Fragrance F-air-ytale: Scents to Belie Your Sky

September 24, 2010 | By

Guest Post by Candy Silvasy, Spa Expert and CEO of Art of the Spa

Last week in our quest to help you create a spa home, we showed you how to detox your oxygen – we got the muck out.  Now it’s time to adorn your lair’s air.

Imagine lounging by a garden of jasmine, walking in a dense forest or having a massage by a beach.  Fragrance can take you on these escapes instantly.  I know what you’re thinking:  “I’ve got a candle for that!”

Blow out that match.  The stress- (and almost) maintenance-free way to aroma up your abode is a fragrance plan.  Otherwise it’ll end up smelling like the perfume counter at Nordie’s – sickly.

One very strong candle is like one superbright light – too much and not enough.  For a superspa nosefest, follow these steps:

1.  Emulate Euphoria

What would your ideal home smell like? Because spa homes are healthy & relaxed focus on that.  What makes you happy?  Dream vacation?  Your disses?  For instance, I can’t stand patchouli – so any fragrance with that is banned from my bungalow.  Some examples to get you started are:

Love the beach? -  go for aqua fragrances with citrus notes.

More of a skiing or hiking hottie? – woodsy tones will be your choice.

Trying to lose weight? – keep away from sweet foodie fragrances, while mint can help keep you from snacking

2.   Choose Your Base Fragrance

Shopping! Yay! Find a home fragrance that matches your pick.   Anthropologie, Bath and Body Works, TJ Maxx, are fun fragrant field trips.  Remember your base is the background the under note upon which you will layer other fragrances like candles.

Best way to waft?  Reed diffusers are low maintenance. Flip the reeds occasionally & change when the oil is gone. My favorite base: Agraria Golden Pomegranate it’s fruity for energy and earthy for a nature vibe.

Place one diffuser for each 900 square feet of house.

Another option is the Hush Air Diffuser System.  It lets you control the intensity and program the time of fragrance release.

3.  Take Your Nose up a Notch

With your base in place, you should feel happy whenever you arrive home.  But sometimes we need more.  This is where aromatherapy comes into play.    For example, in my office I burn Slatkin’s grapefruit candle to revive my brain.  Or at Christmas I burn the Thymes Christmas Tree to harken holiday cheer.

For more aromatherapy ideas check out The Little Book of Aromatherapy – it’s simple & you can take it shopping with you.

In addition to candles, consider room sprays, scented stones, like Esteban Paris’ Teak and Tonka (woodsy) below sachets and oil burners.  Most important, get creative and have fun.  That’s common scents!

Live, love and lounge, Candy

Candy Silvasy is CEO of Art of the Spa (www.spaaroundtheworld.com), a spacentric brand that delivers home decor, beauty, cooking, style and living advice.  An internationally recognized spa expert, her latest book SpaHome: Makeover Your Maison from Blah to Ahhhhh will be released in February 2011.  Is your pad more stress than sanctuary?  Pick her spa brain at candace at artofthespa dot com.

Filed Under: Home Sweet Home, Pamper Your Palace Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Home Spa You Deserve=Your Bathroom

January 29, 2010 | By

Obviously we here at Spa Week endorse going to a real spa whenever possible. But real life, time, and money all conspire to keep us from heading to the spa as often as we’d like–so it’s nice to have spa-like touches in your bathroom at home! Check out these spa-inspired bathrooms featured on Apartment Therapy for spa touches to add to your own bathroom:

Try going monochromatic – varying tones on tones can help even small spaces open up and feel spacious.

bathroom1

Jars and bottles with chrome and silver touches look sleek and clean. Just make sure to pair them with fluffy towels and other cozy touches.

bathroom2

Rustic elements, like these raised bowl sinks, can feel very luxurious! To keep from feeling too “country”, choose 2 or 3 rustic elements and keep everything else simple.

bathroom3

Fabulous spa bathroom pics courtesy of Apartment Therapy

Filed Under: Home Sweet Home Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

You Spoke Up! At-Home Facials

December 10, 2009 | By

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We all know that nothing beats a professional facial – but time and money may not permit as many visits to the spa as we’d like! Which is why we asked our friends on Facebook and Twitter what their very favorite at-home facials are.

Believe it or not, we barely got the same answer twice! Which means, at-home facial fans, that we just handed you a wishlist…you’re welcome.

To start, we asked two beauty bloggers who were kind enough to pass along their favorites!

Nancy at Beauty411.net: Orlane Paris Absolute Radiance Light Box or new LaMer The Hydrating Facial.
Ms B. at Beauty Schooled: I’m an esthetician so I generally give myself peels followed by a hydrating mask in preperation for a big night.

And without further ado…onto your picks!

Smells So Good 
Shira Megerman: Mario Badescu Tonic and Rose water.
Eric Aho: mint julep bc it smells good and green feels healthy
@PhytoHairCare: Lierac Paris Comfort Peel :)
@amymartinG murad vitamin c at home facial kit!
@minkbeauty i love murad’s pomegranate exfoliating mask.

Hot Hot Heat
Caroline Benner: Warming mineral mask by the body shop!
Candice Cooper: Biore heated mask pods. Even gave my brother 1!

High-Tech Ladies
Adrienne Kolumber: oil of olay micro dermabrasion kit
Katy Edwards Jakus: SkinAgain Ultrasonic Massager and the new Crystal Conductive Gels (Zinc-kite and Mala-kite)
Lisa Gabriel: Ole Henriksen Micro Mini Peel system 
Kara A. Barcelo: All Paula’s Choice products
Susan Winters: Sensé by USANA

DIY-ers
Sharlene Ghorban: Yogurt and honey!!
@haselkorn Egg whites on the face! (Not the same as egg on your face.)

You Guys Are Lushes
Renee’ Hamp: I’m a LUSH”Y” too.
Tiffany Stano: Any of the face masks from Lush.
Jennifer Campbell: Another LUSH fan here.

 We’re Not Sure It Does
@ericanardello My favorite at-home facial? Leaning over a pot of boiling spaghetti on the stove! I salt the water, so that counts… right?

Thanks everyone! Stay tuned for next week when we’ll ask another question…

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The SpaBerry

October 2, 2009 | By

SpaBerry

Photo courtesy of thespaberry.com

If you love indulging in soaks at the spa but don’t get the chance to do so as much as you might like, check out SpaBerry – colorful, two-person jacuzzis with all the amenities of larger tubs, including waterfalls and cup holders. Think the iPod of spas.

SpaBerry also capitalizes on this age of customization by offering a series of designed “wraps” that change the outer appearance of the tub. Choose from relaxing scenes like beaches and sunsets, or have one of your own pictures blown up and converted into a design – here’s the chance you’ve been waiting for to really embarrass a family member by choosing an unflattering picture. The SpaBerry will run you $5,000 and each additional wrap will require $399.

Do you own a hot tub? How much would you say you use it?

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: ,