Last evening, on my way back from another festive party when the desperately cold wind slipped its bony fingers down my back. Brrrrrrr. If C.S. Lewis had conjured the image of the Snow Queen, yesterday would have been a night when the muse had struck.

That’s when I came home, opened the door, nearly tripped over my Golden Retriever and ran to my jar of Carol’s Daughter Mango Melange Souffle Body Butter.

Swear.

The dryness had been plaguing me for days, no WEEKS, and there is nothing in my house that smells as remotely sweet or goes onto my skin as succulently as my jar of Mango Melange Shea Souffle.

It’s so gob-smacking good that my BFF tried to steal it when she thought I wasn’t looking. (Swear again).

So, it is no surprise that I choose to write about Carol’s Daughter as must have recommendations on your shopping list this season. After meeting with and listening to the entrepreneurial Lisa Price (the founder, and author of the must-read book “Success Never Smelled So Sweet,”), I was riveted by her story and passion.

Can I emphasize the word “passion”? Too few of us have it, and fewer still retain the SAME passion throughout life. So Lisa Price is indeed a very special, very fortunate woman who started making creams in her kitchen and went on to become a household name.

So what is Carol’s Daughter offering this holiday season?

- Shea Souffle Delights Set ($32): This set is a festive assortment of three customer favorite Shea Souffle body butters. It includes the Ecstacy Shea Souffle; the Ocean Shea Souffle (gotta love the fruity flavors here—wet cucumber and juicy watermelon –can you SMELL the scent of summer); and Jamaican Punch Shea Souffle.

- If you’re a real sweet tooth (or you know someone who is), give them the Carol’s Daughter Shea Souffle Goodness Set ($32). This is the set I tried and I LOOOOOOVED it. It contains the Almond Cookie Shea Souffle (which my husband almost smeared onto his bagel); the Mango Melange; and the Groove Shea Souffle (which contains red currant and sugared dewberries and Tahitian vanilla, cocoa and musk).

Yes, I had to get a snack after typing this.

- For the hair fanatic, consider the “Tui” Hair Set ($43): With Tui Herbal shampoo; Hair Smoothie (a conditioner); and Tui Hair Oil.

- For the fragrance fanatic, consider the formidable Reminisce Fragrance Sampler ($36). It contains four vials of the classic Carol’s Daughter fragrances that are to die for. They include Amandeep, Amaretto Truffle, Roses and Honey, and Goddess Flower.

What do they smell like?

Amandeep is for the woman who loves sweetness in her life, but with a hint of musk. It has jasmine, lily, bergamot and nuances of lemon and musk. A screen siren would be Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Yeah, I think she would dig this scent!

Amaretto Truffle is like cherry port after a great meal. It’s sweet enough to be dessert, but mysterious enough to subtly layer. It contains warm almond, sweet amaretto with orange and apple and a touch of cherry. Yes, it also contains musk. I think of Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail wearing this.

The Goddess Flower is for the sensualist. Oh yes! It’s got sultry notes of musk with gardenia, tuberose with vanilla and sandalwood. Think Marilyn Monroe in Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend. Purrrrrrrr……

Roses and Honey is for a purist. A good girl. A lovely, wonderful Judy Garland in your life. It’s got florals and musk and would have suited Ms. Garland perfectly.

- Exclusive to Sephora and HSN is “For the Love of Almond Cookie,” which is a super size Shea Souffle in the best selling Almond Cookie flavor, along with an Eau de Toilette. This retails for $55.

- I had the opportunity to smell Carol’s Daughter’s first fine fragrance called Pearls, which launched a month ago. It had Audrey Hepburn written all over it. It was a fine, distilled mingling of bergamot and lemon, with the impression of anise and verbena, apricot and peach. It has a floral heart of jasmine, rose and violet leaves, with a drydown of musk and vanilla wrapped with caramel.

The result is definitely a classic. Pearls is a must own for lovers of fine fragrances everywhere and would make a lovely holiday gift for even the snootiest of recipients ($45).

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