Valentine's & Galentine's Day Gift Ideas

Press Sample & Purchased (Affiliate Links)

I have rounded up some of my favorite products that are perfect to give, and receive, for Valentine's & Galentine's Day. They represent tried and true products that I use regularly, and swear by! 

Spongellé's Heart Collection is absolutely perfect for Valentine's Day gift-giving. Spongellé Body Buffers are brilliant body wash-infused sponges effectively and gently clean and exfoliate the skin, and they also leave the it deliciously baby soft, smooth, supple and moisturized. They really excel in their ability to clean and exfoliate the skin while delighting the senses with their delightful aromas. 

You simply dampen the Spongellé Body Wash Infused Buffers with water to activate the very satisfying lather. Once you have used up all of the body wash, the sponge itself is left quite intact, and therefore all you need to do is use it in conjunction with your favorite liquid or bar soaps. The hanging ribbon allows the buffer to dry out easily, but I recommend hanging it outside of the moist environment of the shower to avoid bacterial growth.

Features:

• Body Wash Infused Buffer
• Multi-Function, Multi-Use
• All in One Beauty Treatment
• Extracts of Yuzu, Edelweiss, & Vetiver
• Time-Released Lather
• Dermatologist Tested
• Vegan Friendly, Cruelty-Free
• Proprietary Infusion Technology
• Good for travel
• Made in the USA

Key Ingredients: glycerin, water, fragrance, yuzu extract, edelweiss extract, vetiver root extract

Directions: Place sponge under water, squeeze to absorb. Massage in a circular motion to cleanse skin. Squeeze out excess water after each use.

Spongellé For The Two of Us | Sugar Dahlia Heart Buffer ($14.00 from Spongellé): "Send a love letter with Spongelle’s For The Two Of Us Heart Buffer in Sugar Dahlia. Perfect for travel, these heart-shaped body wash infused buffers will cleanse, exfoliate, massage and love your skin."

Fragrance Notes:

• Top: Citrus Nuances, Solar Accord
• Middle: Midnight Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Freesia, Muguet, Neroli
• Base: Musk

Spongellé with Love | Freesia Pear Heart Buffer ($14.00 from Spongellé): "Send a love letter with Spongelle’s With Love Heart Buffer in Freesia Pear. Perfect for travel, these heart-shaped body wash infused buffers will cleanse, exfoliate, massage and love your skin." 

Fragrance Notes:

• Top: Lemon, Grapefruit, Pear
• Middle: Freesia, Peony, Floral Bouquet
• Base: Woody, Musk, Amber

Spongellé Love Always | Bulgarian Rose Heart Buffer ($14.00 from Spongellé): "Send a love letter with Spongelle’s Love Always Heart Buffer in Bulgarian Rose. Perfect for travel, these heart-shaped body wash infused buffers will cleanse, exfoliate, massage and love your skin."

Fragrance Notes:

• Top: Cinnamon Sticks, Sliced Ginger, Sweet Clove, Juicy Orange
• Middle: Tuberose
• Base: Whipped Vanilla, Cozy Musk

I love high quality aromatic candles, and I burn them all of the time. They create a lovely calming ambiance at home, and they are such a delight to experience. My obsession with Spongellé products has been no secret in these virtual pages, and their body care products are among my favorites. Therefore, when Spongellé Botanics Candles ($38.00 each for 8 oz. candles from Spongellé)

About The Botanica Candle Collection,

Nestle into a cozy sanctuary with The Botanica Candle Collection. Unleash the gorgeous fragrance by allowing your candle to burn uninterrupted for 2-3 hours. This practice keeps an even wax pool for a consistent burn along the candle's edge with every use. Never leave a  burning candle unattended and always burn on a heat-resistant surface. Always use a candle snuffer and put out your candle before it burns to the end. Keep lit candles in a vertical position so that the wax burns evenly. Allow the wax to cool before re-use and keep wax clear of residue. Trim wick with every use to 1/4 inch. Keep away from children, pets, fabrics, sunlight, and air vents. The container may be hot during and after use.

Features: 100% Soy Wax | Hand-poured in the US | Special flickering wooden wick | Burns up to 50 hours | 4 signature fragrances inspired by nature | Long-lasting fragrance for the mind, body, and soul | Chic gift box packaging | Luxe faceted foil embossing on colored vessel | Weight: 8 oz

Non-toxic | Soy Candle | Paraben-Free | Cruelty-Free | Vegan-Friendly | Made in the Los Angeles

The gift boxes are nearly as magical as the candles inside of them!

The attention to detail makes these affordable, and ultra high quality candles, perfect gifts.

Luxe faceted foil embossing on colored vessels

Spongellé Botanica Candle in Lavender ($38.00 for 8 oz. from Spongellé): This gorgeous soy candle has the most delectable aroma that can only be described as a more complex and mellow lavender that is tempered by all of the other fragrance notes. It is elegant and ethereal in its scent profile.

According to Spongellé,

Spongellé’s Botanica Candle in Lavender is hand-poured in Los Angeles and made with a luxe, smoldering wooden wick that flickers with light and sound akin to a wood-burning fire. The Botanica Candle Collection debuts with four signature fragrances inspired by the calming beauty of nature. Your Lavender candle bathes your room with notes of fresh rosemary, cardamom, and lavender for a five-star experience at home.

Fragrance Notes: Top: Rosemary, Cardamom Middle: Spearmint, Lavender Bottom: Musk.

Spongellé Botanics Candle in Rose ($38.00 for 8 oz. from Spongellé): I love aromatic rose fragrances, and this one is particularly special. The Turkish Rose comes through in all of its glory, but the bottom notes add a creamy woodsy aroma and the top citrus note adds a touch of zing. It is one of my all-time favorite permutations of the perfected rose.

According to Spongellé,

Spongellé’s Botanica Candle in Rose is hand-poured in Los Angeles and made with a luxe, smoldering wooden wick that flickers with light and sound akin to a wood-burning fire. The Botanica Candle Collection debuts with four signature fragrances inspired by the calming beauty of nature. Your Rose candle bathes your room with notes of sparkling citrus, Turkish rose, and jasmine for a five-star experience at home

Fragrance Notes: Top: Citrus. Middle: Turkish Rose, Jasmine, Armoise. Bottom: Patchouli, Guaiac Wood.

Spongellé Botanica Candle in Petitgrain ($38.00 for 8 oz. from Spongellé): This is an incredible citrus delight to behold. The bottom notes, consisting of musk and sea salt, temper some of the crisp edges associated with citrus-based scents, and the end result is among the most alluring citrus fragrance profiles. 

According to Spongellé,

Spongellé’s Botanica Candle in Petitgrain is hand-poured in Los Angeles and made with a luxe, smoldering wooden wick that flickers with light and sound akin to a wood-burning fire. The Botanica Candle Collection debuts with four signature fragrances inspired by the calming beauty of nature. Your Petitgrain candle bathes your room with a fresh, robust throw of mandarin and lemon, blended with notes of sea salt, grapefruit, and navel orange for a five-star experience at home.

Fragrance Notes: Top: Lemon, Sparkling Water, Grapefruit. Middle: Mandarin, Navel Orange, Cassis Bottom: Musk, Sea Salt.

Spongellé Botanica Candle in Tobacco Flower ($38.00 for 8 oz. from Spongellé): This is amazing candle has a rather hard to describe scent profile. The bottom notes, cedarwood and sandalwood, account for the tobacco flower sensibility, but it is mellowed by the top and middle notes to create a brilliantly conceived amalgam of these carefully selected aromas. If this were a perfume, it would be described as decidedly unisex in its composition and conception.

According to Spongellé,

Spongellé’s Botanica Candle in Tobacco Flower is hand-poured in Los Angeles and made with a luxe, smoldering wooden wick that flickers with light and sound akin to a wood-burning fire. The Botanica Candle Collection debuts with four signature fragrances inspired by the calming beauty of nature. Your Tobacco Flower candle bathes your room with notes of bergamot, rosemary, juniper, and sheer lavender for a five-star experience at home.

Fragrance Notes: Top: Bergamot, Green Fig. Middle: Rosemary, Juniper, Sheer Lavender. Bottom: Cedarwood, Sandalwood.

Image Courtesy of Lancôme 

Lancôme x Emily In Paris Eyeshadow Palette ($45.00 from Lancôme and Ulta): The star of the collection is the new eye palette, which comes in the shape of a red heart and is topped with a gold Eiffel Tower charm. Inside, 12 shades capture today’s dynamic French girl style in three color familiesinspired by the series’ most beloved characters : “Born in France”, inspired by Camille, “Parisian at heart”, inspired by Emily, and “Paris à la folie”, inspired by Mindy. Blend, play and make the look your own as you picture yourself living life on the streets of Paris. The shadows are beautifully pigmented and silky smooth. They deposit color evenly, glide across he skin effortlessly and they are long-lasting.

According to Lancôme,

Discover how to create your perfect Parisian makeup look with our limited-edition eyeshadow palette with 12 long lasting shades inspired by iconic Emily in Paris moments. 

Enjoy Parisian inspired beauty... Get ready to book your trip to Paris! In collaboration with Emily In Paris.  Our ”For the Love of Paris collection” is inspired by the city of love and that French “Je Ne Sais Quo” along with Emily’s unapologetically fun modern style! This limited-edition packaging features Emily's favorite lucky charm and a touch of Paris on every piece of the collection. Now you can get your Lancôme favorites and create your Emily inspired Parisian look.​

This palette comes together to create three iconic French looks:​

1. BORN IN FRANCE For your natural inspired everyday Parisian look featuring nudes and beige shades​.

2. PARISIAN AT HEART The wannabe Parisian look that will help you add a touch of color to your style.

3. PARIS A LA FOLIE Dare to be bold? Our boldest color for the perfect Parisian night out.

12 long lasting shades in a lovely combination of warm and cool mattes and shimmers

Image Courtesy of Lancôme

BORN IN FRANCE: Be confident like Camille’s character with an elegant and natural look. Bringing beige nudes, copper and chocolate brown together for the ultimate “woke up like this” day look with a Parisian twist.

PARISIAN AT HEART: Be the main character in your own romantic comedy, just like Emily. Feeling at home in your adopted city, these shades are all you need to be a total romantic in the city of love. Pink meets violet to create rosy nude eyes– perfect anytime, anywhere.

PARIS À LA FOLIE: Bring out your true personality and transform your look from day to night with intense silver, burgundy and black shades. Let the crazy night begin with Mindy’s character vibes!

As you probably remember, last year I purchased each of the Westman Atelier brushes. My journey began by dipping my foot into the pool with a single purchase, and that gave way to another, and then another until I had all 8. These email my most beloved and used brushes. They are synthetic cruelty-free brushes that are handcrafted in Japan by one of the very best traditional brush-makers. Please click on my individual reviews below to read each review in my picture-filled posts.: Westman Atelier Blender Brush (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Powder Brush (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Foundation Brush (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Baby Blender Brush (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Spot Check Brush (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Eye Shadow II Brush, (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Eye Shadow I Brush (Reviewed HERE), Westman Atelier Lip Brush (Reviewed HERE).

Aftelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil ($75.00 for 50 ml Bottle and $8.00 for 2 ml from Aftelier Perfumes):  is a true revelation. If you are looking to give an exquisite ultra-luxe lovingly handcrafted gift, or you want to treat yourself, then I highly recommend any of Mandy Aftel's incredible creations.

Aftelier Perfumes is an extraordinary atelier perfumer, and everything created by Mandy Aftel is magical. Her deftly created masterpieces often feature unexpected combinations, and surprising juxtapositions of scents that are so wondrous and sublime that love quickly gives way to unmitigated obsession. Her scents are utterly captivating, and these creations are at once evocative and penetratingly visceral. When one slowly and deeply inhales her perfumes and elixirs one is quickly enveloped and enraptured by their complexity. Each of the individual elements slowly unfurls as they undergo metamorphosis against warm skin. The inevitable result, with Mandy's creations, is a perfectly balanced intoxicating scent that is far more than the sum of its parts. As any fan of Aftelier Perfumes will surely attest, everything that Mandy creates has an ethereal quality that inspires profound wonderment. Her creations are so masterfully articulated that they are truly works of art.

Aftelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil is unlike anything that you have ever experienced, and as an award winning perfumer and an avid rose gardener– with a gorgeous rose garden of her own– Mandy knows as much about roses as most horticulturists and botanists. Mandy describes Summer Roses as, "a soft bouquet of honeyed, fruity, and slightly spicy roses on a summer’s day"– and that is such a poetic, and apt description of this fetching fragrance. It is such a surprising and sublime interpretation of the known permutations of the rose aroma. The honeyed and fruity rose aroma is underscored by this alarmingly beautiful spicy undercurrent, and the complexity of this commingling of disparate elements is nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful. It is the embodiment of the most beautiful, and complex, rose aroma transported in a warm summer breeze.

The nourishing base of jojoba oil and fractionated coconut oil is lightweight, fast absorbing and it has a lovely silky texture. Skin is left soft, smooth, supple, hydrated and luminous. The veil of fragrance sits close to the skin, and invites frequent sniffs in order to be enveloped by its transcendental beauty. I have never loved a body oil the way that I love Aftelier Perfumes Summer Roses Body Oil, and you must experience it firsthand to see why I love it as I do. 

Additionally, Summer Roses Body Oil can be used as a hair oil, and in that capacity it effectively fights frizz and fly-aways, conditions and moisturizes the scalp and hair, and it leaves hair manageable. The veil of fragrance is such a treat in the hair since it is ever-present throughout the day.

The elegant minimalist glass bottle is beautiful and befitting of the masterpiece that it houses, and it is so lovely that you will want to repurpose it after you finish Summer Roses.

According to Aftelier Perfumes, Summer Roses Body Oil is:

A soft bouquet of honeyed, fruity, and slightly spicy roses on a summer’s day. The mingling of their aromas is intoxicating and transporting, like when you bury your nose in a bunch of roses. This body oil leaves a soft rosy veil on the skin.

Our body oil & hair elixir is in a nourishing non-greasy base of moisturizing jojoba oil and fractionated coconut oil. This lightweight formula absorbs easily, immediately moisturizing, softening, and conditioning. Damp hair is the most vulnerable to frizz: our oil won't weigh hair down and seals the cuticle to prevents moisture from creating frizz. It leaves a veil of fragrance on your skin or in your hair that mixes beautifully with your own chemistry. As a hair elixir, apply a small amount to clean, towel-dried hair, from mid-length to ends, to nourish hair and give it extra luster. 

Molton Brown Rhubarb & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream ($15.00 for 1.4 oz. from Molton Brown, Saks Fifth Avenue and SkinStore): IA a truly obsession-worthy hand cream, and it is so good that I have gone through many tubes of it over the years. I remain obsessed with, and loyal to, this hand cream because it is fast absorbing, unbelievably nourishing and hydrating, and it smells heavenly. It leaves my hands unbelievably soft and supple, and the delectable scent lingers, but it is never cloying. It is a beautifully articulated fruity floral that offers the perfect balance between the zesty citrus, Rhubarb and the Rose extract. This hand cream is unmitigated perfection in my view.

According to Molton Brown,

Imbued with vibrant rhubarb leaf, yuzu and comforting rose, this moisturising hand cream is perfect for on-the-go indulgence. 

A slice of crimson summer tart. Freshly picked roses on the pantry table. Scattered pastry crumbs and glossy ribbons of rhubarb stem. Treat your senses to an irresistibly sweet recipe with a citrus twist. 

Notes:

Top notes of grapefruit, yuzu and lemongrass. 

A heart of rhubarb leaf, rose and spearmint. 

A base of vanilla, musk and spun sugar. 

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Coconut Alkanes, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Fragrance (Parfum), Rheum Palmatum Root Extract, Tuber Aestivum Extract, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Amodimethicone, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate80, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitan Oleate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, C12-14 Sec-Pareth-5, C12-14 Sec-Pareth- 7, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Methylisothiazolinone, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Triethanolamine.

Overall Assessment: These are some of my favorite products to give, or in which to indulge yourself this Valentine's Day or Galentine's Day this year!

Press Sample & Purchased (Affiliate Links). All views expressed are categorically my own. Copyright © 2022 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.