With Valentine’s Day and then Spring fast approaching, Maison Francis Kurkdjian has graced us with his interpretation of the tired February cliche.

Rose isn’t meant to be sweet, nor sickly, nor friendly nor warm. Rose is solitary, strong and independent. Rose is powerful.

However when it gets to mushy, mushy lover day, the air is pungent with the scent of sickly sweet artificial rose, created by someone who has only ever seen a 5 year-old’s drawing of the flower.

Francis has therefore opted for what I feel is a ‘real’ interpretation of rose. It takes you from the dew-dropped tip of the highest petal, through its core, bud and into the stem. It’s confident, it’s feminine but independent and head strong.

All my mind will let me sense is Rose, despite the other ingredients, I can’t distinguish anything but a bouquet of fresh cut roses.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian A La Rose has a citrus top of lemon, orange and bergamot; a heart of Bulgarian rose damascena, Turkish red rose and violets then a base of simple cedar, propping it all up and giving it a very notable structure (it doesn’t simply float away into nothingness).

If you’re sick to the back teeth of crappy chocolates, cards filled with platitudes and simpering and sycophantic wait-staff, then consider this for the special woman in your life this Valentine’s Day, or if you are indeed said special woman, you need this in your life; it’s a capsule collection fragrance that you’ll cherish forever.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian A La Rose is £145/70ml exclusively here from Selfridges.