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…
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
From Hermès, a special edition of 24 Faubourg: “A beautiful, limited-edition bottle of 24 Faubourg eau de parfum natural spray by Hermès is filled with the classic woody, floral and amber scent you’ve come to know and love.” $169 at Nordstrom, size unknown…
The latest fragrance release from Jo Malone is Peony & Blush Suede, a fruity floral developed by perfumer Christine Nagel. Its official description reads: “Peonies in voluptuous bloom, exquisitely fragile. Flirtatious with the juicy bite of red apple and the opulence of jasmine, rose and gillyflower. Mingling with the sensuality of soft, blush suede. Luxurious and seductive.”
Peony & Blush Suede does open with apple, but it’s a pleasantly cider-y apple, not anything like the Jolly Rancher green apple note that shows up in so many mass-market perfumes. The rest of the fragrance is a soft floral with musky underpinnings. The peony is honeyed and a touch dusky, not the lemony-bright flower that some other peony fragrances have tried to evoke…
Jo Malone has launched Golden Saffron*, the latest addition to the Cologne Intense collection which was introduced in 2010…
I tried Jo Malone’s Rose Water & Vanilla when it was first released, but since I was under the impression that the “Cologne Intense Collection” (which included Rose Water & Vanilla) was a limited edition line, I didn’t bother to review it. Now that it seems to have become part of the permanent collection, I’ve revisited it and I’m still intrigued.
The Cologne Intense Collection is a group of “distinctive scents inspired by the rich, sensory experience of the Middle East,” and Rose Water & Vanilla is inspired by “delectable Turkish Delight”: “Rose Water and comforting vanilla are enriched with a succulent bite of rose loukoum. Tempting and addictive.” Elsewhere, Jo Malone describes this fragrance as “an elegant powdery scent that blends spicy sweet Orange Blossoms, the richness of Vanilla and an underlying smokiness from the agarwood.”
I’m sure I’m not the only one who looks back with fondness on the craze for loukhoum-inspired fragrances that swept through various perfume message boards in 2004…