The welcoming front hall in designer Rose Uniacke’s London home.
A November box is a collection of treats to help see you through the rain and chill of November, which is, in fact, the cruelest month, not April.
HomeCourt from Courteney Cox is a welcomed not reviled celebrity brand.
For those of us who don’t want our homes to smell like a giant synthetic lemon after we’ve cleaned, Homecourt surface cleaner, $20 US, (mine was a gift from a dear friend) is a revelation. So, thank you, Courteney Cox for launching scented homecare instead of yet another celebrity skincare line. Cece (one of four beautiful, non fake lemon scents) is gently smoky with cardamom, cinnamon and leather. It makes your living space smell like a mansion turned members-only club: all wood panelling and deep, down-filled chesterfields to lounge on in front of roaring fires as discreet staff bring you drinks and lovely nibbles on silver trays.
Vetiver is so smokily resinous, earthy and grounding in fragrances (like Chanel’s best in breed, Sycomore) that I never understood why there aren’t more vetiver candles. Diptyque’s Vetyver candle, $98, Holt Renfrew, is both grassy and evocative of a humid jungle but also cozy and wintery. And if you are in Toronto, head to Yorkdale Mall, because it houses Canada’s first freestanding Diptyque boutique. This, more than the coming downtown Nobu should truly make Toronto ‘world class’, yes?
It gets dark by 4:30 p.m., so celebrate that and have a drink. No, not alcohol. Chocolate! Specifically, SOMA chocolatemaker Dark Side of the Mug drinking chocolate, $8. Mixed into hot water (or hot milk if you are feeling flush) it will give you the serotonin you need in the darkness, as chocolate contains tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. #betterlivingthroughscience.
It’s time to reread Nancy Mitford’s classic The Pursuit of Love before India Knight’s modern reworking, Darling is available in Canada. Luckily the modernized reimagining is getting good reviews, but the original, and its companion book, Love in a Cold Climate (same time frame, different characters) are worth an annual reread, or a first read if you have never had the pleasure.
Birkenstocks, my father’s favourite shoes, will one day return to being woefully out of style. But in the meantime, I am enjoying seeing bulbous-toed, jolie laide Bostons on the same people who, in 2016, wore furry Gucci Princetown slides. Shearling lined Birkenstock Bostons, $220, make cozy slippers and the closed toe hides the evidence if you’ve been skipping pedicures in the winter. Get the Black or the Mocha (dark brown) that are lined in dark shearling. The pale suede ‘mink’ ones are pretty but they’re lined in white shearling, which is impossible to keep clean and they will look shabby quickly despite your best efforts.
No need to fear the dry, moisture-sucking air this winter if you have this generously-sized jar of Laline Dead Sea Minerals Salt Scrub, in the shower (laline.ca, $45.) The fig and sandalwood scent is both brightly green and earthily soothing while the sea salt gently nudges away dead skin cells as the argan oil and glycerin soften your skin.
