A friend of mine recently sent me a wonderful gift: the Alora Ambiance Reed Diffuser in Uno. Alora Ambiance was, as I understand it, the first company to introduce the diffuser concept to the United States, based off a home fragrance tradition that the founding partners — sisters — stumbled across while living in Italy near the gorgeous Lago di Como. This lovely concept has been highly successful in the US, and has since seen a variety of companies introduce similar products.
Uno is described as Alora's sweetest fragrance, a feminine composition of muguet, lemon, sandalwood and musk. The first time I tested it, I dabbed a bit on the back of my hand and inhaled. It was a cold, wet, end-of-winter day here in New York, but I found myself transported to an early morning in northern Italy…