What she really wants for Valentine’s Day: the beauty list

There is a trick to buying a gift for a significant other: look at what she already enjoys, then elevate the experience. Is she a fan of baths?If so, a luxurious bath potion might be ideal. Does she have a very stressful job requiring lots of computer time? Perhaps a massage will help loosen those knots. Does her pre-bed ritual include reading with a candle flickering away? You get the gist. For Valentine’s Day specifically, do feel free to lean into themed products with a hint of pink or a touch of rose — provided they’re very luxe and beautifully executed. You want the gift to say wanton luxury and to be a daily joy; something that she’ll use but, crucially, wouldn’t buy for herself on an ordinary shopping trip.

Any of these fit the bill and are readily available in stores across London, so arm yourself with this page and get shopping — or for complete ease, just buy the Urban voucher. I’ve yet to meet a woman who doesn’t think having a massage at home and then rolling into bed isn’t the ultimate treat, so expect it to be a surefire hit. You can’t go wrong with anything Diptyque, but this candle duo is particularly seductive. The pink Roses candle will fill the room with the scent of freshly cut blooms, while perennial favourite Baies is a little more green, a tad more tangy, and very moreish.

Few diffusers offer scents as sophisticated —and reliably fragrant until the very end of their lives — as those by NEST New York, and this is one of its bestsellers. The rose is not even slightly cloying but rather uplifting, whipped into something more intriguing by the salt element. Not merely a hand wash that, you know, helps to clean your hands, but also an uplifting grapefruit, lemongrass and lavender blend housed in a pleasing refillable bottle.

Peruse the whole Soapsmith range; the brand distills beautiful scents into all its body care. This is my top pick, all nourishing coconut milk powder and Dead Sea salt infused with oils that instantly call to mind an armful of uplifting flowers including roses, honeysuckles, primroses, and peonies. The premise couldn’t be simpler: choose a style of massage, choose a time, choose a masseuse, and then — voila! — that masseuse shows up at your door and bliss ensues. The perfect present, if ever there was one.

You’ll need to employ your investigative skills here to determine which lip colours she likes to wear. Once you’ve decided if she’s a red/pink/nude fan, buy MERIT. It does lightweight and modern lipsticks like nobody else. Sublime bottle aside, this scent is renowned for being loveable thanks to a crowd-pleasing combination of skin-hugging musk and sandalwood, perfectly blended with a little baby powder-y iris and a hit of fizzy mimosa.