monument to the Atzec Quetzalcoatl, originally uploaded by Amelia PS.

Thank you to all of the participants in my two chocolate contests this February!

The following are the winners of my chocolate perfumes, Guilt and Film Noir:

CHOCOLATIER CONTEST
Thank you to all of you who participated in the "Name Your Favourite Artisan Chocolatier" contest!

The winners of the draw are Dana and Moonmaiden. Please email me with your mailing address so I can send you your prize - a miniature of either Film Noir or Guilt (It's your choice!).

For future chocaholic reference, here are the links to the chocolatiers recommended by SmellyBlog readers:

Dilettante Chocolate in Seattle, recommended by Dana, who particularly loves their Dark Chocolate Truffles.

Leonidas Fresh Belgian Chocolate in Greece, recommended by Helg, who loves their pralines.

I am now eager to explore all the artisan chocolatiers you've recommended!

VALENTINE'S DAY CONTEST
You all did really well guessing the girly scent in my perfume collection David fell for. But only one of you guessed right - and it was Helg! Please email me to let me know your choice for a mini - Film Noir or Guilt.

Yes, David's new favourite perfume is none other than L de Lolita Lempicka. The packaging, for those who don't know, looks like a flat heart with golden charms. It almost looks like a celebrity scent in a way... The packaging is not the best in terms of practicality. David had struggled with it quite a bit - from twisting the cap and locking it to pulling it apart... At least, this is the small 30ml bottle (it was availale only for a short time around the holidays) so it's not too difficult to hold it in my hand).
I consider myself very lucky to share L with David - it's always a nice surprise to get a waft of vanilla, orange and cinnamon from him!
Plus it gives me an excuse to stock up on this beauty. My next L purchase is going to be the pure parfum!

I wish you prosperity, luck and wisdom for the upcoming Year of the Boar!

* Image of a Chinese traditional pattern for zodiac of boar originally uploaded by ccyytt.

Shecloud, originally uploaded by Lalallallala.

Happy Valentine's Day, my dear Smelly Friends,

Now, wouldn't you all wish the skies looked like that today? Vancouver is at it's usual rainily gloomy charm today, yet I am determined to have fun no matter what!

I would like to wish you all a fantastic and romantic day. Whether you are celebrating by yourself, or with a lover (or two?), may it be a day full of pleasure and smiles. And remember, the most important thing of all is to Love Thyself!

After four years with my Valentine David, and ten years with my smaller Valentine, Tamya, I noticed how my perfume world is starting to affect their lives. A few weeks ago Tamya added a new word to her vocabulary: "Smelly". Mind you, it was more in association with talking about smelly diapers of pooping babies (her favourite topic for conversation), but this is repeating itself and I can't help but laugh full heartedly when she talks about smells.

And this week, I caught David in the middle of an unusual act - he was sniffing the perfumes I have on my bedside table - and actually testing them! One of them was particularly to his liking, and I found myself inhaling pleasant wafts of sweet perfumes from him one night, which went on until around noonish the next day. He admits he loves it. Shamelessly so, I must add: The perfume is in a bottle just about as girly as could be, and the juice is not particularly masculine either. If you guess what it is, you'll win a prize - a 2ml bottle of Guilt perfume!
- The only hint you're getting is a link to my wardrobe.

*And don't forget to enter the Chocolatier's Contest: All you need to do is recommend us your favourite chocolatier. You will be than entered to win a 2ml bottle of Film Noir.