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

Lisa Hoffman Spa Bath Collection

I spent Sunday 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 Spa Bath treatment.

I love my weekend baths. They are my relaxing retreat from the work week and my way to banish anxiety. It was with great anticipation that I used Lisa Hoffman's Spa Bath Treatment Packette ($9.95), a set of five numbered, resealable ampules - a complete bath-care regimen - as easy as one through five.

Lisa Hoffman Beauty had sent me this set to try. I wish I had had such a luxurious spa experience when I was traveling twice a week for work. Those nights in the hotel could have been a lot more pleasant. The packette set is as perfect for travel as it gets! It's light in weight and small in footprint, so you can tuck it away in your luggage with no fear that the securely sealed packettes will leak.

The Lisa Hoffman Spa Bath Soak ($37 for the full-sized Spa Bath product) turned my bath water into an oasis. As I poured the contents of the ampule into my running bath water, I was instantly refreshed by a clean, fresh fragrance that I later learned has notes of jasmine, orange, and bergamot. I love anything orange and jasmine! As I immersed myself in the warm water, I was wowed by how deliciously scented and perfectly frothy the Bath Soak had made it. Within seconds, I realized my bath water was softening too.

There must a lot of other Bath Soak fans because Allure awarded it a Best of Beauty Award in 2008 and 2009. I relaxed in my bath for about 10 minutes before I got motivated to move on to the next treatment! My furry friend, who likes to sit on the edge of the tub when I bathe, left during my long soak. I guess he decided he couldn't guard me for the duration!

Next up in my personal spa bath treatment was Lisa Hoffman Spa Body Wash ($27.50). Scented with the same revitalizing fragrance, the Body Wash is a creamy, thick, and highly moisturizing cleanser that leaves skin clean, smooth, and hydrated. The Body Wash is created with natural ingredients that are harvested from rain forests in a sustainable manner - which made me feel good in two ways. The ingredients nourished and moisturized my skin, leaving it super-soft and smelling great. The idea of a sustainable harvest appealed to my desire to save the earth!

As if it couldn't get better, it did! I scrubbed off my dry, flaky winter skin with Lisa Hoffman Spa Body Polisher ($40). The crushed bamboo actually felt good, which is more than you can say for many scrubs. When I finished scrubbing my legs, arms, feet, and chest, I had noticeably smoother skin. Impressive!

After lingering in my divine bath for just a few more minutes, I climbed out and slathered my body with Lisa Hoffman Spa Body Cream ($52). Once again, I was treated to the lush fragrance of jasmine, orange, and bergamot. The lightweight cream, rich with botanicals such as orchid flower extract, honey extract, and star fruit extract, made me soft and comfy. The Body Cream is nourishing, protective, and moisturizing. While my body felt smooth after using the Body Polisher during my bath, it felt like baby's skin after I applied the Body Cream.

My last spa bath treatment may have been the most surprising. I massaged Lisa Hoffman Spa Hand and Foot Butter ($35.50) into my poor, extremely dry feet. The self-massage with the rich, shea butter-based cream made my feet feel loved. Shea butter and other botanicals moisturize and soften, while acai and grape seed oil supply antioxidant protection to feet and hands. The Hand and Foot Butter is ideal for banishing callouses and flaky skin. The butter was so rich, I didn't want to lose a second of its healing effects, so I put on a pair of white cotton socks to hold the cream onto my feet. I wore them until bed (about eight hours), and when I removed the socks, my feet were more hydrated than they had been since summer. They were soft and happy feet! So I massaged more Hand and Foot Butter into my feet (and hands too) before I tucked in for the night.

I don't want my feet to smell like Altoids - I want them to smell good! As the 20-somethings would say, "Lisa Hoffman's Hand and Foot Butter is the bomb!" When I went to sleep with my feet and hands wrapped in Lisa's fragrance, my mind wandered to flower-laden, warmer climes, and I relaxed.

My "Lisa Hoffman Day" was heavenly. We all deserve to be pampered, but we don't always take the time or spend the money to go to a spa. You can have your own spa treatment at home for only $9.95 with the Spa Bath Packette. Now that I've experienced the instant effectiveness of Lisa Hoffman's products, I'll be investing in the full sizes of each. I work hard; I deserve it!

Just one more thing: A portion of Lisa Hoffman's sales are donated to The Rainforest Foundation. I like that!

You can find Lisa Hoffman's Spa Collection at Lisa Hoffman's Web site and other online sources. Just Google Lisa Hoffman! You'll be happy you did.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Hoffman