VALENTINE’S DAY UNISEX GIFT GUIDE
Reviews: Deborah Ferguson
As we approach Jour D’Amour, I have curated and edited a selection of luxury beauty items that I feel provoke the traditional theory of gifting for Valentine’s Day. This particular gift guide is curated to inspire unisex gifting for those in love and for the few people in your close network that you adore and appreciate. The suggested unisex luxury beauty products are unique, covetable, and are thoughtfully formulated by icons in the world of Fragrance.
Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle: Portrait of a Lady
Frederic Malle’s Portrait of a Lady is a unisex fragrance Inspired by the Henry James novel of the same name published in 1881, the fragrance’s creator Dominique Ropion aimed to celebrate the book’s heroine and her quest for freedom, a romantic theme, side note. The fragrance is a modern twist on classic scents like rose, patchouli, and musk. When applied at first it was intense, rich, so many layers to experience. Imagine a fragrance that is so complex, elegant it evolves over a period of 3-8 hours. Its longevity is the best for its price and the unisex element is not a marketing theme.
I would highly recommend this fragrance and body cream for the true romantic at heart.
Top notes: Turkish rose extract, cloves, raspberry, cinnamon, black currant.
Middle notes: patchouli, incense, sandalwood.
Base notes: benzoin, musk and amber.
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Dominique Ropion : PORTRAIT OF A LADY BODY BUTTER
The luxurious body butter is a lighter version of the artisanal fragrance. The sensuous body butter is a rich formula that is deeply moisturizing, leaving your skin silky smooth with minimal. residue. experience. And a lighter version of the artisanal fragrance. This body cream exemplifies the expertise of of Dominique Ropion. It’s an irresistible hydrating, incredibly luxurious product. The jar is a timeless, unisex all black lacquer finish. An understated showpiece you want to display near your finest fragrances and beauty products. I would highly recommend this fragrance and body cream for the true romantic at heart. Noting it’s an ideal unisex fragrance.
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The story behind of Portrait of a Lady
The idea of the rose came to Dominique Ropion and Frédéric Malle like the breaking of the first day. After months and months of work, in the rosy light, a sublime portrait took shape.
The original sketch was ambitious, to reinvent the genus of oriental perfume. Ropion and Malle spent months exploring, dissecting, and reinventing, and then, at the last moment, they changed course. They went beyond the limits of the reasonable, they dared to choose excess over restraint. They lavished the concoction with opulence, with an indecent amount of rose, endless petals – no less than 400 flowers per 100ml bottle —and to this they added an abundance of amber, red berries, and a dash of exoticism. It was an epiphany in Turkish rose. Having worked through a calendar of grey days, they found themselves faced with a masterpiece, a dust cloth pulled back to reveal a perfect chandelier. The result is an unprecedented potion, almost too sublime to exist, an inspiration in a bottle. They had created the perfume of all perfumes. Elegance personified.
Consider perfume a portrait of its wearer: Charm that emanates from within, boldly depicted without; an expressive portrayal of modern grace. At the fore, an exuberant dose of Turkish rose — 400 flowers per 100ml bottle, no less. Beneath, a bed of patchouli heart imbued with sandalwood and frankincense. An accord of clove, blackcurrant and raspberry binds the perfume together for a final characterful brushstroke. Mystery and refinement, Portrait of a Lady is an ode, a song to universal beauty, the one shared indistinctly by all and in which each expresses their own ideal.
Rose Prick by Tom Ford
Tom Ford Rose Prick is an amorous, alluring fragrance, it has a soft, feminine, delicate but coy trail once applied. My initial reaction to this fragrance was: I want to wear this day and night. It smells sexy, a term I don’t use to describe a fragrance, however it evokes flirting and adventure attached to the feeling of love, lust, or crush. A perfect love date fragrance.
Unsurprisingly, this coquettish fragrance is about the trilogy of rose notes, The prominent Rose trio is sourced from the rarest, Bulgarian rose, Turkish Rose and the legendary Rose de Mai. Rose Prick has a slight unisex appeal as it’s not overtly rosy or floral, instead it’s a seductive combination of pepper, sophisticated smokey woodiness. The bottle is a chic tone of pink with a jet-black label which unites the self-aware gesture to the brand’s enthralled millennial fan.
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Rose Prick by Tom Ford
The candle is a perfect paring with the fragrance to set an enticing room ambience. Recommended as the perfect after-hours candle.
Notes: Rose de Mai, Turkish Rose, Bulgarian rose, turmeric extract, Indonesian patchouli, Sichuan pepper, roasted tonka, tolu balsam
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Notes From Tom Ford
‘The prick of a rose. The slight pain that yields such sensual pleasure. Inspired by my own rose garden, Rose Prick is a wild bouquet of intoxicating and rare hybrids. A trilogy of Rose de Mai, Turkish and Bulgarian roses. Sharp and pristine. Warm and sensual. A heady bouquet of blooms in pink perfection. The danger of being so close to beauty heightens the seductive power of Rose Prick.’
Kilian Paris Love Don’t be Shy
Love, Don’t Be Shy is a shameless ultra-feminine, quietly sweet, proper tongue-in-cheekily flirty perfume. While wearing it, I noticed it ‘s trail is alluring, yet an amusing due to its gourmand character. The marshmallow sweetness intensifies over time, balanced by the Bulgarian rose, which supercharges the confectionary accord. This fragrance is ideal for a woman who loves prominent sweet floral based scents. Its bold formula is almost childish however once you enjoy the long lasting trail of its unique silage the complexity and sophistication take the fragrance trail to another level. The original version was released in 2007 and has always been a successful fragrance in Kilian’s vast collection for nearly 15 years. However, it’s now hard to find in stock, fact is Rihanna has worn this fragrance in the company of Kilian a few times and noting it as her favorite fragrance. It sells out often due to the ultimate pop culture muse’s constant reference to Love Don’t be Shy. Kilian uses only the rarest and most expensive essential oils in each scent and, most importantly, all of Kilian’s perfumes are refillable so the bottle you buy is the bottle you keep for your lifetime
Notes From Kilian
Like Kilian Hennessy said, “In perfumery, it is as much about seduction as it is about protection.” A gold metal plate on which the name of the perfume is manually engraved adds an extra touch of sophistication. About the Fragrance: Kilian Hennessy’s inspiration was to create a gourmet pleasure reserved for adults. The iconic Love, Don’t Be Shy is pushed to its EXTREME with an overdose of Bulgarian rose and notes of néroli, orange blossom, rose, and marshmallow.
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ACQUA DI PARMA ROSA NOBILE BODY CREAM
The evocatively scented body cream Rosa Nobile by Acqua di Parma is a luxurious, moisturizing cream. I would categorize as a subtle replacement for the fragrance. The scent is a tribute to “Queen of Roses”. The lightweight formula is enriched with beeswax, rice protein, Vitamin E and rose extract, which are both nourishing as well as anti-oxidizing. This gorgeous body cream is unique due to its emollient, soft-to-touch, yet lightweight texture. I found it extremely hydrating and quickly absorbed into my skin. As I’m a die-hard fan of authentic Rose scented fragrances, this particular body cream is one of the best for my senses. As it creates a mise en scene moment after applying. I felt transported to a rose garden in Tuscany. Its modern scent does not have the renown old world, cliché Rose scent. Valentine’s Day, a stellar go to Italian “heritage” brand less unisex, highly feminine
Top Notes: Tangerine, Calabrian Bergamot, Pepper
Heart Notes: Centifolia Rose Absolute, Peony Accord, Violet, Lily-of-the-valley
Base Notes: Musk, Virginian Cedarwood, Ambergris
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ACQUA DI PARMA CANDLE Oh L’Amore
Scented candles can be overwhelming so much so you might not want to light when in a romantic moment with your partner. Not with this luxurious candle, it’s a balance of delicate and opulent richness envelops your space. And the scent was formulated to inspire that “I’m falling head over heels for you”, “Love at First sight” rush. I covet and collect candles that are hand crafted and
well thought out. Oh L’Amore delivers 50 hours of addictive romantic aroma. It will remain on my repeat buy list.
The scent is a spirited blend of pepper and cloves which arouses an intense and spice aroma. Its added explosion of balsamic and amber notes brings warmth and enveloping richness to the fragrance.
Tasting Notes: Black Pepper, Clove, Opoponax, Benzoin, Tonka Bean.
Handcrafted in Italy with high-quality ingredients
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N°1 de CHanel L’EAU ROUGE
Chanel released a new fragrance N°1 L’EAU ROUGE early this year as part of their new skincare collection which has sustainably developed formulas that contain up to 97% naturally derived ingredients and 76% from the camellia flower. The new Fragrance has been noted to be in the category of Body Mist. For the Chanel Beauty fans including myself I was delighted for a new CHANEL fragrance experience. When I applied it was incredibly light and interesting as I’ve never tried a Red Camelia top note fragrance before or any fragrance from CHANEL that wasn’t a full throttle scent. The: N°1 Body mist evolved over time on my skin, the light floral bouquet that had layers of Rose, Jasmine, citrus, red berries and red Camelia, all notes were neither distinct or overwhelming.
As it’s not an overbearing fragrance, it’s ideal for those sensitive to strong fragrances and also for those who want a light understated scent to wear. I like to use it after a shower and after applying the: N°1 Skin care that has the same camellia water and camellia extract as the rest of the range. The gorgeous red glass bottle is a covetable bottle to add to one’s collection of beauty perfume bottles. CHANEL In-House Perfumer Creator Olivier Polge who drew inspiration from the delicate yet resilient qualities of the Red Camellia flower, creating a dynamic and sparkling,
yet soft and refined composition. The N°1 DE CHANEL collection seeks to minimize its environmental impact with sustainably developed formulas that contain up to 97% naturally derived ingredients. Each product is housed in environmentally sound packaging for a reduced carbon footprint.
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Creative Direction & Reviews by
Deborah Ferguson
Web Layout
Tori Smith
Photography
CONTENTS Studio
Reviews are based on trying products
we love rather than being sponsored to review