Fun,Very Affordable Gifts of Scent!

The holiday gift season is in full swing, but you are still wondering what to give those hard-to-shop-for people on your list? Here are some affordable, welcome and thoughtful holiday gift ideas that won't find their way into the "Returns" pile at the store! Home scents are always a great, one-size-fits-all gift and a festive little treat for yourself as well.

One idea I really like is a festive candle in a holiday scent, such as the Evergreen candle from Hill House Natural's Winter Collection. The nicely boxed, 100% natural fragranced soy candle in white frosted glass, for example, gives you 5 oz. of candle (with a cotton wick and a 30 hour burn time), for just $24.00! I tried the zesty "Evergreen" scent, an all-time holiday favorite. But if you're less into pine boughs and more into spice, "Pomander" or "Cinnamon" will suit just as well. There's also a beautifully packaged (just add bow, and go) 8 oz. Diffuser for $43.00 or a 2 oz. mini Diffuser set (with cute little bottles of Spiced Pear, Cinnabark amd Balsam Wreath) for $32.00. Visit Hill House Naturals for more information and to order.

This may look like a delicious scoop of ice cream, but it's really a bath product - ME! Bath Ice Cream® $8.50. It's a large, moisturizing, bath bomb with a unique blend of six oils, purifying minerals, fragrances, and Epsom Salt to make your skin feel wonderful. Your 6 oz."scoop" of ME! Bath Ice Cream will fizz and dissolve in water, releasing it's skin loving pampering, while you enjoy one of 40 different "flavors" mostly in fruit scents such as mango, banana, grapefruit, or the more exotic, orange and raspberry tinted "Cosmo" named for the drink. There are mints and chocolates, a creamy "Cafe con Leche," and some yummy mixtures like Guilt Free Gardenia and Hawaiian Lei. The nicely boxed bath bombs are so clever and cute! They're a great idea for hostess and small thank-you gifts. Don't forget to order some for yourself, too, because everyone needs some ME! time. Visit The ME! Bath Web Site for more information and to order.

Australian made Rituelle scented bath and body products Urban Rituelle bath & body make daily cleansing into pampering rituals, for not a lot of money. The packaging is attractive and rich looking, the scents, unique and pleasing, the Eau de Parfums, soaps, body lotions, hand creams & lip balms, easy on the wallet and on the senses. I tried the Rituelle Eau de Parfum $25.00 1.9 fl. oz in "Ginger," a spicy (but not too over the top pungent) blend of ginger, lime & citrus orange, with a heart of warm nutmeg & juniperberry, layered with a spicy base of black pepper and sweet cinnamon. There is bar soap, hand cream, home fragrance, hand & body Lotion, Bath 7 Shower Gel, a soy candle, and body balm, and more! These look pricey, but they're really not expensive. A huge, .71oz. tin of lip balm with natural beeswax, sweet almond oil, olive oil, shea butter, vitamin E, and sunscreen, in delicious scent like Pomegranate or Vanilla, is just $8.00! Visit the Rituelle Web Site for more information on all the scents, and bath & body products available.

Home fragrance can be pricey, but the Febreze Home Collection from Procter & Gamble can be found in your local market and they're great for creating holiday ambiance, or for a last-minute stocking stuffer. For example, the limited edition "cranberry pear" has a slightly tart scent of crushed cranberries and hint of citrus that smells festive, not funky. Even better, the re-useable votive lamp (uses two AA batteries) with paper, luminaria adds a zen-like feel to a counter or at your bedside, but since it's battery operated, you don't have to worry about open flames. When you turn on the light, the paper shade (this one gussied up in red with a fancy holiday tree design) is illuminated by the flickering bulb in the base, just like a real candle, and it diffuses the scent efficiently into your room. A Starter Kit containing the base costs around $15.50 with refill packettes (approx. $2.67/refill (depending upon where you shop). Change the shade each week to refresh the scent, and re-use the lamp base over and over again (so economical). For more information, Visit the Febreze Home Collection Web page.

Demeter Fragrance Library has my heart years ago, for their affordable fragrances that smell like things everyone loves (e.g.,. crayons and candy hearts). Their huge "library" of scents include many that you'll find nowhere else. For the holidays, however, there's a tempting, spicy blend of holiday cheer called "Cinnamon Bark" It's got a hint of florals in it, so it's not too sweet or heavy..just right for getting him (or her) "up close and personal." And, the 1 fl. oz. Cologne spray bottle is just $20.00; 1/2 oz. just $10.00 and the 1/2 oz. Cologne Splash is just $6.00. It doesn't get any more affordable than this as an affordable thank-you gift or stocking stuffer. Check the Demeter Web Site for dozens and dozens of more tempting scents. There's surely something for everyone here.

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