totmama

I’m crazy for grapefruit-y, citrus scented ANYTHING, so when I found this new Brazilian Mango Grapefruit solid perfume, body butter, candles and soap by Pacifica I knew I had to add it to the totmama list. They describe the scent as “mouthwatering and luscious”, and “playful with a level of sophistication.” That sounds like a whole lot of good to me, so i can’t wait to try it out. They also have a Tuscan Blood Orange that is currently on sale at their online shop. 

I’m not sure exactly when I became a scent-crazed lunatic, but I know it grew in college and got insane shortly after my move overseas. My first love was Crabtree & Evelyn, and I would splurge on anything my starving student budget could get my hands on, savoring the free samples I got until there was absolutely nothing left. I remember really liking their Tea Rose Body Lotion. After dating a while, I started to wear more oils, and would pick The Body Shop’s Dewbery Oil as my day to day scent. Eventually I grew up and found my own signature scent, Annick Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrien, and I still wear it to this day. Every once in a while I do find something new to add into the mix, like Archipelago Botanicals Grapefruit or Bulgari Green Tea. While on a trip staying at Auberge Du Soleil in Napa, I fell in LOVE with L’Occitane en Provence, and even got my husband stuck on all of their Verbena Bath products. Later I moved on to Fresh, and have stuck with their Hesperides Oval Soap. (If you haven’t tried any of these, you’re missing something wonderful!) 

It really is amazing that people can remember so many things linked to the scents around them. I can clearly remember playing at my great-grandmother’s vanity at about 4 years old, wishing I would have a lovely collection of perfume bottles and curios like she did. Now as an adult, I don’t have the formal vanity table, but I sure do have a few of the pretty bottles. Back then, there was a certain sense of respect for those kinds of things. Unfortunately not now. In my house, they should have a much more beautiful place to sit, instead of just being shoved in the bathroom drawer. Gee, maybe I should take a second look into that cool modern, narrow legged vanity I saw at West Elm!