Hermes's Den

With Valentine’s Day come and gone (how this much of February and 2025 overall have passed already is beyond me, but part of a larger story), I want to sit with it, for all that it is. Thanks, love, for valuation and generation; it feels like I’m burning and drowning at the same time.

I can’t lie, the past few weeks have been rough, recently gone days, especially, and love hasn’t been the dominant emotion. I should probably be calling in to the Lonely Hearts Club, but my creativity has been in an interesting state; on one hand, nearly stunted, and on another, more ambiguous one, it feels like it is simply trying to evolve and keep up. I am too, Creativity—this evolution stuff isn’t easy, but to be fair, it does require dying and that is a topic for a different post.

Keeping levity and brevity in mind, returning to what even caught your eyes and helps me imagine my creativity at a higher octane, these four gifts would help elevate any day, Valentine’s or otherwise, from great to golden.

Starting with our primary points of contact—the skin—this Chanel Chance Body Crème combines a rich cream to moisturize with the scent of their Chance perfume. Perfect for layering as intended, the delicate notes of pink pepper, amber, and jasmine also combine well with the next gift

Meander, by Amouage is fresh scent that doesn’t have the typical “fresh” scent notes, and we’re all the better for it. Entirely cool and gentle, there’s a steadiness to it and something unexpected that makes it shimmer like

The Cream Rouge Sparkles from Clé de Peau gives multidimensional options when it comes to make up and styling. Available in four different shades, their uniting high shine finish syncs well with

This mini Sac de Jour bag from Saint Laurent, which combines an intensely structured silhouette and construction with a more playful color, material, and size. The flecks of copper in its baby brown palette underline its nature as functional art and remind you that, even with an exclusive amount of space inside, this bag is worth it.

In all, while my Valentine’s has been a mixed pull, fun and strange, with a tone I’m still figuring out (I can examine (or not) in another post), I do hold some space in my heart for it. May it lead me forward to rosier days.