Still not enough pumpkin for you? Mrs. Meyer's has a new set of Pumpkin kitchen items, including Liquid Dish Soap, Liquid Hand Soap, Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner and a soy candle (not shown). "The bright, bold PUMPKIN warms our homes and hearts, just as autumn nights grow chilly. Whether baking pie, roasting seeds or carving a toothy grin, that fresh, friendly scent is always welcome." Other Mrs. Meyer's possibilities for fall: Apple Cider and Mum.
I live in a house that’s almost 100 years old; with me are two male cats (and their three litter boxes — yes, they have more “bathrooms” than I do) and my partner (who cooks all the time — seafood, Indian, Thai, Burmese, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Italian food — pungent stuff!) Apart from doing a “country-house-style” cleaning a few times a year (scrubbing walls, floors, ceilings and everything in between) I rely on scented products to make my environment smell a little better than it would if I simply relied on open windows and elbow grease. I’m a big user/addict of, pardon the cuteness, candles (fire), diffusers (twigs) and incense (smoke).
Like all scented products, home fragrance prices have skyrocketed; this post will concentrate on “affordable” (or at least reasonably priced) items. Please chime in with your own favorites in all categories. The comments from my recent soap post provided sensational ideas for soap fiends; I hope this article will generate the same response for home fragrances fanatics…
Last fall I reviewed two bluebell perfumes from Penhaligon’s and Jo Malone and I wasn’t thrilled by either one, but I did express my appreciation for bluebells in general and my wish that more bluebell fragrances would be released. I haven’t noticed any new bluebell launches in the fine fragrance market (yet), but I was happy to learn that the latest fragrance blend from green home-fragrance brand Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is…Bluebell.
Like all Mrs. Meyer’s products, the Bluebell scent collection is made with “earth-friendly essential oils and other natural ingredients.” This Bluebell fragrance is composed from notes of lemon, bergamot, jasmine, tuberose, rose, lavender, sage, muguet, vetiver and ginger. It’s a lengthy list of notes, but Mrs. Meyer’s Bluebell scent turns out to be light and soothing and pretty…
Still shopping? Here are some more gift ideas, and if you missed them, check out Holiday gifts part 1 and part 2. And of course, more to come…
From Joya & Vane, solid perfume lockets in Royal Jasmine (jasmine, tuberose, tonka bean, toasted marshmallow and sandalwood; watch chain, above center, $68), Starleaf (orange blossom, honeysuckle, jasmine, lily of the valley, honey and sweet musk; heart brooch, above left, $38) or Moro Blood Orange (blood orange, tangerine, yuzu, tiare flower, vanilla, blonde woods and musk; oval + perfume pin, above right, $38). All at Anthropologie…
Some of my first forays into the world of fragrance came through an interest in aromatherapy. I loved the idea that fragrance could be a source of healing as well as pleasure, and was enthralled with the concept of capturing some 'essence' of a plant or flower through distillation, for use in beauty, healing or massage.
I have therefore been delighted to see so many new natural and 'eco-friendly' cleaning product companies using essential oils to scent their products. It seems like a natural complement — many oils have disinfecting and antibacterial properties, as well as alleged psychological benefits, so why not combine them and be kind to the environment as well? Recently, the products have been getting increasingly sophisticated as well, with Seventh Generation coming up with rather delightful blends…