NEST Fragrances Birchwood Pine 3-Wick Candle

As a rule, I dislike Christmas candles. I know I shouldn't generalize, but the smells of bayberry, synthetic evergreens, cinnamon, and other scents that "someone" associated with the holidays, gag me. Not so with NEST's beautiful Birchwood Pine. NEST sent me a Birchwood Pine 3-Wick Candle ($42) as a gift, and I plan to start burning it on Christmas Day. It's the closest thing to a real pine without the tree I've ever smelled.

Imagine the aroma of a majestic winter forest. NEST created it by blending white pine, fir balsam, and birchwood over a base of rich musk and amber. It is divine - and the packaging is elegant.

NEST's candles are made with a proprietary, highly refined cosmetic-grade wax that incorporates the same grade of waxes used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The wax is made of a blend of paraffin, soy, and natural oils creating a base that is super-clean burning and optimized for superior fragrance throw. The company's candles are all first class.

This year, I'll have a Christmas tree without the tree. My new candle will suffice. I'm thrilled!

You can purchase Birchwood Pine from NEST, at Neiman Marcus, and other luxury stores, such as Candles Off Main. If you order from NEST today, they will get one to you by Christmas Eve.

Photo courtesy of NEST Fragrances

NEST Fragrances PASSION Scented Candle, Supporting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

I'm not sure what initially attracted my attention: the exquisite color of the candle or a scented candle in the NEST display that I didn't recognize. I gave the "tester" a sniff, then I swooned.

After doing a little research, I learned that Laura Slatkin, Founder and CEO of NEST Fragrances, created the PASSION Scented Candle ($28) to honor the memory and the extraordinary achievements of Evelyn H. Lauder, Founder of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. As October, breast cancer awareness month approaches, the timing of PASSION's release was perfect.

Evelyn Lauder's passion and dedication to finding a cure for and preventing breast cancer by establishing The Breast Cancer Research Foundationare are legendary. Not only did she raise awareness of breast cancer globally, she also inspired leading scientists to study the disease by funding groundbreaking research at renowned medical centers worldwide. "I was inspired to create PASSION after hearing Evelyn’s husband Leonard lovingly announce his commitment to continuing her critically important work [after her death]. They were in this fight together, and NEST Fragrances is pleased to join them in their efforts by supporting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation with PASSION," said Laura Slatkin. NEST Fragrances is donating 10 percent of the retail price of each PASSION Candle purchased to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

PASSION combines the essences of blooming peony and dewy garden roses with warm sandalwood and a hint of flowering pittosporum, Evenlyn Lauder's beloved fragrance note. This peony is the real thing - so different from the many fragrances that claim to feature peony That's why I swooned with my first whiff. I was transported to a mid-May garden, with pink and white peonies scenting the air around them. I was so impressed, I walked around Neiman Marcus making all my friends experience PASSION. To a one, they all agreed it was divine.

I haven't purchased mine yet. I am waiting to see if the lunatics in Congress shut down the government. As soon as I know the coast is clear, I will be at Neiman Marcus or NEST's Web site with credit card in hand. It's so good, I may be "forced" to buy two - perhaps three since 10% will be donated to charity.

Photo courtesy of NEST Fragrances

Antica Farmacista Hotel Bel-Air Candle

An e-mail must be very special for me to place it here. Today's e-mail from Antica Farmacista was so special, I immediately called my Neiman Marcus sales associate, Kathy, to see if they've received the Hotel Bel-Air Candle ($42).

"Listen" to this.

A breathtaking fragrance that captures the magnificence of the gardens of the Hotel Bel-Air. Bright notes of tart lemon and cassis are accented by delicate floral highlights of jasmine, orange blossom, and lily of the valley. Sparkling water notes blend with the hotel's signature bougainvillea, evoking the lush floral splendor of the Hotel Bel-Air.

Having been to the Hotel Bel-Air and marveled at the glamour of the luscious gardens that have entertained Hollywood royalty, I must have this candle (preferably more than one - what if it were to sell out before I run out?).

I'm a candle addict. The owners of Art with Flowers, which sells luxury home and personal fragrances at Tysons Galleria, joke with me that I may have as many candles as they do. Scented candles (when placed safely) give me a feeling of luxury and peace of mind that is hard to match. Hmm, the word "match" just slipped out. No pun intended.

Anyone who reads Best Things in Beauty regularly knows that I live in perfumes graced by notes of jasmine, orange blossom, lily of the valley, and other white flowers - my weakness. Combine them with a whiff of citrus, and I'm intoxicated by the fragrance. That's what I'm expecting from Hotel Bel-Air, and I hope Antica Farmacista will follow the candle with a perfume soon.

Kathy doesn't think her Neiman Marcus store will receive the Hotel Bel-Air Candle (they carry Antica Farmacista, but not the candles [I'd change that if I were the buyer]). Perhaps I can find it at Nordstrom. I know that if my search doesn't yield it locally - really quickly - I'll be ordering online from Antica Farmacista. I need one (or maybe three).

Incidentally, if you do order from Antica Farmacista online, through December 7, you'll receive a complimentary 25 mls of Sandalwood Amber - unfortunately not my scent.

Photos courtesy of Antica Farmicista

NEST Fragrances - Tahiti Vanille and Pumpkin Chai Candles for Fall

I can't remember when I became a fragranced candle fanatic. It was a long time ago when I discovered the mood-altering properties of a great candle. Unlike air sprays or diffusers, candles bring the warmth of a flame that's comforting (as long as I'm in the same room). When I plan to park myself to read, watch television, write, or relax - stay in one spot - I love to burn a fragranced candle.

I have to admit that I collect them. Yes, I use them entirely, but I always keep a choice of fragranced candles at the ready - for myself and for gifts. I think they are lovely gifts and wonder why no one ever gives me candles. Maybe it's the cats. We do have to be careful that curious or frolicking kitties don't knock them over when they are burning.

NEST Fragrances, a leading luxury home fragrance company has added a new, fine vanilla fragrance, Tahiti Vanille ($32), to its FiFi Award-winning NEST Fragrances Collection. Debuting this fall, Tahiti Vanille joins other favorites Black Fig & Honey, Moroccan Amber, and Wild Oats & Bourbon in the company's sophisticated gourmand fragrance category. Gourmand fragrances are especially popular during the cooler fall and winter months because of their warm, reassuring, and comforting qualities. You can bring the kitchen to your bedroom without the crumbs!

“While traveling through the French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific last summer, I had the opportunity to visit a vanilla farm on the island of Tahaa,” said Laura Slatkin, founder and CEO of NEST Fragrances. “As I passed racks and racks of vanilla pods drying in the sun, the aroma was so alluring and intoxicating it inspired me to create a vanilla-scented candle, Tahiti Vanille.”

Slatkin took Tahitian vanilla bean, white chocolate, and cinnamon and blended them with caramel and a touch of white rum. The result is divine, with a scent that's literally scrumptious. With no one ingredient overpowering the others, it's a blend that telegraphs comfort. The candle definitely creates an "island ambiance," perfect for our transition from summer's glory to the autumn "nesting season." NEST sent mine to me, along with Pumpkin Chai (see below), and I've been burning Tahiti Vanille ever since. The Pumpkin Chai is waiting for cooler weather.

NEST's new Tahiti Vanille candle can be purchased exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and specialty stores nationwide beginning this month. I've seen it online (e.g., Candles off Main), but I haven't seen it on the shelves at Neiman Marcus yet.Pumpkin Chai ($32), with packaging evocative of falling leaves and Halloween, will create a cozy autumn ambience with a blend of wild pumpkin, spicy Masala chai, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. This special-edition candle is housed in a sophisticated brown translucent glass with a blush orange wax. Like all NEST candles, it would make a welcome hostess gift, if you could bear to part with it.

As long as you keep the wicks of NEST's candles trimmed to about 1/4 inch, the candles burn evenly and won't leave a grey residue on the glass container. The offer quality outside and in. They will burn for 50 hours, and in small increments, it takes me a long time to go through an entire candle. They are a great value.

Just in case you don't know, NEST Fragrances was founded and is owned by Laura Slatkin. NEST is a specialized home fragrance company that emerged from its parent company, Slatkin & Co., after an acquisition. I can't even count the number of Slatkin-developed candles I've purchased over the years.

Laura Slatkin has a long-standing reputation as a leader in the home fragrance industry and is well-known for her luxurious scented candles, room sprays, diffusers, and other essentials for rooms and environments. NEST’s client list currently includes more than 50 prestige companies in the fashion, beauty, and home fragrance industries - all of whom turned to NEST to develop their exclusive lines of home fragrance products.

In 2008, Laura launched her own home fragrance collection, NEST Fragrances, which won the 2009 FiFi Award for Interior Scent Collection of the Year. In 2010, Laura launched her second and third fragrance collections, Sprig Fragrances and Project Art by NEST Fragrances. NEST draws on decades of experience in the home fragrance industry with a special expertise in designing, developing, producing, distributing, and marketing home fragrance collections that capture each client’s unique brand image and style. For more information, visit NEST's Web site. NEST can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Photos courtesy of NEST Fragrances

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

I Love Chocolate - Candles to Delight

I used to turn down sweets, including chocolate. I was the salt queen! Then, I discovered Fran's Gray Salt Caramels ($24 for 20 pieces). I was sold! I order these divine treats from Fran's Chocolates in Seattle. I was eating them years before they became the hottest chocolate around because President Obama loves them.

These days, if you are a foodie, you know that you can find chocolate with salt just about anywhere. Recently, I bought chocolate-covered pretzel thins (very good). I credit Fran Bigelow with first capturing my attention. She has been credited with sparking the artisan chocolate renaissance in the United States and is considered one of the best chocolatiers in the nation. Her chocolates are divine.

By now you are thinking, "Where is she headed with this? What does this have to do with beauty?" Last weekend, I discovered Godiva's new Scented Candles ($22.50) at Nordstrom. Chris Coles asked it I had seen them, and when I said I hadn't, he led me right over to the display. Even without a match (or a burn permit), they were intoxicating. Burning, as one is now next to my computer, they are an unbelievable treat for chocoholics - and plain old candle lovers too.

I am burning White Chocolate Magnolia. Imagine the subtle scent of white chocolate mixed with the fragrant magnolia blossom, and you are there. These are deluxe and beautiful candles, with dark chocolate glass containers beautifully branded Godiva. They are made by Laura Slatkin for Godiva.

The candles are available in five sumptuous flavors: Milk Chocolate Truffle, Raspberry Ganache, Black Almond Truffle, White Chocolate Magnolia, and Peppermint Bark.

Want a treat without calories? Try one! You can find them at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bath & Body Works, and other stores, I'm sure.

Photo courtesy of Godiva