Give Get, Love: These Are the Best Scents To Choose For Valentine’s Day

So Good To Be Bad! Carolina Hererra:

Fashion designer Carolina Hererra’s name is synonymous with feminine elegance and glamour. She’s created a number of fragrances. However, the one that really is covetable is one of the many types of  Carolina Hererra’s “Good Girl.”  That’s because each of the “Good Girl” collection fragrances is housed in a glass stiletto with a mile-high gold “heel”  to steady the bottle. The spray EDP is accessed through the top of the back part of the shoe. Therefore, it’s the modern, adult version of the iconic Cinderella glass slipper.  

My choice for this story is Good Girl Legere Women Eau De Parfum Spray( 2.7 oz $116).  Good Girl Legere is an Amber Floral, launched in 2018.  The nose behind this fragrance is Louise Turner. The fabulous bottle was designed by Italian glassmaker Bormioli Luigi. Of course the outer carton says: “it’s so good to be bad.” 

Key Notes:

The top notes are  Ylang-Ylang, Mandarin Orange, Lemon, and Bergamot. Middle notes are Jasmine, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, and Bulgarian Rose. For the base, you’ll smell Dulce de leche, Praline, Tonka Bean, Cinnamon, Sandalwood, Cashmirwood, Amber, Musk, Patchouli, and Cedar.

Although I never smelled the original, Good Girl Legere is described as a softer floriental/gourmand than the original. Much to my liking, the tuberose is toned down. The fruits are omnipresent at first, but they quickly blow off so you can enjoy the florals. At the drydown I enjoyed a soft spice that stayed on my skin for a long time. Orientals and even some florientals can sometimes be overwhelmingly heavy, but Good Girl Legere speaks fairly softly from her sexy stiletto. My bottle was sent to me by fragrancenet.com 

Wit & West Natural Botanicals:

Habari:

Out of the Wit & West collection I tried Habari Eau de Parfum. This very unisex scent is right up my personal alley. It has a deep, spicy, incense vibe that lasts on your skin. The website says that Habari is…”Bearing the name of the quintessential greeting on the savannas of the Serengeti. this fragrance welcomes one to the crackling campfire as the incomparable sunset wanders toward spirited re-tellings of the day’s adventures.”

Key Notes:

TOP: Black Pepper, Cardamom; HEART: Clove, Jasmine, Tuberose and BASE: Amber, Agarwood. This is a sensual cold weather scent and very sophisticated and exotic. You don’t need a lot to make a fragrance statement. It’s the kind of scent you keep sniffing on your own skin, because it is intoxicating and yet, somehow, comforting.  Smoke and incense are what drive the overall character, but it’s not overwhelming.

 

Show someone you know they’re super-special with a gift of Habari Price: $60 (15ml bottle), $160 (50ml bottle) Of course there are other fragrances to suit other fragrance types. For the true romantic gift,

Summit Rose:  The top notes are Rosewood Leaf, Fir Needle; The middle notes are  Rose Absolute, Rose Otto, Marjoram; and the base is Frankincense, Fir Balsam. Or, go for the Bespoke Experience and create a true one-of-a-kind scent. Learn more on the Wit & West website. 

 

Delightful, Delicious, Eau So Decadent:

 

Do you love really pretty and unusual perfume bottles? Do you love beautiful floral scents?  Marc Jacobs Eau So Decadent makes a wow! of a presentation. This Amber Floral fragrance for women was launched in 2017. The nose behind this fragrance is Annie Buzantian.

 

Key Notes:

The top notes are Pear, Black Currant, and Ivy; the middle notes are Magnolia, Lily-of-the-Valley, and Jasmine; the base notes are Raspberry, White Amber, and Cashmere Wood. A hefty 3.64 oz. bottle of Eau So Decadent Eau de Toilette is $87.44. It’s got a soft beginning and at least on my skin, a sweet finish that smells like the lily of the valley and jasmine plus raspberry. Feminine and really pretty! 

 

The scent lasts quite a long time and would be IMHO a perfect Valentine’s Day fragrance. As a gift, the “handbag” bottle complete with a gold chain is so gorgeous, you’d display it proudly even if you weren’t a fan of floral scents. Fragrancenet.com sent the large version but there’s a 1 oz. size housed in the same adorable “handbag” for $60.

 

Tocca’s Beloved Scents in Beautiful Minis:

 

 

Some of the most popular fragrance gifts to give (or get) would be those from Tocca. There are a number of gift sets with beautiful, ribbed glass, mini-sized flacons. Advicesisters.com included one of these in one of our 2021 holiday stories. But they’re still available for Valentine’s Day gifting.  I also like the affordable $20 ToccaWonders Collection Mini Perfume Duo Set. Inside a mini hatbox/ornament with a see-through center you will find two .17 fl oz Eau de Parfum bottles.

Key Notes:

Florence (key notes of bergamot, pear, and gardenia) and Cleopatra (key notes of Grapefruit, Jasmine, Vanilla Musk). The hard-sided box encourages you to “Love Yourself” on the side. A nice touch for V-day! 

You can make a really big splash, literally by getting the Tocca Wonders Collection teal and gold box with windows showcasing six 5ml bottles of Eau de Parfum ($48). The fragrances are Tocca’s most popular: Florence, Cleopatra, Stella, Colette,  Giulietta, and Simone.

Key Notes:

 I’ve already mentioned the notes for Florence and Cleopatra in the above paragraph.  Stella has notes of blood orange, freesia, and spicy lily. Colette has notes of bergamot, sandalwood, and pink peppercorn. Giulietta has notes of pink tulip, green apple, and vanilla orchid. Simone has notes of watermelon, frangiapani, and ylang ylang. You can’t go wrong with this beautiful set in a hard-sided, pull-out keepsake box. There are other fragrances and gifts. Therefore, you can also purchase a Tocca gift certificate if you’re still not sure what to select! Visit https://www.tocca.com/

 

If You Want Variety? Get a Collection:

 

If you’re not sure what fragrance is “the one”a good choice is a variety set. The Women’s Premier 6-Piece Variety set. is a beautifully boxed treasure trove of adorable mini fragrances from some of the most popular brands. I’ve seen similar sets in Duty-Free shops but you can get this one easily online at Fragrancenet.com The fragrances are housed in authentic bottle copies of their larger sisters: Fragrancenet.com has a number of different boxed sets like the one in my photo.

 

Fragrance Categories:

There isn’t room to list all of the notes for all 6 fragrances, but here are their basic categories:

 

Miracle Eau de Parfum (floriental), Anais Anais Eau de Toilette (floral) Tresor Eau de Parfum (sensual floral), Paloma Picasso Eau de Parfum (floriental), LouLou Eau de Parfum (flirty floral) and Lauren Eau de Toilette (Green floral)  the price for the collection is $62 for o.10 fl. oz. – 0.25 minis). All of these are available in full sizes as well, on fragrancenet.com

 

Adorable Salvatore Dali Minis:

 

 

Mini Ruby Lips Perfume Solid 0.10 oz & Soap 0.70 oz by Salvador Dali comes in a cute hard-sided box (red, of course). Inside is a tiny soap that looks like a pair of red lips, and a mini-sized jar of slid perfume in a plastic red lip case. The “nose” is Daphne Bugey. You can purchase a full-sized version of Ruby Lips too:

 

Key Notes:

The Salvatore Dali fragrance is lots of fun. It starts with top notes of yuzu, apple, and red currant. I really liked the heart of orchid, water lily, and rose. But the surprise is a base of sandalwood, lemon tree, patchouli, and honey. The scent is lighthearted and pretty, but not super-heavy. This adorable mini gift set is sold out at the time I wrote this on fragrancenet.com but it’s available elsewhere for under $17 and you can get a full-sized version of the fragrance as well.