A great candle for warmer weather

I was so excited to receive a Jo Malone "Vanilla & Anise" candle last week, which is part of a new fragrance line including cologne, bath oil, body creme, and a home candle. When I first opened the candle, the scent was a little strong, but I soon realized it was only because it was just opened. Now the candle is perfect for freshening up the room, and I've found it especially great for cleaning up bad odors. Example? This weekend a friend was working on his car in the garage and the engine flooded - EVERYTHING smelled like gasoline, even my freshly washed clothes. I kid you not though - the candle really helped alleviate the overpowering smell of gasoline.


The Vanilla & Anise scent is surprisingly complex, but I'd summarize it as a "woodsy sweet" scent. The release reads "the fragrance inspired by the floral landscape of Madagascar, capturing the fleeting moment that the rare vanilla orchid blossoms....blends notes of bergamot, neroli and star anise to create a touch of spice sparkling above transparent layers of delicate vanilla orchid and frangipani. The warmth of vetiver, white amber, and the subtlest hint of clove complete this unexpected, modern story of vanilla."

Now these are a lot of elements I've never heard of, but I can definitely notice different "layer" of scent based on how far or close I am to the candle. It really is lovely.


An added bonus? The packaging is gorgeous! It comes to you in a lovely box way too nice to toss bound in a smart black ribbon. The Vanilla & Anise collection is available this month at Jo Malone shops, jomalone.com, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

A fashion icon takes a small- but lovely step into home decor and accessories

I was very excited to receive a Banana Republic candle last week. To begin with, it's packaging is as sleek and classic as the company's fashion - and too beautiful to wrap or toss out! The candle itself is simple and elegant, in a simple frosted jar. The very, very best part of this candle? The scent. I kid you not, the smell of my "Tea Leaves" candle was not too strong - but clean and simple like the clothing too! Even better, I could still smell it two days after I burnt the candle! I'm excited to see if the start launching more home products!


I was searching for a pic of the candle for you guys - and of course I got a little distracted by the clothing. ;) Some of my fav. finds I'm sharing with you guys. I especially love the ribbon-tie necklace, the adorable white blouse, and the blue bangles!

Gorgeous, artisan candles that glow top to bottom!

I was so excited the other day to get home and open my package from Black & Light Co. And WOW, I was not at all disappointed. Just opening the box makes you feel special, as if it was packaged up just for you! Not only are the candles themselves gorgeous (more on that later), the packaging is really special. In fact, the boxes will be used as Christmas boxes to my sisters. So back to the candles- never would I have thought it possible for a candle to shed so much light- and they are manufactured to last three times longer than store bought candles. These candles are also perfect for the decor enthusiast, because the designs are all hand drawn, and you can also choose from several colors from each pattern. They have everything from bees (love them!), curls, dots, whites, holiday specials, and flourishes. So of course, I had to unwrap them right away and try them. I wish my camera could do them justice!


How they arrive


Every detail thought out!


I love the bees! I was really impressed at the quality of the graphics!

I promise they really do glow this much !




Which pattern do you like? You can see more on their site.

And to all you interior designer friends out there - the folks at Black & Light Co. are wonderful to work with. They can print almost anything you can dream up on the candles, and have worked with many reputable clients.