Lotus Aroma Ambiance Mists welcome nature into your home!

Lotus Aroma Ambiance Mist - 199ml - $16 - in 6 aromas: Cypress & Cinnamon - lively and spicy; Eucalyptus Globulus - soothes sore lungs, throat and sinuses; Lavandin Grosso & Grapefruit - calms and soothes; Sweet Orange & Mandarin - energizing; Pine & Balsam Fir - festive and comforting; Rose & Indian Geranium - romantic - that enhance the atmosphere of your home, office or even car with a 99.9% natural formula that allows the mist to gently clear the airways, drawing from the traditionally recognized attributes of essential oils and instantly cleanse and perfume the ambient air.

These are especially wonderful in the months when it's too cold to open up windows to get fresh air into the house - I am a big fan of the Sweet Orange & Mandarin - it smells like taking a trip to an orange grove!

Available at fine pharmacies and health food stores across Canada.

- Lisamarie -

Relax and unwind with Bleu Lavande!

Feeling stressed and looking for a natural way to unwind? The answer is lavender! The scent of lavender is incredibly soothing and calming - and now there is an easy way to get your lavender fix thanks to Bleu Lavande! With an extensive line of lavender products, they have everything from essential oils, to bath and body, to personal grooming products.

I have a new wonderfully relaxing bedtime routine that has me sleeping like a baby - starting with a warm bath with Bleu Lavande Foaming Bath, face cleansing with Bleu Lavande Cleaning Milk and then I slip into clean sheets that have been sprayed with:

Bleu Lavande Linen Water - 500ml - $25 - infuses all of your fabrics with the wonderful calming scent of lavender without staining or artificial fragrances. It's also wonderful on sheets and towels fresh from the drier - spray some on before folding and storing and you will not only have a wonderful smelling linen closet but the scent will linger and still be around when you go to use them.

It also comes in a 60ml size for $5 - making it perfect for travel to turn your Motel 6 into something more like the Ritz!

Best of all, it's a Canadian company, none of your money will be going to Trump!

Discover online at BleuLavande.com.

- Lisamarie -

Crabtree & Evelyn Secret Garden collection for the holidays!

Still searching for the perfect Christmas or hostess gift for a fragrance lover on your list? Then check out the Secret Garden collection at Crabtree and Evelyn - with pretty packaging and wonderful scents, they are sure to love it!

Some of my faves include:

Noel 3-Wick Fragranced Candle - $45 - with an estimated burn time of approximatly 35 hours, the scent is a blend of fresh balsams, persimmon and citrus fused with spicy star anise, clove and nutmeg, it's like burning Christmas (which kind of sounds bad when I say it like that but you know what I mean)!

Gilded Chestnut Home Fragrance Porcelain Diffuser - 180ml - $45 - looks as pretty as it smells with a blend of roasted chestnut, spices, autumn berries and whipped butter, combined with musk and a sweet cream accord along with notes of apple, pear and seasonal berries - that gently disburses throughout your home for up to 90 days.

Home Fragrance Room Spray - 100ml - $19 - available in both the Noel and Gilded Chestnut scents and offer a subtle infusion of scent to tranform any room with holiday atmosphere.

Available now at Crabtree & Evelyn stores across Canada.

- Lisamarie -

Zara Home hits Yorkdale!

You may recall me mentioning at the beginning of the month that Canada was finally getting our own Zara Home stores and last night I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the brand new Yorkdale store that opens today - it's big, bright and chock-full of everything you need to feather the perfect nest!

There's lots of amazing bedding - and I like how they display it on actual beds so you can see how the different pieces look together

And so many striking displays of towels, dishes and knick-knacks - that you have no idea where to look first!

And strangely, some of my fave finds were in the kid's section including: Peanuts...

Guinea Pigs dressed up as pirates...

and holy crap - Barbapapa! I freaking love Barbapapa!

Not to say that everything in the store is a winner, there is this creepy rabbit head thing that I am sure is going to give me nightmares...

- Lisamarie -

Zara Home is Canada bound!

Canadians will soon have the chance to dress their homes in Zara, just like they dress their bodies when Zara Home arrives in Canada, with the opening of two shops. The first, located at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, opens August 22 at the same time that the Canadian e-commerce site launches. The second store will open in Laval, Quebec at Carrefour Laval a week later on August 29th.

Canadian customers will now have access to all of the collections that define Zara Home including: bedding, table and bath linens; furniture; tablewear; cutlery; and other objects to decorate your home, as well as a homewear and a bath & body line - as well Zara Home Kids, which features designs for children. Just like the major fashion houses, Zara Home will present two collections each year, inspiring the design team to present ideas each season that are always on trend.

If you aren't in Toronto or Montreal you can still shop online and to celebrate the launches in Canada, all subscribers to www.zarahome.com will receive free shipping until September 30th.

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Fruits & Passion Pompelmo!

Knowing how much I love everything grapefruit it's hardly surprising that Fruits & Passion Pompelmo is one of my new favourite things!

Along with grapefruit it has accents of crisp green cucumber with refreshing pink lemonade - yum!

My big love from the line is the Hand Soap - 475ml - $20 - which comes in a textured glass bottle that can even be reused for something else because of the handy swing stopper it comes with or refilled with the 1L Soap Refill available for $28.50 - the soap is made with first cold press virgin olive oil and other plant extracts so not only does it smell great, it also boasts softening and revitalizing properties!

Also available in the Pompelmo line is:
Foaming Hand Soap - 300ml - $12
Regenerating Hand Cream - 60ml - $8
Fragrant Kitchen Mist - 100ml - $20
Decorative Diffuser Fragrance - 125ml - $12.50
Discovery Candle - 75g - $6

Pompelmo is available now until June 9th.

- Lisamarie -

Gift exchanges or stocking stuffers - you need gifts under $20! Here's some from mark. Nicole by OPI, TRESemmé and LUSH!

This is the week I dread - work gift exchanges, secret santas and last minute gifts for people that I wasn't expecting to get a gift from - you know what I mean - buying last minute gifts for people I just don't know that well!  Of course that makes it hard to get them something thoughtful and while I am tempted to just hand out boxes of chocolates and call it a day, I have come up with a few ideas that anyone on your list should be happy to get!


mark. comfy cozy home fragrance diffuser oil - 15ml x 2 - $16 - help them sweeten up their cubicle with the warm scent of vanilla.  Available from your Avon rep 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca

Olay Gift Set - $12.99 -  containing a Foaming Face Wash - 200ml, Refreshing Toner - 212ml and a face cloth - if you are lucky you can still find the set - if not you can pick up the products separately to slip in a stocking.  I think they're a great gift idea because they are suitable for all skin types and everyone knows and likes the Olay name - my mom hates it when I buy her "fancy" brands that she's never heard of before!

Nicole by OPI One Less Lonely Girl Collection - $10.99 - If you know anyone with Bieber Fever, these are the perfect gift (you would be surprised at how many 40 year old women like him so don't think just the tweens will appreciate them!)These weren't supposed to be in store until February but Shoppers Drug Mart is getting them early - shown are:
Give Me the First Dance - sexy silver
Me + Blue - metallic deep blue
Step 2 the Beat of My Heart - heart filled hue
One Less Lonely Glitter - pale purple
OMB! - metallic red
Surprisingly, nail polish is an easy gift to give, especially in funky colours - it's easy to tell if someone likes to wear polish or not!  Remember you will only find these at Shoppers now and everywhere else in February.

While you are at Shoppers, swing by the travel size section - you can fill up a small clear plastic makeup bag to give to people you know travel or go to the gym.  I like this gift idea because it's good for the guys too and you can spend as much or as little as you want and still get a decent amount of items.  I like these TRESemmé Moisture Rich Shampoo & Conditioner - 89ml - $1.59 each, oh and little deodorants are great too, unless it's someone in the office known to be smelly, then it just comes off kind of passive aggressive...

LUSH Secret Santa - $10.95 - this aptly named set contains a sweet orange-smelling Satsumo Santa bath bomb and an uplifting citrus-scented Snowcake Soap already wrapped up for you!

Handmade Lavender Eye Pillows - $20 - Toronto blogger and artist Alanna Banks hand crafts these eye pillows (among many other crafty items) from her home in her free time. Made with 100 per cent cotton fabrics in an assortment of colours and patterns, each eye pillow has a removable slip cover that is machine washable. Heat them up for added comfort or lay them over your eyes as is for a quick escape from the hectic holiday season. These would also be a great New Year's gift to help out with the hangover! Available exclusively from etsy, or by contacting Alanna at www.fridaysoff.ca.

- Lisamarie -

Upper Canada Soap introduces Eva & Ella - but not as a gift!

Let's get something straight right off the bat, just because I am posting this in December, does not mean that I think this is a good Christmas gift, let me make myself clear because I know there are a few guys out there that come here for gift ideas for their wives/girlfriends - BAD CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA - DO NOT BUY AS GIFT OR YOU WILL BE SLEEPING ON COUCH UNTIL NEW YEARS!

So why am I posting it?  It amuses me, this is the kind of home care line that I imagine someone like Martha Stewart would use (when she's not making her own out of leaves, twist ties and used tea bags), which means this is the kind of thing I will buy at the holidays if I think maybe my mother in law is going to stop by as a way of saying - "I know you think I'm not good enough for your son but look, I have really pretentious dish soap that you cannot buy at the grocery store!"  - I don't have issues at all!
Gift wise, I would also be fine with you giving this as a hostess or housewarming gift but I am drawing the line there...

This non-gift line is available in 4 scents: Cinnamon Orange - which sounds very holiday-ish, Herb Garden, Honey Tea and Chamomile Lavender
and the products available are: Hand Wash - 400ml - $12 - enriched with glycerin, aloe and Vitamin E
Hand Lotion - 400ml - $12 - enriched with shea butter, cocoa see butter, glycerin, aloe, olive oil and Vitamins E, C & A
Counter Spray - 500ml - $9 - contains tea tree and grapeseed extracts for antibacterial and odour eliminating and Dehypound Advanced, a safe non solvent cleaning agent that is environmentally friendly.
Liquid Dish Soap - 500ml - $9
Caddy Gift Set - 2 x 400ml - $25 - hand lotion and hand wash in a ceramic caddy.

Each product comes in a custom-designed ribbed bottle which resembles glass and is made with premium plant-based ingredients without the use of parabens, synthetic dyes, petroleum products or SLS.

You can find it at specialty gift shops and select department stores across North America.  For more info go to www.uppercanadasoap.com.

- Lisamarie (who does not have mother-in-law issues) -