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Cherry Season

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Photographed by Alexandra Genova

Is ITG obsessed with cherries? Kind of. It started back in December at our holiday shoot. Studios are not the most, um, glamorous of places, so someone (probably Daise) had the bright idea to burn one of the candles in our gift guide early on. It was Sidia’s Pyro candle, and while we already knew it smelled good (that’s why we were shooting it!), we had no idea we’d become Pyro-crazed. It’s all we talked about all day! (Mid-morning: “Oh my God, your perfume is amazing, what is it?” “It’s the candle!” Coffee break: “Mmmm, smells like cherry candy.” One hour before wrapping: “Can you move the candle closer to me?) By the time the shoot was over, another one was planned: We needed to celebrate all things cherry.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday to double down on a cherry obsession. If you’re celebrating with someone, a sexy, smooth cherry perfume is the on-the-nose complement to what can be an unwieldy saccharine day. On the other hand, if you’re alone, a cherry manicure is perfect eye candy. And then there are the lips—so many cherry lips. Scroll down to see what we mean.

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SNIFF

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You know that smoky and sweet scent your hair takes on after a post dinner drag? Of course you don’t! You’ve never even seen a cigarette, and your post dinner anything always starts and stops with sleep. But if you could use your imagination, and think up the perfect marriage between a naughty [Posh voice] waft of tobacco and leather as it meets an undercurrent of black cherry, then you’ve arrived at Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Suite 302 Eau de Parfum. Inspired by Victoria Beckham’s whirlwind anniversary trip to Paris with David Beckham, it’s warm and spicy—practically begging to be worn in a dimly-lit bar late at night. For the day, there’s Tom Ford’s Electric Cherry Eau de Parfum. It’s light and fresh—the tartness of morello cherries is offset by ginger and jasmine. Of course, not everything needs to smell like cherries! So in that case, consider these cute cherry beeswax candles from Happy Organics that smell of honey. They’re made using molds cast from actual cherries and are generally adorable.

PAINT

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Look, this is a cherry story—of course there’s going to be a bunch of lip products. In our opinion—and in the absence of Balm Dotcom Cherry (RIP)—the perfect cherry lip wardrobe starts off with Fenty’s Ultra-Hydrating Lip Balm, the Barbados cherry-powered balm that Rihanna made in collaboration with A$AP Rocky. For a tinted option, there’s U Beauty’s Plasma Lip in Shanghai. It’s hydrating. It’s vibrant. It plumps a little. And speaking of accentuating things, Kjaer Weis’s Lip Pencil in Faded, a slightly muted red, is a must-buy. It’s a red that’s not overwhelming. It’s also the perfect companion to Violette_FR’s Petal Bouche in Cerise Désir, a matte liquid lip that doesn’t transfer, so you can eat in peace and without touch-ups.

Sometimes you need a lipstick that’s more of an objet, which is where Westman Atelier’s Les Rouges Lip Suede Lipstick Palette comes into play. Use your pinky to create a blurred, just-kissed lip. It has a matte finish, too, but because it’s made with cold-pressed cherry oil, you don’t have to worry about your lips feeling dry. Plus, you can mix-and-match the four colors to create your perfect shade. But, if you want to keep it simple, go with a classic bullet via La Bouche Rouge’s Lipstick in Cherry Pink. And make it a monochromatic look with Tata Harper’s Cream Blush in Naughty. Pat it on and build it up as much as you want. Easy, peasy.

WEAR

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The best thing about a cherry manicure is that it’s never out of style. Don’t believe us? Then look no further than last week’s Top Shelf, where Rebecca Alaniz—a stylist for crying out loud—told us how her go-to polish of choice was a red one because it “goes with everything.” So on that note, Gucci’s Goldie Red lacquer is a juicy cherry that’s too glossy to pass up. Actually, so is La Bonne Brosse’s No. 2 Essential Brush. The shiny finish on the nylon and boar bristle brush gives ye olde Mason Pearson a run for its money in the “Rolls Royce of hairbrushes” category. Might we suggest giving it a whirl before cinching your hair in a cherry claw clip? Just when you think that little accessory is dunzo, it comes back with a cute upgrade. Right now the best are from Emi Jay, which hit the sweet spot in being not-too-small and not-too-big. But it’s the cherries that really make them worth your while.