Photo of Valentine’s Day Heart  and roses used with permission by Saskia Havekes, Creative director for Grandiflora florists in Sydney and Grandiflora fragrances

 As in part one of our Valentine’s Day  2020 post we chose once again perfumes that  have the word “love” in the scent’s name, and today some of our favourite Valentine’s  Day fragrances use the word  “heart” as part of the perfume’s name. From Aristotle, who believed the human heart contained all passions, to the god Cupid with his arrow that when piercing mortals whose wounds caused them to fall in love to the Victorian Era, when notes were embellished on Valentine’s Day postcards and love letters, the heart has symbolized love.  Why is Valentine’s Day on February 14th? St. Valentine a Roman priest was executed on that day.  There are legends that he sent an affectionate letter to the beautiful daughter of his jailer. There are so many myths and legends about Valentine’s Day, all we know is that we chose fragrances that have meaning to us-innocent, sensual,  heartbreaking, appealing and of course romantic- Michelyn Camen –Editor in Chief

Heirloom Elixir #4 photo by Ida

What’s in a name? Just ask Cicero: “bonum nomen, bonum omen” – a good name is a good augury.  This perfume, inspired by a love which shares the most precious – morphed into a sort of fragrant universal truth. Sweetness and comfort combined, DSH Perfumes  Love Is Everything transports us to a place where kindness is everpresent, and it is beautiful: creamy, buttery, resolutely floral (Oh, that rose attar! Jasmine!), honeyed (champaca), juicy (mango) and accessible right here on Earth (sandalwood, ambrette). There is a fairytale quality which underscores its composition, an otherworldliness which is utterly appealing. It’s more than a mango lassi; it’s manna. Whether you fête friends, family or lovers this is a perfume one gravitates towards and cannot forget.-Ida Meister, Senior Editor

photo by Elena

Ode to love lost: Masque Milano’s Love Kills by Carolina Dumar behaves like an opera diva, dramatic coloraturas soprano performing in Bellini’s Opera Giuletta, singing about – fatal infatuation. It starts innocent, with a bouquet of pinkish-green fresh roses with shiny thorns thrown at the stage, but this is just a prelude. Heavy, dark, lavish crimson curtains are pulled aside, and primadonna enters the stage proudly:  Geranium leading impressively, with a chorus of fruity and berry voices in the background, accentuating this dramatic performance that draws you in intensely. As this hours-long play continues, our Diva’s voice becomes softer and dustier. She is letting Geranium fade away and lowering her voice down until it becomes a creamy murmur, honoring a great love that once was…and is no more. Yet, it was unforgettable, worth it, and you know if you were ever again in the same situation – you’d do exactly the same! A Valentine’s Day perfume to remember long after the love has gone. Notes: Rose oil, Geranium, Rose, Ambrette, Patchouli, Cedar Essence, Ambergris, Musk.

Photo by Elena

Sonnet to ephemeral love: Shalini’s Amorem Rose stands for an emotion of love that goes beyond the physical world, exists in the “shadow and the soul“, and reflects light and beauty of the kind of love that is giving and accepting, quiet and intense, breathtaking and uncomplicated at the same time. This is a truly romantic sonnet with 3 finely expressed stanzas. Amorem Rose is a saffron-amber- Bulgarian Damask rose composition of traditional oriental provenance, but Maitre Maurice Roucel strips imagery of true love of all unnecessary decorations,  loud and obvious public display of affections or manipulations.  True love is never complicated. Ever. Simple and beautiful as that. Notes: Rose, Saffron, Palissander, Amber

Elena Cvjetkovic,  Editor

Les Amoureux de Peynet, is the homage that Maison Molinard paid to a special customer, Raymond Peynet. The famous French illustrator used to buy his wife Habanita while in Grasse and also wanted  a special custom made cologne  So what’s  a better love declaration  than one inspired by wispy-haired, bowler-hatted violinist-poet and his perky lady-love that Peynet first sketched in 1942 Les Amoureux de Peynet is a sparkling eau fraiche uplifted by the lip-smacking spiciness of ginger that kisses the skin like an ode to that light-heartedness and romance you feel while in love. The airy, zesty freshness of grapefruit on top slowly slides in a musky warm embrace, redolent of that soft spot on your lover’s neck where you can snuggle your face. Because tenderness is the fuel of love and Valentine’s Day or any day is a time to love. Ermano Picco, Editor

Sonnet XVII Original Edition Bottle with Leaves and Flowers by Gail©

Olympic Orchids Sonnet XVII, collaboration between perfumer Ellen Covey and our Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen, is based on the famous poem of love by Pablo Neruda and although it doesn’t have love in its name, it embodies a darker passionate love for Valentine’s Day:

“I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul…” – Pablo Neruda, One Hundred Love Sonnets

Sonnet XVII is the most primal fragrance in my collection, recalling the rich, dark scents of newly turned earth and hay, of the barnyard fresh with pine, dried leaves and vivid winter flowers. The perfume ferments slowly into a pungent, intoxicating brew of champaca, sweet olive (osmanthus) and spikenard, glazed with a sheen of vanilla, ambergris and musk – love at its most sensual!  Gail Gross, Senior Editor

Photo by dana for this Valentine’s Day

meltmyheart, one of the 4 creations of Christophe Laudamiel for Strangelove. It wasn’t the dry and dusty cocoa that made it craveable, nor the most endearing ylang; it wasn’t the herbal oud that made it special, and neither was the truly plush, velvety, buttery orris.  In fact, it wasn’t even the name that got me locked, although I’ve always been preferring lower cases (more conducive of other’s energy, I feel; more we’re-all-one kind of a thing). No. It was the metallic tinge that ringed in my nose, making my soul fall deep into my heels, 5 years old again and waiting, in a Red Curtain winter morning, for the kindergarten to open. The door handle was frozen and the lights dim, the teachers moody and the kitchens closed; but there I was, holding onto the frigid gate, breathing, eyes alight with thirst to see my first beloved, heart melting under the first feeling that I belonged.  His name was Ciprian. –dana Sandu, Editor

Photo by Ineke

I was 7 years old when I got my first Valentine’s Day card. A boy who lived on the next block, around the corner from our modest home in Brooklyn, followed me home from school. He gave me a red colored paper “card” in a shape resembling a heart and ran away. I saw him the next day in school and he didn’t speak to me, as if it was all a dream. I have never forgotten him and how I felt  when he handed me the card; it was as if spring had arrived; all was green and the lilacs were blooming in my beloved grandmother’s tiny garden, five square feet near concrete sidewalks.  Love can take many forms- love of family and friends, as well as romance.  It’s our memories that last, long after the people in our lives are gone or have moved on.  

Actress Ngo Thanh Van via flickr

Ineke Ruhland ‘s “letter A” After My Own Heart brings back  precious moments in my life. There are many lilac fragrances, but none are as evocative as After My Own Heart. I have long drained  the last drops from my original bottle  (2006 when I discovered Ineke perfumes). A burst of bergamot, sweet tang of raspberry at the opening and then the entire lilac- the flower, the stem, and the leaves are met by a hint of woody musk that dries down like a second skin. It is one of the most hopeful fragrances I ever smelt.-Michelyn Camen, Editor-in Chief

All perfumes from our own collections or sent for consideration

Phoebe Reid©

For Our Valentine’s Day #2 Draw:

US, EU, UK, Middle East:  50 ml Strange Love NYC 50 ml  Meltmyheart

WORLDWIDE:  120 ml spray of Olympic Orchids Sonnet XII

WORLDWIDE: ¼ OZ  DSH Perfumes  Heirloom Elixir #4 Love is Everything VDP (no longer sold, available especially for our Valentine’s Day Post

WORLDWIDE:  Shalini Amorem Rose 7.5 ml (Shalini’s Amorem Rose was chosen as the fragrance of the Pierre Hotel in NYC)

EU and US:  35 ml Masque Milano Love Kills (tester)

USA and Canada:  75 ml Ineke After My own Heart https://www.ineke.com/shop-perfumes/after-my-own-heart-eau-de-parfum (now available also as a sample https://www.ineke.com/shop-perfumes/after-my-own-heart-eau-de-parfum-sample

To be eligible for our Valentine’s Day Straight From The Heart draw, 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. Draw closes 2/14/2020

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