Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, 11 May. Here are a few early gift ideas for anyone who wants to get a head start on their shopping…
From Mary Greenwell, a solid perfume in the Plum fragrance: “Mary Greenwell’s quintessentially English PLUM fragrance was created in collaboration with fourth generation perfumer and master of fragrance François Robert. A fresh, warm scent – fruity top notes of plum, blackcurrant, peach and lemon blend elegantly with a feminine floral heart of gardenia, tuberose, rose and jasmine and musky base notes of sandalwood and patchouli.” 3 gms for $120 at Net-a-porter…
In early February of last year, I stopped at a Lush boutique to try out the limited edition products for Valentine’s Day 2013. I was intrigued by an item called Tender is the Night, but I decided not to purchase or review it because it would be gone in a week or so; what was the point? Just two weeks ago, I noticed that Lush had re-released this product. When a sales associate cheerfully informed me that it was now part of the year-round collection, I pounced. I needed a little late-winter pick-me-up, anyway!
The new-and-improved Tender is the Night massage bar is oval-shaped with a pink floral ornament, rather than heart-shaped as it was last year, and supposedly it has an improved formula with a new “aerated” texture. My memory might be playing tricks on me, but I think its fragrance has also been adjusted. I remember last year’s version smelling strongly of jasmine, like Lush’s hot-pink Lust bar soap…
Love + Toast is a Margot Elena Wells brand. If you shop in the US, chances are that you’ve seen one of her products somewhere — she’s also responsible for Lollia, Tokyo Milk, Library of Flowers and Apotheke: M, brands which pretty much cover the price and distribution scale from Neiman Marcus to Walgreens. All of the lines feature scented products in whimsical packaging, although Love + Toast is easily the cutesiest of them all. It’s geared a bit younger than its siblings, and has prices to match: many of the products can be had for $15 or less. Love + Toast emphasizes the use of natural materials (the brand’s tag line is “natural, not neutral”) but does not appear to make any “100% natural” claims. A portion of the brand’s proceeds goes to Girls, Inc., “a nonprofit organization that focuses on giving confidence to girls.”
Jessica reviewed two of the hand creams back in 2010: Mandarin Tea and Pomme Poivre. Today, I’m reviewing seven items, including two of the brand’s rollerball fragrances (Juniper Gin and Candied Citron), another hand cream (Sugar Grapefruit), three lip butters (Coconut Lime, Fizzy Ginger and Rose Sorbet) and a lip balm (Gin & Lime)…
A few gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, in case anyone is in need of (scented) inspiration. Do feel free to comment and tell us what present you’d most like to get!
From Diptyque, a brooch you can scent with your favorite fragrance: “Our new hand embroidered Rose brooch was developed in partnership with jewelry designers, Macon & Lesquoy. Perfume the ceramic drop and enjoy your fragrance all day long.” $55 at Diptyque…
