Sleeping With Ghosts

I was trying to recall when I first started hearing the buzz on Lisa Hoffman's products. I believe the first lemming rumblings came from fellow makeupalley members. Many had met her at Bergdorf Goodman events. Each and every muaer stated that she should not be dismissed as a celebrity wife with a beauty line. Her products are well crafted and exceptional. This is a tough crowd to charm so this praise is noteworthy.

So I was not in the dark when it came to sampling the niche line. I knew it was going to be good.
However, I was not prepared for just how damn good it was.
Notice the damn.
Japanese Agarwood is the scent that I fell madly in love with.
You want to live in it.
You want it pumped into every room you enter.
You want to beg the Lisa Hoffman execs to release it in big vats or gallon milk jugs.
The listed notes in Japanese Agarwood are Italian Bergamot, Spiced Ginger Accord, and Warm Amber. Japanese Agarwood is considered one of the most expensive woods in the world. It is not normally fragrant unless it is attacked by fungus. This is what makes it smell like heaven. The wood can be found in India, China and Vietnam.

The morning fragrance is described as the light and refreshing formula. The website states that it is "just enough fragrance to be noticed, but never enough to overwhelm the sensitive morning nose". It is light yet substantial. There is no whisper here. The Italian Bergamot and Spiced Ginger accord wakes you up without a jolt or shake. The one power house note is amberette seed. I fell hard for the charms of the amberette seed when I sniffed Chanel 18. Amberette seed smells comforting.
Like a cashmere snuggie.

The daytime formula is heavy on the ginger. It warms up slowly on the skin. My co-worker stated that this what a good hotel's lobby smells like. Normally this might sound quirky but she really nailed it. It smells like tea, flowers and polished woods. The lasting power on the daytime formula is strong. It lasted throughout the work day and until the early hours of the evening. This formula was the fan favorite from my perfumista friends.

The evening formula was very low key. The opening notes were harnessed and it was all about the amber. This was not a thick or heavy amber. This was all twilighty and shimmery. This is a "close to the skin scent" with only faint sillage.
The bedtime formula is my personal favorite. This has a powdery sweetness to it. It might just be a dash of heliotrope. It is perfection and the perfect scent lullaby.

This set is available at http://www.lisahoffmanskincare.com/ and it retails for $95. These are refillable and come in a gorgeous leather case. The case is perfect for traveling and feels like Bonnie Cashin-worthy leather.
The other scents are Madagascar Orchid and Tuscan Fig.
I will review these soon.

Title from Placebo

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Lisa Hoffman