Valentine’s Day is February 14th, of course, and you may be thinking of giving a small gift or two to a special someone. I don’t mean only romantic partners, either; I think that certain friends and family members deserve a little extra display of affection once in while, too. Here, then, are ten scented treats for all sorts of Valentines, each priced under $30.
Sweets to the sweet: the ever-popular Philosophy has assembled a limited edition X’s and O’s Trio just for Valentine’s Day…
I have to confess that I haven’t tried many fragrances from Escada. I don’t know much about the brand in general, and its colorful, youth-oriented summer scents like Rockin Rio and Sexy Graffiti just don’t appeal to me. Nonetheless, when a sample of Especially Escada Delicate Notes came my way, as part of the annual pre-Valentine roses-and-all-things-romantic perfume promotion, I decided to give it a try.
Especially Escada Delicate Notes is the 2012 flanker to Especially Escada, which I completely missed when it was launched in 2011. It’s described as a softer, fresher fragrance, “a blend of sophistication and light-hearted escapism,” with notes of rose, ylang ylang, pear and ambrette. It’s packaged in a pale pink, frosted-glass version of the Especially Escada bottle, with the same gilt double-E logo cap…
Every day for the past few weeks I’ve glanced at the local newspapers and noticed large-type headlines about a FLU EPIDEMIC. I’m generally healthy, so I didn’t bother getting a flu vaccine; instead, I’m just trying to eat healthily, get enough sleep and wash my hands frequently. For moments when I’m on the move and I can’t get to a sink with hot water and soap, I like to carry a CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer. It’s not a magic bullet, of course, but it lessens my anxiety about germs from stairway railings, subway poles and any other unsavory surfaces I might have touched.
CleanWell offers a range of liquid hand soaps, cleaning products and disinfectant wipes, but the All-Natural Hand Sanitizer is my favorite. This is a liquid product, packaged in a slim container with a flip top and a spray dispenser; a few spritzes into the palm of a hand gives enough sanitizer for one thorough use…
Perhaps a day will come when I tire of wearing (and writing about) rose perfumes, but that day has apparently not arrived yet. This week I’ve been sampling Rose Anonyme, a fairly recent release from niche fragrance house Atelier Cologne. Rose Anonyme is personified as “a breathtaking seductress caught in a stolen affair between light and dark,” in a narrative about a (female) jewel thief who leaves nothing behind except a rose and the scent of her perfume.
This fragrance was developed by perfumer Jérome Epinette and features top notes of bergamot, ginger and Turkish rose essence; heart notes of Turkish rose absolue, incense and velvet oud accord; and base notes of patchouli, papyrus and benzoin. Rose Anonyme is definitely rose-centered, but nothing else about it was quite what I expected. Not that it’s a shocking fragrance in any way: it’s actually quite pretty. It’s the most feminine Atelier fragrance yet…
I can never answer the question, “What is your favorite perfume?” However, if someone asked me to name my favorite contemporary fragrance house, I’d probably name Frédéric Malle’s Editions de Parfums. After all, this company is responsible for two of my favorite perfumes, Lipstick Rose and Iris Poudre, as well as several others that I wear on a regular basis, including L’Eau d’Hiver, En Passant — and Lys Méditerranée.
Lys Méditerranée is a “tribute” to the lily, designed to evoke “a scorching summer evening as the Mediterranean sea spray mingles with the spicy scent of ginger lilies.” It was developed by perfumer Edouard Fléchier and was released in 2000; its notes include ginger lily, lily of the valley, angelica root, orange flower, water lily, salicylates, ambrette seeds, musk and vanilla. The Frédéric Malle website describes Lys Méditerranée as “radiant,” and reviewers have often used the same adjective, for good reason…