Posted by Robin
on
30 November 2012
Our series of holiday gift posts continues with home fragrance of all kinds, from candles to sachets. If you missed them, check out part 1 (scented body products) and part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets).
Maybe some year, Diptyque’s holiday candles will look so dull that we’ll leave them out, but that year has not yet arrived. This year’s set includes Amber Oud (red; “…inspired by the Arabian Nights resembles a precious stone where rare spices infused with warming resins and balsams plunges the user into an Oriental dream world”), Oliban (purple; “A mysterious creation showcasing the precious resin frankincense. This fragrance will transport the user straight to the heart of the Arabian Nights.”) and Sapin Doré (green; “…pays homage to the most celebrated fir tree in the world, it transports the user straight to the heart of a forest of golden spruce trees.”). In mini candle (70g for $32) or full-sized (190g for $68), available at Nordstrom…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Erin
on
5 October 2012
I have been known to change my mind. Still, as far as my love of autumnal perfumes goes, it seems I am as constant as the northern star. I kept thinking of fragrances to include in this post and then realizing, blast, I’d already listed them the last time I covered fall favorites for Now Smell This in 2009. A few of the previous ten are my all-time, all-year darlings, but the fall always casts them in a particularly poignant and profound light for me. As October starts, I often think of lines from John Cheever: “and who, after all these centuries, can describe the fineness of an autumn day?” (via The Stories of John Cheever). He gives it a shot anyway:
The clear and searching sweep of sun on the lawns was like a climax of the year’s lights. Leaves were burning somewhere, and the smoke smelled, with all its ammoniac acidity, of beginnings. The boundless blue air was stretched over the zenith like the skin of a drum.
That ammoniac acidity has always given me pause — ammonia is alkaline, isn’t it? — but the sky and the sun and the lawns are all perfectly right. And then, using his characteristic contrast of the ecstatic and the everyday, he deflates that golden description with: “It was the day to canvass for infectious hepatitis.” Well, of course it was! For autumn is not only the season of reflection and melancholy, a time to moon about in cable-knit sweaters through the mists of the dying year. It is also a practical season, a time to make school lunches and Halloween costumes, to bustle along the sidewalks through gusty breezes on charitable errands. As Cheever wrote, beginnings are in the air.
So okay, you say… begin already, please! As I rounded up the usual suspects three years ago, the following list includes some of my favorite newer scents. (Surely my “Best of 2012″ picks will be predictable enough to excuse a spoiler.) There are a few of my old standbys that got missed last time, too…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Jessica
on
7 September 2012
I like Caldrea’s home fragrance products for several reasons. They have attractive packaging designs — clean and modern. Their fragrances are sophisticated but easy to live with. And they’re promoted with well-written, accurate descriptions that provide just enough information and atmosphere without going overboard. (Believe me, the more press releases and company websites and “dear blogger” e-mails I read, the more I appreciate this last point.)
Here is Caldrea’s official fragrance description for its Sea Salt Neroli products: “Inspired by bright, clear mornings at the shore, this watery composition opens with sparkling essential oils of Lemon Verbena and warm spice from Cardamon…”
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
9 December 2011
Our series of holiday gift posts continues today with some gift ideas for the men, although bear in mind that all of the holiday gift posts have at least one or two masculine and/or unisex items, and for that matter, there are plenty of items below that women might want.
If you missed them, here are links to part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets), part 3 (more travel sizes & coffrets) and part 4 (home fragrance). Coming up next: solid perfumes.
From Odin, candles in their four unisex fragrances (Sunda, Owari, Century or Petrana). $65 each at Barneys…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
6 December 2011
Our series of holiday gift posts continues; today we’re covering home fragrances of all sorts. If you missed them, here are links to part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets) and part 3 (more travel sizes & coffrets). Coming up next: men’s fragrances.
The 2011 holiday collection from Diptyque: Epinette in green (“Echoing the aromatic freshness of its needles and the resinuous notes of its pine cones, the Spruce Tree candle promises a wintry runaway in the depths of the wood.”; in 3 sizes $32-$275) or Perdigone in red (“Concentrate of warm and fruity notes around a spiced plum that deliciously perfumes the house. Absolutely comforting in the depths of winter.”; in 2 sizes $32-68)…
Read the rest of this article »
