L'Eau Jolie by Lolita Lempicka

There is something about Lolita Lempicka's L'Eau Jolie that reminds me somehow of Laduree.

Maybe it the pretty packaging, the gold embossed letters, and the fact that it's French. Or maybe because there is something sweet and youthful about it, just like the face of L'Eau Jolie, the young actress Elle Fanning.

L'Eau Jolie is a fruity-floral Eau de Toilette that brings to mind a deliciously refreshing Peach Blossom-Blackcurrant sorbet. It's a scent that is appropriate for young teenage girls, but still appeals to girls my age.

The top note consists of Blackcurrant and Nashi Pear, sprinkled with violet leaf. A round bouquet then releases elegant notes of Neroli, Peony and Peach Blossom The base note is of Musk, Cedar and Sandalwood.

Plus, the bottle is divine! Shaped like an apple, it fits perfectly into the palm of my hand.

L'Eau Jolie comes in two sizes,  30 ml and 50 ml and should be available locally in your nearest department store.

Affordable Luxury #2: Cadentia Colognes

Rica de Jesus, better known as Heart to Heart online, loves colognes, and it was for this reason that she & her husband James brought in a line of eau de cologne products from France that are as sweet smelling as they are delightfully affordable!

Clockwise from L, Row 2: Nature Fraicheur Intense 250 ml, Nature Fraicheur Lavande 500 ml, Eau de Cologne bebe, Eau des Collines, Nature Anti-Moustiques

These scents are from Laboratoires Cadentia, a French company that has been developing colognes in Aubagne, at the heart of Provence, since 1945. 

Known for their fresh & timeless fragrances that evoke wellness, relaxation and health, they continue to do so today by  only selecting natural essences of fruits, flowers, herbs and essential oils in their purest forms.

I splash Nature Lavande after a bath on myself and Berry and I just love how the scent lingers.

When I bury my face in Berry's neck, I am pleasantly surprised by her sweet baby girl scent, never mind that she's sweaty from running around.

A bottle of Nature Anti-Moustiques is a mommy essential. This is a bug repellant at its finest.

I spray it on liberally because it's practically cologne, a fresh smelling one made with tea & citronella, that also happens to repel mosquitos.

At Php375 for a 250 ml bottle, it not only makes a wonderful gift, it's practical to have a bottle in every room at home so you can spray whenever, wherever to keep mosquitos at bay, and gets you ready for a hug, any time of day.

Cadentia Colognes are available at:
Rustan's Supermarket
Rustan's Flower Shop and More
Shopwise
Robinsons Supermarket
Saddlebrown Manila Polo Club and Rockwell Club
Mpulse Makati Medical Center
St. Lukes Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City
Online: seektheuniq.com

Nothing Like the Scent of CLEAN

Nothing captures the smell of clean, like CLEAN can.

Of all their scents, my favorite has to be Ultimate, followed by the Original. But CLEAN's new scent, Skin, forms my trifecta of CLEAN.

Skin is actually one of the brand's two new releases, the other one of which, is Rain.

"CLEAN Skin expands our vision of simple pleasures to the scent of pure warm skin you just want to hold, a powerful memory we all share", says Caroline Piper-Vogt, CEO of Fusion Brands, the company behind CLEAN Perfume.

The fragrance opens with light notes of lotus blossom and fresh air accord and evolves to reveal a heart of aquatic florals layered on top of a sheer white musk and hints of amber wood.

Rain on the other hand was "...inspired by those first pristine moments following a rain shower", says Harry Fremont, perfumer of CLEAN and creator of Rain.

This aquatic floral intertwines hints of bright daffodil, dewy melon, water lilies, daisies and a sheer musk.

Both scents have that fresh, innocent, unpretentious quality that CLEAN is known for, they make wonderful day scents. If you haven't gone CLEAN yet, then you really should make it part of your daily habit. Because there are days when you just want to smell, you know, clean.

CLEAN scents come in 60 ml (Php2,950) and and 30 ml (Php1,650) bottles and are available at Rustan's, The SM Store, Robinsons, Landmark and other leading department stores.

About CLEAN:

CLEAN was ahead of its time when it introduced their first fragrance in 2003. CLEAN dreamed of a different kind of perfume with a scent that was fresh and pure - inspired by a simple bar of soap. Ten years later, CLEAN's innovative scents evoke a sense of the simplest pleasures in life: Warm Cotton, Fresh Laundry, Skin and others. CLEAN products are made from high-performance ingredients, eco-conscious packaging and hypoallergenic formulas.

Daphne Home Scents at Bench & Dimensione

When I got home, I just had to open the package right away and use my Daphne Home Scent in mint jasmine

You know how sometimes finding a hostess gift can be such a chore? That's how I feel sometimes when I am pressured to come up with something for a friend who invites us to their home. We often end up bringing a bottle of wine or some yummy specially ordered dessert. But food & wine, they don't really last long enough to make an impression. The fun in it can be fleeting, if not forgettable. 

That's why when Daphne Osena-Paez launched her line of home scents at Dimensione on Bonifacio High Street, I knew I found myself a winner. Because scents don't just linger, they leave memories too.

The scents, which come in lavender, mint jasmine and homemade lemon tart simply smell divine, are prettily packaged (reminds me of Jo Malone scents, in that simple but striking clear glass bottle with a black cap) and are special and thoughtful enough to give to hosts as gifts for housewarmings, play dates, or as a little something extra during pot lucks. I think these make great presents for our children's teachers and tutors too, or for colleagues at work!

While you can never really go wrong with any of these three scents "or flavors" as Berry calls it, if you are worried about choosing the right scent as a present, my suggestion is - simply get all three! At Php348 a bottle, you've got something that will surely please, at just a little over Php1000.

Meanwhile, for all of us especially, who read Daphne's blog, you may be well aware that she started her eponymous furniture line sometime back. Her first piece, which also debuted at Dimensione, is a range of chairs fashioned from farmed mahogany wood. Considered her signature piece, the Daphne chair is "whimsical yet rooted in practicality".

Apart from the red, white and blue you see above, the Daphne chair comes in an array of ice cream colors, like yellow, pink and lavender, as well basic black.

Daphne Home Scents retail at Php348 each and are available at Dimensione stores and selected Bench stores nationwide. Daphne chairs are available at Dimensione.