Introducing LAFCO Bar Soap

There’s a LAFCO candle for every room in your house. 

 Now there’s a LAFCO bar soap for every bathroom in your house.

Same luxurious quality.

Same gorgeous fragrances.

Same over-sized value.

Once again, LAFCO creates to impress.

And succeeds.

With 20 years of experience in working with soap (they are the creators of Claus Porto) LAFCO has developed the perfect bar of soap. This exclusive soap is made in Italy with a custom, unique vegetable base. This new bar soap just launched and has already been featured on the TODAY Show! We're sure like many other LAFCO products, it will show up on the O List soon.

All Good:
Pure, 100% vegetable base containing 14% cold-pressed olive oil, refined sweet almond oil and coconut oil.
Quadruple milled so it will not crack or become soft.
Made with a minimum of 92% natural essential oil based fragrances.
Forms a thick lather. No shaving cream necessary with this in the shower.
Packs a punch at 8.5oz. yet ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in your hand.
Exceptionally moisturizing thanks to the almond oil.
Housed in a gift-ready box making it a perfect hostess gift.

No Bad:
Does not contain solvents or acids.
No harsh chemicals or preservatives.
Never tested on animals.
100% biodegradable.
No Tetra Sodium EDTA. No parabens. No BHT.

I had a chance to try the new LAFCO bar soap and I love it!  The shape is perfect to hold - soft and comfortable.  The fragrances are just as amazing as the candles.  The lather was incredible - perfect for shaving.  It left my skin feeling very clean and soft.  I tried Dutchess Peony - a great, soft, feminine fragrance.  I'd like to try the Champagne fragrance next.  It smells divine!  Fresh Cut Gardenia is great if you like florals.  Chamomile Lavender is perfect for gift-giving and guest bathrooms.  Sea and Dune is great anywhere, anytime - a good, clean scent particularly perfect for summer.  Rosemary Eucalyptus is incredibly refreshing and a good eye-opener if you shower early in the morning.  This fragrance would also work well for guys.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Thymes Wildwood Collection

Thymes recently refreshed their new Wildwood Collection with warm packaging and two new fragrances. 

The collection still features its best selling fragrance from last year, Bitter Orange & Cedar.  This fragrance captures the deep enchantment of the forest as it gently smolders with sweet herbs, rare spices and resinous sap.  If you remember the Royal Pomander fragrance from a few years back, you'll find familiarity with this blend.  Bitter Orange & Cedar is great for lovers of dark, earthy fragrances with hints of patchouli.

Our favorite new fragrance in this collection is Brandied Pumpkin & Chestnut.  It is subtle and sumptuous with the warmth of brandied pumpkin, comforting spices, honeyed amber and ancient woods.  One of the base notes really calls out to me.  Maybe sandalwood?  Or vetiver?  This candle reminds me of a good hot toddy - warm and comforting.  It isn't overly pumpkin so can be enjoyed from early September through April. 

Blue Spruce & Elderberry rounds out this collection with it's invigorating freshness of forest air.  The herbs and spices in this blend give it a lovely warmth.  I love woodsy fragrances and the cold throw on this is fantastic.  I'd love for it to translate more while burning.  I'll give it another try when I don't have all the doors and windows open.  Let me know what your experience has been.

I miss the Magnolia, Fig & Vetiver fragrance they had in the collection last year.  Personally, that was my favorite in the bunch.  Hopefully they'll bring back as an even better version of it when they extend the line into spring/summer.   hint.  hint;)

If Thymes does extend the collection into spring/summer, what fragrances would you love for them to include?

What's New in Luxury Home Fragrance - Summer 2012

Here's a sampling of what's new in the world of luxury home fragrance as of the Summer of 2012.

Thymes launched a new collection, Lotus Santal, featuring sultry floral notes of cocoa orchid and red lotus with layers of exotic plum wood, patchouli, and spicy touches of clove bud. The Thymes Wildwood Collection was renewed with new packaging and 2 new fragrances: Blue Spruce & Edelberry and Brandied Pumpkin & Chesnut.  They also updated their Frasier Fir collection with new packaging design and a few limited edition candles and diffuser.

DayNa Decker launched the new Atelier Collection featuring 6 fragrances in diffusers, candles and bar soap. 

Tocca launched a new travel perfume kit and new votive candles. 

LAFCO launched new bar soap and large diffusers in hand-blown glass decanters. 

AQUIESSE launched the new Black and White Collections featuring 6 fragrances each in candles and diffusers. 

NEST Fragrances launched new 3-wick tin candles, body wash and lotion and Body & Soul spray in the core fragrances in their Everyday Collection. They also launched a new fragrance, Birchwood Pine, as part of their holiday line-up. In October the After Midnight Collection will join their offering.

Rigaud created a new fragrance, Vesuve, with beautiful orange wax and a warm fragrance. The new, grande diffuser will be available mid-October in select fragrances.

Voluspa launched the new Vermeil Collection featuring 6 fragrances in candles and diffusers. This collection includes Makassar Ebony & Peach, French Bourbon Vanille, Clove Pomander, Vermeil Blanche, Champagne Rose and Chestnut & Vetiver.

Votivo launched a new fragrance, Dulce Caramelo, as part of their Holiday Collection. Dulce Caramelo is a rich blend of caramelized sugar droplets, maple syrup, smooth cocoa butter,  smokey cedarwood and sticky caramel.

Most of these products will be available by mid-October at www.CandlesOffMain.