Painting: Jarek Puczal
Fragrance can evoke a myriad of different emotions and sensations. But what scents instantly remind us of all that is Romance- from the fleeting memory of an awkward first kiss to the sensual, heady feeling of free-falling in love. These are the perfumes that captured our hearts.
Illustrator Rebecca Dautremer
Romance is everything that leads to intimacy. As Carly Simon says it is Anticipation. From the flush of initial attraction to the well-choreographed dance of long-time lovers romance is what makes it all worth it .
Serge Lutens Musc Koublai Khan is Christopher Sheldrake’s animalic triumph. Civet slaps you with a leather glove and then rose and honey draw you close before the heady musc reminds you we are all animals inside.
Calvin Klein Obsession for Men is maybe the first fragrance I truly fell in love with and we have had an ongoing romantic entanglement for almost 30 years. The spice in the heart and the amber, patchouli, sandalwood, and musk finish always make me more confident. Obsession for Men was and is one of my date night fragrances as it mostly brought the women in my life closer.
Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Malt has been my wife’s choice the last few times I’ve asked her what she would like me to wear on a night when it is about her. Since romance should always be about her this has to make the list. The smoky whiskey accord, with a hint of cherry, leads to a much quieter version of the A*Men gourmand base dominated by chocolate and caramel notes
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
Neil Morris Fragrances FLOWERS FOR MEN “Gardenia” balances green citrus and dry elemi resin, in the opening, to draw you into a lovely heart of creamy gardenia, freshly cut grass and spicy warm hay! The finish of warm myrrh and mysterious oud, along with musk and patchouli, takes you from fresh to floral to woody while remaining masculine throughout! We guys like to get flowers every once in a while too, you know?!? Gardenias have always reminded me of love, and soft caresses from a gentle hand. Thanks to Mr. Morris, these heady blossoms are NOT just for little old ladies anymore!! Fresh and fun, centered on sensual flowers with earthy accents and ending in a sexy oriental smoothness-what’s NOT to love??
Yves Rocher ODE `A L’AMOUR “Passionnement” (Passionately) was a limited edition flanker of the fruity floriental Ode `a L’amour EDT. It focused more on the “spiciness” of love, with notes of pink and Sichuan peppercorns surrounding crisp apples. Golden Mirabelle plums add to the “juicy forbidden fruit” feeling and the finish of musk and vanilla is extremely sensual without getting too “naughty” or carnal. Despite it being marketed to women, it is an amazingly unisex scent that captures not only the feeling of falling in love (without any flowers whatsoever) but the electricity between two people drawn together by the passion in their hearts.
Wing & A Prayer Perfumes COCO SABRA was inspired by a chocolate liqueur the perfumer’s parents used to sip. A sinfully warm and delicious concoction of dark chocolate with fresh and zesty orange notes infused with just a touch of vanilla that hints of “sweets for the sweet” and evokes images of sweet truffles fed teasingly to the one you love. An amazing scent, in its own right, and it makes an excellent layering scent to add a sweet delicious gourmand feeling to any other perfume. Jane Cate, the perfumer, cautions that there should be a warning label on this; as it is so very delicious smelling…I agree! What is Valentine’s Day (after all) without some chocolate decadence??!
John Reasinger, Weekly Contributor
Valentine’s Day is not my holiday. I haven’t gotten a Valentine from a boy since about the 6th grade, when it was mandatory to give one to every one of your classmates. However, ever the hopeless romantic, I do have some perfume choices that I think are wonderful for the occasion no matter what stage of romance you are in.
A limited-edition wonder of a scent by Ayala Moriel has grabbed my blushing heart and won’t let go. Bouquet of Love is just that: a cacophony of all things floral, wafting like a sweet lover’s offering of wild posies. This scent is for that innocent time of love, the first brush of a hand, the first time your eyes meet, and that giddy nonsensical conversation that always ends in laughter.
An old chestnut and an icon of romance, Chanel No. 5 still holds up. It is glamour, but approachable glamour, like realizing that a beautiful person you are crushing on is sweet, funny and real. Chanel No. 5 is a walk on the beach, a candlelight supper, a shy kiss at the doorway. This is the fragrance to get to know each other by, to explore and imagine, and dream of the future.
The best time of the day is the Blue Hour right before dark, when the sky turns the color I call Maxfield Parrish Blue. Guerlain’s masterpiece L’Heure Bleue is for relaxing by your lover’s side on a loveseat, fingers entwined, looking out at the descending night and just being in each other’s presence. This is the time when tender romance has become true love, and the cares of life are momentarily forgotten
Tama Blough, Senior Editor
How did I choose my romantic perfumes… by the indelible memories etched onto my heart long after the last precious drops of their perfume were gone.
Chinatown, Bond No 9– I read that the flacon was inspired by an ancient Chinese ming vase. There is something about Aurelien Guichard’s composition that evokes both the brightness and the darkness of romantic love. The early stage of Chinatown is sweet and opens with bright notes bursting with peach and bergamot encircled by the lush garden of the heady florals that follow (peony, tuberose, gardenia). But it is the dry down of deep woods that remain. Chinatown charms dangerously. The song of innocence meets the song of experience.
Montaigne Extrait de Parfum, Caron Fragrances – Created in 1998 by inhouse nose Richard Fraysse, there is a veil of beauty and elegance that surrounds Montaigne, an air of sophistication and luxury composed of notes of mimosa, coriander, jasmine, daffodil, vanilla and sandalwood. As with all perfumes, do not judge this fragrance by its notes.This is no light-hearted floral, rather Montaigne is as elegant as the street it was named for. I think of my Paris born husband each time I wear it and imagine us strolling down the famed avenue in the 8th arrondisment window shopping after a very French breakfast in bed at the Plaza Athenee. Romance as Couture.
Anvers 2, Ulrich Lang New York – In 2007, I had an imaginary romance with the brooding model on the box before my first sniff, which did not dissapoint. Anvers 2 is a suave masculine scent that knows how to sweep a gal right off her feet. A sweet and fruity start (bright citrus and rhubarb) followed by an extravagant bouquet of florals (bulgarian rose, jasmine and lily) and an intriguing drydown of oakmoss, olibanum and amber (If you are interested in exploring a gender bendering fragrance, it is a good one to try). A modern fruity chypre for him (or her) and a brilliant study in the complex and contrasting nature of romantic love.
–Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
We have a draw for six of our favorite romantic scents
100ml of Chinatown http://www.bondno9.com/shop/eau-de-parfum/downtown/view/chinatown
CaFleureBon is after all a New York based blog. And the best place for romance is right here in New York.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day and the debut of the I Love New York by Bond No. 9 eau de parfum collection, Bond No 9’s founder Laurice Rahme is offering one of our lucky readers a 100 ml limited edition of this unisex fragrance, with a detachable silver heart charm on a chain. For him or for her. Notes of bergamot, muguet, pepper, cocoa lmr, coffee beans, creamy chestnut, patchouli, vanilla, leatherwood and sandalwood. http://www.bondno9.com/shop/eau-de-parfum/i-love-ny/view/i-love-new-york-for-all-limited-edition
Montaigne Parfum Extrait 25ml www.phytouniverse.com http://www.parfumscaron.com/
100ml Anvers 2 EDT Editor's Note: the packaging has changed since 2007, so the dreamy model is memorialized above www.ulrichlangnewyork.com/
A 1ML SAMPLE OF THE VERY SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION BOTANICAL BOUQUET OF LOVE FROM AYALA MORIEL'S LIQUID POETRY COLLECTION
http://ayalamoriel.com/index.cfm?PageName=Scents&View=Details&PerfumeID=91
3.4 oz A*Men
Editor's Note: A*Men Malt was a 2009 limited edition, so the folks at Thierry Mugler know you will fall in love with the chocolatey gourmand original. http://www.muglerstoreusa.com/A*Men-Rubber-Flask/M020101002,en_US,pd.html?start=6&cgid=M110/
Happy Valentine's Day! The draw is random. To be eligible tell us what puts you in the mood for romance or which of these fragrances might make your heart flutter by February 18, 2012.