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Introducing... The Little Sister to the Scentport!

I'm one of those people who is super paranoid about her house smelling like crap.  I mean, yes, I have animals and a husband who doesn't shower as often as he should, so really it's no surprise I have developed this paranoia.  The best way to combat any horrific odors is to have every room in the house have its own wall plug (it's quite the project making sure the scents all compliment each other).  I fell in love with the Scentport from Bath and Body Works for its great collection of scents and for its nice price tag, especially when you have coupons and they're having one of their big sales!  When I recently begun to be paranoid about my car smelling awful (once again, animals and stinky husband), I went on a search for the perfect way to make my car smell fantastic and I am happy to report I found it!  The little sister to the Scentport - Scentportable - only costs $5.00 and comes in four delicious fragrances.  My absolute fave (thus far) is Pineapple Mango, which makes the inside of my Pontiac Grand Am smell like a tropical beach (unfortunately without the lifeguards or the Pina Coladas).  But I will say my journey to and from work every day is a lot happier as I sniff in the deliciousness of pineapple and mango.  While you'll have to replace your Scentportable after a few weeks (the scent goes away within about three weeks), at $5.00 you don't mind purchasing a refill.  Even if you don't have animals and an unclean husband, you'll still love the Scentportable. 

Photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works

Reed All About It

I think by now my love of candles has been well documented here. And my love of fragrance oils. And, uhm, wallflowers and plug-ins. (You'd think my apartment was built over a sewer from the amount of scented products I have in it). But for some reason, I haven't yet discussed my love for another option in home fragrance - the reed diffuser. There are a lot of different brands of these, but the one I find myself buying the most is Yankee Candle. Linens N' Things carries them in a wide variety of scents and if you buy them there, you can use those 20% off coupons that come in the mail to lower the price to only $16 (they're normally $20). And that'll help you get all of their coupons off your kitchen table - seriously, Linens N' Things has replaced those free AOL CD's as the type of unsolicited mail I get the most. Not that I'm complaining because God knows I love a good coupon, but it's at the point where even I am shocked when I open my mailbox and find another one. Anyway, back to the diffusers. Basically, they're just a jar of scented liquid that you put the reeds (which come with it) in and then they distribute the fragrance into the air. It's a nice change from a candle because it's always working, so you can smell it the second you walk in the door. Plus, since there's no open flame, there's zero chance that you'll burn your house down when you get a sudden craving for Coldstone Creamery and accidentally leave without blowing out your candle. (What? It could happen. I once saw a news report about a hot plate that took out an entire neighborhood). And the diffusers last for a long time - it takes a good couple of months for the liquid to run out, so they're more cost effective than candles too. The only drawback I could find is that the diffusers work best in smaller rooms that allow the scent to be contained, so I wouldn't recommend using them for, say, your palatial Malibu beach house. Although I guess if you can afford one of those, you probably wouldn't mind shelling out for more than one diffuser in every room either. Just a hunch...

Comfort is a Terry Robe

I adore the Clean. Fresh. Pure. line of candles at Bath and Body Works.  The Terry Robe one, which I just got half off, smells just like freshly laundered clothes.  It burns evenly and fills the room with its wonderful aroma.  The scent actually makes me picture myself wrapped in a big white robe in a relaxing spa when suddently two gorgeous men with perfect physiques come into the room and beg me to let them rub me down.  Sigh.  I really need to get out more.

Fresh Lemonade for Summer!

It wouldn't be the start of summer if I wasn't constantly craving a comedically large glass of lemonade every day.  There's something so fresh and summery about the beverage - even just the thought of it brings a smile to my face.  When I stumbled (I use that word as if I was drunk when really I was just jonesing for products) into Bath and Body Works and found their new Fresh Lemonade Wallflowers were half off!  Just imagine my luck!  I bought a few boxes and immediately plugged one in upon my return home.  I am not sure how they did it, but my office smells like lemonade.  It's not lemony (like a household cleaner) but more like freshly-washed linens spritzed with lemon (if that visual does anything for you).  The scent is strong enough to fill the room but doesn't overpower me sitting in it.  Also, incredibly enough, the Wallflower covers the cat litter box!  Fresh Lemonade is more than a sweet-smelling calorie-free treat, it's also a lifesaver from nasty cat urine.  Once again Bath and Body Works has come through for me in a monster way.

Ring in the fragrance!

The new Aroma Ring by Method is, for lack of a better word, awesome!  It's very space-age looking and packs a real punch of fragrance.  The bonus is it's mess, fire and plug free.  My mom has always been paranoid about leaving fragrances plugged into the wall (yes, she's one of THOSE people), so this is the perfect alternative.  As I type, my little disk is working overtime right here on my desk, pumping out the sweet fragrance of vanilla apple.  Delicious.  The fragrance fills the room completely.  Pretty amazing considering the disk is so itty-bitty.  Sometimes small packages really come through in a big way.  Take your own sexual innuendos out of that one.

Sticks That Smell Like Vanilla

Today when I stepped off the elevator at my work all I could smell was delicious  butter cookies.  I followed the scent (because I'm also a food whore) and found out that one of my co-workers who, in fact, sits no where near the elevator had a Vanilla Buttercream Reed Diffuser from Pier One on her desk.  This thing is absolutely amazing!  The scent is wonderfully strong and smells just like fresh-baked cookies.  If it can fill almost an entire floor of our huge office building, just imagine what it can do to your home!  I am counting down the minutes until I'm off work and can run immediately to my nearest Pier One to buy one.  It's $12.00 and comes in variety of deliciously-delightful scents.

Cinnamon Pumpkin is so sweet

Because today is Thanksgiving, I have decided to give thanks to my very good friend Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Wallflower.  Although she has a very long name – I suppose her last name would be “Wallflower” – she is a friend that everyone should have on this day to give thanks to.  She smells fantastic.  How many friends do you know that you could actually say that about?   She smells like a warm pumpkin pie just out of the oven that you sprinkled cinnamon all over.  Delicious!  She also manages to fill the entire room with her sweet, sweet aroma.  And while most friends have a limit as far as how much time you want them in your house, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Wallflower sticks around for weeks and you’ll be happy she does.  The one drawback to Ms. Wallflower is, well, much like a good Russian bride, she can only be purchased on the internet.  Oh, and she has a sister Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Lotion (who apparently is already married and changed her last name).  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Cleaning up just got more festive

Who the heck longs to clean a dirty kitchen countertop, right?  Well, Method just came out with a new line of holiday scented cleaners that actually make me want to mess up my kitchen.  The vanilla peppermint is my favorite – smells so yummy I have to stop myself from licking the counter.  I hear it’s not advisable to ingest cleansers for some reason.  The three new scents (vanilla peppermint, frosted cranberry and spiced pear) come in adorably festive bottles and of course, come with matching hand soaps, candles and fragrance reeds.  Method is my hero because they force me to not live like a pig.   If they could only convince me to clean my closet or make my bed everyday.

my very own gingerbread house

Now that the holidays are fast approaching I am reminded of all my childhood delights – the creepy Santa at the mall, overabundance of candy canes, fresh scent of pine trees and gingerbread cookies!  What better way to bring in the season two months too early than burning The Body Shop’s Gingerbread home fragrance oil.  Nothing says “We are not the generation of bakers and home-makers” than lighting up the tealight to scent my house with gingerbread-y goodness.  It’s a really great scent and it definitely fills the room and lasts for hours.  Plus, why stop with just the limited edition Gingerbread when they have numerous other holiday scents hitting the shelves as we speak.  Also, at the price of 3 for $16.00, you can’t pass up buying three of your favorite scents (for you math-a-phobes, it’s like getting one fragrance oil for FREE).  But you better get your butts to The Body Shop soon while this promotion is happening and before that creepy Santa sets up shop nearby.  If they hired a cute Santa I would stand in the ridiculous long line of crying children just to sit in his lap for a minute.  Does that make me pathetic?  Yes, I believe it does.

Smells of Baking without the actual Hassle of baking

If you love the amazing smell of fresh cookies baking in the oven, but can’t be bothered with actually doing the baking, you have got to check out the newest room spray by Febreze.  Adorably named “Vanilla & Baking”, this limited edition (yes, this means GET OUT THERE AND BUY IT NOW) Air Effects smells exactly like cookies in an oven.  Delish!  I’ve been spraying it all over my house like a crazy person.  While the scent of a candle would technically last longer, using the Air Effects will reduce the chance of a dog tail, or drunk person, carelessly knocking over a fiery disaster waiting to happen.  I will say, however, using Baking & Vanilla in the bathroom is just odd.  Believe me, I tried it.  Fresh baked cookies doesn’t translate well to bathrooms apparently.