New and Noteworthy: V-Day’s Six Sexy Scents

For Valentines Day, there’s nothing like the sweet (and bittersweet) smell of romance.

“The scent of fresh lilacs floating on the early evening breeze” is the way award winning perfumer Ineke Ruhland describes her After My Own Heart fragrance. Ineke, the founder of her eponymous fragrance company, is based in San Francisco and is a graduate of the prestigious ISIPCA (Int’l Institute of Perfume) in Versailles, France is passionate about creating inventive blends which are often inspired by the rare scented botanicals that she grows in her own garden. Along with the strength of lilac, After My Own Heart has notes of bergamot, crisp green foliage and a touch of sandalwood. A poem on the box contains the following line: “I tried putting lilacs in your dreams. You smiled in your sleep” .This playfully, feminine scent is for romantic girls and the boys who love them.

Available at Bergdorf Goodman and www.ineke.com

A Ford in the driveway may not impress, but a Ford on your dresser will…that is…if it’s a Tom Ford. Ford’s new Black Orchid Voile de Fleur is his second scent inspired by the precious flower. Unveiled just a few months ago and as much of a buzz as the original Black Orchid, the Voile de Fleur version is a lighter and more luminous scent than the first. Its creators describe it as a classic floral with a touch of dark glamour and this editor agrees. The elegantly shaped black fluted glass flacon has a touch of 1920’s inspired glamour. At first, the aroma is a sensual wave of light florals, with heart notes of gardenia, black orchid, black plum, black pepper, lotus wood and a dry down finale of sweetened spices — vanilla, cinnamon, patchouli, soft balsam and smooth sandalwood. A heady, smoldering fragrance that is almost as sexy as the man who created it.

Available at www.saks.com

(Photography: Alvaro Villarubia. Fragrance Review: Michelyn Camen)

Making its dramatic debut in the U.S.A, at Henri Bendel’s, is Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection, the newest fragrance by the controversial and subversive French perfumerie Etat Libre d’Orange (Two notables are I Don’t Swallow and Sécrétions Magnifiques). Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection is the line’s first “celebrity fragrance”, and was created for Spanish actress Rossy De Palma, the star of Pedro Almodóvar’s cult film “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”. Developed by perfumers Antoine Lie and Antoine MaisondieuBeauty News and Sniffapalooza Best Scent 2007 Award before it crossed the Atlantic.

The fragrance stars de Palma’s favorite flower— the Rose, which is joined by a supporting cast of ginger, black pepper, bergamot, jasmine, benzoin, incense, cacao and patchouli notes. The finale: ‘thorns’ pricking the heart of Bulgarian Rose.

It’s Etat Libre D’Orange’s most impressive fragrance to date; truly I cannot get enough of it. I absolutely adore the metallic hint of ‘blood’ amidst the roses; its a ‘jolie-lourde’ (beautiful ugliness-hard to translate into English) masterpiece.

Available exclusively in the United States at Henri Bendel, NYC.

From the sexy and cheeky…and we do mean cheeky….British lingerie company, Agent Provocateur, known for their risqué ‘we take no prisoners’ edgy sexiness, comes Tease Candle that no Valentine love nest should be without. Infused with their signature scent, this delightful pillar will sweeten your boudoir with exotic floral chypre, rose, jasmine, magnolia, ylang-ylang and gardenia; it’s all nicely tied up with a black bow. The candle will last 100 hours. Will he?

Available at www.agentprovocateur.com

Premiering this month, Chloe Eau de Parfum is sure to capture some hearts. Its vision of femininity and individualism is exemplified by the elegant bottle which was inspired by the delicately pleated sleeve of a Chloe blouse. The look is both classic and modern, while the petal-colored ribbon adds a soft feminine touch. My love of sculpture gets me carried away sometimes, and of course what’s inside is more important. A powdery floral with hints of peony and lychee, it teases with a touch of springtime freesia, giving way to richer notes of rose, magnolia and a base of warm amber and cedarwood.

Available exclusively at Chloe Boutiques, and www.saks.com

February is National Heart Month, so have a heart and save a heart. On this, the most romantic month of the year, it is no fairy tale that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. From Perfumania, a generous donation of $5.00 from the sale of every bottle of their new Go Red Fragrance will be donated to the American Heart Association. The eau de toilette is a modern, fruity oriental fragrance with lots of pretty notes – bergamot, lemon, raspberry, sugar, soft woods and amber. This is a “you can’t go wrong” kind of gift scent, so buy one for your BFF, your Mom and your favorite Aunt, just because you love them, while you also supporting an important charity.

Available at www.perfumania.com