Posted by Jessica
on
10 January 2009
Ah yes, the last-minute impulse purchase. I’m still not immune to it, especially at Sephora: when I’m waiting on the inevitable line to pay, I can’t help browsing through the items that the beauty superstore has so thoughtfully placed in bins leading up to its cash register. Hershey’s Almond Lip Balm was my most recent such purchase.
I don’t know anything about the manufacturers of this balm and the others in its line, other than that they’re called On10, they’re located in midtown Manhattan, and they create “fun novelty lip balm…using authentic flavors from some of America's favorite confection and beverage brands.” I might have bypassed this particular impulse purchase if I hadn’t sniffed the Hershey’s Almond tester. This lip balm has an unexpectedly deep and wonderful scent…
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Posted by Robin
on
20 November 2008

The big Tom Ford gift for 2008: the Tom Ford Private Blend coffret, with 2 ml rollerballs in each of the 12 original Tom Ford Private Blend fragrances. Says Tom, “Private Blend is my own scent laboratory; it's where I have the ability to create very special, original fragrances that are unconstrained by the conventions of mainstream scent-making. Private Blend is designed with the true fragrance connoisseur in mind.” Ok? $225 at Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus…
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As I write this review, I am drinking a cup of coffee. It’s not an unusual circumstance for me, and I suspect that more than a few of you might be joining me in this ritual as you read. If so, you might share my interest in Perk Lip Lattes. Each of these lip balms, made by a small Brooklyn-based company called Crazy Rumors, is labeled as “a coffee break for your lips.”
So far, I’ve tried two of the six blends of Lip Latte: Coffee Bean and Mocha. Smelling the Coffee Bean balm, I felt as though I had just entered one of those little shops that roast and grind their own coffee, where you can order beans by the pound or just a freshly-brewed cup to go…
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Posted by Jessica
on
1 December 2007
Is winter finally approaching the northeastern United States, just in time for the holidays? In anticipation, I’m stocking up on lip balms for the colder, drier weather. If you’re doing the same thing, and you’re feeling a need for something a bit fancier than ChapStick, something less ubiquitous than the reliable Burt’s Bees, or just a change from that greasy tin of Smith’s Rose Salve you’ve been carrying around for months, here is a six-pack of lip balm ideas.
The happy badger mascot of the Badger Balm line would make anyone smile, and the feel and scent of Badger Balm’s Lavender & Orange Lip Balm are even more smile-inducing. As the company’s slogan boasts, all Badger Balm products are “100% natural, mostly organic, totally good!” This balm is an emollient blend of olive oil, beeswax, and aloe vera, fragranced with essential oils of lavender, sweet orange, and Sicilian orange…
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Posted by Robin
on
21 November 2007
I used to make a point of getting all my holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving, but lately I’ve been slipping. I’ve only bought 3 gifts so far this year. Here are a few more gift suggestions for anyone else who still has a long way to go before they rest:

A set after my own heart, the Comme des Garçons Incense coffret. Full sized bottles (50 ml) of all five scents in the series: Kyoto, Avignon, Jaisalmer, Ouarzazate and Zagorsk. Admittedly, I’d like this better if they were in 30 ml, but oh well! And if you’re looking to buy for yourself and don’t need all five, do what I’m doing and find some like-minded friends to split the set. $310 at Luckyscent…
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