Hi everyone, it’s been a long time I know! Our little Oliver has thrown me for a loop these past few months and I finally feel like I’m catching my breath! This parenting thing is tough work :)

That being said we’re up in Napa for a little summer vacation and it’s been great to relax a bit! I was wandering around downtown St. Helena the other day and stopped in Vintage Home. It’s a fabulous little store and if you’re ever in the area definitely stop by!

One of my favorite items they carry are these candles from Lafco. Each scent is beautiful and I love that they are catagorized by room. They’d make a great hostess gift or a nice little treat for yourself!

Enjoy this last weekend of the summer! I can’t believe Fall is almost here!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Purchase: www.napavalleyvintagehome.com

Price: $50-$60

I was visiting Tyler Florence in Mill Valley the other day (If you live in the Bay Area definitely check this place out. It’s like a way more fun Williams Sonoma with super cute dishware, specialty foods and extensive cook book collection. The fact that I like this place says a lot considering I don’t really cook…)

Anyway, in addition to all the fun stuff listed above, they carry the Daub & Bauble collection, which includes surface cleaners, hand wash, dish detergent, candles and hand lotion in 4 amazing fragrances. My favorite is the Mission Fig & Thyme scent. I also love their packaging and you can purchase the kitchen & bath caddy to complete the whole look!

I definitely recommend treating yourself to this small luxury, you’ll find yourself actually wanting to do the dishes just to smell the soap!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: $9-$15

Purchase:

Tyler Florence

Online www.ebubbles.com

When I was reading tabloids at the hair salon awhile ago, I came across a little blurb from Kelly Bensimon saying that she combines rose oil with water in a spray bottle and uses it as a perfume and home fragrance. Now to many of you this might not seem interesting and a little obvious, but I’ve been on the hunt for a good rose scent for months now. Unfortunately, everything I like costs a fortune (i.e. Une Rose) and most of the stuff I find has musk in it, which I hate. 

So, I gave it a shot and much to my chagrin (I’m a Team Bethenny girl all the way), it works pretty well! Just put a few drops of oil into the spray bottle, add water and shake (obviously the oil doesn’t really mix, but it still scents the water) and voila! You have a nice body splash and home fragrance! Er, thanks Kelly… just some advice, you might want to lay off the drugs before filming… just sayin’.

- Adrienne

A-Lister’s Need to Know:

Price:

C.O. Bigelow Rose Oil $15

Jurlique Rose Body Oil $55

Purchase:

www.bigelowchemists.com

www.jurlique.com

This is a little last minute, but I just wanted to give a heads up that DL & Co. is having a sale on Gilt Groupe today. There are still a few items left and they’re a great deal at about 50% off. As you know I’m a huge fan (checkout my D.L. & C0 post here or my Gilt Groupe post here). They are expensive so I would definitely try to take advantage of the discount for the remainder of the day!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: Sale $30-$56

Purchase: www.gilt.com

One thing I hadn’t really considered when we decided to move from the city to the ‘burbs was wildlife. Now I can handle birds, squirrels and deer… the critters I failed to consider were skunks and let me tell you, they love our backyard. It’s like a little playground for them, which is fine except our kitchen is smelling very Pépe le Pew (as a kid watching cartoons it’s easy to forget how much Pépe really stinks) and that is just not ok. 

Everyone in the neighborhood has their own little remedies including setting cans of amonia around the yard (and yes I’m so desperate, I’ve tried it). But while we work on the outside problem, something needs to be done inside. I’ve tried a variety of home fragrances to mask the smell and the only ones up to the task are the diffusers from Anthousa. Not only do these smell delightful, they are strong and stay strong for months. My favorite scents so far are Vanilla & Blood Orange and Wild Gardenia (I’ll admit I haven’t smelled the pink one pictured above, I just thought the bottle was really pretty).

So if you’re looking to mask smells or just want your home to smell as beautiful as it looks, check out the Anthousa collection. You will not be disappointed. 

- Adrienne

PS Check out their retailers on the website, but if you’re in SF go to Barney’s not Neimans because they have a way better selection!

PPS If you’re dealing with a skunk and just want to soak up the smell try the Air Sponge. It doesn’t really have a scent and really soaks up whatever smells you’re trying to capture.

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: $30-$90

Purchase: www.anthousa.com

I’m very sensitive about smells, probably to a fault, but I always want our home to smell pleasant and not like the persistent scent of eau de dog. So I’m constantly on the lookout for good home fragrances. The catch is trying to find something that both Joe and I can agree on. I tend to like very floral, sweet scents while he’s leans more towards anything that’s the opposite of that. So for all of you struggling to find something that works with both male and female noses (this might only be a problem that we have, so if that’s the case just move on to the next post) here are two candles I think do the trick.

The first, is from Tommy Bahama, it’s called Paradise and combines Pineapple, Cilantro and Vanilla. It’s tropical without smelling like a cab driver’s tacky air freshener. The second, is from Diptyque, it’s called Baies and it smells of black current and Bulgarian rose. I’m obsessed with this fragrance and love the black etched glass that it comes in (the black glass costs $8 more than the regular candle, for many of you that might not be worth it). 

Anyway, check them out. They smell wonderful and I think your significant other would be pleased as well (or at least not disgusted)!

- Adrienne

A-Lister’s Need to Know:

Price: Paradise $12.50-$49;  Baies $60-$68

Purchase: 

www.tommybahama.com

www.barneys.com

I’d seen D.L. & Co. products online, but it wasn’t until a couple days ago at Gump’s that I actually got to smell them. I’m a total sucker for home fragrance and perfumes and the D.L. & Co. candles did not disappoint. My two favorite scents were Tasmanian Boronia and Absinthe (although in all honestly, while this fragrance was intriguing I’m not sure I’d want my apartment to smell this way)

When I got home, I looked up the D.L. & Co. site (dlcompany.com), which has a sort ”lux goth” feel and does make you pause to think a bit about the art of alchemy.

On the site, I learned about the L.A. based company who also does custom fragrance (by appointment only) and the founder Mr. Douglas Little who (according to his bio) “aspires to turn leaden monotony into golden bliss”. I think that might be expecting a lot from one candle, but I can say they smell delicious and will make your home smell divine.

- Adrienne

A-Lister’s Need to Know:

Price: $85-$140

Purchase: www.barneys.com