Desire Lines: Dubai bar treats, Jellycats and a luxury gift for Valentine's
Desire Lines: Ideas for sweet treats for yourself and your loved one this Valentine's Day
From power dressing to romantic florals, Brown Thomas unveiled this season’s spring/summer trends at a lavish event in Dublin’s Merrion Hotel this week.
As we’d expect in the Trump 2.0 era, quiet luxury has been replaced with more avert expressions of power — look to Victoria Beckham for bold structure and Saint Laurent for sharp suits.
We were charmed, however, by the return of the romance trend.
Whimsical yet bold with cascading airy prints, dreamy silhouettes and flowing fabrics, the Zimmermann flounce mini dress had us dreaming of softer times.
If your algorithm is anything like ours, you’ve probably been inundated with TikToks of the Dubai Pistachio Bar.
And now, lots of Irish bakers are taking inspiration from the viral sweet treat.
In your local Offbeat Donuts, the Dubai Bar Crunch donut, €3.30, is filled with a pistachio cream filling with added crunch, dipped in a rich chocolate ganache and topped with splashes of fresh pistachio nuts.
Athlone-based Bon Chocolatiers, meanwhile, have crafted an uber-sophisticated Pistachio Dubai Bar with smooth Valrhona milk chocolate, crispy kataifi pastry and Italian pistachios, €7.
This Valentine’s Day Max Benjamin is tapping into ancient rituals, when candles were lit to symbolise love and the eternal bond between two people.
The Irish brand is showcasing its 3-wick French Linen Water Candle, €40.
Handcrafted in Wicklow with natural soy wax and a cotton wick, it offers up to 70 hours of soothing light.
Gift an affordable taste of luxury this Valentine’s Day.
Created by Chanel, this massage accessory, €65, boosts the effectiveness of the N°1 de Chanel ritual, complementing the effects of the luxury brand’s serum and cream on wrinkles, elasticity, pores and radiance.
Connemara-based Standún has been championing Irish craftsmanship and quality products for some 75 years – they also know how to spot a trend.
For the Jellycat fanatics, the store features an impressive collection of TikTok’s favourite brand of soft toys.
We reckon the Loulou Love Bug, €20, will be one of the most popular picks ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Guess who’s back? One of our favourite Easter treats is Cadbury’s mini eggs, and now, for a limited time only, you can enjoy a treatsize mini eggs bar (54g).
Enjoy it with your cuppa, or get creative and add it to cookies, brownies... now that we’ve made it through January, it’s full steam ahead to the Easter break.
Don’t forget the flowers this Valentine’s Day.
From Monday, Aldi will have something in stores for every budget, with a dozen red roses available for just €3.99, to a showstopping bouquet combining red roses and eucalyptus for €49.99.
Our pick of the bunch? The middle-of-the-road hat box, €29.99, which requires zero effort on the part of the receiver. Now that’s thoughtful.
