Valentines is fast approaching and like always my gift of choice will be perfume. There are many gorgeous offerings new and classic that are gender neutral as well so they can make an excellent gift for everyone! (all perfume is gender neutral for me but that's maybe a topic for another conversation). I've rounded up a selection of the fragrances that are my current favorites and I hope that will make it a bit easier for you to choose the perfect gift for your partner!
1st group - Intense Love
The first group includes 5 fragrances that are intense, lush and make quite a statement.
Rose Millesimee by Jovoy is a lush, jammy rose that embodies what a rose should smell like- alive, green and spicy; it evokes an intense warmth and makes a perfect gift for a loved one. Whenever I wear this perfume I can't stop smelling my wrists and always get great comments!
YA AMAR by NIDOR means most beautiful in Arabic and this beautiful fragrance is a soft, creamy and cuddly scent that makes you want to come closer and take another sniff. It's enveloping Oud character is embellished with Cedarwood, Labdanum, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Coffee, Tonka, Ambergris, Leather & Cashmeran that offer an extra dose of sweetness and a leathery softness.
Nejma Extrait No.7 a gourmand masterpiece with an ingenious addition of coconut milk in the composition that brings a very interesting twist to the rich opulent heart. The fragrance opens spicy and with a dash of sparkle before its sweet floral heart makes it entrance, blooming neroli, candied juicy fruit sprinkled with cocoa and an edible anise note almost like a dessert. The coconut milk adds to that edible gourmand quality and the fragrance lingers on the skin very long slowly turning into a deep soothing leathery scent enriched by sweet patchouli and the signature oud base.
La Douceur de Siam by Dusita, a glorious big floral, full of indulgent rose, frangipani, ylang and Champaca spiced up by carnations, cinnamon and Thai Chalood bark- a sensual, woody, vanillic accord from old Siam. The dry down follows a sweet path with Vanilla, Sandalwood, Amber and Ambergris. Lush and intoxicating!
Voodoo by MiN New York. If you want to cast a spell on someone this is a perfect scent; a beautifully layered fragrance that revolves around a oud, sandalwood, rose, patchouli combo with an added freshness from pink pepper and lime on top and a warm enveloping dry down that leaves a mysterious trail behind.
2nd group - Classic love
The second group includes a selection of classics and new releases that have that classic vibe
Shalimar Souffle by Guerlain - the contemporary interpretation of an eternal classic is housed in a beautiful blue bottle with a different design each year. The perfume itself is a hug in a bottle, a gorgeous golden citrus, lush white blossoms and most captivating vanilla combo that makes it perfect for Valentines.
Love & Crime by Ex Idolo - Ex Idolo has introduced us some of the most creative scents in the last years and the latest releases have been equally captivating. Love and Crime is a mouthwatering gourmand inspired by the love story of Mazie Coyle and Thomas Howard and Mazie's successful attempt to break Thomas free from jail by hiding a saw in a cake she had baked for him. The fragrance is a delicious lemon frosted buttercream sponge cake, that transforms, when you spray it on your skin, to a delectable gourmand scent that is guaranteed to have people follow you around.
Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant - one of the Queens of perfume history - and reportedly the fragrance Princess Diana wore to her wedding - Quelques Fleurs is a full on floral with a spicy, sharp and cool opening before the gorgeous mix of blooming flowers takes over and rules for a good 24 hrs on the skin. Even when the scent softens down after a few hours, the sweet mossy, musky dry down is present and lingers on my scarves for days.
L'Amour Lalique - Housed in a beautiful Lalique bottle, the scent is fresh, elegant and delicate in a very classic way. The sparkle of bergamot, followed by tender rosebud and fleshy neroli lead the way to a bouquet of white flowers: tuberose, gardenia and jasmine. At its base, warm and dry cedarwood and smooth sandalwood settle on a bed of addictive musks. A true olfactory declaration of love.
Southern Bloom by Goldfield & Banks - This Australian brand is on it's way to becoming a classic with a mixture of some yet unexplored Australian raw materials transformed into scents by their creator, Dimitri Weber, a perfumer of Belgian / French heritage. Southern Bloom is as pink in colour as the famous pink Lake Hillier in Western Australia, the birthplace of the original boronia flower which is the main note of the fragrance. Surrounded by equally luxurious, pure and enchanting floral and woody notes like mandarin, cassis, ylang, jasmine, iris, vetiver , coconut, sandalwood and amber, Southern Bloom has a smooth, creamy texture that's impossible to resist.
3rd group - New Love
The third group includes new and unique takes on modern perfumery
Midnight Saffron by Tom Daxon -A new perfume that reinvents lavender. This new take on this precious material is truly interesting. The saffron brings the lavender to life and spices it up while a subtle jasmine wafts its petals in the background. The drydown is equally glorious with soft leather nuances and amber woods.
Cellar Feels by Curionoir - An inspired creation from a brand that produces some of the best smelling candles I've burnt lately; Cellar Feels is a memory of a family cellar bottled. Dark, dusky and surprisingly fruity at the same time, this unique creation boasts with a fruity citrusy opening where soon smoky tea leaves, lavendin super, mate, grape leaves, bring that dark cellar feel to life. Nutmeg, Virginian cedarwood, tree moss and atlas cedarwood at the base enhance the impression and really leave you with the image of a dark cellar where fruity wine is maturing.
Rose Saltifolia by Maison Crivelli - Roses growing by the seaside- this is how I would describe this unique new creation by Maison Crivelly, a new luxurious take on delicate, very fresh Centifolia roses. Combined with silky seaweed these luminous fresh roses sparkle with a little help from spicy pink peppercorn, and surround your senses with a breath of fresh seaside air. After a while they become quite soft and honeyed with a slight leathery feel that stays close to the skin.
Impression Rose Oil Isparta by Ostens - Ostens is a new concept perfumery that uses LMR- IFF raw materials as base in their highest allowed concentration and offer them as Preparations oils but also as Impressions - perfumes created by renowned perfumers that give life and character to these unique materials. The LMR Rose oil from Isparta was used for my favourite Impression, a beautiful combination of roses and a fruity / jammy aspect that just fills your nostrils. Created by Dominique Ropion who seems to have mastered working with roses, the scent is alluring, dark, jammy and velvety, a perfect representation of love in a bottle.
How are you expressing your love this Valenine's?