TCHO Your Love
February 6, 2009 TCHO has some nifty Valentine's gifts for chocolate fiends. Their Love Quote gift tins come with 12 "Chocolatey" hearts that feature great lines from Mark Twain, Robert Mitchum, e.e. cummings, Elizabeth Browning, Pearl Bailey, and Shakespeare ($25 per tin).
These hearts are made from molds that TCHO purchased from a castle-factory in Dresden, Germany. Many chocolate hearts were made during and after the Cold War from these molds. So when you give these away, you are also giving a piece of history. Super neat-o.
Alternatively you can also get your loved ones a Cube with 5 Hearts for $9. It includes a heart card for you to write a love note.
*Don't forget to submit a picture of you and your sweetie in a smooch to their "TCHO Your Love" gallery on their home page!
Available at www.tcho.com/store/valentine or at the TCHO Beta Store on Pier 17 in San Francisco .

Good for all skin types, this is a brightening skin spackle. Just dot it on and smooth into the skin. It has SPF 20 and smells nice (lavender), so that is a lovely bonus. Your face is evened out so you won't need as much makeup or foundation. If you're blessed with great skin in the first place, then this can be your foundation.
For photo shoots and special events, get the Finishing Brush for touch ups. The rice starch and oat protein will absorb the oil, and transitional pigments help maintain perfect makeup color in any light. I liked the clear Invisibly Matte, while Snow Leopard softens sallow undertones.
Tropical and crisp (notes of guava, grapefruit, and melon), this gold medal winner is a friendly one to get for a party or an intimate dinner. This is straight from Napa Valley's oldest winery, which grows their grapes organically. Very drinkable by itself or with many dishes.
Vertige has a very floral feel. It consists of the lush frangipani flower, with splashes of jasmine. Black liquorice and patchouli help round it out, sending us on a whirlwind tour of the Kama Sutra. The bottle is designed after the temples of India.
Representing Japan, Extase is all about the powdery mimosa, Egyptian jasmine, and narcissus. This is the sweetest fragrance out of the group, but it's very likable. Really flowery scents usually aren't my thing, but the pink pepper, Sicilian Bergamot, and cedar balanced it out.
Mystere is my favorite of the trio. Starting out spicy and rather bold, the incense and amber go surprisingly soft towards the end of the first sniff. Moroccan Rose and vanilla takes the edge off this sumptuous scent. This one takes us through a sensual trip to the Middle East. I really like this- it will definitely seduce the boys.
The ONDE Collection is available beginning in February exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue and online at
I practically inhaled the Chocolate-Glazed Macadamia Caramel Shortbread Bar. Talk about a quadruple threat. Choco, nuts, and sticky caramel on top of a buttery shortbread layer. The Buttercrunch cookies and Chocolate Toffee cookies are addictive too. Ditto for the Milk Chocolate Almond Tofffee.
For your sweetheart, you can send the Valentine Tower. Filled with decadent Raspberry Chocolate Brownies, Sweetheart Shortbread Cookies, and truffles galore, it will be a hit for your darling.
This Nicole fascinator from the
Nicole bridal fascinator from
The Lights on Broadway is so light it basically amplified my natural lip color with a nice sheen. I dug the rich moisture factor from the the mango seed, grape seed, and apricot kernel. They help make it smell so nice and tropical!
They also have a special
I also really liked the organic Tamari with Seaweed Rice Cakes as a snack. They're packed with twice the amount of brown rice (compared to other rice cake brands) so it's double the flavor. The farm runs a sustainable practice (doesn't grow GMO varietals), so it's friendly on your body and for the planet.
For healthy hair you might not even need the conditioner, but dry hair will really soak it up. These are Paraben and Sodium Laureth Sulfate-free, so it's a good option if you're trying to eliminate harsh chemicals from your daily hair care.