Ambre Blends Invoke Gift Set Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to WaftbyCarol! She won this fabulous gift set.

Imagine intoxicating fragrances, aromatherapy treats, that are made with 100% natural ingredients to scent your world, soothe your mind, and protect your well-being - fragrances that are clean, but also seductive and addictive. If you can summon that image, you have captured the heart and soul of Ambre Blends. Even if you can't visualize these transporting scents, you can see, hold, and smell the Ambre Blends line. When I wrote about Ambre Blends a few weeks ago, the generous folks at Ambre Blends donated an Invoke Gift Set for this week's giveaway contest. If you didn't read my feature, just click on this link to open it. Once you read it, you are going to want this wonderful set! I do.

Ambre Blends products are currently available in three delicate, all-natural scents: Ambre, Solace, and Invoke. In all three, amber oil, the key ingredient, is blended with other 100% pure essential natural oils. Invoke may be my favorite. Invoke builds on the amber essence by adding a stimulating blend of pure jasmine, neroli, sandalwood, and a hint of rose. It evokes the scent of spring blooms kissed by the warmth of the sun. The soft warmth of the amber makes it an unusual floral, which will team with your own chemistry to make the scent your own.

If you are the lucky winner, you will receive these lovely items in the Invoke Gift Set ($70).

• Invoke Essence (roll-on)
  
• Invoke Spritzer
• Ambre Blends Sample Bag of All Three Essences
  

How can you enter to win? Just leave a comment here once. After you comment, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment).

You can "earn" a second entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and "@AmbreBlends" in your tweet. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. You can earn a third entry by following the blog - either here or on Twitter (any entrant who is already a follower will automatically earn the follower point, but you can save me time by telling me you're a follower in your comment). I can't track followers through a third-party service, so you need to be on Google's list for me to verify the entry.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, March 12, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. Everyone has an equal chance! I will e-mail the winner at that time. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Ambre Blends

Ambre Blends - 100% Pure, Natural Fragrances

Imagine intoxicating fragrances, aromatherapy treats, that are made with 100% natural ingredients to scent your world, soothe your mind, and protect your well-being - fragrances that are clean, but also seductive and addictive. If you can summon that image, you have captured the heart and soul of Ambre Blends. Even if you can't visualize these transporting scents, you can see, hold, and smell the Ambre Blends line, which has joined my current favorites list.

The company Ambre Blends was created by Ambre Ashley in Indianapolis 10 years ago and has grown into a nationally distributed product line. Why had I never heard about it before the company contacted me? Somehow I missed these special fragrances, sold in high-end salons, spas, and boutiques throughout the country. I want to make sure you don't miss them! They are that special - and unique.

Amber essence is the common ingredient in each of Ambre Blends' products. This is amber as it should be, soft and intoxicating. The shrill amber that is incorporated in many "commercial" fragrances today is nothing like the amber used by Ambre Blends. The company sources its amber from a seventh-generation company in India (and you may know that amber is a resin from the base of trees). The amber used by Ambre Blends is special; it's light and clean. It integrates with one’s natural body chemistry and is activated by body heat to produce a unique and individual aroma - your own custom fragrance.

Ambre Blends products are currently available in three delicate, all-natural scents. In all three, amber oil, the key ingredient, is blended with other 100% pure essential natural oils. Ambre Blends says it is likely, as with most oil-based fragrances, that your sense of smell will become accustomed to the scent, which means that after wearing it for some time, the scent becomes a part of you. You might not smell it on yourself, but others will smell it on you. I have found that I can always smell it on my skin - and since I love it, that's a treat.

There are three scents: Solace, Invoke, and Amber. Each scent is available in the pure essence oil, body cream, spritzer, olive oil soap, and pure soy candle. Solace infuses the amber essence with a sensuous vanilla blend, interwoven with a "rare special ingredient," an Indian spice. I don't know what its special ingredient is, but it's heavenly. Solace was created to comfort and attract.

Invoke builds on the amber essence by adding a stimulating blend of pure jasmine, neroli, sandalwood, and a hint of rose. It evokes the scent of spring blooms kissed by the warmth of the sun. It's an unusual floral, with the soft warmth of the amber, but gorgeous. I can't decide whether I like Invoke or Solace the most. They are both lovely. I may be leaning toward Invoke because I'm a floral gal.

Ambre Essence is the original blend. It carries a sensual aroma that's like bottled sunshine. It's the base of all the products, so you essentially get it in Solace and Invoke. If you want your amber unadulterated by other oils, this one's for you. There is one other secret ingredient, but "we're not telling."

Ambre Blends sent me a sample of their products, and I was captivated the moment they arrived. I selected Solace to try first - not sure why I would do that since the notes of Invoke are my kind of fragrance notes. I used the Solace Body Cream first and swooned. I'm not a big fan of vanilla overloads, but the touch of vanilla in Solace is comfortable. You know that men love vanilla fragrances, right? Solace is actually relaxing, except that my nose won't stay away from it. After I "learned" Solace, I tried a sample of Invoke and fell in love again. I tried the Invoke bar soap and found it the perfect before-bed scent to stop my mind from racing.

I'm wearing both Solace and Invoke on my arms now (one on left, one on right). It has been about six hours since I applied them, and they are still vividly aromatic. I think they dry down to Ambre Essence, the base notes at some point. Right now, they are virtually indistinguishable to my nose. I could smell a distinct difference, however, when the top notes were fresh.

I had a delightful conversation with Ambre Blends' director of sales and learned that their fragrances are the only fragrances she knows that are universally loved (and worn) by men and women, young and old. People stop her in the grocery line to compliment her 10 hours after she had applied her fragrance. Now that's a special fragrance!

Want to try Ambre Blends? You can find the products at their Web site. For locations of retailers carrying the scents, click on this link. There's one near my workplace! We may even do a giveaway soon, thanks to the generosity of Ambre Blends.

Photo courtesy of Ambre Blends