Lisa Hoffman Gifts for Your Holiday Shopping

I spent yesterday with Lisa Hoffman - sort of. I think it would be great fun to hang out with Lisa, but I got the next best thing - a Lisa Hoffman Madagascar Orchid Candle ($46) that came with a gorgeous box of long "old-fashioned" matches in a custom Lisa Hoffman Beauty box. The gift from Lisa arrived Monday, and I worked from home yesterday. I burned this divine candle while I worked, and it made the day so special!

Even though I love to burn candles while I work, breathing in the intoxicating scents, I can't when I'm in my "real office." In order to have any kind of fire, however small, I would need a "burn permit," a one-time deal to have an open flame in the building. Can you even imagine Security's guffaws if I were to request a permit to burn a candle in my office - even for one day? I think they like me, but I'm sure I would earn the fruitcake award and squander a lot of good will as they discussed my eccentricities.

Madagascar Orchid is one of Lisa's two Variations fragrances. The Variations are a unique concept created by Lisa Hoffman that features four pulse point oils that can be used alone or layered to create a custom fragrance. The Morning Blend is light and refreshing. The Daytime Blend is rich and multidimensional. The Evening Blend is deep and sensual, and the Bedtime Blend is gentle, powdery, and subliminally relaxing.

There are two Variations: Japanese Agarwood and Madagascar Orchid. Both were inspired by the rain forest. Japanese Agarwood was inspired by the lush, natural oils from the rain forest, with subtle hints of Italian bergamot, spiced ginger accord, and warm amber. Within this complex, one will discover mysterious earth nuances that are a delight to explore.

Madagascar Orchid, more my personal style, is a rich, full-bodied, and lush floral symphony. Madagascar Orchid is a delicate white flower fragrance, containing notes of sheer jasmine, ylang ylang dew, mimosa mood, and pink peony to envelop the senses in a "floral decadence." Decadent it is! I felt decadent all day - pampered too - as I've burned this sublime candle.

Using a proprietary soy wax blend, Lisa Hoffman's candles contain a very high concentration of fine fragrance oils and will burn for over 50 hours. You'll breathe in peace and tranquility as the gentle scent and the soft whisper of the unique, crackling wood wick entice your senses and transport you to a garden oasis. Lisa's candles are a serious treat. I started this feature with the idea that you should buy a few for family or friends on your holiday gift list - and you should - but pick up one for yourself too. Otherwise, you'll struggle to give them away when you catch a whiff of the scents in their gift boxes.You can purchase both Variations Candles singly for $46. Lisa's Gift Sets, each containing a candle, are bargains, though. Available in both Japanese Agarwood and Madagascar Orchid, you can purchase the Soy Wax Candle with a Brazilian Agate Coaster for $46, a $14 savings. You can also buy your favorite people a Gift Set for $85, a $110 value. Each set includes the candle plus Daytime and Evening Perfume Oils, a leather case for the rollerball scents, and a Brazilian Agate Coaster. Order just one Gift Set, and you'll get free shipping (free shipping is available for any Lisa Hoffman purchase over $75).

Lisa has a three additional Variations fragrance I'm dying to try. Tuscan Fig is a slightly sweet gourmet's fragrance. Notes of fig, French jasmine, honeysuckle, vanilla bean, and gardenia are warmed by amber, wood, and musks. I'm hoping that one of my friends reads this feature (hint!). Another one I haven't tried yet is Tunisian Neroli. Imagine bright, modern neroli notes that are captivating, lush, and intoxicating. Notes of French ylang ylang, French golden amber, Italian lemon, South African buchu leaf, and Tunisian neroli (orange flower) have been blended to create a fragrance that I'm not going to be able to resist. French Clary Sage sounds equally enticing, with a bright, fresh personality. Linen and cotton accords are blended with notes of French clary sage and Sicilian bergamot. This might be the perfect scent for anyone burning sage, a folk remedy, to improve her luck!

Lisa has a talent for creating scents that are balanced, extraordinarily pleasing to the senses, and unique. Her fragrances are swoon-inducing. Madagascar Orchid is stunning with its lush floral attraction. I can't think of a better gift for a gal who loves flowers or for that friend who has everything. I'm very hard to buy for. Only my closest friends - not even my family members - get it right. If I want something really badly, I will go buy it myself (unless it's way out of gift price range, and then no one is going to buy it for me anyhow). Still, my friends can't go wrong when they buy me a nice candle or diffuser. I always have a fragrance diffuser at work, and colleagues stop by just to inhale. It's nice to have that short break to say "hey."

Go explore Lisa's Web site. Let me know which fragrances grab you! Oh, and don't forget your gift list. If you're anything like me, your gift shopping goes something like this, "One for me, one for them." Or "Two for me, one for them." I can assure you, your hard-to-please family and friends will think you were brilliant and sophisticated to select a special Lisa Hoffman Gift Set.

A final note from Lisa...

I like to think that each of our lives is our very own work of art. And, like every great artist, we are all looking for the simplest means to create and express beauty. That is why every product in the Lisa Hoffman line is designed not only to yield the most exceptional results, but also to make the process as simple as possible.

Photos courtesy of Lisa Hoffman