The 'miscellaneous' gift selection: today we've got solid perfumes, plus tea and chocolate, and a few things that just don't fit anywhere else.
From Lush, the jasmine bomb Lust in a solid perfume tin: "It's virtually unheard of for a perfume to be this sexy. Seriously, we have really done it this time. Lust is a heady mash-up of rich florals and a warm, woody base that lasts on the skin for hours and hours. LUSH perfume and co-founder Mark has been working on jasmine fragrances for years, and this time he’s gone all the way. Unabashedly sexy, Lust stirs an inexplicable carnal yearning. Resistance is futile." $11.95 at Lush in the USA.
From Aesop, Marrakech Baume de Parfum: "Perfumed cream that is richly scented with the aromas of the warm desert city of Marrakech: Clove, sandalwood and cardamom. Apply a small amount onto pulse points as required." $77 for 10 ml at Aedes.
From De Atramis, Tobacco ink: "De Atramentis fountain pen inks are exclusively handmade in Germany by Dr. Franz-Josef Jansen, and come in a 35ml glass bottle. This is a dark brown color that leans yellow, with a tobacco pipe scent." $12.95 at Goulet Pens.
From Ted Baker, the watermelon-scented Jemina case for iPhone 6. $19.95 at Proporta.
From Perfumies, the "Good Enough to Eat" solid perfume gift pack, with five solid perfume sticks (Vanilla Ice, Honeybunch, Text Me, Buttercup and Champagne Wishes). $35 at Perfumies, where there are 7 more sets including "The Botanicals" and "The Clean & Fresh".
At Amazon, a chocolate scented makeup bag. $23.79.
From Charbonnel et Walker, Rose And Violet Truffles: "Ethereal floral flavors infuse these traditional English truffles, enrobed in the finest dark chocolate and finished with crystallized rose and violet petals." $22.10 at Lord & Taylor in the US or £11 at John Lewis in the UK.
From Kusmi, Tsarevna, their holiday limited edition tea for 2014: "The tsarevnas, daughters of the tsars, used to journey to the heart of the Imperial Russia for Christmas celebrations. They would go to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg – the birthplace of Kusmi Tea - where an immense tree would be hung with Christmas decorations. Tsarevna is a Russian blend that takes its inspiration from that time. Today Kusmi Tea celebrates that 19th century tradition by presenting its limited edition Christmas Tea inspired by that era, a Russian blend of black tea, spices and orange." $34.95 at Kusmi.
Tsarevna is pricey! Recently fell in love with Kusmi’s Russian Morning, and was happy to pick up a couple of tins for 20% off on cybermonday.
I left out the size…it’s the big tin, 8.8 oz, but still that’s a bit more than some of the other black teas in that size. Violette is $27.95, for instance. Still, I caved…same cybermonday deal.
Order arrived today–a sample of Tsarevna was included. It’s quite nice–could see it becoming a winter afternoon favorite.
They sent me a sample of it too…when I had just bought it. Argh, send me something I haven’t tried!
Wonder if Lust is a bit more tamed in the solid than the spray. I do like jasmine..but Lust is a bit much. One spray is just like..a bomb.
It has to have less sillage, if nothing else.
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Santa or my imaginary pets – are you reading this. I repeat, are you reading this? See, I’m not greedy. I only want 3 out of 8 items.
I am greedy, I’d take 5 of them.
Jasmine either offends me or bores me. Methinks Lust would do the former
Marrakech sounds good. I love cloves and cardamom.
My 15-year old self would have rolled her eyes at a perfume called “Text Me.” My 43-year old self hate s the name, too. Both of us would probably try it because it’s sweet and lemony
Ha…I figured that would would appeal to tweens. 15 is probably already too old.
Want. Those. Truffles. I think I feel a “Christmas-gift-to-myself” coming on. Or maybe one of my cats will get online and buy it for me.
I am really disappointed in what Lush has done with their perfumes. Not just that they discontinued so many of them, but also that I don’t like the new packaging. The old black bottles were sleek and classy looking, and dark bottles are the best thing for preserving the scent. Even worse, I hate that the solids are now in those flat tins. The old solid perfume sticks were brilliant–you could apply the perfume without any mess. Now they are using the same flat tins as everyone else, where you get the perfume all under your fingernails every time you try to put some on.
I liked the twist ones too. They did start with tins, then they did the twists, now they’re on tins again.
The tobacco ink looks amazing. I’d love a sofa and jacket to match in leather
I’d like a whole environment. Old persian rugs on wide floorboards waxed by someone not me. Walnut writing desk stocked with heavy cream paper and real stamps. Angelic pony-riding children with rosy cheeks and hand-knitted jumpers (again not by me). Four poster beds made up with french linen monogrammed sheets. I’d probably be evicted from my own fantasy.
Love the Kusmi teas and I have a pen aficionado friend who will be interested in the ink.
Those Charbonnel & Walker truffles are great, had the champagne flavor from Holt Renfrew in Montreal last winter, yum!