good luck deluxe

22 karat gold is way too soft for jewelry-making, unless the designer is an expert jeweler. The next best thing is 18K gold. 18K gold looks infinitely more luxurious
than 14K.

That’s why I adore the gold bangles and bracelets by Netaya. They design
THE LOVELIEST gold bracelets.

Beeeeyoooootiful!

18K Hollow Cage Link Bracelet

18K Yellow and White Gold Fancy Flower Bangle Bracelet

18K Artform Turquoise Bangle

18K Cultured Freshwater Pearl Two-Row Geometric Bracelet

No other words necessary!

So here’s my Sweet Sunday recommendation du jour…

I am in love with these DARE lemon crème cookies!!! They’re awesome shortbread cookies with an incredibly tangy-sweet citrus twist made with real lemon juice.
Even though they’re commercially-prepared, they sure don’t taste like it.

I love them, love them…LOVE. THEM!

You know how much I love my tropical foods. Readers, do I ever have something to introduce to you… Meet the coquito!

Coquitos are baby coconuts, the size of nutmeg, cultivated largely from Chilean palm trees. Coquitos are the size of a large marble and look like miniature coconuts with a totally edible shell. You can eat the whole thing for a really tasty snack, or toss them into salads, pastas, fruit dishes or desserts.

Yummy!

You can click here to order.

Ladies, you know I promised to only mention luxury goods that are truly worthy
of my words…

Meet SeaCreation, by BABOR!

The deep sea is a cosmos of sheer, elemental forces and primeval energy - the source of all life. In these previously unexplored depths, scientists claim to have found the key to intelligent beauty therapy…

BABOR presents SeaCreation - the world-exclusive event for beautiful skin. For the first time ever, thermophilus, an intelligent active ingredient embedded in the SEA-TELLIGENT COMPLEX - of pearl proteins and sea silk, protects the beauty of the skin and literally reverses the aging process. Test results revealed a 28% increase in free radical protection, after just one application, 40% improvement in moisture content in 7 days, 29% reduction in wrinkle depth after 14 days use and a 26% increase in skin elasticity after 21 days use.

This skin crème is amazing! A-MA-ZING.

Get the skin of a baby instead of an old leather wallet!

I am the Candle Queen. I light candles for every occasion and almost every evening.

The flicker of a candle is so incredibly calming to me. The scent of a quality candle melts my daily concerns away…there is no better therapy!

The way to my heart is to light a candle for me.

I thought I’d share another of my favorites with you from my coveted closet…
Pacifica Candles!

You know I’m a sucker for exotic treats… Pacifica Candles has a candle for everyone on planet earth!

Indian Chai, anyone?


Bali Lime

Egyptian Bergamot Rose


Hawaiian Ruby

Marrakech Spice


Mediterranean Fig


Mexican Cocoa

Thai Lemongrass

I’m telling you, Pacifica Candles are wonnnnderful!

But don’t ask me to share mine with you. Get your own.

OK, I am really spoiling you today with this post.

I come across a great many beautiful, wondrous things pretty much every day, but very few deserve a dedicated public mention.

L’Artisan du Chocolat is one such treasure.

What you are witnessing above are their Chocolate Gems:

A bejeweled box filled with plain and passionfruit chocolate truffles that are decorated as pink gems. Pink chocolate gems filled with dark chocolate from Papua, New Guinea or passionfruit make the perfect token of love.

Some lucky girl will be the recipient of these chocolates.

Or these…

Liquid Salted Caramels

Liquid salted caramels are cocoa-dusted, small dark chocolate spheres filled with a runny caramel made from three types of sugar, butter and a hint of sel de guerande
(a lovely, unrefined French sea salt).

They do not taste salty, as we use a pinch of salt just to enhance the caramel and balance its sweetness. They are our bestsellers. Why?

Some customers say it is the combination of sugar and salt; some think it is the snappy shell and the runny center, others swear it is the sweetness of the caramel against the bitterness of the dark chocolate and cocoa powder.

Who knows? We don’t, we are just chuffed and proud that they fly off our shelves faster than we can produce them!

South Sea Chocolate Pearls

Exceptional and rare dark chocolate truffle with a golden white South Sea pearl lustre. When we fall in love with a chocolate, we feel a duty to show it to the world in its best light.

South Sea pearls in nature are the rarest pearls, casting a glow like no other.

It takes decades to match and assemble these gems, just as it takes decades to plant, harvest, blend and process the best cocoa beans to form the most exquisite chocolates.

To honor these magical cocoa beans, we have crafted a dark chocolate truffle made from our blend, covered with a very thin layer of white chocolate and edible pearlescent pigments. These truffles are of breathtaking beauty and taste: intense with smoky and earthy notes.

Moroccan Mint O’s

Mint O’s are dark, minty discs that are incredibly thin and filled with an intense chocolate center and infused with fresh mint leaves. We only use fresh mint from Morocco (known for the best mint teas) that we select at New Covent Garden market the morning of production.

When you eat one of our mints, you feel like walking in a garden of fresh mint plants on a summer day, not like sucking on toothpaste. Each chocolate is decorated with a Moroccan pattern that originates from serving dishes traditionally offered to guests and means, “it is great, good and a blessing to offer someone the best you can provide.”

Brazilian Chocolate Bar with Ginger

Who can resist a gourmet chocolate bar that’s infused with zippy ginger?

Seriously… Imagine this: Chocolate + Ginger. What combination could be better?!

Chocolate Tapas

Eight small “tapas” portions of chocolates with fruits and nuts.

An evening out for Spanish tapas is something people look forward to with genuine excitement. They like to try a little bit of this and that without having to order huge portions.

We were inspired to create an exciting evening in with chocolate tapas: portions of different chocolates with fruits and/or nuts - orange peels, lemon peels, assorted nougats, scorched almonds, nougatine, candied ginger, coated coffee beans and rochers.

And on and on L’Artisan du Chocolat goes with tempting and taunting you into wild chocolate abandon.

If you’re a woman reading this and you’re not moved to try these chocolates, then I’m sorry to say, but you’re not really a girl.

Elegant and refined, Donsuemor Madeleines, The Original American Madeleine, are a true French-inspired indulgence — just the right size to satisfy the craving for something sweet and decadent.

These delicately fluted, shell-shaped cookies have a rich buttery taste and a soft moistness that make them more like small cakes than cookies.

Or, for the Madeleine connoisseur who wants it all…

The Donsuemor Sampler contains:

1. 24 rich, buttery Original Madeleines, flavored with a whisper of vanilla.

2. 12 Chocolate-Dipped Madeleines, which is made even more indulgent than the original variety, with a dip in sexy dark chocolate.

3. 12 refreshing Lemon Zest Madeleines, kissed with lemon zest.

4. 12 deep, dark Rich Chocolate Madeleines.

Serve your very best coffee with your Madeleines, and remember what your mother taught you about sharing!

More good stuff that I love…

Many of us here in L.A. are drinking Lorina and absolutely loving it. Lorina is a line of refreshing, sparkling French lemonade and citrus beverages that come in a nice range of flavors, from French Berry Lemonade to Pink Lemonade to even sparkling Orangeade.

If your local grocer or beverage supplier doesn’t carry Lorina - DEMAND IT.

Drink up!

Long live the coconut!

These macaroons (bagged or boxed) are a wonderfully chewy, crispy coconut delight. Like almond macaroons, these cookies are prepared in the classic old-style tradition, and are made with real coconut. They’re sweet and oh-so-necessary to eat.

Hooray for MACAROONI!

Sometimes when a trendy drink product or cocktail comes out, it makes a big splash for a week while the promotion lasts, but a month later, everyone calls it ghetto and that’s the end of it.

So what is Lichido?

Lichido is a 36 proof lychee liqueur made with vodka, cognac, lychee and guava essences and white peach juice. It is imported from the French city of Cognac.

Ask for a Lichido martini the next time you’re out. Look sofistokated.