025: julia roberts

love, screen queens, and valentine's day gifts

Yes, I think it’s vodka in that cup (kidding… mostly).

I’m a hopeless romantic—I romanticize everything. Every day is a love story if you want it to be. Picture yourself in a ’90s rom-com: sprinting through the streets of New York City, heart racing, soundtrack swelling. Live, laugh, love, etc.

Now, I’m going to make a bold statement: I hate Notting Hill. A bad love story with great aesthetics. Hugh Grant is charming, Julia Roberts is living the dream with her perfect minimalist wardrobe, and yet… they’re both equally insufferable. Maybe that’s the point—love isn’t always likable. The magic is in the mess.

I fear I see both sides.

Love comes naturally to me. Life feels meaningless without it. I live in extremes—I either passionately love something or I loathe it, no in-between. But in reality, love is the in-between—the flash of color just outside the grey, the weight of the mundane made lighter by the right company.

I love when you spend so much time with someone that you start to reflect each other—the good, the bad, the questionable. It’s romantic, really. I’ll Be Your Mirror, as Lou Reed once wrote.

It can be easy to ignore all signs of affection unless they arrive in the form of 1,000 love letters, but if sending your sweetheart a custom letter-press love note from Paris isn’t in the cards this Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of other ways to show your admiration. If you’re still searching for the perfect way to say I love you, here are a few ways to steal their heart.

For your mother: N°1 De Chanel Expert Revitalizing Duo, DS & Durga Salt Marsh Rose Candle, Vintage YSL Heart Brooch, LES Collection Callas Candle Sticks, Classic Valentine’s Chocolates

For your lover: Kiki de Montparnasse Balconette Bra, Kismet Olfactive Tuberose Tantra Eau de Parfum, ALAÏA Black Heart Mules, Venus et Fleur Eternity Roses, Kindred Black ‘A Woman is Fire’ Perfume Oil

For your Galentine: Lovard Heart Charm, Helmut Newton: Legacy Book, N°1 de Chanel Facial Tool, Vintage Perfume Box, Jil Sander Heart Pouch

For yourself: Khaite Hand Cuff, Baserange Heart Cutout Panty, Chanel CC Heart Minaudiere, N°1 de Chanel Cream, Margiela Baby Pink Tabis

And as my special Valentine to you, I made this quiz to help you find your rom-com queen alignment. Eat your heart out.

Stay toasted, xx.

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