Romy Raves

Unless you live under a rock, most of you are familiar with the wildly successful transformational book by Elizabeth Gilbert Eat Pray Love. This is an inspirational memoir about one women’s journey to change her life by traveling to three countries that represent different aspects and obstacles in her life. If you haven’t read it, I highly rec that you do!

First, of course, she visited Italy, a country all about the pursuit of pleasure, especially transcendental Italian food. Next, was India which focused on her inward spiritual journey; and last was Bali, a beautiful country that helped her focus on her discovery of finding true love. I LOVED this book because it really moved me and made me think about being true to yourself and your passions, no matter what life puts in your way. It was one of those memorable, wake-up call kind of books and I will never forget it!

About a week ago, the movie version of Eat Prat Love came out, starring the beautiful Julia Roberts, and Fresh was kind enough to invite me as a guest to an advanced screening of this much anticipated movie. I was super excited to see this movie, since I loved the book so much and I must admit I was a bit disappointed While Julia was great as usual and they did an excellent job capturing the imagery and distinct flavor of each country (I especially loved Richard Jenkins portrayal of Richard from Texas-perfection!), it just suffered by comparison to the book. For me, the book was so inspirational, transformational and profound, but the movie just did not deliver that impact. It didn’t move me in an emotional way, but it did entertain me.

In tandem with the release of this movie, one of my favorite brands Fresh launched an inspired limited edition collection of fragrances called Eat Pray Love to echo the imagery and sensory experiences of each of these countries. These yummy smelling creations have definitely ‘wowed’ me!

EAT Eau de Parfum is a sweet effervescent scent inspired by Gilbert’s travels through Italy. It is reminiscent of those addictive Italian desserts and sensual wines. The top notes are bright Italian lemon, basil and bergamont; these are enhanced by fruity and floral middle notes of plum, red currant, and rose;  which are balanced by the yummy and creamy base notes of caramel, meringue, and vanilla. The sensory journey of EAT reminds you of the rich and creamy textures of an Italian cannoli or a tiramisu dessert topped off with sparkling glass of Prosecco and Limoncello. This is by far my favorite  fragrance in the collection because it is both citrusy fresh and luscious at the same time, and I think Fresh did an excellent job of capturing Italy and eating in bottle. 

PRAY Eau de Parfum is a woodsy fragrance with undertones of exotic spices inspired by Elizabeth’s travels through India. This fragrance was inspired by India’s serene sunsets, fresh soil, and traces of incense and spices. This is a calming scent that was designed to put you at peace with a comforting blend of jasmine, pink pepper, patchouli, amber, juniper berry, cardamom, and incense. This is definitely an earthy scent that reminds me of being in a yoga studio and smelling the incense while meditating.

LOVE Eau de Parfum is a sunny floral with tropical fruity undertones inspired by Gilbert’s travels through Bali.This fragrance was designed to capture the bright, colorful, anything-is-possible feelings of falling in love. Scents of passion, sun-caressed skin, and salty kisses, are combined with the lush aromas of Bali’s exotic landscape. The bright tropical top notes are bergamot, red currant, and mango blossom; the floral middle notes are lisylang, tiare, and jasmine; and the warm earthy base notes are sandalwood, vetyver, and velvet amber. I would describe LOVE as a flirtatious sweet floral, perfect for a summertime date night.

As I have previously mentioned, I have a strong sense of smell and am always on the hunt for unique and inspiring fragrances that shape my mood and experiences. I am definitely not a floral girl; I don’t like overly sweet cloying scents nor do I like to smell like everyone else in the room; I tend to like fresh, citrus, clean, sexy, woodsy, musk based scents–I want to stand out in a crowd and I want to wear fragrances that people stop me and say, “You smell so good, what are you wearing?”

Well, I think I have found my new favorite duo of layering fragrances that pass my fincky olfactory tastes: Lotus Blossom & Water Lily Cologne and Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne by Jo Malone. These two fragrances comprise Jo Malone’s Limited Edition Kohdo Wood Collection because they are a modern interpretation of Kohdo, the ancient Japanese art of incense appreciation. I am loving these fragrances worn either individually or together because they are sultry, clean, smoky, moody and calming all at the same time. The incense notes make it a very unique and distinctive duo of fragrances that certainly stand out in a crowd.

Lotus Blossom & Water Lily Cologne

This is the lighter, brighter, day time incarnation of this duo. It contains a blend of mandarin, sacred lotus blossom, bamboo and aloeswood which are supposed to inspire confidence and focus the mind (gotta love that!) I find this cologne fresh and clean, yet at the same time complex and sultry. I think the citrus top notes and musk base notes are creating the dichotomy, and I am really enjoying this refreshing sensory experience.

Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne

This is the smokier, spicier, sexier nocturnal fragrance of the two. This cologne reminds me more of burning incense and puts me in more of a sensual meditative mood—it’s a perfect date night scent. It contains a combination of cardamom, orchid, and kyara wood which are supposed to cleanse the senses and encourage relaxation. I find this fragrance more moody, lusty and earthy, like something I would wear in a smoky nightclub.

I love the way it blends with the Lotus Blossom fragrance–it anchors it and grounds it. Together this duo offers a moody complexity and an unusual combination fresh and smoky, light and dark, day and night. The contrast of these fragrance notes are perfectly suited to my ‘winter state of mind’.  And Kudos to the ‘noses’ at Jo Malone, what a memorable and distinctive pairing of complimentary fragrances you have created!

If you want to sample either of these inpsired Jo Malone fragrances, you can find Lotus Blossom HERE and Dark Amber HERE. And please post and tell me if you like this duo, or if you have another favorite Jo Malone combination you would like to share.

As my hubby always tells me “You have a bionic sniffer” and if you are anything like me, your sense of smell is VERY powerful.  Scents dramatically affect my mood–the right smell can transport me to a wonderful time and place or it can anchor a special memory and the wrong smell can easily put me in a negative space.  For this reason (along with being a beauty maven), I absolutely adore wearing perfume and tend to use different fragrances to shape my experiences.  I am always on the ‘sniff’ for a new scent to add to my permanent collection.

Enter Sarah Horowitz Parfums, a California based fragrance house that has attracted a cult following across the US because of its unique and inspired collections of artisanal fragrances. The creative genius behind this company is Sarah Horowitz-Thran, an extraordinary perfumer who has an intuitive knack for creating non-formulaic complex fragrances that tap into your emotions and offer a wonderful vehicle for self-expression. “Finding the perfect fragrance for you, can bring you into the moment and remind you of who you are and what you love,” says Sarah.

Years ago, I heard about Sarah’s talents from friend, who knew about this entrepreneurial perfumer and her wonderful box of oils that she would schlep around the beaches in Malibu and create custom fragrances for people. Soon enough, I began wearing one of her earliest creations called Perfect Veil a clean, subtle musky scent that is still one of my signature fragrances to this day.

Imagine my delight, when I had the opportunity to try a couple of the new Sarah Horowitz Parfums purse pens (these are fun, sleek, modern, purse-friendly rollerball pen parfum dispensers) filled with the fragrances from her newest collection called What Comes From Within. This inspired line pays tribute to the phenomena of inner beauty (love that concept!) and there are five scents in this collection all based on the powerful connection between spirit, heart and mind. These more spiritually oriented parfums offer the consumer more than just a fragrance, they offer an emotional journey as well.

First, I tried Light Comes From Within which represents Spirit. This is a sheer, luminous fragrance that celebrates new beginnings. It has a sparkling bergamot top note, a freesia, honeysuckle and night blooming jasmine middle note and a fresh oceanic musk and white cedar base note. I would describe this parfum as fresh, slightly floral with an appealing musk aspect that I am drawn to (I am a total musk girl and almost all of my fav fragrances have a noticeable musk note.) This is the type of fragrance I would wear on a summer night, out on a date and hanging by the beach because it has a watery, oceanic smell to me. And I just love it! It’s uplifting but has complexity and depth.

Peace Comes From Within represents the Mind. This is a clean, tranquil fragrance of gentle depth. It has a bergamot top note and a fresh oceanic musk and sandalwood base note. I would describe this parfum as subtle, fresh, water/oceanic and great for spring and summer. I also love the musk notes in this parfum and it makes me smile when I wear it.

Not only am I equally loving both of these intriguing, unique, fresh inspired fragrances, but I am also thrilled about this sleek and modern purse pen packaging. It is a beautiful design, fits nicely in your purse, dispenses the parfum easily and smoothly, and just looks cool.

My affinity for Sarah Horowitz continues to grow and I definitely think you should check out the What Comes From Within Collection and add one of these adorable purse pens and beautifully crafted fragrances to your collection, you will love it!

You can buy any of the fragrances in the What Comes From Within Collection or any other Sarah Horowitz Parfums products Here. As an added bonus, Sarah Horowitz Parfums is offering Romy Raves readers a special discount on another cult fav fragrance in their collection called Perfect Bliss (top notes of blood orange, mango, and papaya; middle note of gardenia; and warm, sexy base notes of vanilla, patchouli, cedar and musk–YUM!). Romy Raves readers will receive a 20% discount on either a Perfect Bliss 1.7 oz. eau de parfum or a Perfect Bliss Body Creme when you use the coupon code BLISSOUT09 .

CONTEST ALERT!!! Make sure to check back on the Romy Raves Blog tomorrow for an chance to win one of these fab purse pens of your very own! Don’t miss out, this is a real treat!