valentine’s day: 9 posts

What is a romantic perfume? A few years ago, I structured my Valentine’s Day post around the perfume notes that I found romantic and seductive: jasmine, saffron, sandalwood and furs & ambers, leather, honey, fig. I still like the idea of conveying a certain mood through scent, but I realize that there is much more to the romance of perfume than its list of notes. The most romantic perfume is not a magic potion designed to seduce him, but rather a fragrance that makes me feel beautiful. An opulent composition like Annick Goutal Grand Amour does the trick on some days, while on others the austere Bulgari Black seems more appropriate.

However, a range spanning Grand Amour to Black encompasses just about all fragrance genres. To narrow them down to a list of ten, I included those perfumes that both make me feel good and elicit compliments from my friends, family and my Valentine. In other words, they are the fragrances I enjoy wearing and sharing with those around me. And what is more romantic than sharing pleasure!

Continue reading →

“Whether you believe in Valentine’s Day or not, are currently attached or flying solo, there’s one thing we can all agree on—the best part of this holiday is the candy.” I cannot agree more with Saveur, and here are some delicious ideas for Valentine’s Day treats from my favorite food magazine:

A Dozen Mail-Order Valentine’s Day Sweets

A Red and Pink Valentine’s Fête

How to Make Molten Chocolate Cakes–I highly recommend this fantastic recipe to any chocolate lover.

Rich Chocolate Desserts–a mouthwatering selection; The Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World delivers on its promise.

And some related posts published previously on Bois de Jasmin:

Aphrodisiac Dinner for Valentine’s Day and Beyond

Love Potion #99

The other day as I was helping my friend to find a new perfume, she remarked that the rules of dating have become very complicated, especially with the advent of new communication technologies. How long do you wait before you reply to his email, how fast should he text you back, etc? Thinking about this gives me a headache far faster than any of the latest celebrity fragrances. As I left my friend to select between Stella McCartney and Hermès Kelly Calèche, I went home to browse through the most famous manual on love for some dating guidance.

Continue reading →

Although the earliest uses of fragrances were for the divine purposes (a word “perfume” is derived from the Latin “per fumum,” meaning “through smoke,” the smoke of sacrificial offerings,) the link of perfume and romance is likewise a strong one. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought that it would be interesting to talk of romantic fragrances.

What perfumes do you find romantic? Do you have specific favorites to wear on romantic occasions?

For me, it is very simple–a romantic fragrance is above all the one that makes me feel beautiful, and many different scent can evoke this feeling. My selection runs gamut from opulent roses like by Kilian Rose Oud to sensual musks like Narciso Rodriguez for Her, from mysterious chypre like Sisley Soir de Lune to lush orientals like Tom Ford Black Orchid. When a perfume envelops me seductively the way Guerlain L’Heure Bleue or Frédéric Malle Lipstick Rose do, I find it irresistible. In a different spirit, Caron Nuit de Noël has a strong aura of romance for me, given its suggestion of a quiet, snowy evening spent in front of the fireplace.

Edit: simply could not avoiding mention my favorite lush florals like Serge Lutens A La Nuit, Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower (my wedding perfume), Ormonde Jayne Frangipani and by Kilian Love & Tears. They always put me in a romantic mood!

Photograph by Tim Walker, Wadhwan, Gujarat (India) from egodesign.ca.  Thanks to Marcello for sharing this beautiful, romantic image with me.

What fragrance should I wear/buy for Valentine’s Day? This question remains one of the top reader queries I get around this time of the year (although nothing beats the good old “what turns wo(men) on?”) The fact is that there is no perfect fragrance that would suit all moods and all personality types. At the same time, some notes have distinct romantic connotations because of their sensual quality. Rose is the first one that comes to mind; however, since this topic has been covered extensively by me and others in the past (for instance, please see my article “From White to Red, From Chaste to Seductive: Many Faces of Rose”), I decided to look for a fresh approach. I chose seven notes which are undeniable sensual and aphrodisiac and which provide an endless source of fascination. Of course, while the list below strongly reflects my own preferences, I am eager to hear your thoughts.

Continue reading →