Will

style |
Valentine’ss rules r
Play
A little guidance to help you indulge without the guilt I BY LIZA HERZ
A
s a kid, your chances for a happy February 14th rested
on how many valentines you’d get from your classmates
—a popularity contest swathed in red lace. But as an
adult you are free to reinvent the holiday as you wish, keeping
in mind a few rules.
RULE NUMBER ONE: WILLFULLY IGNORE THE WEATHER
The ability to ignore reality is one of our best assets as
Canadians. Snow, what snow? Denial can be an important
part of maintaining your mental health. So is pretty, albeit
entirely impractical, lacy underwear. Get some now.
RULE NUMBER TWO: PLEASURE ABOVE ALL ELSE
Valentine’s Day should be about fun, but our puritanical
culture is suspicious of pleasure for pleasure’s sake. It either
rejects it outright as dirty, or transforms it into a chase for
status — a kind of consumerist competition that effectively
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sucks the joy out of a good, soul-restoring,
expensive purchase. Think pleasure and ignore
the price tags both large and small.
RULE NUMBER THREE:
PERFORM A RANDOM ACT OF FLIRTATION
If there is no “official” boyfriend or girlfriend to give a big,
red, heart-shaped card, send one anonymously to your latest
crush. A little heart-pounding nervousness will add colour to
your cheeks — and a bit of flush is sexy.
RULE NUMBER FOUR: SPOIL YOURSELF
Ditch the idea of romance and just get yourself something
nice. Lingerie, chocolates, jewellery, an intoxicating bath oil
made from the essence of a hundred thousand rose petals, or a
provocative fragrance that you apply sparingly to wear to dreary
meetings just for your own pleasure. Pleasure can be secret too.
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famous 44 | february 2008
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famous 45 | february 2008
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1 a subtle game of peekaboo
with the decorative, beribboned
shoulder straps of this Lace Underwire
Bra and Briefs from WonderBra Me
($34 for bra [model #1675], $18
for briefs [model #1695], Sears).
2 With spring fashions already
trickling into stores, satisfy your
craving for something new with this
Glossy Red Leather Tote ($150, Aldo).
3 Agent Provocateur’s Maîtresse eau
de Parfum ($100, 50 ml, Holt Renfrew)
is subtly seductive, with a delicate
water lily top note slowly revealing a
rich beating heart of rose and jasmine
underneath.
4 It takes 144,000 rose petals to
make one bottle of Ren Moroccan
Rose Otto Bath Oil ($50, 140 ml,
Delineation [delineation.ca]),
which works out to roughly 5,000
rich fragrant petals per bath.
5 Green & Black’s Organic Miniature
Bar Collection ($12, grocery and
natural food stores) pairs intensely
flavoured chocolate with such flavours
as ginger and sour cherry to treat any
surprise Valentine’s guests.
6 Studded with blood-red crystals,
the Eros stylized Heart Pendant from
Swarovski ($65, www.swarovski.com
for stores) on a silk cord is sparkly
and modern.
7 Fake that first flush of love with
Benefit’s Rush Hour ($24, Shoppers
Beauty Boutique), a totally wearable
shade of soft blooming colour for lips
and cheeks.
8 Smooth and soften hair for a
glassy shine, and protect your pricy
highlights from losing their luster,
with a nourishing, intensive treatment
like Kérastase Chroma Reflect Mask
($50, select salons).
9 Forget wearing your heart on your
sleeve, wear it on your wrist instead
with this Stainless Steel Guess Watch
($135, The Bay).