Tuesday, February 4, 2014

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!

23 comments:

  1. I was soon moving to France and tracked down the sweetest and most handsome Parisian to ask him for a little bit of France/Paris advice before my big move. I immediately swooned, but before anything could happen, I moved and never got the chance to properly say goodbye. We talked for months, just as close friends and without knowing each other's true feelings. While I was on Christmas vacation at home in the US, he returned to Paris and planned our first date, which so happened to fall on my birthday. Knowing I was a big fan of Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris", he planned an entire night "taking me back in time."

    We stood at the end of a street when he put on a fake monocle and led me to a restaurant straight from the past. It held the same Art Nouveau decorations since its 1906 opening. After that, we walked hand-in-hand in the streets and he led me to those famous steps that Owen Wilson's character sits at when the old car pulls up. He left me to wait there for a few moments and arrived with his car, flashing the lights just as in the movie. I rushed to the passenger seat to find a bouquet of lilacs - my absolute favorite - and the same music from the film was playing.

    I was completely head over heels and uncontrollably smiling from ear to ear. Since that first date and over a year later, we have been absolutely inseparable!

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  2. Three years ago I rode my scooter to the store to get the ingredients to bake a cake. I was very hungry and on returning to my bike accidentally locked my keys (and everything else!) into the scooter's under-seat compartment. I then spent FIVE HOURS trying to get them out. I won't bore you with the details but it was epic. Just as I was considering taking an axe to it a handsome man with startling blue eyes pulled up on his motorbike. I asked for help, we chatted, and eventually we decided the only thing to do was if he could rip the seat off with his bare hands. He tried so hard. And succeeded! After I thanked him he left to do his own shopping and I left my number on a scrap of paper on his motorbike. We're getting married in April.

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  3. I wish there was a contest for moron stories. The most romantic gesture that happened to me was that a guy sent me a bouquet and had asked beforehand what flowers I like.

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  4. We got married on my birthday, February 9th, so now we have two celebrations on the 9th, and then another one five days later on the 14th. SWEET ! I love February...J.

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  5. Darling Liisa,

    that's romantic enough. :-)
    And moron stories contest, promise to do it along the road; I'm sure we each have one to tell.

    Glad to see you commenting!!

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  6. I've shared this so many places, so apologies to all. The day I bought my first bottle of Coco, I went to a party. First stop, get a drink at the bar, then I turned and looked straight into the eyes of a man across the room who was the best looking man I'd ever seen. He smiled and my heart turned over; this May we'll celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, and Coco is still his favorite perfume :-) Thanks for the opportunity, Elena!

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  7. Ellen22:52

    I had met a very nice man and we had gone out together once or twice. The furnace in my house wouldn't start and I called him and asked him if he could fix it. He came to the house and went into the basement. I heard all this banging around and noise for about fifteen minutes. Finally, he came upstairs and said he had managed to fix it. We sat down for a cup of coffee and the rest is history. Years later I found out that all he had done was flip a switch--the rest was his way of making sure that I would take notice of him.

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  8. Elia23:46

    I used to chat online with a girl for many years. We'd spend hours on the phone too but we'd only meet up like once a year. I guess we clicked the way pen-pals do. One of the times we met up we picked middle ground and I had a friend take us out, so midway through the night he says to me with a nudge: 'She's really nice,beautiful too'. It was if he'd watered a seed with some sprinkle of magic. Towards the end of the night I went for a stroll with the girl and we wound up each sitting in his own little stone arch of a seaside castle. Alone with nothing but the moon for light and the rolling sea for music I kept thinking to myself just how beautiful she was. I don't even remember what we were saying, but I stopped dead at some point turned straight to her and said: 'I really want to kiss you right now.' and she said: 'Me too'; and for a while it was truly wonderful.

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  9. Anonymous01:24

    Sometimes it's the little things that are the most romantic and memorable, I've had lovely gifts, like the time my boyfriend gave me a book of poems by our favourite poet, wrapped in silver wire interwoven with bluebells to remind me of our first walk together.

    But actually my favourite memory is of a time when I'd been to the dentist, which I find very traumatic! When I came home my boyfriend had made a pot of home-made soup, after which he wrapped me up in furry blankets and cuddled me until I felt better!

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  10. Laurels02:04

    I was thinking I didn't have a story, but I do, just not one with a grand romantic gesture. Years ago, I had a very kind and thoughtful boyfriend. I was quite ill for a long period, and he took very good care of me. One of the things he did, when I was enduring a particularly rough patch, was bring me a copy of the Chicago Sun-Times. We had a subscription to the Tribune, but he knew that I loved newspapers, and the Sun-Times had a diagramless crossword that I really enjoyed. Most people wouldn't see a second daily paper as very romantic gift, but we didn't have much money, and it was exactly the right diversion for me during a difficult time.

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  11. I only have a moron story to tell...how sad when I am older than probably most of these posters and have had quite a few men in my past. One older guy in particular really was obsessed with me. He was going to a special market one day and asked me if I needed anything. I mentioned one or two things. When I got home from work, my entire hallway was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables...enough for 30 people. At the time I was brought to tears--not out of delight but because of the nature of the gesture. I remember thinking that all my friends are plied with flowers, jewelry, etc. from their boyfriends and I get fruit and veggies!

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  12. The weekend had arrived, romance was in the air, and after a hard several days at work, I was so in the mood for love. I was looking good, feeling good, had a wallet filled with cash, and was ready, willing and able to do anything my hot, beautiful date desired. There was just one tiny problem - I didn't have a hot, beautiful date. I didn't have a date, period.

    Oh, sure, there were my platonic female friends, but I wanted romance. There were bars and parties and dances, but I'm not a bars and parties and dances kind of guy. There were escort services, but I wanted to be with someone who wanted to be with me, not someone who was being paid to be with me. Unless, of course, it was Salma Hayak, but she has yet to respond to my offers of payment.

    That's when the solution occurred to me. I would ask out someone I knew would be available, knew everything about, was good looking, healthy, had a wonderful personality, shared all my interests, was romantic and passionate, and was really fun to be with. That's right, my plan was to ask out the only one I knew who fit those qualifications and was available - I planned to ask myself out on a date.

    Oh, sure, I understood that there would be certain limitations, but any person you meet has certain limitations. I understood that some people wouldn't approve, but, hey, I'm not dating for their approval; I'm dating to make myself happy. Besides, think of all the money I'd be saving. And if it didn't work out, it was just one night, anyway. My mind was made up.

    I spent the next several hours trying to figure out the exact words, the perfect way, to ask myself out. It had to be just the right mixture of sincerity, confidence, attraction and humor. After all, I didn't want to alienate myself right from the start. I wanted to set the right tone. So I prepared my approach, waited 'til just the right moment, when I knew I'd be in a good mood and receptive, and made my move.

    I asked myself out and, to my delight, accepted the invitation. I was dizzy with the evening's possibilities. My friend Ron called to see if I wanted to grab a burger and commiserate about how hard it is to meet someone, but I told him I already had a hot date for the night. He asked if it was a sure thing. I said I could pretty much count on it. Boy was he envious!

    I shaved, showered, brushed my teeth, used mouthwash (twice!), and put on my best cologne and sexiest clothing that was soft to the touch. Oh, yeah, I was ready.
    At my favorite Italian restaurant, I requested an out-of-the-way table so I'd have some privacy with myself. Things got off to an awkward start; after all, this was our first date. But I managed to break the ice with a rather amusing story about one of my co-workers, and before long, I was chattering away with myself as though we'd been friends for a lifetime.

    During the meal, my chemistry with myself was so strong that I scarcely noticed anyone else in the restaurant. We were in our own private world. I gave myself playful little touches and at one point, just before dessert, even played footsie with myself under the table, giggling like a schoolgirl.

    The rest of the evening seemed to fly by. I found I had even more in common with myself than I'd imagined. We talked about our plans for the future, our hopes, our dreams, our fears. There was a real connection.

    Back home, I dimmed the lights, put on some smooth, romantic music, poured us both some wine, and lit a candle. No words were exchanged, no words were necessary, but we both realized what was about to happen, and we both wanted it. It was a magical, remarkable evening of love, and I learned that it is true what they say - sometimes you don't realize that your perfect romantic partner is right in front of your nose.

    I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I will say that we've been together about seven months now, and, well, if loving me is wrong, I don't want to be right.

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  13. Mark, thanks for sharing your romantic story. You really had me going there for awhile...thinking that the love of your life showed up at that restaurant. But actually, in the end...they did! If everyone could love themselves, like you obviously do, the world would be better off for it!

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  14. Mary-Karen12:30

    On our first Christmas together, he gave me a bottle of Chanel No.5. We'd only known each other for 2 months (although we'd been almost inseparable since the day we met) and neither of us made much money, so it was an extravagant gift. He's given me a bottle for Christmas every year since and I've kept every one ... 43 in all.

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  15. WOW Mary-Karen, a unique gift for your partner would be a surprise trip to Tijon Fragrance Lab in La Jolla, California. Last July I surprised my partner (who had worn the same cologne, Royal Copenhagen, for 50 years!) with a birthday gift vacation to La Jolla. We spent 3 hours at Tijon creating our own unique fragrances. It was such a fabulous experience, my partner decided we should BUY the lab, so we DID!!!

    I guess you could say I was successful in ending the 50 year Royal Copenhagen run, as ever since last July, my partner has been wearing his own custom fragrance, which I LOVE!!!

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  16. DRTVrMoi23:00

    I was 16 years old and spending a summer in St. Malo studying. Spending three months surrounded by Frenchmen is a heady experience for anyone, yet alone a young girl. On the day we were to return to the States, my schoolmates and I said farewell to our teachers and new friends. One charming young man that I fancied was missing. As the bus was about to leave, we heard someone calling to stop it. From the lane emerged my special friend with a simple bouquet for me. I never saw him again but he set the benchmark for romantic gestures.

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  17. Sakura06:20

    Not sure if this is romantic, but I'll share it anyway.

    My then-boyfriend and I worked in the same company, and there was this one gathering/event for employees, which was held at a nice beach in the Southern part of the Philippines. We had mostly group activities, and just for the decency of it, we decided to keep our relationship a secret from everyone else, for corporate decorum.. We had group activities but we kept stealing glances at each other and hoping that we can talk and have some private time.

    When the night came we decided to sneak out and climb towards the cottages located in a secluded area near the beach, with lots of tall trees in the background. It was quite elevated and it took us some time to reach it, we had fun climbing the stone steps. When we reached the cottage, we kissed for a long, long time, under the moon and the stars, overlooking the beach, and far away from our colleagues.

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  18. Anonymous10:34

    I met and married my husband in 5 mos. It's been a lot of years since. I always enjoy his choice of cards, and I've received some nice gifts over the years, including one Christmas when he waited an hour to be waited on. Perhaps our most romantic anniversary was our 5th when we were in Europe -- that was our first trip to Europe and it was wonderful. Along the way we picked up a love of cruising ... life is good -- and sometimes challenging! We are both grateful that after he was out of work for almost a year due to a serious illness that left him too weak to work, he is back working again. So maybe romance isn't all hearts and flowers, but working out the tough things and still being there. Karin (savvythinker)

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  19. Hi Sakura, a secluded beach in the Philippines certainly sounds romantic to me!

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  20. Andrea SD23:23

    I loved him for always turning back and looking up to my window al these years whenever he had to leave...

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  21. My "most romantic" story is about my husband. When I was 35 I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a very virulent form of bone cancer and there was doubt that I would love. I was young and pretty then and had beautiful thick dark hair. And the chemotherapy took all my hair. I was balder than a cue ball and feeling physically awful as well as psychologically bad every time I looked in the mirror. My sweet husband came into the dining room one evening where I was sitting in my wheelchair with my bald head, leaned over and kissed my head and told me I had a beautiful head and I was still the most beautiful woman he knew. Awww. I cried, of course, but I've never forgotten that sweet moment. And yes, we are still together many years later and I recovered and I have hair again!

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  22. Eva H.11:41

    I am not a terribly romantic person...
    I fell in love with a school friend wo had been (at that point) my best friend for 3 years. It happened gradually - for me at least.
    At first I was afraid that our friendship would be over if "this" didn´t work out.
    This year we´ll be together for 9 years. He is the most attentive guy you can imagine and feeds my handbag addiction quite badly. :o)

    @ Mark: LOVE your story!!

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  23. Eva, Since you are a handbag addict, have you ever seen Caitlin Phillips handbag books? They are true works of art! Her site is Rebound Designs and she can be found on Etsy.

    Wherever I go, people STOP me on the street to inquire about my unique handbag. Caitlin is truly one of THE most creative people I've had the pleasure to meet. You might want to add to your collection!

    Happy Valentine's Day to All who have contributed to my contest. I've got a BIG surprise for everyone, but I will let Elena announce it. Share the Love...

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