For Valentine’s Day 2024 get creative and have fun practicing your seduction skills.

Perhaps the most famous person known for their ability to seduce was Cleopatra. She knew that the art of surprise was key to holding someone’s attention. She would do all sorts of crazy things, like having herself wrapped up in a carpet and then unrolled at the feet of her lover. You might not want to try this but Cleopatra’s ethos was to make sure her lovers had more fun with her than with anyone else, so whatever surprise you plan, make sure it will be something that will bring joy.

 

There is quite a skill in ensuring a surprise is a good one. If your aim is to make your partner feel special, don’t make it hard for yourself by choosing the wrong time. I have read that the best time to surprise someone is when they are least expecting it but I have also seen this backfire. Choosing a time when your partner is upset or exhausted or worried is setting yourself a mammoth task to shift their mood from one extreme to the other. Instead, choose a setting and time when it will be likely to have the best impact. You could help this by doing lots of small things in advance, such as doing a household job that you know they hate, arrange things so that your partner can have time to relax and spend time doing something that they love, cook them a meal or just take a minute to let them know something about them that you love and appreciate. Making someone feel good and special is not a one off act but a series of small gestures that let them know they are loved.This concept of everyday romance is something that psychotherapist Esther Perel teaches. Esther is considered one of the leading experts on relationships and sexuality and she says that foreplay begins at the end of the previous orgasm and is an ever present suggestion that a small look, touch, text, or banter might lead to a little more.

“Foreplay is a mood we live in, a way we look at ourselves, how we feel about ourselves in the presence of a lover—or even in the presence of just our own reflection. At its core, great foreplay is made of the same things that make play, in general, so fun—freedom of exploring, creating, bonding, and trying new things.‍”

The art of surprise is also a creative task. Thinking outside the obvious is key to showing that you are not going through the motions. That's what I love about the Slingshot collection. It's an unexpected but empowering jewellery collection full of fun and mischief. 

While many people think of roses as a gift for Valentine's Day, a creative campaign that I saw this year and loved was Radicchio, Not Roses. It’s an idea from New York company Natoora who exist to fix the food system. They are challenging people this Valentine’s Day to think about giving radicchio instead of roses because this is not the correct season for roses and 250 million of them are grown to meet the demand. They have come up with lots of cool ideas to get creative and surprise your partner with something beautiful and unexpected for Valentine’s Day.

As well as creative flower displays Natoora have recipe boxes that can be delivered to your door with core ingredients you need to make Anna Søgaard's Chèvre Chaud & Radicchio Salad. Fine dining that won't break the bank!

Doing good while having fun makes for guilt free pleasure and that's why we love the introduction of lab grown gemstones into the jewellery industry. Whether it is lab grown diamonds, moissanite or cubic zirconia, lab grown gemstones offer a luxurious treat that won't cost the earth. 

https://www.estherperel.com/blog/rethinking-foreplay

https://www.features.natoora.com/give-radicchio-not-roses-2023