Valentine’s Day Illustration by Italian Artist Massimo Alfaioli for CaFleureBon © www.massimoalfaoli.com
Valentine’s Day is undeniably different in 2021, yet it’s significance might be more important during the Pandemic than in recent memory. After 14 months of social distancing, natural disasters, estrangement and political unrest we long for togetherness. Love, like perfume, speaks a language, without saying a word. Over the next two days our editors and contributors share their Covid Valentine’s Day fragrances.
Chet and Halema Baker, Redondo Beach, 1956, ©William Claxton. ©Etat Libre d’Orange. ©Millie Sime
Etat Libre d’Orange Eau de Protection (Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu): I read “My Covid Valentine” but heard “My Funny Valentine”, Chet Baker’s sweetly melancholy version. The song’s been playing on a loop in my head ever since. I’m sentimental and nostalgic this year. I have a rose perfume for all of my emotions, so Etat Libre’s Eau de Protection is the rose for this year’s St. Valentine’s Day. Spraying it on, the ginger and pepper are prickly to my nose, like that sensation when I am just on the verge of crying, but a smile can coax the tears back as a shy hope settles in. “…You make me smile with my heart…” Eau de Protection relaxes into a soft rose propped up by pillows of tonka and heliotrope. The rose lingers quietly close throughout the day. This year’s holiday is not about giddily celebrating a new love, or deeply mourning a past one. Rather, this week I’m acknowledging the loss we’ve experienced since last St. Valentine’s Day, and holding the fragile belief that the next one will be sweeter. For that knife’s edge balance Eau de Protection is perfect. “…Don’t change a hair for me, Not if you care for me…” Notes: Bitter Orange, Ginger, Pepper, Rose, Jasmine, Heliotrope, Tonka, Benzoin, Patchouli – Marianne Butler, Sr. Contributor
Nishane Hundred Silent Ways, photo by Nicoleta (Der Kuss – Gustav Klimt)
Nishane Hundred Silent Ways: Born at the crossroads, as sparkly and colorful as the mosaics on a minaret, from) fuses the oriental ardor of one thousand and one nights with the fairy tales-ish nostalgia of old Europe into a perfume that is both butterflies-fluttering-in-the-stomach-intense and strangely comfortable and soothing. “I closed my mouth and spoke to you in a hundred silent ways /You know what’s on my mind, you’ve heard my thoughts/ And now, what I described to you last night, I’ll do today” – says the Rumi verse that inspired the name of the fragrance. A whirlwind of deep vanilla, decadent fruits, dense flowers, orris and soft woods that smells like kissing feels like. Notes: Mandarin, Tuberose, Peach, White jasmine, Gardenia, Orris, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Vetiver. – Nicoleta Tomsa, Editor
Photo of ATELIER OBLIQUE Saint by The Perfumed Dahlia
ATELIER OBLIQUE Saint (Sidonie Lancesseur): A lingering and gentle amber, ATELIER OBLIQUE’s Saint will add a touch of glamor to any Valentine’s Day. It just smells nice. The projection is perfect—it’s not a skin scent, but it won’t disrupt a romantic dinner. Saint’s unisex amber warmth gets a little sass from bergamot, and its leather note adds sexiness without making it feel ribald. On a day rife with cliché and expectation, Saint delivers sophisticated elegance—and it might just invite a cuddle. Notes: bergamot, cedarwood, amber, leather, vanilla, tobacco, musk – Dalya Azaria, Contributor
Jovoy Paris Sans Un Mot (photo/digital effects: Despina Veneti©)
Jovoy Paris Sans Un Mot (Anne-Sophie Behaghel):If you happen to love supreme-quality, luscious musky-florals like I do, then Valentine’s day is the ideal occasion to indulge in this underdiscussed gem of Jovoy’s extraits de parfum collection. Succulent fruit, teasing pink pepper, lipsticky rose, boudoired iris, liquorice violet, fleshy ylang-ylang, ambrosial vanilla, silky musks… like a proper love potion, Sans Un Mot (“Without A Word”) commands me to lose those pyjamas, sweats and loungewear, and envelop myself in satin, velvet and lace. Its generous, ladylike-sensuous sillage never fails to work its magic on those around me either: one little spritz elicits compliments, two may attract flirtation, three can even initiate a game of seduction… Although I suspect many gentlemen could also pull it off splendidly, to me, Jovoy Paris Sans Un Mot spells “femininity” in pure olfactive language; as its name suggests, few words are needed to declare the wearer’s presence – or intentions. Notes: Pink Pepper, Mandarin, Blackcurrant, Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Violet, Iris, Vanilla, White Musk, Soft Woods. – Despina Veneti, Senior Editor
Richard Quinn surrealist artist
Parfums Dusita Melodie de L’Amour: (Pissara Umavijani): ”Make me a perfume that smells like love,” said Christian Dior to perfumer Jean Carles in 1947 and Miss Dior was born. Nearly 70 years later, Pissara Umavijani composed her ode to love. Melodie de L’ Amour opens as a wistful white floral, but the music grows louder and more sensual at its heart… honey drips onto slinky petals before settling into an intimate musk. It is meant to be worn just for you or for someone you wish (or is) very close to you. Music like perfume are one of the most powerful means of expressing emotion, and Melodie de L’Amour sings to me of modern love in its many guises. Notes: Gardenia, tuberose, white flowers, wild honey, cedarwood oil,musk, peach, Italian broom, lily of the valley and Indian jasmine – Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
Michelyn’s Pink Roses photographed in New York City, October 2020©
Today, February 8th is Despina Veneti’s birthday, please join us in wishing her a healthy and happy year filled with love and health.
Our Covid Valentine’s Day Fragrances (Part 1)
US, EU, UK, Canada: 100 ml of Etat Libre D’Orange Eau de Protection
US and EU: 50 ml of Nishane Hundred Silent Ways NOW AVAILABLE ON NISHANE.com.tr
USA, UK, EU, Middle East: 50 ml of Jovoy Paris Sans Un Mot
USA, UK, EU 50 ml of Melodie de L’Amour Parfum Extrait
To be eligible for our Covid Valentine’s Day Fragrances draw Part 1, you must be a registered reader. You can register here. Please leave a comment with which of our favorites appeal to you (including those not for draw), list as many you would love to win (country eligibility), and where you live. What are your plans for Valentine’s Day during the Pandemic? Draw closes 2/13/2020
Note: Atelier Oblique Saint is not in this draw
Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon @spritzi_mcGillicutty @nicoleta.Tomsa @theperfumeddahlia @despinavnt @massimoalfaoli @etatlibredorange @nishane.official @atelier_oblique @parfumsdusita
This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our Blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.