A few gift ideas for Valentine's Day, in case anyone is in need of (scented) inspiration. Do feel free to comment and tell us what present you'd most like to get!
From Diptyque, a brooch you can scent with your favorite fragrance: "Our new hand embroidered Rose brooch was developed in partnership with jewelry designers, Macon & Lesquoy. Perfume the ceramic drop and enjoy your fragrance all day long." $55 at Diptyque.
From Strange Invisible Perfumes, the "Minibar", a handmade, gold-engraved box with samples of 12 of the brand's fragrances: (Aquarian Rose, Atlantic, Black Rosette, Dimanche, Epic Gardenia, Essence of IX, Fair Verona, L’Invisible, Magazine Street, Musc Botanique, Peloponnesian and Prima Ballerina). $90 at Strange Invisible Perfumes.
From Chanel, Shower Gels in Coco Noir (200 ml for $50) or Antaeus (200 ml for $32). At Chanel.
From Lush, the Lots of Love gift set, with Close to You Massage Bar, Neon Love Soap, Prince Charming Shower Gel, Rose Jam Bubbleroon, Sex Bomb Bath Bomb, Chou Chou I Love You Toothy Tabs and Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner. $53 in a wrapped gift box, from Lush USA.
From Jo Malone, the new Just Like Sunday candle collection, with four fragrances: Lavender & Lovage, Tomato Leaf, Sweet Almond & Macaroon and Incense & Embers. $65 each at Nordstrom.
From Republic of Tea, scented teas for the Downton Abbey fan, in English Rose (rose, raspberry and hibiscus), Grantham Breakfast Blend (Assam black tea with ginger) or Estate Blend (Earl Grey black tea with bergamot and vanilla). $12 a tin at Republic of Tea.
From Adagio, teas for the Sherlock fan: a sampler set of teas inspired by the BBS series. Mrs. Hudson is "floral notes and a faint whiff of biscuits"; Greg Lestrade is "Smoky traces of gunpowder, aged leather, mellowed with a trace of hazelnut." $39 at Adagio.
From Elizabeth W, heart-shaped bath fizzes scented with lavender, rose, lilac and tuberose. $25 for the set at Red Envelope.
From Bella J, the "Main Squeeze" candle: "This is the perfect citrus scented candle with a twist! The fragrance is bursting with effervescent juicy notes – grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit, and tart citrus – that are entwined with jasmine petals, green florals and a whisper of sheer musk." Each candle features a surprise charm buried in the wax. $25 at Bella J.
From Valerie, Matcha and Rose Petal Petits Fours: "As seen in In Style Magazine, this 12-piece box contains six of our Rose Petal Petits Fours topped with hand-candied rose petals and six of our delicate Matcha Green Tea Petits Fours." $53 at Valerie in Los Angeles.
More Valentine's Day posts from our archives: 10 Cheap Thrills for Valentine’s Day, Love and Perfume, Three fragrances for a confident Valentine’s Day, Perfumes For Valentine’s Day Romance, Part 1: The Big Guns and Part 2: A Little Subtlety, Please.
Oh–well if someone were very rich and dying to buy me a gift, I would take the SIP Minibar!
It’s a nice presentation for a sample set! What I really want are all the teas
I don’t wear brooches – but that one is really cute!
That’s just what I thought — I’d never really wear it, but want one.
Its the kind of thing I would convince myself I might – I really might wear – that it would actually work with my style, um, maybe. Buy it, and never take it out the drawer, lol!
I would worry that the ceramic drop (when scented with perfume) may stain clothing. Also, the brooch itself looks like an embroidered emblem or pieces of corduroy cloth sewn together. Not for me…
See! Even more reason to hoard it in a drawer where it won’t wear out and/or damage my clothes!
Sephora is also going to be doing triple points on fragrances from February 5-14 — I’m already considering buying myself a Valentine’s Day present! Meanwhile, maybe I’ll lay some subtle hints about that Lush box.
Thanks for the info. on this! Very good excuse for a fragrance purchase
Excellent, thanks!
And I do want to try the Prince Charming shower gel (pomegranate & grapefruit).
I picked up a small bottle today! It’s nice tart-sweet with a citrus (orange bergamot) fruity pomegranate on top of vanilla. It didn’t seem overly sweet to me. Looking forward to my morning shower where I will really be able to smell it.
Thanks so much!
Wow, thanks for the info!
If its referring to the collection above my choices would be the Brooch and Jo Malone’s Macaroon Candle.
If its in general however, I would say a bottle of Lipstick Rose from Frederic Malle!
Oh, do feel free to select whatever you want! We have no rules. And of course Lipstick Rose is a great choice.
I’m a sucker for anything heart-shaped. My kind of holiday.
Yesterday’s post on L’Artisan made me scope out their site and products and I see they’ve got these scented leather gloves for purchase (a mere $480, scented with Mure et Musc Extreme) – French elegance indeed!
I wouldn’t mind a pair of those gloves for V Day, but highly unlikely.
I’ll settle for a perfume sample set of a note I’ve yet to explore.
Wish I had smelled those gloves…and wish they’d done them in more fragrances & colors!
Smell the Glove? That’s a Spinal Tap album.
Ha!
One of everything, please!!
I’m with Jessica!
About that ceramic piece on the brooch, I am wondering if an unglazed ceramic bead might absorb fragrance. I shall have to experiment…..
I would think so, but might discolor?
I want those Downton Abbey teas. I would love to see Lord Grantham staring back at me over my morning cuppa.
Exactly! The Aunt Violet one is apparently at Cost Plus World Market.
Thanks for the tea info! Was dismayed to see at least one of them (English Rose, I think) is caffeine-free. But I think the Grantham one is caffeinated, and it’s less expensive at Shop PBS than it is at Amazon.
Oh, good to know, thanks!
Rant coming. Okay. I’m a little grumpy… but why .6 of an ml for each of the Strange Invisible Perfumes minibar? Why not charge another $10 or $20 and go wild and make a kit with whole 1 ml samples? All that work put into the gorgeous presentation and a sparrow’s f_ _t worth of fragrance each. I am so tired of these eensy peensy samples that cost $$. I know that some of the offering from Strange Invisible Perfumes cost hundreds of dollars (a quick look at the website show 100 ml bottles for $300-$800) BUT STILL! Who can enjoy .6? How can you really experience .6 of anything (drugs not included!) Grrrrrrrrr… …
I’d love that minibar for V-Day. Or two of them
Well, good point, esp. since these are EdP.
Those citrus candles sound great! And I’d take one each of the Downton Abbey teas, but they’re pretty pricey so I guess I’ll let them go.
Already bought my Valentine anyway: small bottle of Olympic Orchids Ballets Rouges.
Ballet Rouges is particularly lovely. In fact, it’s my favorite of Ellen’s whole line! *perfecto!*
Does that seem pricey for tea? *hides tea collection*
Well, for me. I prefer my coffee, and I really would rather have decaffeinated black tea than anything else anyway.
Gotcha.
The rose and matcha Petits Fours sound incredible, but what I’m really pining for is some Cuir de Gardenia!
And since we’re discussing pricey but truly lovely teas: http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/UK/lt+beautiful-tea-for-beautiful-people.html I’m especially hoping for the Black Opera and Coup de Soleil…
I’ve had some of their other blends (Market Hall Foods in Oakland carries several; their refill bags are pretty reasonable by comparison) and they are so very, VERY good!
I love Mariage Freres…Lune Rouge & Festin d’Or are my favorites, but neither ever makes it to the US, unfortunately. Have to have people fetch them for me in Paris
Tempted by the SIP sample set but amazed by the prices on the website!!! I’m glad I took a chance on Magazine Street when the old packaging was on sale.
It is *not* a bargain brand, that is for sure.