Twenty-five days of Christmas: Day #1

Coffee

I think the best memories I have of the holiday season include a warm beverage in hand. I, for one, skip the hot chocolate, mulled cider and chai tea and reach for a nice cup of coffee. Thankfully my family is exactly the same way.

I have tried dozens of coffees, blends, beans and brews, but I still profess that nothing beats my Nespresso. If you’re not familiar with this type of coffee — and you love the stuff — you should definitely go to your nearest Nespresso boutique or William-Sonoma and try some. You’ll be very impressed by the quality and taste of Nespresso coffee. And you’ll be even more impressed by the experience of using the machine.

The coffee is extracted (perfectly) from little pods (pictured below) that are inserted into a Nespresso machine. The result is a beautiful cup of coffee with thick crema and amazing flavour. I like drinking my espresso American-style so I usually use two pods per cup, but the pods can also be used for a wide variety of espresso-based drinks. There is virtually no wait time when extracting your espresso, the process is fail-proof and there is little-to-no clean up. What could be easier?

I know that some coffee purists love the technique involved in extracting their own perfect shot of espresso, but I only care about results, not aptitude. I love my Nespresso machine (I have the Essenza C100 —pictured above — if anyone is interested)! I’ve considered taking it with me when I travel.

In my humble opinion, a Nespresso machine would make a perfect Christmas gift for the coffee lover in your life. And it would also be the perfect addition to your own kitchen this holiday season — think of how nice it would be to offer your guests the best-quality espresso! If this sounds irresistible to you and you’d like to order one today, you’re in luck: Nespresso is running a family and friends sale (some of the discounts are quite good). Check it out at www.nespressofriendsandfamily.com Access Key: Dulsao1109, but hurry, the sale ends today (December 1)!

For more information about Nespresso, go to nespresso.com

I'm BA-ACK! And counting down the month before Christmas

If there is a time of year that I excel at, it’s Christmas. I love the music, the food, the shopping, the decorating — everything! It is November 25th now; that means we’re exactly one month away from the big day. So appropriately enough, I’m counting down the month before Christmas imparting my picks and advice for a perfect holiday season!

p.s. I apologize for my lengthy absence from the blogging world. I spent my last few weeks traveling around Western Canada visiting friends and family. I had a wonderful time, but now I’m ready to be-spoken again. xoxo

Fall's Coziest Fragrance: Fille En Aiguilles by Serge Lutens

The air has turned crisp. Without warning Toronto has gone from a mild-weathered haven to a chilly icebox. I’m certainly not complaining though — this is when my wardrobe shines. Out come my chunky knits, turtlenecks and scarves. I love it! This is also the perfect season to start thinking about trading in those summery coconut body sprays and light spritzy fragrances for something darker and more dramatic... a fragrance that can compete with your emerging wardrobe and the dropping temperatures. And I have the perfect suggestion: Fille En Aiguilles by Serge Lutens.

This new fragrance has been getting some heavy spray action around my place lately. Even my roommate — a person who doesn’t usually wear fragrance of any sort — can’t get enough. It’s very daring and unlike anything I’ve ever tried, but at the same time it’s extremely wearable and even addictive. The “juice” is a deep brown that promises to deliver an equally deeply scented vapour. As always, the slender rectangular Serge Lutens bottle is neither overtly feminine or masculine and begs to be displayed on a dressing table. The best way to describe Fille En Aiguilles, though, is to paint a picture:

Imagine Banff National Park on a crisp autumn afternoon. You take a walk into the forrest and light a bonfire (can you do that there?). The air is biting and fresh, and lets you to distill the fragrances around you: pine trees, sap, smoke, burning wood and the sweet smell of rotting leaves and earth. Now bottle it up and spritz that sense memory onto your wrists and there you'll have Fille En Aiguilles. Downtown Toronto will seem a little more like Muskoka; Calgary, a bit more like Banff; Edmonton, Jasper. You get the idea.

Translated literally (in Google Tranlate), Fille En Aiguilles means “girl with needles.” How perfect and whimsical! While this fragrance is quite masculine and works well for men, it would also be a very chic choice for a woman. I think it would suit a woman who is affectionately called a man’s name like Billie, or George or Freddy. Isn’t that so elegant? To be a really feminine, but have a man’s name? I, on the other hand, am a man with a feminine name. Not as alluring.

It is no secret that I’m a fragrance lover, and I find merit in many scents, even if I wouldn’t wear them. This is one fragrance that I will wear all winter. It just seems right. What are your fall/winter fragrances?


Fille En Aiguilles, 50mL, $110
Available at Andrew's in Toronto www.andrewsco.com
For more information about this an other Serge Lutens fragrances go to www.salons-shiseido.com 

Timex for a Good Cause!

I have a strange obsession with Timex watches. I’ve had it for several years now. Perhaps the seed was planted when I received one for Christmas when I was six — my mom wears it now. They make several styles that I'd gladly wear, especially the SL Series Automatic (which retails for only $275!):

While people may scoff at wrists donning affordably priced timepieces, I admire them. Timex makes some beautiful specimens and I strongly believe that wearing one is effortlessly and confidently chic. (To me, the true mark of a stylish person is one that makes original and unexpected choices and hits that balance between contrived and carefree.)

Style and opinion aside, here’s another reason to love Timex. Today only (September 28), when you vote for your favorite watch style the company will donate $1 to B.I.G. (Booby Innovation Grant), a fund created by the Boobyball — an annual fundraiser conceived of by The Society Girls Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakley — in support of Rethink Breast Cancer and young survivors. As many of you know, my nephew is a survivor of cancer, and we have to do everything we can to eradicate this disease. Go here to vote: www.timex.ca/boobyball

Don’t get me wrong, I’d throw my Timex over the Grand Canyon if someone offered me a Rolex. But here’s the thing: the Timex would still be ticking after plummeting to the ground. I like that! And I LOVE a good cause.

For more information about the Boobyball, go to www.boobyball.com 

Taboo Tabu

On my eternal quest for fragrance bliss, today I stopped by Shoppers Drugmart to try out some cheap perfumes (I believe that some of the classics drugstore scents can hold up to the expensive department stores ones). To prove this theory I figured I’d go try Tabu by Dana.

Tabu is known to be one of the best of the cheap scents. It recently won best mass-marketed fragrance on www.basenotes.net (which I LOVE!), but apparently not everyone feels the same way I do about this potentially wonderful scent.

As I perused the unlocked portion of the fragrance section, I noticed that while there were several boxes of Tabu, there was no tester. The saleslady — a relatively adorable middle aged woman who DEFINITELY shouldn’t be selling cosmetics — was busy ringing up a sale, so I picked up a Stetson, a couple Jovans and a few versions of Charlie to pass the time.

When the saleslady was free I asked her if she had a Tabu tester hiding somewhere. She said that they never have a Tabu tester available. I assumed that the scent was so good people couldn’t resist stealing it. She replied, “No it smells so awful we don’t want people spraying it.”

Now, do I trust this flaxen-haired middle-aged woman with missing teeth? Or do I continue the hunt for a Tabu I can spray? I also want to find an Old Spice, Tabu’s old-time fragrance partner in crime. Does anyone out there have a dirty little drugstore perfume habit?

Short'n'Chic: Greeting Cards by Cynthia

My friend Cynthia is a very talented scrapbooker who also makes amazing greeting cards! I’m currently obsessed with her latest creation:

Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? I love that it’s retro and whimsical while still being meaningful. Read more about Cynthia’s projects at her blog “Life, by Paper” (www.cyndnelson.blogspot.com).

Hallmark, watch out!

New Fragrance of Note — Vanilla & Anise by Jo Malone

Allow me to tell you a little secret: I often go to Holt Renfrew for no other reason than to spray myself with Jo Malone Cologne. I high-tail it past the innovative window displays, scoot past the Creed counter, and march past Kiehl’s... And while a bevy of irresistibly touchable Gucci and Marni bags beckon to my right, and racks and racks of Prada and Bamford & Sons suits are lined up to my left, I resist them all. When I need my fix of Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin or Sweet Lime & Cedar even the new shipment of Ralph Lauren ties needs to wait. There, I’ve said it. RALPH LAUREN takes a back seat when I want to smell good. Imagine my joy to learn that Jo Malone is adding another cologne to their already impressive collection. Introducing Vanilla & Anise.

Vanilla is one of the most important and valuable ingredients in the perfume industry; however, in the past few years it has been used in a dubious way. Instead of adding depth and exoticism to fragrances, the trend has been for perfumers to use vanilla the same way a baker would. The term “I could just eat you up” isn’t meant to be literal, is it? You shouldn’t really smell edible, should you? That shouldn’t be your thing... should it? Look what happened to Hansel and Gretel. While the aroma of marshmallows, chocolate bars and freshly baked cookies is delicious, it isn’t necessarily refined or elegant. Have you ever really respected someone who’s smelled like a sugar cookie? Keebler Elves are adorable, but you don’t want them to rebrand your business. Vanilla & Anise is a wildly heady and dramatic example of how vanilla could be (and should be) used.

Upon contact with the skin, Vanilla & Anise smells like nothing I’ve ever tried before. The licorice combination of star anise and wild fennel flower immediately pops, and then folds into layers of white flowers like oleander, tuberose and frangipani. All the while, the base of vanilla, amber and cloves opens up as it warms on the skin. The blend of vanilla and white flowers is really quite brilliant, actually. The vanilla adds a creamy lusciousness to the flowers, while the flowers make the vanilla more abstract and mysterious. The scent promises to transport you to the flowering valleys of Madagascar! While I’ve never had a chance to visit the island, I’m now convinced it smells divine.

Jo Malone is famous for creating deceptively simple scents that can be worn alone or layered with other colognes from the line. They call this process Fragrance Combining. Vanilla & Anise would be great in combination with a bright citrus like Grapefruit Cologne, or the earthy Vetyver Cologne. Of course, the sky is the limit. There are endless combinations that could appeal to you and provide you with a personalized scent. Jo Malone is also famous for inventing classic scents that are suitable for men and women, like the venerable Lime Basil & Mandarin. Vanilla & Anise is definitely not unisex (or at least not in my opinion). It is very feminine, luxurious and sensual.

Bottom line: I could see a very feminine woman of any age wearing this scent, either lightly (or in combination with citrus) during the day, or a little more boldly at night. It’s an exotic and confident blend that is very modern without being trendy. 

The breakdown: Top notes — Sicilian Bergamot, Tunisian Neroli, Wild Fennel, Star Anise. Middle notes — Oleander, Tuberose, Frangipani, Purple Vanilla Orchid. Base notes — Madagascar Clove, White Amber, Vetiver Bourbon, Vanilla Bourbon Absolute, Tonka

Vanilla & Anise Cologne 30 mL — $70

Vanilla & Anise Cologne 100 mL —$118

Available exclusively in Canada at Holt Renfrew (www.holtrenfrew.com),

and at www.jomalone.com