An odoriferous wake

I was contacted to do a product review by the nice people at Soup. I'd never done one before and they said they would provide me a terrific prize for Fun and VJs readers. Yay! They're brave though, because I have a tongue-firmly-in-cheek approach to such things...

So, the motherlode of samples arrived in a cardboard box on my doorstep last week. And what was in that box? Ha! An eternity's supply of Air Wick Aqua Mist - home fragrances.

Yes, I've hit the big time (or I stink, leaving an odoriferous wake). Just you watch out, I may be the next face of Aqua Mist (except that I'm anonymous and you're not allowed to see my face, damn!), if this review goes well.

Anyway I received the samples and the product description, which I read studiously just in case Soup and Air Wick did a pop quiz:

1. Contains fragrance which is inspired by water-based botanicals. Hence the name Aqua Mist. But check the ingredients and you will see ethyl alcohol is the first ingredient listed. They are right to say that they're inspired!

2. Safe to use on most fabrics including upholstered furniture and curtains. This is great if you collect vintage furniture from the roadside like me.

3. Comes in Wild Lavender & Mountain Breeze, Fresh Waters and Magnolia & Cherry Blossom fragrances.

4. Conveniently packaged in a recyclable plastic trigger bottle which fits perfectly on very narrow bathroom window ledges. A slim bottle is design genius in my book.

But proof is in the pudding. How does it smell? For the first few days I became trigger-happy, my eyes glazing over in a home fragrance stupor with the Sow's Ear smelling light and clean. Spritzing here and spritzing there - in the bathroom...

It fits the window ledge. Hooray!

...on the Marimekko wall art to make it actually smell like blossoms...

Omni-sensory Marimekko wall art. It will be the next "big" thing.

...in the boys' shoes...

Not-so smelly sandals

I became crazed. It is highly addictive and I warn you, it is the home fragrance junkie's equivalent to the nasal spray. Seriously, Jason was worried I would start chroming the stuff. I went cold turkey before the situation became dire.

I gave the samples to all my mates. My cool hipster mates. They looked at me like I was crazy. "Wassup with the air freshener?" they'd ask. I told them to shaddup, start spraying and then report back immediately. And oh, it's home fragrance, thank you very much.

Fortunately, my friend Ruth, who is originally from Galway in Ireland (I imagine that she went to school with Mise @prettyfarwest),  is a nose queen. She is my go-to girl for all things smell-related.

If it smells bad, Ruth will tell you. You need honest friends like that in life. Although she is more of a smelly candle girl, she emailed me to give the big thumbs up to Magnolia & Cherry Blossom. Take that as gospel. Magnolia & Cherry Blossom is the pick.

To be honest, I actually like them all. Gosh, anything that doesn't smell like little boy or renovating-man pong is not going to get too many complaints from me!

Please stay tuned for more...there will be a massive giveaway, kindly sponsored by Soup and Air Wick which involves a little more than fragrant air.