My mind is full of Spring plans – plans for my garden, plans for my home, plans for ….not freezing, but at not even mid-January, I’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of me. Yesterday, my friend, Leah, and I met at the Farmer’s Market and I was pleased to find that my favorite stall was open.  The citrus man! The smell and taste of citrus is such a mood-lifter for me.

Last year, Steve and I discovered his Meyer Lemons and Blood Oranges. I was so sad when the citrus season ended.  Fresh off the tree and so juicy and flavorful – his …read more

When I was a hairdresser, I worked in a salon that sold Aveda products. In order to better educate us about the products we used and sold in the salon, an Aveda professional came out for a visit and did a demonstration.  The demonstration was performed on me. I was nervous, because the demo was on skin care and back then I had a bunch of little teeny-tiny bumps on my forehead, almost more like a rash than pimples. I was so self-conscious about the blemishes.
The skin tech used the products on me and the change was swift, it felt …read more

In support of World AIDS Day 2008, Kiehls is offering their classic Lip Balm #1 in a special edition red ribbon package.

World AIDS Day Limited Edition Lip Balm #1

Special Limited-Edition packaging of our same, classic formula – to benefit YouthAIDS
SPF 4 sunscreen
Relieves Cracked or Chapped Lips

Temporarily protects and helps relieve chapped or cracked lips. Helps protect lips from the drying effects of wind and cold weather. 100% of net Kiehl’s profits up to $50,000 will be donated to YouthAIDS, which is committed to AIDS awareness, prevention and research.
While you are there, check out Kiehl’s two wonderful scents…………

Forest Rain Eau de …read more

Looking for something light and refreshing in an organic scent?  How about Caudalie’s Fleur de Vigne Fresh Energizing Fragrance.
Fleur de Vigne is the flower that precedes the grape on the vine. This scent is enriched with essential oils derived from fruit and Bergamot as well as the plant waters of Sandalwood and cedar.
Bergamot is citrus tree (Citrus bergamia), but the name is also applied to various mint plants and pear trees that carry a Bergamot-like scent.
Fleur de Vigne Fresh Energizing Fragrance
What is is: A fragrance with aromatherapy and skincare benefits.

What it is formulated to do: This splash is full of energy. One spray of this …read more

I met Biggs & Featherbelle at Brooklyn’s Renegade Craft Fair this summer.  They are “a health conscious company that promotes the healing elements of Mother Nature by creating body care products free from synthetic fragrances, dyes and additives.”  Nice!  I’m a scrub junkie, and their scrubs are so fresh and fun and lovely!  There’s a little bit of something for everyone – a sweet coffee scrub, a salty adzuki bean scrub, and a more traditional sugary nut scrub.  They are heavenly and have natural scents from essential oils.   I sniffed them all and honestly could not pick a favorite.  …read more

There’s a lot of interest in organic and/or natural perfumes these days.  As part of this week’s contest, I asked for readers to submit their questions about perfume and fragrance.  There have been several questions already about natural and organic perfumes.   The short answer is, yes, there are organic and natural perfumes that smell great and last all day.  Most mass market scents use a combination of natural and synthetic fragrances, but lean heavily toward the synthetic for cost and quality control issues.  One of the first “all natural” perfume brands to come to the mass market is LaVanila.
As for …read more

You could get some great natural swag by entering this contest. It’s super easy, I promise. Visit her site for more details, and be sure to let us know if you win!
The contest asks you to watch a video on the whole foods site and leave a comment, including “makeup loves me” in “website” field for your comment. your comment may be anything you think would be useful to the whole foods team. You have until next friday, march 21st.

I found these re-usable dryer sheets on Etsy, naturally…I have actually tried to DIY something similar using an old washcloth and some extra fragrance oil.  With lavender essential oil I can imagine it’s 10x swankier.
I admit I love it when my clothes smell really nice.  I haven’t gotten to put up a clothesline, which is my favorite scent, so this will just have to do.

This is a fun recipe to make when you’ve got a bit of time to go slowly and melt the butters then whip for a nice consistency that’s easy to apply.  You don’t have to use fragrance oil or essential oil but it’s always nice for a scented treat in the winter.  Apply some to bare feet then put on socks before you hit the gym.  The heat your body generates from working out will help your skin absorb the butter.
Mango Body Butter
Ingredients:

2 ozs cocoa butter (weighed)

2 ozs natural shea butter (weighed)

2 ozs mango butter (weighed)

1 teaspoon wheat germ oil

3 …read more

Happy New Year, everyone.  I hope by now we’re all recovered from holiday cookie binges and egg nog benders.  I was thinking a lot over the past few days of where we’re headed for 2008 in the world of scent.
1.  Blue.  Navy/Royal blue is in right now, but just like that Chanel Black Satin nailpolish craze a few seasons ago, I think it won’t be long before we move to something new.  Completely opposite.  So – Orange.  Safety Orange this summer! And both these colors have perfume corollaries.
Blue – think Penhaligon’s Bluebell, blueberries, D&G Light Blue, Blue Sugar by Aquolina.
Orange …read more