The Friday Edit: French Favorites & More
Oh, how I’m missing travel, especially to France. I’m still hoping to be able to take a stroll through Jardin du Luxembourg again before the year is out, but in the meantime am enjoying some French treats at home.
A French “fix” from My French Country Home
The My French Country Home Box is a luxury subscription box filled with uniquely French items selected by Sharon Santoni. The boxes are issued quarterly (February, May, August, November), and each box has a theme.
When Sharon Santoni announced that the theme for February’s box would be “My French Country Kitchen,” I knew I was going to love it. And I was right…
Sharon keeps the contents a secret in advance so that everyone who receives a box can enjoy discovering the surprises inside.
Some of the gifts in this box include
- a hand soap and soap dish from Fragonard,
- confitures (jams) from Confiture Parisienne,
- a market tote from Charvet Editions,
- a gorgeous tea towel from Le Jacquard Francais,
- “Miss Maggie’s Kitchen,” a full-sized French cookbook and entertaining guide
- an antique silver serving piece,
- a lovely watercolor print of a sitting room with breakfast laid out,
- small porcelain bowls from Epure (perfect for nuts or candles)
and more.
The theme for the May box will be….”le coccooning” (enjoying time at home and self-care). These boxes also make wonderful gifts for Mothers’ Day or other occasions. You can reserve your May box HERE.
Disclosure: I was gifted this box.
I’m head over heels for this new fragrance…
As a birthday gift, le Monsieur ordered me a Diptyque “Feuille de Lavande” candle. (Ever the thoughtful husband, he overheard me telling a friend that I’d gone through almost all of my favorite candles.) Included with the candle were a few fragrance samples, which I didn’t get around to trying until last weekend.
One of the samples was this Orphéon eau de parfum. It’s been a few years since I’ve loved a fragrance this much at first sniff, and been just as enchanted two hours later. (And that was even before I read the “fragrance story” which is all about Paris!) I became OBSESSED with Orphéon and started searching online, only to discover it hadn’t been released here yet. 😫 Fortunately I only had to wait a couple of days, as it was released on Monday. 🥰
This is a lighter fragrance, and doesn’t have a heavy sillage, so it’s not going to enter the room before you do. (I find it stays pretty close to the skin.) It’s just the right balance of soft/floral/woody/spicy. Perfect for warmer months and day-to-night wear. Have you tried it?
Have you Zoomed with us yet?
I’ll be doing another live Zoom with Brian of Brian + MW tomorrow. We’ll be talking about some of my favorite skin firming treatments, and he’ll be answering your skincare questions. PLUS, he’s arranging a BOGO offer for those who attend the Zoom! It’s at 3p ET/12p PT, and if you’d like to join us, just click HERE to register.
This week’s sales…
Chico’s has their Best Sellers on sale starting at $29 (including New Arrrivals)
Eileen Fisher – Spring Event, get up to $100 off with code Spring21
Talbot’s has 30% off dresses, skirts, shoes and accessories.
Anthropologie – 20% off everything
Vince – 25% off sitewide with code MARCHINVITE
Lo and Sons – Spring Sale, up to 40% off (includes some colors in my favorite Pearl crossbody!)
Saks Fifth Avenue – Friends & Family 25% off New Arrivals
Net-a-Porter – 15% off select new season items
Nordstrom – Women’s Sale & Clearance, includes clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty. Also lots of Eileen Fisher.
Aquatalia – TODAY ONLY…30% off Spring styles with code VIP30
Stay in touch
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Hi Susan,
I continue to enjoy your work — thank you!
The other day, Terri Gross interviewed Kazuo Ishiguro on Fresh Air. In addition to writing literary masterpieces, he writes music. Terri closed the interview with a song that he wrote (with a collaborator), performed by Stacey Kent, called “I Wish I Could go Traveling Again.” Give it a listen (Spotify, YouTube) — it’s perfect theme music for your post today!
–r
A little French luxury that I enjoy, which I think is sold in the U.S., is Nuxe precious oil. I had said I liked the scent of it, and a friend got me a bottle, saying all French women use it. OK! It is really nice–softens the skin and doesn’t feel greasy.
Sadly they stopped selling Nuxe in stores here. (Though you can find on amazon.) I love their body oil, and have added to my list for the next City Pharma visit… 😉
Nuxe is available in stores & major drugstore chains here in Canada. Just love this scent!
Susan, I apologize for being so nosy. Are you fluent in French and before you retired, did you work for a French company?
Hi Elizabeth, no apologies necessary! No I’m not fluent (I’d gauge my French as “intermediate”) and no, I’ve never worked for a French company.
It’s as easy to find as walking to the corner pharmacy in my Canadian city. They carry the other major French skin care brands, too, with a weekly discount for 55+ card members. Nous sommes chanceux.
Elizabeth,
Yes Shopper’s/Pharma Prix carries a wide variety of Nuxe products I am particularly fond of the Rêve de Miel crème mains et ongles, it smells sooo good and works really well on those Purell dried cuticles. I am not sure if Jean Coutu has Nuxe, when I can cross the river I’ll check which might be sooner then later as Québec has been doing a much better job of vaccinating 65+ then ON. Shopper’s also carrying a broader selection of ‘French pharmacie’ products too ( at least in my part of the world) though the prices are a bit more expensive then in France it saves you a plane ticket:)
I find many Canadian ‘drug stores’ carry a much more varied selection of European products then similar emporiums in the States and the make up counters are on a par with many department stores. Could be different in smaller centres or provinces though the Shopper’s in Summerside PEI is quite amazing as is the one in Edmonston NB so the Weston’s must have a consistent cross country model.
Bath and Body Works sells Nuxe, and ships to the U.S. from Europe at very good prices. I’ve been using several Nuxe products since I paid a visit to City Pharma, at Susan’s recommendation, and had to find a source that shipped here.
Yes! I got my bottle of Orphéon on Tuesday…the kind manager of our local Diptyque boutique put one aside for me. I am a huge fan of Diptyque’s rose fragrances and have a different one for each season, so I thought I was set, perfume-wise. But once I smelled this…had to add it to my collection. I’m wearing it now and loving it – it seems perfect for wintry spring we are having right now in Northern California. And, of course, I am looking forward to my next visit to the Paris boutique, so that I can see that blue column from the Orphéon in person!
Susan,
On another subject…I watched the Zoom video with your make-up/skin guru and am thinking of registering for Saturday’s Zoom tutorial but can’t find my link.
Can/will you please post it again? If there’s room, I’m thinking of registering since the last Zoom was very informative….loved it! Thank you!
Hi margimi, thanks! Here’s the link to register for tomorrow’s Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocuiurDgjH9VleUe_86mLSInut_3bcUBX
Nuxe is available at us.nuxe.com. Excellent for hair as well as skin and especially appreciated now that France is unattainable.
Missing France terribly. Several of the hotels we stayed at in France in 2019 had Nuxe honey shampoo which has a lovely fragrance.
Nuxe is available at beautyhabit.com (located in So. California probably near you). Many other French products there as well!
Warning – do not click on that adorable handbag from Talbot’s unless you want to be chased around the Internet – I clicked on it Friday, and all my ads, on any website, are for Talbot’s! Crazy.