Love Is In the Heir

Perfume pioneer Kilian Hennessy’s fragrances launched exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue almost one year ago. The impressive line includes tantalizing mixtures steeped in utter luxury, and a Kilian fragrance would no doubt be an unforgettable gift for your Valentine.

Amazing, heirloom-quality packaging ensconces elixirs with names as complicated and beautiful as the scents themselves…Love and Tears, Straight to Heaven, Cruel Intentions, Back to Black…the names read like an endless poem from a man with a broken heart, but in fact, Kilian, pictured above, is heir of the Hennessy cognac, and was trained by the greatest noses in perfumery. He worked for perfume houses such as Christian Dior, Paco Rabanne, Alexander McQueen and Giorgio Armani before launching the provocative line that bears his name.

Beyond Love, Prohibited, above, is my favorite Kilian scent. Ripe with unmistakable tuberose, the eau de parfum, $225 for 1.7 oz., is offered in his signature ceremonial black bottles and encased entirely in elegant ebony. Rich, evocative, lingering…It’s a fragrance you won’t forget.

The solid perfume compact, shown here, $95, is great for your purse.

Rose Oud, $395 for 1.7 oz., is another of my favorites. A heady mixture of Turkish rose with oud combine to make a luscious memory in fragrant form.

The refill kits, $125-$175, render the packaging reusable. It’s all part of Kilian’s ‘eco-luxe’ philosophy–a smart way to have beautiful things that are also environmentally friendly and socially conscious.

A lovely Kilian candle, $85, is always a tasteful choice if you are unsure about your girl’s preferences and are experiencing fragrance anxiety.

Kilian’s fragrances are available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco and saksfifthavenue.com.