I’ve discovered a few new (or at least new to me?) scents at Yankee Candle that I’m really enjoying. I’ve definitely been on a spring kick lately, favoring “green” scents and more floral scents over the spices and woods of winter.

Greenhouse isn’t new, but it is great. It has notes of roses and herbs, and does really remind one of a greenhouse. It’s such a plant-y scent, it reminds me so strongly of fresh gardens. I’ve burned a tart in this scent, and now feel like I must stock up. It’s that good.

The new scent is Fresh Cut Herbs. The notes are basil and spearmint with apple and patchouli. I love how fresh and green it is. It has a savory-ness (or maybe it’s just a lack of sweetness?) that I really like for springtime. I have a tart in this scent too, and I think I’ll get a few more.

The Body Shop has a new scent, Cherry Pie, that is also delectable. While it is neither fresh or floral, it is super yummy. I kept walking by store thinking some new bakery place must have opened in the food court before I realized it was their store. It’s quite good!

I’m pretty happy with what my skin is doing lately (looking smooth and blemish-free) so I thought I’d update on what I’m using.

In the am, I wash with the Beauty Without Cruelty AHA cleanser that I was using in November. I switched it to morning because the scent is really good for waking up. I still use the Zia toner, because it’s so refreshing. Because I can get a discount on their products if I call and order from the New York boutique, I’ve decided to try some Clarins products. I’m trying the Eye Contour Gel as my morning eye treatment. It’s supposed to help with dark circles – not sure if I’m buying that, but it feels really nice. It’s very refreshing and I do look more awake after using it.

I’ve switched over to using the Dermadoctor treatment in the morning instead of the Paula’s Choice, so no more drying time. It dries superfast (probably because it has alcohol in it, but any drying effects don’t seem to bother me). The last step is moisturizer – I’m using L’Occitane Almond Apple Velvet Concentrate, which has the most wonderful texture. It feels like silk on the skin. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or what, but overall the appearance of my pores seems really improved over the last month. I know you aren’t supposed to be able to actually reduce the size of a pore, but this particular combination of products seems to be helping with disguise really well, which is fine with me.

At night I wash with L’Occitane Ultra Rich Foaming Cleanser. It has a really nice lather, and takes off makeup like a snap.  I’m not loving the scent, however, so I may go back to the Zia cleanser. I’m really fond of foamy cleansers, and the Zia is more lotion-y, which is what led me to switch. But both are really nice. After using the Zia toner, I use a Christian Dior eye cream (Capture Totale) which I found kicking around in my stash. I got it gratis from my last job, and decided I should try it since it’s so expensive. I’m halfway through it, and while it’s nice, I don’t think it’s worth the price. On the plus side, it’s not greasy, it hasn’t caused milia like so many anti-aging eye creams do, and I feel oh so luxurious when using it… which is silly, but I’m not above silliness now and then. Life is too serious sometimes.

Thanks to genetics, I don’t have a nice, tight jawline. So my total vanity product is Clarins Contouring Facial Lift. Heh heh. I’ll let you know if it works.

Okay, so then it’s a slather of Paula’s Choice 2% BHA – I’m too cheap to pitch it, so I’m using up the bottle at night. I finish with Lush’s Afterlife moisturizer. The Lush is new – I finished up my jar of Alaffia Rooibos & Shea face cream, and while I loved that product, I wanted to try out the Lush face care.  The verdict so far is that I really like Afterlife and it seems to really like me.

When I feel like doing physical exfoliation (sometimes you just gotta scrub, in my humble opinion) I use L’Occitane Almond Apple Sweet Peel.  It’s nice, and isn’t too rough, but it is sufficiently scrubby. If I was fantastically wealthy, I’d use Fresh Sugar Face Polish, because that stuff is the bomb. At $55 a jar, though, I’m feeling too cheap. If I do use a scrub, I skip using any AHA or BHA product on my face afterwards. No need to overdo it.

Overall, this routine seems to be working well. I haven’t had a major blemish in several weeks. Yay!

I’ve been using the Paula’s Choice 2% beta hydroxy acid gel since late November, and it’s now February. Overall I rarely have blemishes anymore, but I want to see a reduction in blackheads – which I haven’t with the gel.

I read about this new stuff from Dermadoctor in Allure a while back, so I decided to head down to Sephora to check it out.  It’s the Ain’t Misbehavin’ Blackhead Treatment. It has 2% beta hydroxy acid, retinol, glycolic acid, and Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Glycine, which is an “astringent agent that instantly reduces appearance of pores.” The product comes in a glass bottle with a dropper, which is my only complaint so far – it’s awkward to use. I greatly prefer airless pumps.

Anyway, I’ve used it for two days now, and haven’t noticed any excessive dryness. It plays nicely with my moisturizer in the morning and seems to have a nice mattifying effect on the skin. I’ll update in a month or so on how it works.

It’s getting to close to Valentine’s Day. Need some ideas for your sweetie (or what hints you should drop)? Here are some ideas from MY wishlist.

The new Feu d’Orange Eau de Toilette from L’Occitane smells really, really good on me. I wants it! I also want the candle and the oil that goes with it. They look really luxurious. The scent is very orange-y, but with some lovely woodsy base notes. It wears for a long time.

Fresh will be launching a new fragrance called Cannabis Rose that sounds divine. With notes of bulgarian rose, pomegranate flower, bergamot, cannabis accord, sheer jasmine, dark chocolate, white musk, patchouli, and oolong tea… I’d be willing to wait for it to arrive if someone told me on V-Day that it was on the way.

If you (or your significant other) likes vanilla, try the Vanilla Vera Cruz from Pacifica Candles. All the products in this scent are on sale right now! I really like the perfume, myself. The candles are nice too – they burn cleanly and are very strong. I also like the Nerola Orange Blossom fragrance – it’s very romantic. The orange blossom is THE traditional flower for bridal bouquets!

For a nice massage, I suggest a massage bar from Lush. Personal favorites are Mange Too and Each Peach, but I think the new Play Your Cards Right looks awesome too. Me want.