Next week I’ll be leaving Santa Monica and traveling to England for three whole weeks- (*rubbing my hands together*) and I can’t wait! I LOVE England- the people, the roasts, the blazing fires and yes, even the weather (eternal summer in California does get tiresome). This time while there, however, I will be attending...

It's off to Grandmother's house we go... yes today we are driving up the beautiful California coast to spend a much needed weekend with Grandma. I always love this drive, the coast is so dramatic, it never fails to remind me of some of my favorite Hitchcock films like Vertigo and The Birds. We shall travel light and...

People watching is one of my favorite pastimes. I love nothing more (if weather permits) than to sit outside at a café sipping tea and watching passersby. I am fascinated by people’s choices in fashion, grooming and companions- but most of all I love to observe how people carry themselves. Lately, I have noticed a lot...

This week, I indulged myself in Chandler Burr’s The Perfect Scent- A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York. It is a book that Mr. Burr, scent critic for T: The New York Times Magazine, wrote about his experience following the making and launch of two very different perfumes in one year: Hermes’ Un Jardin...

This past week, Lifetime Television for Women aired their latest primetime movie, Coco Chanel starring Shirley MacLaine, Malcolm McDowell and Barbara Bobulova. This movie kicks off what seems to be a resurging interest in the life of Coco Chanel and a need for viewers to re-familiarize themselves with this great icon....

Over the past few days I’ve had the pleasure of sampling both Tom Ford Black Orchid eau de parfum and Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur. Both scents are wonderful and evocative in their own right as I soon discovered in their very different dry down.My interest in these perfumes peaked- even before I was able to sample...

Last night I attended the reopening of the newly renovated Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles to see a production of The House of Blue Leaves starring John Pankow (Mad About You) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle). This time the invitation did not say ‘business casual’ but suggested suits and colorful ties for the...

Last night I had the good fortune of attending the Los Angeles premiere of A Bronx Tale, starring Chazz Palminteri at the Wadsworth Theatre. I was invited by one of my dear friends, R, who was asked to walk the red carpet before the show… she is an actress on a very prominent Disney show and has lots of devoted fans....

For the follow-up to my blog entitled, “Scent- It’s a Personal Thing”, I have interviewed some of the women that are closest to me in my friends and family and asked them the top perfumes that they currently wear and love. The list for each lady was relatively small- they all tend to have a top two or three fragrances...

I adore scented candles… There is nothing like candlelight to create instant atmosphere and mood in a room. And if it is a top notch scent- all the better! Living in a condo in Los Angeles, however, provides a tricky predicament with regards to home fragrance. In urban cities, many modern spaces have a combined living...

Coldplay’s latest album Viva la Vida could be compared, in my eyes at least, to my recent experience with Coco Mademoiselle. At first listen, I wasn’t sure about how much I loved it- and I desperately wanted to love it-, as Coldplay is one of my favorite bands of all time. When they released their first single “Yellow”...

I love a good Pygmalion story. It all started for me with Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady” as Eliza Doolittle. Seeing her transformation from street to chic was the beginning of my love affair with makeovers. Who could forget “Pretty Woman” or “Gigi”? Seeing the transformation and evolution of a woman’s style never...

I re-learned a lesson today in the art of perfume appreciation. When I was 18, my father was working in Cannes, France for the summer and my mother and I had the good fortune of joining him there for six weeks. It was a transformational trip for me… my first time in Europe and the beginning of my life long love affair...

Fall is on our doorstep and soon it will be time to bust out those cashmere sweaters! Although living in sunny, Southern California, it might be a little longer before I can bring them out from their cedar-lined drawer, but a girl can dream! When it comes time to clean your most luxurious knit, please forgo the dry cleaners-...

Our society encourages consumer spending- especially in the beauty and fashion industries. Let’s face it. There’s a new fragrance, make up or skin care line launched and touted what seems like every other day! And I am guilty of buying into it just as much as the next woman. But on my path as a daily connoisseur, I...

My first few posts were on the adventures of air brush tanning and the small fiascoes that therein ensued. I did promise to keep you updated on my quest for the perfect self tanner. Alas, I now have my review for Bare Mineral's "Faux Tan". I'm pretty impressed with the color that it gives you. It is very subtle and...

In my on-going quest to be fully in the present moment I do several “exercises” throughout the day involving the five senses. My favorite sense (if there can be one) is smell. I love to pause during my day and smell things. It may sound odd, but it is a sensory experience that I believe is very powerful. I’ll smell...