When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the “Anne of Green Gables” series, and I was always jealous by the talent she had for giving beautifully descriptive and flowery names to places she loved.  One of her favorite places in town was Violet Vale, “a little green dimple in the shadow of Mr. Andrew Bell’s big woods” that has “millions of violets in the spring.”  In my mind, if there was a perfume that would represent the essence of what that place would smell like, it would be Van Cleef Arpel’s Feerie.

The strongest top note of the fragrance is violet, which is a unique and unusual scent that distinguishes Feerie.  Due to the strength of the top violet note, I would classify Feerie as a powdery floral yet woodsy scent, with hints of red currant and mandarin that tie it together nicely and prevent it from being too overpowering.  It is a sophisticated light scent that would wear well for day without being too overwhelming or intense.

The whimsical and luxurious design of the Feerie bottle is also beautiful with an ornately cut round sapphire blue bottom, and a fanciful fairy figurine on top, who is featured perching effortlessly on a branch.  Granted, the fairy figurine on top combined with the bottom doesn’t make this bottle very light to tote around, but it does make a beautiful sculptural statement on your nightstand table.  I think of this perfume as perfect for any young cousin or little sister who is on her way to growing up, because they  will love the playful design of the bottle and at the same time be ready for the youthful, graceful and not too sweet fragrance with hints of girlishness.

I burn a lot of candles, so I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting scents to add to my home fragrance rotation.  I recently discovered Delirium & Co., a company that makes candles “inspired by idealistic periods in history.”  Divided into two categories, The Silver Period and The Blue Period, the candles all come in handmade translucent reflective glass containers (it looks very elegant sitting on my counter) and are housed in a chic silver or blue box.

I’ve been burning Delicate Bouquet, a scent that’s a blend of lilac, lily of the valley, white jasmine, peach flower, and ylang ylang.  It’s from The Silver Period collection, which is described as “an enveloping scent of fragrances that invoke beauty, glamour, elegance and style.”  (Think Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe).  It’s a light, feminine scent - floral, but not overwhelmingly so.  It reminds me of taking a walk on a spring day, when the flowers are all blooming again after a long winter.  Other scents in The Silver Period include Sensual Camellia, Pear & Violet, and China Tea (which sounds delicious with its mix of bergamot, ceylon tea, citrus accord, tea blossoms, raspberry and seaside moss).

The Blue Period is made up of darker, mysterious scents, like Royal Amber and Sweet Tobacco, and is meant to “invoke a time of long ago European splendor, capturing the essence of royalty and sophistication, a time when men were brave, suave and chivalrous.” (I’m dying to try the Suede & Smoke scent - it sounds like the perfect candle to burn during a snowstorm).

For more information on Delirium & Co. candles, visit deliriumandcompany.com.

If you’re like most people, you’ll be traveling at some point during this holiday season or soon after.  And while I admit that packing in general is not a fun task, the one item that I hate packing the most is perfume.  There are so many issues with packing perfume - a lot of the bottles are too big or heavy to fit easily in a suitcase, plus if you don’t pack them securely, they might break and ruin other things in your bag.  Sometimes if I know I’m going on a trip far enough in advance, I go to Sephora and stock up on samples that I can easily bring with me, but let’s be honest, those don’t last that long and it takes multiple trips to the store to get a big enough supply of them, and who has time for that?  Luckily, this year I’ve managed to find several great portable fragrance options that all made packing for my trip back east a breeze. (more…)

The days of using tokens to take the subway or bus in NYC may be long gone, but Bond No. 9’s Solid Perfume Tokens bring me right back to the days of my childhood. The nostalgic feel of Bond No. 9’s token compact is so alluring, and I love solid perfumes since they travel with you so easily. Available in 5 of Bond No. 9’s most popular and sought-after scents, the Solid Perfume Token would be a great gift for any city girl (or yourself, of course!).

I tried the Token in my favorite scent for the spring, Andy Warhol Union Square. The Solid Perfume is a perfect representation of the eau de parfum itself and I love the cute compact. It comes in a small leather zip case which you can even use to carry your earrings or other small belongings. As a displaced New Yorker, I love carrying my favorite scent in a little charmed piece of NYC.

Visit bondno9.com or your nearest Saks Fifth Avenue for more information or to see these in person!

The weather is definitely chilly (even in California), so it’s time to get toasty! I’m headed to a bunch of holiday parties this season, and I always bring along hostess gifts (as my mother and proper etiquette has taught me). Instead of the token bottle of wine, I thought I’d bring along gorgeously scented candles to a few of these shindigs. Naturally, there are numerous wintry versions to choose from since there are so many spectacular holiday offerings; however, I’ve been gravitating towards scents that a hostess will enjoy beyond the Christmas holiday instead. Here are some of my top picks: (more…)

Ever have a perfume guilty pleasure?  A perfume that’s neither designer nor celebrity, but you can’t stop sniffing it whenever you have it on?  I am writing this entry in between whiffs of my own new favorite.  For some of my friends, Victoria’s Secret Lovespell is a perfume that does that for them, and for me, it’s Avon’s BOND GIRL 007 - Eau de Parfum Spray.

To be honest, I didn’t expect to like this perfume.  I am pretty picky about my scents and dismiss most perfumes as being too strong and too floral.  I can appreciate Chanel No. 5, but I don’t like the way it smells on me; like the smell of Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, but know too many people that already have it as their signature; and love Creed’s Spring Flowers, but find it a little out of my price range.  I normally like sensual floral musks, specifically the scents of gardenia, orange blossom, and white musk.   It’s for this reason that I am a huge fan of both Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely and Narciso Rodriguez’s signature fragrance. (more…)

Last year, I wrote about how much I adore India Hicks Island Living Collection…and I’m about to profess love for the new Island Nights Collection now. Currently, I have the fabulous Scented Candle and Fragrance Diffuser - both of which are truly exquisite products.

Both are beautifully boxed - so much so that I almost didn’t want to open them up. The product design itself is even more impressive. With a burn time of 50 hours, the candle features gorgeous indigo glass, set in a coral silver holder. The diffuser is a stunner that you will want to keep on display. The indigo glass is etched with the coral print; the wicking twigs are done in black, intended to “echo the limbs of a favorite tree - a hurricane survivor that clings to the shallows.” Either would make a fantastic hostess gift, but you might not be able to part with it after seeing how lovely they are!

The scent is a blend of purple and white orchids, night-blooming jasmine, green island palms and orange blossom nectar. Underneath all the flora is a note of musk, which gives it a sexy depth and earthiness. I’m burning the candle on my desk during the day right now…and it’s truly lovely. The diffuser is sitting in my living room, looking quite pretty. Both scent the entire room, and the fragrance really is a mellow scent - keeping you relaxed even on the most hectic of days.

View more information at indiahicks-islandliving.com or order now at crabtree-evelyn.com.

As much as I love all the CLEAN fragrances, once the weather turns colder, my tastes change and I want a slightly stronger, warmer scent.  And with the introduction of the new CLEAN Winter, that’s exactly what they’ve created.  Like all of their fragrances, it smells fresh and crisp with a hint of soap, but the Winter scent has a slightly spicy kick to it that makes it different from all of their previous scents.  With notes of Crisp Bergamot, Soft Iris, White Jasmine, Fresh Mint Leaves and Frosty Hyacinth, it’s meant to mimic the feeling of stepping outside on a snowy afternoon and that’s really the perfect description of this scent.  It’s a perfume that I would wear to go walking around Manhattan during December, when the air is thick with winter and you can just smell the snow about to fall.  I’ll definitely be adding it to my rotation of CLEAN scents and using it to get me through the (admittedly) mild L.A. winter.

The CLEAN Winter Eau de Parfum and Whipped Body Cream Set is available now as an HSN exclusive (the body cream is an added bonus - you can layer on the scent for even more Winter goodness!)  The set retails for $59.95.