Ooh, Ah, Oh Wow!: The Fragrance

With apologies (once again) to Ala Moana Center ... here's my favorite souvenir from the first few days of Hawaii's first Nordstrom store.

You may not be able to make it from the fuzzy webcam shot here, but it's a card advertising Antica Farmacista's exclusive Ala Moana home fragrance for Nordstrom at - where else? - Ala Moana Center. They were giving this away at Nordie's yesterday when I wandered into the store (you'll hear more from me about the new Nordie wing at Ala's later) and I couldn't help but sniff the delicious scent on the card.

On the card: Reminiscent of the lush humid nights experienced on the islands of the tropics, this signature scent, meaning "path to the sea," is a full floral experience. Night blooming jasmine, plumeria, tuberose, and gardenia create an intoxicating floral experience. Refreshing lush green notes and a crisp, clean infusion that brighten this luscious scent.
They got the "luscious" part right, for sure. The jasmine/plumeria notes, in particular, stand out the most on the sample that I got, but the overall effect reminds me of the most fragrant, most beautiful fresh-flower lei that I could ever get from anyone. It reminds me of warm hugs from aunties and kanakapila nights, complete with all-night-long ukulele jams and impromptu hula.
Best of all, though, it reminds me of graduation season... and in particular, my upcoming graduation for my Master's degree, in May. Knowing that I will soon be up to my ears in warm hugs and fragrant leis from people I love makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and this fragrance comes super close to capturing that. If you love jasmine and plumeria as much as I do - or if you just love all things Hawaii - you'll definitely love this.
According to the card, the Ala Moana scent is available "as home ambiance reed diffuser and as room and linen spray." Unfortunately, it's not on the Nordstrom site, and neither is it available on Antica Farmacista's - which means that the only way for anyone right now to be able to come up close to sniff this (and compare it to any other plumeria/jasmine/whatever fragrance you know) is to make the trek to Ala Moana Center. Definitely an exclusive worth checking out.