Memorial Day - May 30th
Today our country pauses to honor the men and women who have died in military service to our country. Laying down their lives for our freedom.

Hawaiians call this Puwaina, the Hill of Sacrifice, more commonly known as the Punchbowl. This is the National Cemetery of the Pacific, is the final resting place for veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War.

Thanks to all who are currently serving and to those who have served! Our hearts remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. And to their families left behind, we will never forget.
Photo: Bill Dasher

Watch the Memorial Day Lantern Floating Tribute from Oahu online. Get details and full article by Hawai'i Magazine.com by clicking on the picture below:


Photo: David Hume Kennerly

Happy Easter Everyone!

Saying Goodbye - Elizabeth Taylor

Indeed it is a sad day for me. How odd to think that someone I never met could feel like family, and the loss there of to feel so deep. I always fancied running in to her some day in LA, not sure when or where I thought this was going to happen. Yet I vividly created the scene in my mind. I would say, "Oh Liz I am such a big fan and have been though the years. We share the same birthday, you know. And wherever someone wishes me happy birthday, I always say ... and Liz Taylor too". And she would smile and say, "Well aren't you sweet" and give me a hug and say, "Happy birthday to you too".

Aside from our birthday, I always felt a deep connection to her, again I can't say why. Maybe it was just a deep admiration. Yes I am a fan, but I haven't seen all her movies, nor do I know all her husbands, but I do know her. I know her passion, I know her humor, I know her love of animals and I know her compassion towards people. I deeply admire that she stood up to Hollywood, spoke out on issues that were close to her heart.

I will truly miss her, and will remember her always.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

Review: Jennifer Aniston - Signature Scent

Well I'm not a fan of "celebrity" scents, but now and again a few do get it right. Jennifer Aniston's signature scent is one I can live with, perhaps even love. Strangely enough, debuting first at Harrods in London, now through late March exclusive to Sephora.

I'm not particularly a "fan" of Jennifer's and her semi-nude sliding cover pic went quickly to the trash bin. Sorry. But the rest of the packaging is elegant. The box is a thick ivory cardboard presentation type case that opens along a wavy line to reveal the falcon. With its thick top resembling crystal it does look nice with the pale yellow juice and gold accents. Branding is only on the neck collar so the look is clean and minimalistic.

Now to the scent - I love violet scents. Make it a powdery violet, throw in some amber and musk and I'm in love. The addition of sandalwood keeps it soft. The jasmine is prominent on the drydown with the lily making a bit sweeter. Not detecting rose water nor am I sure where the citrus grove accord is. I don't detect citrus or fruit here, which is a good thing. It does have a beachy feel, but there's no coconut-suntan-lotion thing either, it's just clean and soapy.

As I said it's rare for me to endorse a celebrity scent, so if you love powdery, soapy and violets give this a whiff. If the top notes don't get you, the jasmine, amber, musk, sandalwood base just might.

Notes:
Citrus Grove Accord, Rose Water, Jasmine, Violet, Amazon Lily, Musk, Amber, Sandalwood.

Available for now at: SEPHORA

A New Beginning

Well I guess it's time I added a new post. Things have been busy and not busy, yet time flies. Since January I have stopped working, which still feels a bit surreal. Unfortunately I have a shoulder injury that is prohibiting me from really relaxing and enjoying my pursuits. Time spent on the computer is tiring and therefor I have withdrawn a bit. Quite ironic really as I had anticipated spending even more time here on my blog and on my Fragrance and Tea forums.

Time will tell what routine I settle into. For now it is feeling very much like an extended vacation. Not being a morning person at all, I have enjoyed the luxury of sleep, when my shoulder will allow.

One bit of news: I have been exploring journaling which has reignited my love of Fountain Pens. I have always loved them and feel so much more inspired when using one. J. Herbin has an incredible line of scented inks called Les Subtiles. I am using violet(of course) which is sweet violet scent as well as a divine color.

What else would you expect from a fragrance lover?

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Thank You to all Veterans

When Worlds Collide

Those that know me well, know I have two great passions in life; Fragrance and Tea. Maybe to be more descriptive, I should say two great preoccupations. For most things I pursue in life ... I pursue with passion.

To be fair I have much more passion for life and my family and God, but I do pursue my hobbies with a driving passion. A passion that divides my time and pulls me each from the other. But sometimes ... sometimes there is an entanglement; a beautiful entwining of the two.

Such as happened recently with one of my favorite tea vendors and blogger: Stéphane from Tea Masters Blog. When placing an order for some of the premium oolong he sells, the talk turned to fragrances. Stéphane had noticed my blog and offered me a very special tasting, a wonderful sample of orchid oolong. This tea had been especially made for the premiere of a Guerlain event showcasing their Orchidée Impériale. The tea, a premium oolong, had been infused with orchids.

What a kind gesture and a truly unexpected treat to have the opportunity to taste this lovely tea. Guerlain has always been my favorite house and Taiwanese oolong my favorite tea. The anticipation of receiving this rare sample was so exciting, something only a fragrance lover could understand.

When I prepared this tea, there at that very moment in my cup, my two worlds collided; the enduring and driving passion for fragrance and my ongoing pursuit and love of tea, combined in one swirling golden cup of delicately scented liquor. As I enjoyed this simple pleasure, this extremely well crafted tea tenderly infused with flowers, I felt perfect bliss. A decadent indulgence of my two loves. It was truly a lovely cup and one I will always remember.

Thanks again Stéphane.

Guerlain - Idylle

Such a beautiful bottle and lovely video with Thierry Wasser:

We remember ...

Provence Shop.com

- 10% OFF on ALL FRAGONARD PRODUCTS -
(Offer ends on Labor Day 2010)

Check out the Parfum Luxe Edition bottles:



Find other Fragonard favorites here:
Provence-shop.com

Point a la Ligne Eiffel Tower Candle

Happy Independence Day - USA!

Hello New Perfume of Life!

Wow, the new Perfume of Life board is just great. Vibrant and edgy with lots of customization, a new Instant Message Chat on the front page, a whole new look with rotating backgrounds. In addition to the [TALK] Chat side, there is a great new [SHOP] Shopping side, where fragrances can be bought and sold and even auctioned! Exciting stuff.

Although I have been not as active as I would have liked to be, I still have a great love of fragrances and many friends I have met along the way. It really feels good to be back among friends.

For me this is my third PoL board, and I am really excited to be a part of the unveiling! Thank you all my fellow mods (Volunteer Community Hosts) and congratulations to the newly created Counselor positions. Three new Counselors: FiveoaksBouquet, rockinruby and susanwinters. Thanks to our board owner Jeffrey Dame, for all the hard work and the drive to create for us this great new forum.

Memorial Day - May 31st
Today our country pauses to honor the men and women who have died in military service to our country. Laying down their lives for our freedom.

Hawaiians call this Puwaina, the Hill of Sacrifice, more commonly known as the Punchbowl. This is the National Cemetery of the Pacific, is the final resting place for veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War.

Thanks to all who are currently serving and to those who have served! Our hearts remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. And to their families left behind, we will never forget.

Photo: Bill Dasher

Happy Easter!

Wishing you all a Happy Easter,
Victoria

Credit: Webshots: janruss316

~ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ~

~ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ~

May put on something GREEN to wear.
Wear your favorite GREEN fragrance.
Have a spot of GREEN Tea!