Daily Rituals: Essential Oils Set

Eight Saints Skincare “Daily Rituals” set

Customize your vibes. Morning, noon, and night and tap into the power of essential oils. Just in time for the holidays Eight Saints Skincare drops their Daily Ritual Essential Oils Set ($79), three unique essential oils for three parts of your day or mood.

Eight Saints Skincare products are all derived from the chosen “eight saints” including highly effective and proven skincare ingredients. These ingredients can also be found in their new aromatherapy products, made to boost circulation, reduce headaches, soothe anxiety, and help to fade scars and stretch marks.

The set include three scents:

WOKE UP LIKE THIS – Energizing notes of geranium, French lavender, a punch of jasmine and uplifting ylang ylang are meant to jumpstart your day, evoking feelings of peace, well-being, and self-confidence. You don’t need to be a morning person to have a good morning. This blend is also good for boosting circulation and reducing headaches when applied to pulse points. The Chamomile can be especially beneficial in helping calm anxiety when flying and Geranium acts natural mosquito repellant.

ISSA VIBE– Sometimes a day can get away from you… You’re vibin’ and suddenly you hit a wave of anxiety, a wave of unsteadiness. Take a moment to soothe and comfort your psyche. This blend mixes sophisticated, sweet, and woodsy varieties like balsam and sandalwood that counteract stress and help ground your mood. Vibe out the rest of the day, you got this. Tip: Apply before happy hour, why not improve everyone’s mood? For centuries sandalwood blends have been the preferred choice for meditation. Roll on palms and work through ends of hair for added shine and restored moisture.

NIGHTY NIGHT – WE MADE IT! Unwind and settle into the chill zone. Blended with calming lavender, frankincense, and comforting chamomile, this blend encourages relaxation and sweet, sweet dreams.

Bonus: We love this aromatherapy blend for PMS and cramps. Apply directly to painful, achy joints. Massage onto feet hitting various reflexology points.

Directions: Apply to temples, wrists, and behind ears. Additionally, Roll-ons work well when applied to pulse points like inner elbows, sides of the neck, or backs of knees. Keep in mind, these are not perfumes, so they won’t be strong and, even for aromatherapy scents, they’re on the subtle side, but the notes work with with one another and I can’t resist a good ylang ylang.

Price: $79

Eight Saints Skincare

The Perfect Gift for Mom, Sister, Wife… or Lover

More is More, a beautiful customizable fragrance by the always luxe and classic Judith Leiber

Talk about a special treat. The gift of this fragrance opened up a new designer door of culture for me. I’m talking about Judith Leiber. You’ve probably heard her name, if you haven’t been lucky enough to own one of her purses yet. They’re special – and special occasion – pieces, so you’ve likely looked longingly at one in a glass case as it sparkled under bright department store lights.

Like this kitschy beauty, which sells for around $5,900 at Bergdorf Goodman

I first heard of Judith Leiber over 30 years ago from my beautiful (and oh so classy aunt), Candace, who lived in the Hollywood Hills. She was married to a hot shot screenwriter who made it in the 1970s and 80s, so she knew all of the beautiful designers. Judith Leiber was already a classic by the time I was a kid. She was known for her beautifully crafted, intricately jeweled minaudières, evening purses made of a metal shell usually encrusted with Swarovski crystals, plated with silver or gold in fun designs like a peach, peacock, watermelon, cupcakes, or snakes.

One of many Judith Leiber masterpieces

And now her legacy lives on with the first daily customizable fragrance. Fashioned in a stunning sculpted perfume bottle adorned with Swarovski crystals, this isn’t your ordinary perfume. It’s a piece of olfactory heaven and a gem for the bathroom or vanity — just like her handbags.

With More is More you can choose from three separate scents that work together as one, depending on your mood or flavor that day. Just select from a sliding dial at the top to get More Gourmand, More Zest, or More Floral and create your own mix. It’s the perfect gift for the maximalist (or minimalist who likes variety) in your life.

How it Works!

FYI: Jerome di Marino, the nose behind the fragrance, loves combining More Gourmand with a touch of More Floral for an indulgent, sexy scent. So, yeah, this is pretty much the perfect gift for any woman in your life.

The legend herself, Judith Leiber

But perhaps the most fascinatingly beautiful thing about this brand is the origin story of survival… the woman herself, Judith Leiber aka. Judit Pető. While researching this piece, I learned that she fled Nazi Europe from Hungary, lived in a house with other refugees, and finally made it to America to find success and meet/marry her first and only husband of over 70 years. She was awarded the highest honors for design in her field, has a museum of her works, and, if all that isn’t impressive and interesting enough, she passed away just a few hours after her husband at the ripe old age of 97. Talk about a long, amazing life filled with survival, beauty, and art.

Looks gorgeous, smells great, feels good. Your mom or wife or girlfriend will thank me.

More is More by Judith Leiber

Aromatic Journeys: Awaken Your Senses

AQUA CANCUN

Stroll past two sparkling white Rolls Royce Phantoms through the sliding glass doors into paradise. Inlakesh. That’s how the staff of this ultra-chic Cancun resort greets you. In Mayan it means, “We are different faces of each other.” And this is what it means to ‘Feel AQUA.’ At peace and one with the environment. From the custom aromatic oils pumped throughout the hotel to Watsu treatments, Ashtanga Yoga, Regional Cooking Classes and your choice of two superb restaurants, Siete and MB, home to James Beard Winner, Michelle Bernstein’s stellar boite…

This certainly ain’t your parents run-of-the-mill Cancun resort. Think the W’s modish elegance meets Ritz-Carlton’s flawless service. Fans include the likes of Paris Hilton, Kim Cattrall, and… me. When they say awaken your senses, they truly mean it. Right down to a nightly choice, delivered straight to your room, of six aromatic oils blended specifically for the hotel.

http://www.feel-aqua.com

Intoxicating, sensual, and unique. Just like you. Sure, anyone who’s anyone knows about the Four Seasons Resort Maui, but do they also know about their brand-spankin’ new demi-blending scent analysis?

FOUR SEASONS RESORT MAUI at WAILEA

Through a discussion with your mélanger, along with an in-depth computerized test, personalized perfume sessions target elements of your personality and aspects of your health that directly affect the scents – and senses – you’re drawn to. Ajne Rare & Precious, the expert all-natural and organic essential oil perfumerie out of Carmel, California, is run by husband and wife duo, Jane Hendler and Rex Rombach, and Handler personally trains each mélanger at the Four Seasons Resort Maui to guide you during your prêt-à-porter fragrance consultation.

Hendler is one of the few accredited Certified Master Essential Oil Therapists in the nation and has been called the ‘Star Perfumer’ by US Weekly. Some of her clients have included Jessica Biel, Reese Witherspoon, Alanis Morrisette and Rob Lowe. In addition to owning their own lavender farm in Carmel Valley, Jane and Rex work with small growers from around the world to obtain the organic and sustainably-harvested fruit, flower, leaf, grass, wood, lichen, fungi and spice oils that Jane transforms into parfum, lotions and skin care preparations in her Carmel laboratory boutique. Hand-blending each formula to a customer’s specific needs, Handler also developed a signature scent for Four Seasons Resort Maui, Palena`ole, available at the Spa’s retail.

Custom blend and consultation from $250

http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/

So bring the sweet smell of vacation home with you.
OJAI VALLEY INN

Feel like a guided aromatic meditation? Might we recommend a personal aromatherapy session with Renate, the on-site Artist-in-Residence, at the Ojai Valley Inn’s Artist Cottage and Apothecary? This German beauty will guide your senses through a holistic journey of self-discovery in a variety of media, whether it’s pottery, painting, drawing, wreath-making, or, my personal favorite, scent. Allow for time alone or share the experience with your family and friends. I had the pleasure of being guided through an afternoon of aromatic self-discovery with my husband – who just happened to develop my current favorite anointment he lovingly called ‘Orchard Floor.’ It was the perfect experience to end a perfect birthday weekend. Each scent is composed of essential therapeutic oils which you can also introduce into lotions, gels and creams that will carry your own name. Also worth mentioning… The Personal Mandala class, another Signature Ojai Experience, recommended at times of transition or when seeking clarity. Quiet and introspective, with insightful feedback from your instructor, these sessions reveal a deeper meaning to what lies on the paper.

From $150

http://www.ojairesort.com