battenberg Str in Plovdiv and 16 Knyaz Boris Str in Varna.

The Blick stores offer more affordable, yet high-quality, brands of perfumes and cosmetics such as Benetton, Morgan, Krizia, Byblos, Iceberg, Pupa and Collistar. Blick has a dense network of shops around the country, the most central Sofia ones being at 7 Vitosha Blvd, 91 Rakovski Str, 14 Madrid Blvd, 7 Ivan Assen Str, 18 Hristo Smirnenski Str and 18 Tsar Shishman Str. Watch out for Blick in the Kaufland hypermarkets in Plovdiv, Pleven, Yambol, Montana and Rousse.

L'Occitane en Provence, Yves Rocher, the Bonjour chain of stores and most of the big pharmaceutical outlets also offer good perfumery and cosmetics at reasonable prices. Remember, though, that fragrances can be quite tricky to buy. You have to be aware of individual preferences if you don't want them to toss the gift in a drawer. People are sensitive to scents and nobody will wear one that he or she does not really like.

Speaking of jewellery, such is probably the most desired Christmas present by women worldwide. Currently in Bulgaria, there's a great variety of jewels on offer in terms of materials, styles and prices. If you're looking for something both sparkling and gentle, stopping by the Swarovski stores is a must. The world-renowned crystal producers offer splendid modern and classical jewellery and have beautiful items for every taste, ranging from classical earrings, bracelets and pendants through to Christmas figurines, crystallised evening bags and USB ports. Find Swarovski at Sofia's Sky City Mall and TZUM central department store, Mall of Sofia, 10 Vitosha Blvd and 31 Alabin Str, as well as at key trade locations in Varna, Bourgas, Plovdiv, Veliko Turnovo and Sandanski.

If you prefer high-class gold and diamond jewellery, you might want to visit the stores of Turkish jewel manufacturer Alt?nbas. In producing their exquisite models, Alt?nbas combine modern trends with Turkish motifs. The company's Bulgaria stores are located in City Center Sofia, Mall of Sofia and TZUM.

If you are on the prowl for something more fashionable and trendy, Greek jewellers from Oxette definitely have a lot to offer. Their collections feature classic materials such as gold, silver and various types of precious stones, along with leather and steel. Find Oxette stores at 9 Vitosha Blvd, Mall of Sofia, terminal 2 of Sofia Airport and 24 Knyaz Alexander Battenberg Str in Plovdiv, and Oxette corners in Blagoevgrad, Bourgas, Petrich, Plovdiv and Varna.

On the Bulgarian jewellers' front, jewel company El Grado for a reason calls itself "the jewellery ocean". The boutiques on 61 Vitosha Blvd, 61 Vassil Levski Blvd, 22 Knyaz Dondoukov Blvd, 30 Aksakov Str and in the Mladost trade centre The Boulevard, all in Sofia, offer a huge variety of gold, silver, diamond and steel jewellery.

Retailers Galdini and Skarabei, for their part, import jewels by a number of famous foreign brands.