Dedicated to the ones you love

Timely treats for your nearest and dearest

And so the year has sped us (and many a red-rose-adorned restaurant window) towards Valentine’s Day. Although this Cupid-related celebration is pitched towards lovers, I would suggest it’s more about love in general. Perhaps I have a vested interest in saying this, having spent my life as a perma-single. But it’s not just about me. Friends, in my experience, will give each other tokens of affection at this time of year ‒ a way to say they care ‒ and there doesn’t have to be an inkling of romance behind the gesture for it to be special.

‘But for those who do want a romantic gift idea for Tuesday, then a good option is the latest fragrance Kiss My Lips by Solange Azagury-Partridge

(1, €140 for 50ml, hotlipsby solange.co.uk). Given her day job as a jewellery designer, the bottle is a mini piece of art with a pair of red lips as the pump: the perfume mists out from between so it’s akin to spraying a kiss (the shape is also a nod to her popular Hotlips enamel rings). The eau de parfum itself is charming and sweet: created by the perfumer Lyn Harris, it’s inspired by happy summers in warmer climes and is a blend of hot caramel with lemon, orange, musk and white cedar. There’s also a scented candle option for €72.80 .

For more gifts as gestures of appreciation, you can’t go wrong with the following:

Ostens Illumination Rose

Scented Candle (2, €72.80 ostens.com). This is one of the best-smelling candles you’ll find anywhere. It’s so well fragranced, it’s like giving someone a bouquet of roses every time they light it. Just wonderful.

Laboratory Perfumes Amber Cream (3, €42.50, johnlewis.com). The smell of this body lotion is akin to the fanciest of fragrances. The texture is more of a fluid and sinks right in, leaving skin hydrated and happy. A treat to use.

Newton Wood Epsom Salt Crystals

(4, €16.80 newton-wood. co.uk). These are relaxation in a jar and very indulgent. Simply add to a bath to aid the unwinding process or, the brand suggests, combine with your shower gel to create a body treatment.

Aspiga Organic Cotton Wash Bag (5, €32 aspiga.com). I love receiving a new wash bag and this is particularly stylish and comes in four colourways.

Heathcote & Ivory

Strawberry Thief Aloe &

Lime Hand Cream (6, €4.50, heathcote-ivory.com). A nourishing blend of macadamia oil and aloe vera, housed in a William Morris decorated tube.

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum

(7, €19.99- boots.ie). Who, from the age of about 25, doesn’t appreciate the gift of hydration? This cult serum has been updated so that it’s now even more effective.

Friends also give each other gifts at this time of year to show they care