Valentine's Day Gifts: Baroness von Neumann and Crabtree & Evelyn make home sexy

By April MacIntyre Jan 24, 2011, 1:20 GMT

Los Angeles based lifestyle and home décor expert Baroness Monica von Neumann’s signature line of scented candles are quite simply the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Soy-based, eco-friendly and made in four fragrances that will cause some serious candle addiction.

This year Monsters and Critics went high and low and found the coolest gifts that you can buy your sweetie that reflects a bit more thought than the heart-shaped box of chocolates. 

Here are some Valentine's Day ideas that won't break the bank or your pants' zipper, or wither and die like a dozen roses.   Keeping in mind that we love finding American businesses who make cruelty-free items, here are some excellent gift ideas you can count on that are reasonable and chic.

BvN Baroness von Neumann Scented Candles

Who doesn't appreciate great scented home candles, home room sprays, linen sprays and potpourri?  M&C discovered two companies that make their delicious smelling products here in the USA, and fell in love with several unusual scent blends.

Los Angeles based lifestyle and home décor expert Baroness Monica von Neumann’s signature line of scented candles are quite simply the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Soy-based, eco-friendly and made in four fragrances that will cause some serious candle addiction.

Our American Baroness hails from Detroit, but is a bona fide titled lady. Monica has taken her professional life from model to becoming a philanthropist, businesswoman and mother.  Married to Baron John von Neumann, Monica is acquainted with the European jet-set and royalty, and she has hosted some of society’s biggest events.  As a model, she sat in the ateliers Christian Dior and Yves St. Laurent in Paris, and wore their clothes down the runway. 

Since the loss of her husband, Monica has poured her energy into creating a brand that reflects the sensory experiences of her well-traveled and lived life.

This Baroness, who went to finishing school in Switzerland, has masterfully blended four distinct fragrances that transport you to a festive holiday mood, immerse you in deep masculine sandalwood, amber and leather-tinged notes or recall the fresh clean powdery sent of a Parisian sitting room. Her packaging is elegant and simple too; candles tucked inside cream colored linen paper boxes embossed with her family crest. 

Von Neumann’s line of luxury scented candles have already garnered a great following and she has most recently shared her tips for creating atmosphere on The Mo’nique Show

The Baroness' candles boast a 70+ hour burning time, in an all-natural soy-based wax with a cotton wick that burns cleanly without the creation of soot that can cause discoloration on walls and ceilings.       

The candles are available to ship nationwide from von Neumann’s website HERE, and at Candle Delirium, the online candle emporium based in West Hollywood, CA.  

The four scents are:

·         Atlas: sandalwood, Ceylon cinnamon and mahogany

This masculine candle is redolent of leather, spicy Ceylon cinnamon and Zanzibar clove layered over smoky peat, sandalwood, orange flowers, rosewood and red amber. This mahogany scent is grounded with earthy, wood-like aroma.Baroness von Neumann candles take you on a journey around the world while spoiling your senses.

·         Fete: clove bud, mandarin and Norwegian pine

My personal favorite has Noel notes of tangy navel orange scent with hot spicy Seychelles cinnamon, Zanzibar clove and cool Norwegian pine underscored with Indonesian patchouli and exotic amberwood. Heaven!

·         Modena: orange blossom and lemon leaf

Another more masculine scent that was inspired by l’uomo Italiano. The scent is stylish and masculine, with a crispy citrus top over a spicy middle and an herbal, highlighted by Neroli bigarade and Italian lemon.

·         Savon: jasmine, damask rose and red amber

My next favorite scent. Sparkly floral aldehydic with notes of jasmine, jonquil, rose and lily of the valley with a woody, musky, amber-like notes, clean and pretty, not at all overpowering.  

Crabtree & Evelyn Home Scents, Candles, Reed Diffusers and more           

Old school home scents and many happy memories, the company began in the early 1970's in Massachusetts, expanding their offerings of home fragrance and many more items including comestibles and soaps across the country.

Now the company sells some lovely home scents; our favorites include Isla Glen and Carleon Cove.

Each scent comes in lovely pewter finish-topped candles and elegant sea glass bottle diffusers that hold reeds wicking the scent into the room slowly.

Carleon Cove is a clean crisp fragrance meant to recall the English seaside, salt breezes, leafy greens, wild sea flowers, violet, sandalwood and driftwood. Great for bedrooms, bathrooms and guest rooms.

My favorite item hands down was the Isla Glen Reed Diffuser. The scent recalls a Scottish Highland retreat, filled with meadow grasses, bergamot, heather, bluebell and violet warmed with leather and oak. Reeds release continuous scent into the air for approximately 90 days.  LINK

All of these items are under $40 USD, and are made in the USA.