Valentines Uni-sex Gift Guide
The day of love gifting is a perfect excuse to celebrate, spread love whether it be your secret your crush, your best friend, or your partner. I tried, tested and curated a list of iconic luxurious beauty gifts of appreciation. These gestures/ gifts of affection will surprise and please the most fickle of personalities
There isn’t a better holiday to splurge on thoughtful, luxury beauty gifts, which create that ultimate romantic moment or simply remind your friends they are loved and appreciated.
Frederic Malle Fragrance: French Lover by Pierre Bourdon
French Lover was initially created to be a classic yet magnetic men’s fragrance. Putting aside its quintessential notes in a masculine fragrance zone, it is a very gender-neutral overall composition. When applied the top notes of Angelica, pimiento and juniper melt into a soft, sultry sea of woody cedar, patchouli, vetiver and united by frankincense, and the green galbanum. All of which translate to a elegant, dramatic, seductive, magnetic skin enhancer. I recommend French Lover as s gift for a man or woman. Its unique, seductive balance of feminine and masculine is appealing to those who love to boldly mystify.
Pierre Bourdon; one of the most innovative perfumers of his generation; has a long, rich history in creating unique, successful fragrances. He Revolutionized perfume trends in the late 70’s while working at Roure Bertrand Dupont in Grasse. There he was inspired by a lasting philosophy; perfumes should be created as works of art.
Frederic Malle recognized that they had the same vision for creating fragrances, this led to Pierre creating the first Editions de Parfums for Frederic Malle: Iris Poudre.
Fragrance Top Notes
Pimiento, angelica, juniper
Fragrance Base Notes
Patchouli, vetiver, frankincense
Frederica Malle Body Milk: Rose & Cuir by Jean-Claude Ellena
A light hydrating, firming body milk delicately scented in a modern, wholehearted reinterpretation of rose & leather.
The top notes layers are sweet and floral: rose, geranium bourbon and black currant. The unique base is a mysterious leather note using IsoButyl Quinoline which is both bitter, sensual and barely used in fragrance compositions since the 1930s. While the middle notes are a moody blend of vetiver and cedar adding the dark, mysterious uni-sex note.
The Body Milk fragrance is a dramatic yet sensual scent that delivers a light hydrating, firming, and nourishing film of lotion that immediately absorbed into my skin. I would suggest this luxurious body milk as a softer, mysterious alternative to wearing the fragrance itself.
Rose & Cuir fragrance and body milk launched in 2019 by award winning perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. It’s an unexpected, streamlined, chic, sexy uniquely composed uni-sex fragrance and body milk.
Vintner’s Daughter Active Treatment Essence
My ongoing obsession with the Vintners Daughter skin care products has expanded by adding a step 2: Active Treatment Essence.
A light spray onto my cleansed face, neck, and chest area acts as an optimum multi-corrective hydrating step to prep my skin for the Active Botanical Serum.
The signature, trademarked ingredients act as a light toner in a light but powerful, fast acting formula. Key ingredients include Vitamin C, plant stem cells, micro-exfoliating acids & enzymes, probiotics, micro and mini hyaluronic acid, and marine microalgae all of which ensure deep hydration, skin repair, radiance, and maximize skin nourishment when used before the Active Botanical Serum.
The light kombucha scent is due to the 100% natural ingredients and the fermentation process of this product which aids in the brighter, clearer, firmer skin outcome. This product is also ideal for men after shaving to calm, nourish and hydrate their skin. ACTIVE TREATMENT ESSENCE is safe to use on all skin types: sensitive blemish prone, and mature skin. And highly recommended as an aftershave soothing essence for men.
Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum
Vintner’s Daughter founder, April Gargiulo spares no expense on potent ingredients which reflects how she takes efficacy, luxury and sustainability very seriously. I highly recommend this perfect first step Treatment essence to pair with the Active Botanical Serum:
Like all Vintner’s Daughter products, this one is formulated with an extensive list of gentle yet effective plant ingredients.
A multi-award-winning unisex serum I have used for over 6 months with phenomenal results that never disappoint. First, the sustainable high-quality bottle; once opened my senses exploded as the rich natural botanical scent was like experiencing the ultimate aromatherapy scent one could only dream of.
The serum formula includes 22 essential oils sourced from small international sustainable farms diluted in nourishing carrier oils (Grape seed and hazelnut). These nutrient-rich botanicals balance, soothe, nourish, and plump the skin.
The main carrier of Grape Seed Oil has antioxidants called procyanidins which are known to neutralize free radicals that cause discoloration, skin sagging, and fine lines, while the dandelion and calendula ensure a calming, soothing quality.
Carrot seeds, Lavender, Nettle, and Lemon support cellular turnover, while tamanu, frankincense, rose, and turmeric help filter free radicals such as sun damage, acne scarring, and other skin issues.
While trying this serum at night after cleansing, I applied 3-4 drops on my hand to warm it and massaged it into my face and neck area. The star ingredients worked immediately on my skin. My skin was deeply hydrated, and luminous, and dark spots and lines minimized in less than three weeks. It worked well as an anti-inflammatory as well as a skin brightener. I look forward to trying their other skincare products as this serum will remain in my main evening skincare routine and after using the ZIIP HALO as it rebalances my skin while encouraging the effects of the micro currents.
Product notes:
-Suitable for all skin and daily AM and PM use
-100% natural ingredients, formulated without added sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, PEGs, or SLSs
-Vegan, Cruelty-Free
The Active Botanical Serum works well for all skin types (men and women), but is especially useful for aging, hormonally challenged and acne-prone skin. active botanical serum
ZIIP Crystal Gel & Ziip HALO
A perfect gift for skincare enthusiasts is the recent 2.0 version of ZIIP Halo device created by the iconic facialist: Melanie Simon
(Jen Aniston and Margot Robbie are clients)
This exciting new device has both immediate and accumulating long-term anti-aging effects for women’s and men’s skin.
Melanie has developed the device with a bonus feature: she demonstrates exactly how to use it via the app in customized sessions between two and 12 minutes with her calming voice guiding you through your treatment.
This device can work on treating and clearing acne, brightening those under eye circles, diminishing fine lines and hyperpigmentation. It’s an all-around anti-aging rejuvenation device which uniquely (other devices don’t dop both) deploys nano currents in addition to microcurrents. Its key results activate collagen and your skin’s elastin production for the ultimate lifting, skin smoothing benefits. And for the busy traveler; the device is small and light as a computer mouse so it’s easy to use and focus on your skin treatment.
A 100%Vegan, 80% organic formulated conductive gel for microcurrent and nano current facials that for the first stage of your treatments. There are 3 key result driven ingredients; glutathione an amino acid for glowing skin, collagen derived from veronica flower along and cedar bark to prevent environmental stress and aid in repairing your skin. This organic conductive gel optimizes the effect organic skincare products like Vintners Daughter after your skin treatment. It’s ideal for men and women, who have sensitive skin and or prone to breakouts.
The bottle is recyclable.
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Thank you to the PRs and beauty brands for sending samples to try and authenticate results.