Since I moved into my US base, in Cincinnati, back in March, I've been plagued by a most unfortunate problem: It stinks.
The smell comes and goes, and I can pretty much hide it from visitors (though I always point it out, and explain that it's not me, it's the building), but it's distressing. This building used to be a shoe factory back in the olden days, but the stink is not that of feet or (I wish!) leather. It's more of a trash smell, or the stench of something rotting. For this, I pay $1600 a month. (The property manager has been trying to figure out the cause, calling in contractors and doing all sorts of explorations in the apartment whenever I'm in London. We've agreed that if it's not resolved by Monday, I can break my lease and take another unit here or go elsewhere.)
All that to say that I was stupidly excited to receive a bottle of Thymes Azure Home Fragrance Mist from Thymes' PR firm (thanks, Julie!). Honestly, the stuff could smell like raw onions and it would be an improvement on hot garbage.
Luckily, the Azure scent is a sublime mix of white tea, water lily, sea grasses, jasmine, amber, and musk. (Put either of the last two in any fragrance and, chances are, I will buy it.) Saying that my home has never smelled better is, well, not saying much. But it really does elevate my quality of life here to a whole new level. I hadn't realized just how much the stink was getting me down until I sprayed this around the place, sat in it for a while, and noticed that I wasn't grinding my teeth. Amazing.
There is more to the Thymes Azure summer collection - priced from $5 to $25 at specialty stores across the country - than the home fragrance. But if this is the only thing out of the whole lot that works for me, I'll be happy, be in better dental health, and take this spray with me when I move.
