More Halloween 2008 scents!

More from our Scary Movies Collection...

Evil Bread: Scent-nopsis - The evil baker has done it again. He's whipped up a zucchini bread sniff so deliciously evil it's killed every well-meaning diet out there. This is a fragrance that shows no mercy to any unwitting soul who dares sniff it. Tattered carb-free, sugar-free, fat-free, taste-free cookbooks lie lifeless on the sidewalk by his bakeshop. The Cast: Fresh grated cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and spice, a subtle whiff of raisins all mixed into the most delicious zucchini bread batter.

Skeleton Key Lime Cola: Scent-nopsis - Mama Cecile & Papa Justify loved sipping this refreshing cola treat while sitting on their front porch...that is until the angry mob got to them. Legend has it that eternal silence befalls anyone who takes a sip of this cursed hoodoo brew. The Cast: Black cola, star anise, clear, sparkling soda, fresh-squeezed key limes and freshly grated zest.

Cotton Candy Man: Scent-nopsis - Beware the man peddling this delicious treat. In a quiet suburban neighborhood, he knocks door-to-door enticing unsuspecting housewives to try a wisp of his cotton candy confection. They all fall victim to his evil confection. The Cast: Black, over-ripe plums, hint of fresh grated dark ginger root, winter pear flesh and innocent pink cotton candy.

Dial M for Marshmallow: Scent-nopsis - With the phone in her hand, she tried valiantly to ask for help from the person on the other end. She couldn't even scream if she wanted to. She had greedily shoved fistfuls of the most amazing yellow-cake treat in her mouth until she could no longer speak. The Cast: Fluffy marshmallow cream filling, lightly buttery and sweet yellow cupcake and spiced sprinkles.

Ghost Sips: Scent-nopsis - A true pirate's brew to celebrate the ghoul in you. Warm and slightly smoky, nightwatchmen of the high seas sip this fig tea concoction to keep them rrrroasty toasty and protect them from the cold air. The Cast: Dried fig leaves, ghostly white ginger, a shot of poison apple nectar, rhubarb root, cold sea air, burning wood.

Launching soon...

Halloween 2008

My favourite season ever is just around the corner! Yeah bboooyyyeeeee!!!

I've started writing the descriptions for the scents in our Scary Movies Collection and I'll post them here as I write. They won't be launched for another few weeks, but for those who qualified for the H08 sneak sniffs, you may find this post helpful to figure out what you're sniffing.

Here goes...

Gal Friday the 13th: Scent-nopsis - Workers had a way of disappearing at the law offices of Death, Torment & Despair. Good thing the new gal didn't know about the 12 who preceeded her. Gal #13 met her untimely death when she tried to clear a paper jam in the copy machine. Now legend has it that on certain Fridays she haunts the hallways of the office and all copy equipment go berserk. Why do they think it's her? Because she was known for treating her co-workers to her homemade apricot jam puffs and on those haunting Fridays, the aroma of this delicious, warm treat would waft down the hallways. The Cast: warm apricot jam, sugar syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar all entombed in a heart-attack inducing buttery phyllo wrap.

TX Weedwacker Massacre: Scent-nopsis - The yellow crime scene tape spoke volumes of the gruesome scene in Mrs. Hallow's yard. Someone had hacked and whacked their way through her flower and herb garden. What a frightening sight indeed. The Cast: Trampled grass, massacred marjoram, bludgeoned thyme, snapped twigs, dug up dirt, cold night air, smashed pumpkins and midnight dew.

I Scream Sandwich: Scent-nopsis - Her blood-curdling scream pierced the dead of night and her deep, dark secret was finally revealed. Every midnight for the last 3 years she had feasted on this delightful, frozen treat. It was her last sandwich and there was no more to be had. Ever. She let out a scream of despair when she took her last and final bite. The Cast: Slow-churned vanilla ice-cream with a hint of spice and roughly chopped candy corn bits sandwiched between creamy vanilla wafers and drizzled with a light caramel sauce.

Rocky Horror Chick Flick: Scent-nopsis - Oh yes it's Ladies Night, but the feeling's not quite right. As the girls settled in to watch this much-loved campy flick, they could all feel a foreboding sense of danger. Could it be because of the sinister man lurking in the bushes outside watching hungrily as the girls grabbed absent-minded handfuls of their homemade popcorn treat? The Cast: Toffee and caramel-glazed popcorn, snickerdoodle cookie bites, light drizzle of butter and sugar-crusted peanuts.

Nightmare on M Street: Scent-nopsis - In the middle of the night, the townspeople armed with torches and the most lethal gardening tools, walked towards the new coffee shop in the main square. What were these fancy caffeine concoctions he was brewing? In this little town, coffee was enjoyed black - with a bit of milk and sugar if you were daring. As they neared the store, they were greeted with the most sensational aroma. There was no way they could murder the talented Barista now. They had to have one of his coffee confections! The Cast: Steamed milk, creamy froth topping, espresso, Indonesian cinnamon, cardamon, black forest truffle and hazelnut syrup.

The Bride-zilla of Frank N. Stein: Scent-nopsis - The girl had it coming. After forcing her bridesmaids to wear the ugliest dress for her wedding, registering for the most extravagant gifts and insisting that the wedding party enter the reception to Vanilla Ice's Ice, Ice Baby, it was simply a matter of time till someone got to her. She never did make it down the aisle. She was found beaten to death with her humongous bouquet just hours before the ceremony. The shock and horror made a sharp contrast to the sweet scent of creamy florals in the air. The Cast: Deep red roses, black orchids, dark vanilla extract and rich honey.

More to come...

Desperately Seeking B&B BFF

This post was inspired by a recent e-mail exchange I had with one of our lovely customers, Jamie R. from FL.

Jamie wrote to tell me that her boyfriend isn't really too crazy about her b&b addiction and that on top of this, he doesn't really like any of the scents she wears. Well, she finally experienced a breakthrough when he one day commented that he actually liked a scent she was wearing earlier that day. She runs through her FOTD inventory and realizes that it was Fig Tea & Cucumber! She was overjoyed. I was ecstatic. If we were anywher near each other at the time, we would probably have jumped up and down for joy while hugging each other. Throw in a tear or two for dramatic effect.

This e-mail exchange went on for a while and I lamented on my sad predicament that I didn't really have anyone with whom I could share and revel in my B&B addiction. Like Jamie's BF, mine has simply given up trying to talk any kinda sense into me. "But do we really need to go to Lush in this bad snowstorm?" he asked me on cold winter day. "Yes, because it's the last day of their BOGO sale," I insisted. That night, one of the coldest in NYC, we walked 20 blocks to catch the last day of the Lush sale. I walked away with 2 bags full of goodies, all for $40. Yes it was worth the awful cold I caught as a result.

As for my friends, I love you all dearly, but seriously? Y'all are lame when it comes to being a good B&B friend. Sure, I know you've been there for me through bad breakups, periods of unemployment and numerous drunken nights, but ladies, come on...good friends don't let their friends shop the BBW Semi-Annual sale alone.

So I've made a list of what makes a good B&B BFF:

1) Must excitedly count down and eagerly await the semi-annual sales of the following stores: Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, The Body Shop, Origins, Lush and L'Occitane to name a few.

2) Must be able to spend HOURS at Sephora, spritzing perfume and applying make-up until we both emerge, looking like drag queens and smelling like we were assaulted by 398 department store perfume assasins.

3) When I ask you to sniff a blend I've been working on, don't just sniff it and say, "I uh really like it!" I need details people. Details! I want to hear about the topnotes, the drydown, the wear, etc. What Sharonn doesn't want is a 5 word description, a shoulder shrug, deer-in-headlights look and a final response of, "Uh I don't know! I just like it!"

4) There is life after vanilla or florals or citrus or bakery scents. My B&B BFF must be open-minded and willing to push the envelope; to try a scent that's a little out of her comfort zone. Basically you must be a fragrance whore. A cheap one at that. The easier the better. The more you're willing to try a scent, the better off our friendhship will be.

5) Must find joy in sharing and swapping our stash o' B&B goodies. We'd meet for brunch, each of us bringing a bag of goodies that we delightfully share and swap with one another. Then after brunch, I accompany my B&B BFF to 2 or 3 stores to window sniff and possibly help her shop for some lotions and body sprays because she's down to only a 3 year's supply of this stuff.

I'm sure there's more qualities I'd like to add, but this should suffice for now.

To my dear friends who read this blog, sorry! And although you're not officially fired from our friendship, consider this a written notice that I expect you to take immediate action to address this obvious shortcoming in your ability to be a good friend to me. You are officially on probation and if after the probationary period, you have not shown any improvement, I will have to take away the Friends and Family Discount that you enjoy so very much, for obvious reasons.