Love is in the Air part 2: A Very Special Valentine's Day Giveaway

You all love gifts, and why not? I have a special one for you today, thanks to the kind generosity of Jovan Van Drielle of Tijon Fragrance Lab & Boutique.

The prize? A Swarovski crystal pen/atomizer (depicted) which sprays perfume (!!) in black velvet gift box with genuine black velvet pen purse pouch, to write scented billets d'amour with!

The contest:
Please share with us your most romantic story.  It could be an actual date, or just a romantic gesture that you were fortunate enough to experience. Draw is open till February 12th midnight and winner will be announced on February 14th.

Jovan's take to get you started? "My romantic story happened in 2013. I was meeting someone for lunch, it was a first date. As I approached the restaurant someone called out my name, I turned around and my date was standing face to face with me, and before I knew what was happening, my date kissed me! (I'm not talking a peck on the cheek) This was a full blown, take your breath away, "Paris" kiss. LOL.... We've been inseparable ever since. "

Your most romantic story wins a prize...and if there are several good ones, then I will pick MORE than one winner! This is a worldwide contest with no geographical barriers!

Thanks Jovan and good luck to everyone!

Love is in the Air: Valentine's Day countdown Part 1

Rejoice for love is to be celebrated every day, not just on February 14th. However since the blogging world operates by the regularity of Hallmark (and counting on its steady sales no doubt), a countdown to Valentine's Day didn't seem too bad of an idea; there are certainly worse things to countdown to.
For this project there will be tips and nuggets of love lore throughout the first half of February on these pages, starting with today, and there will be a super-dedicated post (a joint project no less) next Friday (so stay tuned).

So, for today, a small announcement:

Jovan van Drielle, owner of Tijon La Jolla perfumerie and kindly sponsoring our site (though this particular post is unaffiliated), is hosting a Week of Love, from February 9th to February the 16th in which couples are encouraged to drop by and play with aphrodisiac essences to make their own 'magik' elixir! More info by clicking on the link.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and love away!

The winner of the draw…

…for the preview decant of Tralala is MariaKoph9. Congratulations and please email me with your shipping data using Contact so I can arrange this getting to you in the mail.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one! :)

Penhaligon's Tralala: Win an Exclusive Preview Decant of the Latest Fragrance Launch

Tralala by Penhaligon's, which we announced on these pages (where we posted the fragrance notes) a few days ago, was presented in London  the other day and yours truly managed to get her little paws on some preview juice. [Yeah!] So yes, you know what that means, one lucky winner gets free perfume that hasn't even hit the stores yet (and will actually hit them in May, so wow!)! To enter the draw, leave a comment on this post; draw is open internationally till Sunday midnight and winner will be announced on Monday.

gap by ssilence on deviantart.com (via Pinterest)

So…Tralala by Penhaligon's and eccentric fashion duo Meadham Kirchhoff, aka the latest fragrant opus by the British niche brand. It presented two major stumbling blocks for me, when I first heart about it. Luckily I was able to sample it in real time and see whether my qualms were founded in reality or they were a figment of my imagination. I wrote a full review on the scent for Fragrantica which you can find on this link. [You're welcome to comment either  here or there on it.]

Tralala will launch exclusively at Harvey Nichols on April 21 and at Penhaligon's boutiques and at www.penhaligons.com on May 5, priced at £150.

Parfumerie Generale Isparta 26: new fragrance

“Rose is sent to earth by the gardeners of paradise for empowering the mind and the eye of the spirit.”
~Rumi

Such must have been the thoughts of perfumer Pierre Guillaume who chose the summery rose of Isparta, in the Anatolian plateau, in Turkey, to infuse his latest fragrance offering, offered in the midst of this harsh winter. Poised between chypre and oriental, the new opus is tagged Isparta 26 and incorporates mysterious resins and an animalic base over the sweet lightly spicy floralcy of the prized Isparta rose.

Fragrance notes for Parfumerie Generale Isparta 26 : Red Berries , Rose of Summer Isparta , Balsam of Peru , Calamus , Patchouli, Frankincense, Benzoin, Agar wood , Ambroxan , Moss