When summer rolls around, there’s pretty much nothing that can stop me from dousing myself in Kai. The fragrance is an instant reminder of tropical islands, everyone will compliment you on how great you smell - and well…I kind of have an addiction to anything scented with gardenias. Really, it’s an obsession. If it were ever discontinued, I would cry and then hunt down stock like a mad woman.

However, believe it or not, as much I love this fragrance, I’ve only tried one item from their line - the original perfume oil. Boy, was I missing out!

I’ve been buffing and exfoliating with the Body Buffer this past month. Blending the original Kai perfume oil, it incorporates palm, coconut and olive oil as well. Together, it is “infused in a hypo-allergenic sponge to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize the skin.” It comes in a two-pack, so you should be able to have these for quite some time. When you first use it, make sure to douse the sponge in water and let it completely soak (to soften the sponge up). Simply scrub all over your body and you will notice that it will produce a bubbly foam. The sponge is slightly rough, so you feel like it’s really sloughing off all those dead skin cells. You probably won’t be able to notice a huge difference in the shower, but once you step out and towel off, you’ll see that your skin will be much smoother and brighter. Bonus: The Kai scent wafts up and scents the entire bathroom!

I’ve also been finishing with the Body Glow, which is essentially a dry oil spray. It will help hydrate and moisturize your skin, while leaving you deliciously scented. For the warmer months, I think it’s a great alternative to moisturizer since it sinks in pretty easily and feels very light during application. In fact, if I’m using this, I will substitute it for my daily roll of the perfume oil. However, you bet that when chillier weather rolls around, I’ll be reaching for the Body Butter for more intensive hydration (and to wish summer was still around!).

Several weeks ago, one of my fellow editors talked about how much she loved Velas Candle Co.’s line of candles. Well, it piqued my curiosity! Since she had already tried the candles, I thought the diffusers would be wonderful to test. Well, I did try them and was not disappointed at all.

These diffusers are beautifully fragrant and would make a wonderful accent to any home (or a great hostess gift). Within minutes of opening the bottle, the scent was traveling through the entire room. It comes with a set of reeds, which are full of tiny air pockets that soak up the scent and disperse it into the air. It’s been several weeks and I’ve still yet to find the need to turn the reeds over because the diffusers are still as fragrant as the day I opened them. I really enjoy Persimmon, which a spicy, warm scent that mellows to resemble the sweet, tart fruit its named after. Lily & Sea Moss is a wonderfully floral scent that I would love year-round. Te Blanco is ideal for summer since it’s crisp, clean fragrance mixes floral and herbal notes. Really though, you can’t go wrong with any of them!

Bottles retail for $42 and lasts for 6 months. Go to velascandleco.com to order.

Even though I have a ton of perfumes, they’re all fairly similar. I tend to either go for the fresh, clean scents, or the citrusy ones. So I was completely surprised when I smelled Estee Lauder’s new Sensuous fragrance and fell in love. The fragrance, which hit counters in June, fits into a new category called Woody Amber (which kind of sounds like a stripper name, by the way!)

The fragrance is made up of “a rich sensuous core of Molten Woods and Amber, surrounded by atmospheric florals, Pepper, Mandarin Orange Pulp and Honey.” In most fragrances, woods are used in the background, but Estee Lauder brings them front and center in Sensuous, which is what makes the fragrance so distinctive. It smells sort of spicy and warm, but it’s not heavy at all, which is great because you can wear it year round instead of just during the winter.  (more…)

It’s been so ridiculously hot in Los Angeles lately that all of my usual perfumes seem too heavy to wear. I’ve been craving a super light and refreshing scent - one that perfectly captures the beach and sun, but doesn’t vanish an hour after I spritz it on. Leave it to CLEAN to come out with a new fragrance just in time to save the day!

CLEAN’s new Summer scent is exactly what I was looking for. It’s a combination of the purest extracts of Italian Limoncello, Crisp Bergamot, Rose Ice, Mirabelle Plum and Lily of the Valley. It smells sort of citrusy and a little floral, fresh in a way that’s unique to the Summer scent (it doesn’t have the soapy element that’s so popular in their other fragrances). The Eau Fraiche formula also has Aloe Leaf and Chamomile extracts and less alcohol than a Eau de Parfum or a Eau de Toilette, so it’s more moisturizing - a bonus for the dry summer heat.

CLEAN Summer Eau Fraiche is only available during the month of July exclusively at HSN. It comes paired with a 2 ounce CLEAN Summer Soft Refreshing Lotion - with ingredients like Invigorating Peppermint and Grape Seed and Avocado Oils, it goes perfectly with the fragrance and is easily portable. At only $50, this set is a great bargain and a must have for CLEAN fans. I know I’ll be stocking up before it’s gone!

Last month, I saw Herve Gambs floral creations in the Henri Bendel display windows and was pleasantly surprised to have the opportunity to meet and speak to the man himself at a breakfast.

I found Herve Gambs to be a vivacious and charming man whose passion for fragrance and floral design was obvious to any that heard him speak about his namesake brand. Herve started his first boutique in Paris and has since expanded from the Rive Gauche to Tokyo and now, to New York. He designs fragrances (sprays and candles) as well as unique floral arrangement. The fragrances are actually meant to be sprayed onto the flowers, making them the prettiest vehicle for delivering room fragrance you’ll ever find! Though incredibly detailed and beautiful, his floral arrangements are not meant to be realistic. His current collection showcases aqua blue flowers and you may be very likely to find black flowers in his winter collections. Every piece is limited edition for that season only, which allows Gamb to continuously update and design according to whatever mood he is feeling.

These scents are also some of the best and most complex I’ve encountered in the home fragrance market. I particularly liked one that smelled like rice and another that was apricot with a hint of salt. Not exactly what you would find at Pottery Barn.

Check it out yourself at HerveGambs.com and stop by Henri Bendel for the full experience when you’re in NYC.

Twenty-five years ago, Shu Uemura opened his first Beauty Boutique in Tokyo and the rest is history. Today the name is synonymous with cutting edge, top of the line beauty. This year, to mark the anniversary, Shu Uemura created a special collection of fragrances and colors, which embrace the core values of his brand: art, science, and nature.

I find everything in this HANA-BI collection to be exactly what Shu Uemura brand has always meant to me - unexpected, daring, bold, and very, very pretty. Shu created three limited edition fragrances, Fleur de Rose, Fleur de Source, and Fleur de Terre. I sampled the Fleur de Source (spicy!) and Fleur de Terre (cool!), and they were two of the most unusual fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Wearing them is making a statement. These are not your grandmother’s florals.

Each fragrance also has a color palette counterpart, which balances the boldness of the scents with soft and feminine shades of roses, taupes, blues and greens. I find that even the bright colors are somewhat muted. The blues for example, evokes feelings of serenity and purity rather than screaming 80’s disco. My favorite is the Fleur de Rose palette which allows you to create the prettiest dusty pink smoky eye.

The full collection can be viewed at the Shu Uemura website.

Ever since the very first CLEAN fragrance was released, I’ve been a huge fan of their products. So of course, the instant I heard about their new Wellness by CLEAN line, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Differing from their previous releases of soapy, shower fresh scents, the Wellness line is all about giving the wearer peace and serenity of mind and body. According to CLEAN, “When applied to the body’s key pressure points… long lasting feelings of well-being and sensations of serenity help you to relax and feel blissfully rejuvenated.” Sign me up!

The Wellness line contains two different scents that complement each other.

• Purity - Containing top notes of bergamot, mandarin, tea and dewberry with a base of cedarwood, sandalwood, leather and musk, this fragrance is meant to keep your mind clear. It reminds me of a scent that would be used at a luxurious spa to soothe and relax you during your massage. It’s a gorgeous summer scent because it’s light and relaxing, but it has great staying power. I would spray this on before a yoga class or a coffee date with friends.
• Harmony - This scent is meant to celebrate and encourage well-being. Its top notes include sparkling Italian lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary, with a heart of rose, sheer jasmine, and orange blossom. The base is a mix of creamy sandalwood and musk, but when I smell it, the citrus fruits and eucalyptus really stand out to me. It’s an uplifting scent - the other day, I was stuck in a crazy traffic jam and gave myself a spritz of it. I can’t say it made the traffic more fun, but it did make me a lot happier while I was stuck in it!

Both Purity and Harmony contain natural ingredients that are synthetic free and do not contain any petroleum, so the fragrances are safe for those with sensitive skin. They each retail for $76 and can be found at Sephora, Skin Store, and Beauty.com.

I discovered Red Flower a couple years ago - and ever since, I’ve been a fan of their line, which is filled with gorgeous scents. Recently, they debuted a collection of organic perfumes. Founder Yael Alkalay learned the art of perfuming at a young age with flower, herbs and oils - and this has translated into these new organic fragrances. “I created a trinity of organic perfume to bring one’s skin and one’s eminence an offering of sublime, vibrational and living scent,” says Yael.

Each fragrance is certified USDA organic and is 100% free of petrochemical and synthetics. Created from pure flower, leaf and bark distillations, Red Flower only has the three scents in this line:

• Champa - Described as “the flower of golden light, a godly expression of nature,” this fragrance contains champa flowers, jasmine gladiflorum, rose geranium, ylang ylang, mimosa, osmanthus, palmarossa and rosa absolute. This is warm, creamy and reminds me of faint incense. It’s slightly too earthy for my sensibilities, but I know girls that would enjoy this.
• Ambrette - This scent is warm and musky, with notes like ambrette, patchouli, bitter orange, rose absolute, frankincense, black pepper, orange flower, geranium and clove. This smells like a mix of roses, black pepper and bitter orange with a warm amber undercurrent. However, it won’t remind you of grandma’s perfume, nor will it seem too hippy. Surprisingly, it’s very sexy and would work well for a night out.
• Guaiac - Red Flower notes that the guaiac is “the tree of trees in the infinite expanse of wilderness.” This fragrance does not have as many elements as the two others, but still offers a diverse range, including: pink grapefruit, rose absolute, elemi, copaiba, cabreuva and guaiac. This is my absolute favorite of the bunch. When sniffing this for the first time, I immediately picked up the brightness of pink grapefruit. It’s very feminine, but light and citrusy; the drydown is very subtle and zen-like. This would make the ideal summer scent.

These perfumes are offered as roll-ons (10ml, $48) or as concentrates (15ml, $186) at Beauty.com.

June marks the launch of Bobbi Brown’s newest scent, Almost Bare, which is also one of the more unique fragrances I’ve sampled recently. Although the scent is composed of a variety of floral notes (muguet violet, and jasmine), the mixture to me is anything but. In fact, it smells like a very delicate and clean fragrance. Almost Bare, the name of the fragrance, most aptly describes the scent: it is very light and evokes a naked “close-to-your-body” feeling. This is also a very peaceful, uncomplicated scent - not something that I would wear out clubbing in the city, but instead, on lazy summer evenings at the Cape.

Many other blog reviews have noted that Almost Bare is an almost “un-fragrance,” perfect for those who dislike perfumes. I disagree. True - this is not cloying, or heavy, or even that feminine, but it is very distinct and as perfumes do - arouse certain feelings, memories, or fantasies. I personally enjoy this fragrance but will use it sparingly when the mood strikes - or more accurately, when the mood is right. You can decide if it’s for you or not at your nearest Bobbi Brown counter.

When I’m at home, a candle is always burning. Whether it’s an energizing fragrance that I’m burning when I need to get things done or a relaxing scent that goes perfectly with my TV viewing, my apartment is rarely without some sort of fragrance wafting through the air. But like anything, I get sick of using the same ones all the time, so I like to try to mix it up sometimes. I recently discovered the Velas Candle Co. online and have found several new favorites to add to my candle rotation.

The company was started with the intent to find luxurious home fragrances unlike any of those already on the market. The founder experimented with fragrance oils and complex aromas to create new scents unlike any of the “staples” you can find in most candle stores. With scents like Cashmere (a romantic fragrance with notes of light patchouli and tonka beans with a bottom note of musk), Cucumber & White Flower (a white flower bouquet of cyclamen and jasmine with hints of apple & cucumber on a musky background) and Black Silk (an elegant and seductive aroma with notes of vanilla bean, leather and light clean musk), you’ll never go back to basic vanilla again. I tried several of the scents and my favorites were Lily and Sea Moss, which is a fresh blend of sea moss, rose petals and lily, and Te Blanco, a clean white tea scent with red currants and lemon, floral and herbal notes. They both filled my apartment with unique scents unlike any I had ever smelled. (And the Cucumber & White Flower even had my Fed Ex woman asking me what scent she was smelling when she delivered a package! Now that’s a compliment!)

All Velas Candle Co. candles are hand poured and made with a special blend of soy wax that gives them a concentrated fragrance that fills the entire room. They each have a burn time of between 80-90 hours and retail for $22, so you’re getting a lot of fragrance for your money - always nice!

For more information and to order some of your very own, check out www.VelasCandleCo.com.