Scratch and sniff beneath the surface: Summa--summa--summertime!

Time to kick back and unwind. So, it's right around the corner. That string of days when everything feels perfect. Everybody's oiled down and wearing summer finery, spending a few extra minutes at lunch hour, finding an excuse to sit outside, and knowing, feeling, that the sun is the center of our universe.

Is that when most of you want to bust out smelling like a musky cinnamon stick? Naw, you want to smell breezy, like ozone and sunshine and all the sweetest scents without being chased down by bees or like you bathed in Maraschino cherry juice (unless you like that). How to do that? Choose a scent wisely.

First, you have to know what you like. If you do typically go for the Oriental* category that includes spices like cinnamon, cloves, pepper, vanilla, etc., go for something lighter. If you only wear one perfume, go for a lighter version. So, if you wear the eau de parfum, choose the eau de toilette. Get the lotion instead. A good example is to switch from Coco to Coco Mademoiselle (both Chanel). For the vanilla lovers, go light with Hanae Mori Butterfly. Or why not combine vanilla and almond extracts from the grocery store? Or lemon and vanilla? Throw in a lemon, lime or orange peel (no white pith) for a splash.

Also, add some citrus scents like orange, lime, or grapefruit to lighten up. Use a spray, cream or scented oils. Avoid using neat (undiluted) citrus essential oils, as they can cause irritation when the skin is then exposed to sunlight.

Recommended citrusy products:
I LOVE The Body Shop's Satsuma and Mango Body Butters. They also have Satsuma and Juba--yay, they brought back Juba!!!--perfume oils. I've been known to use Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey as a moisturizer. Makes legs shine and smells great! I wear Aqua Allegoria by Guerlain. These light perfumes have many light summer choices. Pampelune has a natural grapefruit scent. I think they also have a new orange scent that came out. Fresh has nice light stuff; so does Clean. I also see that Marc Jacobs has a Rain Splash. It looks good but haven't tried it. If you have major cashish, Creed has citrus-y scents, but I won't spend that much!

Sheer musk & powdery scents:
Musk can smell overdone in the summer, especially during the day. Try mixing it with aqueous scents, like something with ocean,water, breeze, and sea in the title. Try using sheer oil sprays, lotions, and gels.

Recommended musks/marine notes:

I got this Polo Sport Woman body gel. It was clean and light. Loved it! The perfume itself is a bit much on a regular basis. If you have an perfume oil you use, try mixing it in your palms with a small handful of aloe vera gel. Use it instead of lotion. I'm wearing Pure Turquoise by Ralph Lauren Eau de Parfum this summer. I think it's still warm--it has patchouli--with an aqueous, breezy waft. I like Oceanus perfume oil and lotion and eau de toilette from the Body Shop. Not for me and my body chemistry, but maybe for you? The Body Shop also has the classic White Musk. H2O stores have great marine notes in their products. I often see them on sale at Masrshall's. Carol's Daughter has a great scent called Ocean. Kenzo makes great summer scents, too. Try Kenzo Flower Parfum (in a red powdered steel bottle) for a sweet light musk that's also sophisticated. I've heard good things about Vera Wang sheer veil.

Unabashed fruit smells

Sometimes, fruit is where it's at. This smells great when combined with the marine, vanilla, floral* and musk categories. Be careful when mixing an oriental scent with the orchard fruit scents like apple, pear, strawberry, etc.

Some fruit scents to try:

Juba from the Body Shop. You gotta smell it! Amor Amor from Cacharel is nice. Also try their Amor Fraiche. Calyx from Perscriptives is a classic. Hope they still make it. I've always wanted to try the Comptoir Sud Pacifique line. They are all about fruit and vanilla. Demeter Fragrance Library has some good scents, but they are like jelly shoes--cute, cheap and throwaway. Fun scents, though, without smelling like teen drug store scents.

Above, I referred to stuff you can find at Sephora. It may be daunting to many people. IT IS, however, a GREAT place to get a fragrance education. They explain the fragrance notes used in the scents, which most stores rarely do. A big plus: they have a cool fragrance finder based on categories of fragrances or based on store-bought fragrances you like. Click on the scratch and sniff title for the link.


*These are common perfumer names for scent categories, not something made up.


Want something custom made? I can inexpensively combine fragrance and essential oils to reflect your idea of summer. Just comment on this post, and it will go straight to my e-mail.

Food for thought: blackened confession + quick & dirty dinners

For those of you who know me, you know that there's something amiss after reading the "blackened tuna" blog. You may be thinking the following...First, Sonia doesn't eat fish. Second, if she doesn't eat fish, then what was she eating for dinner? Third, did Moesha Stewart (as I've been called) really make all that food for a weeknite dinner?

OK, this is how it really went down: I started off the tuna, seared it in the skillet then baked it in the oven with fresh carrots & frozen peas. In 15 minutes, I prepped, cooked and ate a hot sandwich while the tuna was cooking at 425 for 15 minutes. I had some "good" fries--the kind that are homemade-tasting, expensive wedges cooking in the oven along with the tuna & the sandwich.

So, what are my quick fixes?

Apples & cheese. Something about apples and melted cheese. I just love it. So, on blackened tuna night, I made an open-faced bacon-apple-cheese sandwich. This idea did not come from an Elvis sighting; I saw it on Everyday Food--click the Food for thought link. I used cinnamon bread once, and it was really good! So, I put 2 slices wheat bread on a broiler-proof pan (recycled store-bought pie-crust pan), piled bread high with an apple, sliced, put 2 halved slices of Applewood bacon on top of that, then put some cheddar--not much, and don't let it go over edge of bread-- on toppa dat. Oven was already going on 425 & put it in the broiler section for 4 minutes. Mmmm. Bacon. Don't eat pork? It tastes great without it, too.

PS, I use frozen bacon, so you may only need 3 minutes in broiler. Don't go watch TV or otherwise get distracted. You may have 2 square pieces of curled, black bread instead of an open-faced sandwich as your reward. This I learned while watching American Idol.

Organic beef hot dogs. Applegate Farms are my fave, & I buy them for $4.29 at Trader Joe's. I boil them in a shallow pan of water, then dump out the water & heat them (usually eat 2) on a dry nonstick pan for 1 minute, enough for them to get browned. I also eat hot dogs heated with Bush's or B&B baked beans.

Wrapped sandwich. Basically, I take huge lettuce leaves & wrap anything from turkey & cheese to falafel & hummus to curried chicken slices & mango or chicken salad (or cubed tofu with bouillon cube/mayo dressing) & avocado. A summer habit, which I can't wait to do again!

Spring rolls. I usually have rice paper for spring rolls on hand. You just wet them with warm water & voila! you have a cheap, low-cal almost instant wrapper. I fill it with: spiced ground meat, slivered almonds or chopped peanuts, shredded carrots & shredded cabbage, minced tofu, etc. Quick sauce: soy sauce, peanut butter (prefer chunky) and rice vinegar. To make it sweeter, you can add that hot, sweet red chili sauce I'm addicted to, or try honey w/ a pinch of cayenne if you don't have it. If you don't have the rice vinegar or red chili sauce, use hot sauce & honey. If you have toasted sesame oil, add a drop. Thin with water, if needed. Whisk with a fork & enjoy.