We’re not Valentine’s Day cynics at 39BC — quite the opposite. This is a brand inspired, in part, by one of history’s most scandalous and all-consuming love affairs. Cleopatra and Mark Antony didn’t do things by halves, and frankly, neither do we. If you’re going to love, you may as well commit.
That said, we’re equal-opportunity romantics. Romantic love, self-love, secret crushes, long baths, elaborate inner lives — it all counts. And in these last, stubborn weeks of winter (the ones that feel especially grey, especially long), we’re leaning fully into the art of romanticising our own lives.
Lately that looks like daydreaming about fabulous escapes, mainlining art and culture wherever we can find it, and doubling down on our favourite rituals — baths included. Call it self-care if you must, but really, it’s about staying devoted to pleasure, to beauty, and to feeling something, even when it’s cold outside.
In that spirit: Why not self-gift Silk Veil — or give it to the lover in your life? We created it imagining Cleopatra waiting for Mark Antony, bathing in rare oils, scenting her skin not just for him, but for herself first. Seduction, after all, is as much about anticipation as anything else.
Silk Veil is inspired by that moment of waiting – and of wanting. It’s an intoxicating floral veil of tuberose, jasmine and gardenia that lasts much longer than a bouquet. Whether you’re preparing to receive your lover, or adding a veil of romance to your own evening, consider it the ultimate Valentine’s gesture of adoration.
A HOTEL WE LOVE
What says romance more than the Ritz in Paris? A hotel seemingly designed for lovers, in a city that has made an industry of desire — it simply doesn’t get dreamier. We’re certain Cleopatra wouldn’t have resisted it. Nor did Coco Chanel, who lived here for 34 years, or Ernest Hemingway who reportedly drank 51 martinis in a single sitting in the hotel bar — a level of excess we admire, but don’t necessarily recommend.
Obviously the spa is legendary, with its swimming pool tucked beneath a theatrical trompe-l’œil ceiling, while the library offers refuge among rare and beautiful editions. And then there are the bathrooms. A Ritz Paris bathroom is a private sanctuary of indulgence — swan-neck taps, those iconic monogrammed peach robes, exquisite marble surfaces, gilded porcelain details. You’ll want to soak it all in.
See more of our favourite hotels on the Journal.
ON OUR CULTURAL RADAR
If you’re staying in this week, there’s no better companion than In the Mood for Love. Set in 1960s Hong Kong, the film follows two neighbours — played by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung — who discover their spouses are having an affair, and slowly, exquisitely, fall into something far more devastating themselves.
Directed by Wong Kar-wai, it’s a masterclass in longing: lingering glances, brushed sleeves, narrow hallways heavy with unspoken desire. Nothing much happens, and yet everything does. The film is famously precise — from Maggie Cheung’s cheongsams to the aching repetition of its score — creating a world where romance lives in everything that’s left unsaid. It’s the cinematic equivalent of Fig Milk.
If you’re venturing out, we recommend the newly opened Samurai exhibition at the British Museum — a sweeping yet surprisingly intimate look at the real men and women behind a millennium of myth. Moving beyond fantasies of lone warriors and rigid codes, the exhibition traces how the samurai — originally a medieval warrior class — evolved into an elite social and intellectual culture that included women, scholars, poets, artists, and patrons, before their values were later mythologised into the modern idea of bushidō.
It’s perfect inspiration for us as we begin shaping our next collection, rooted in ancient Japanese ritual and mythology. Last autumn, Sharmadean Reid travelled to the Turkish coast to take part in a Female Samurai retreat led by a 16th-generation samurai master, where sword became meditation and discipline softened into devotion — a reminder that being a samurai was never only about combat, but about the cultivation of stillness. The exhibition echoes that truth beautifully.
A NOTE FROM SHAR
Last week was wildly busy, but thankfully punctuated by some very good moments — including a dinner with fellow beauty founders Isamaya Ffrench, Joanna Ellner, and my longtime friend Alex Brownsell. We ate at Kensington Roof Garden’s new Japanese restaurant, Komorebi — a place I was always going to love, especially while deep in R&D mode (it’s also the best place to take a bathroom selfie). Komorebi is the Japanese word for the beauty of sunlight filtering through trees; only the food — and the company — managed to outshine the name.
I even made time for some Japan-inspired research on my recent trip to NYC — this time at The Greenwich Hotel Shibui Spa. I’ve written before about the importance of empirical experience — of touching the thing in order to build the thing well — and I wanted to see the spa with my own eyes as I think about what an onsen-like experience in London could look and feel like. Above the pool hangs a 250-year-old structure imported from Japan, radiating a deep sense of stillness and calm; green tea and yuzu candies are offered to the side. It felt transporting in the truest sense. I fell asleep poolside in the softest robe, with The Pillow Book playingin my ears.
This week, I’m in *actual* Japan, doing a deep dive into scent and ritual for 39BC’s next collection. I’ll share more when I’m back, but needless to say I’m already deeply inspired. More soon — though for now, all I can really say is: Japan is just the most exquisite country!
