April 3, 2008

We're giving away a bottle of Safi perfume oil!

When I was 21 I spent an unforgettable three months in Kenya. I went on safari and had a close encounter of the baboon kind, right outside my tent. I watched polo matches and drank gin tonics for breakfast. I went to John Hurt's house. On the night train from Nairobi to Mombasa, I killed cockroaches by turning my can of deodorant in to a blow torch. I was licked by a giraffe, I dyed my hair purple and I made love in a tree house. And I'll never forget the intoxicating smell of early evening on the outskirts of Nairobi, looking out across the Great Rift Valley and praying I'd never have to go home.
Which brings me to Safi, the new fragrance by NYAKIO. Nyakio Kamoche, a first generation American with Kenyan roots, developed NYAKIO based on family beauty secrets. She launched Safi, which evokes the spirit of Kenya, earlier this month with a star-studded bash at APOTHIA in LA's Fred Segal Melrose, attended by Bryce Dallas Howard, Keisha Whitaker, Kristin Cavallari, and Emily Deschanel, among others. The fragrance itself is a super-sensual blend of essential oils, with top notes of fresh lychee, juicy pineapple and black currant, soul notes of stargazer lily, fresh-cut freesia, and neroli, and base notes of muhuhu wood, fresh bamboo, and crisp papyrus.
Yum. You can buy Safi here.
We have one bottle of Safi perfume oil, worth c. $70, to give away. To win, leave a comment telling us about the most beautiful place you've ever traveled to, and don't forget to leave your email address! Deadline is 5PM on April 9.

April 3, 2008 in LOS ANGELES | Permalink

Comments

the most beautiful place i have yet been has been israel. just the diversity of landscape is amazing...with likely the most memorable being the dead sea. especially viewed from high on massada at sunrise. i'm off to visit my sister next in hong kong and really looking forward to that trip too. dwbrosnihan at gmail dot com.

Posted by deirdre wynne | Apr 8 2008 8:25PM

Zion national park... The natural landscapes look like works of art.

Posted by Nikki_chronicles@sbcglobal.net | Apr 7 2008 12:26PM

The most beautiful place in the world, or mine, has been my dreams. I am the happiest and most serene when surrounded by a multitude of colourful hopes, a kaleidoscope of visions and a neverending ring of visions. ekdari [at] yahoo.com

Posted by DK | Apr 6 2008 4:23PM

Southern coast of Crimea with its beautiful vegetation

Posted by Lyudmila Sizova | Apr 5 2008 1:43AM

the most beautiful place i've been to is Australia-- the entire country is amazing! red earth, gorgeous oceans, fab food, friendly people, wonderful sunny weather... it's the best! nikkiriverhilton@hotmail.com

Posted by nikki | Apr 4 2008 5:44AM

he blue mountains in Jamaica where the best coffee in the world is grown made a lasting impression on me when I visited

Posted by melodybarrett@yahoo.co.u | Apr 4 2008 2:51AM

The Bahamas. You won't believe how ridiculously blue the water is until you see it with your own eyes. immaterial.girl.blog@gmail.com

Posted by HP | Apr 3 2008 10:15PM

i think the most beautiful place i ever visited was the mountains in north carolina. you can go up to look out mountain, and there before you stands all of the wonderous beauty and mystrey of life. you can see for miles, and it is quit peaceful to just sit and look.

Posted by sally | Apr 3 2008 5:02PM

going back home, over the atlantic, bringing back memories, creating new one, old faces, new faces, warmth:)

Posted by julia | Apr 3 2008 4:29PM

The most beautiful place that I visited was berchtesgaden, Germany. The mountains are just breath taking! chekcam@yahoo.com

Posted by CTHEWIG | Apr 3 2008 4:24PM

The most beautiful place I''ve travelled to would technically be the Alps in Europe... the Swiss Alps, the Italian Alps, the German Alps, the French Alps... my trip around Europe last summer was punctuated by gorgeous mountainous views in all of these countries. captainchrisandrews@yahoo.com

Posted by Captain | Apr 3 2008 2:06PM

Well unfortunately for me I haven't been many places but I have been to Florida and it is beautiful. sarahjd766 at yahoo.com

Posted by Sarah | Apr 3 2008 12:44PM

after considering dawn on a montauk beach, a softly-snowing colorado forest, warm and languid waters of the caribbean, a nettle-strewn irish cemetary, warm rain amidst maui's hibiscus, the illuminated skyline of new york city, the dancing colors of tall peaks and grand canyons and the aromatic and fertile air of a rainforest i still hold hope that the most beautiful place i will see is yet to come. chrisspflynn@comcast.net

Posted by CP | Apr 3 2008 11:55AM

Twelve years ago, I traveled to Belize, to experience my first scuba dive. Engulfed in the warm waters of the Carribbean, I found myself immersed in a weightless world of wonder; surrounded by utter stillness, the only sound was the beating of my heart and the drawing of my breath. I remember feeling that his must be close to what an astronaut feels in space … … but space always seemed sterile. Cold. Not here – the waters were teeming with life – brilliant colored parrot fish, octopi and rays. A small reef shark, not longer than my leg, looked at me with curiosity before he continued on his way. Coral was everywhere – not the bleached, lifeless rubble that washed ashore the beach, but bursting with color. Pinks, purples, oranges – a dizzying Technicolor array that took my breath away. Arturo, our guide, pointed to a great arch made of coral. It was much further down, close to 70 feet, past the supposed limit of our dive. Intrigued, I plunged towards it, Arturo close behind. I stopped a few feet in front this perfect archway, architecture and engineering courtesy of Mother Nature. In the distance, a dark form came towards us, and within a few minutes, a green sea turtle sailed through the arch. Under the sea. The most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

Posted by Anne | Apr 3 2008 11:19AM

I dream of Africa but I haven't travelled their yet. One of the most beautiful places I have been is a certain flower garden at a botanical garden in Hamilton, Canada - not far from Toronto. The timing was perfect - a sensual overload of colors, scents and sounds. Lroy27@aol.com

Posted by Linda | Apr 3 2008 11:09AM

The most beautiful place I recently visited was The Black Forest in Germany. I have never seen so many shades of green on trees. Even along the hillside and mountains the woodlands flourished. I felt like I was in a sea of pines. The air felt and smelled clean and crisp, I came away feeling revived, restored and refreshed. My family and I went there to purchase a cuckoo clock. We had no idea of the beautiful outdoor landscape we would encounter. The people were kind, gracious, and friendly. The cuckoo clock we purchased was great. However, my most vivid thoughts of that gorgeous place will always be those magnificent and huggable trees. lhhimani@sbcglobal.net

Posted by Niese | Apr 3 2008 10:56AM

Well my job takes me to many beautiful locations, but I am often on my own without my family or my long-term boyfriend. For the turn of the Millenium, we wanted to "get away" from it all. Our roadtrip started with a late start, then a flat tire and super scary driving, but we arrived at our destination, Sedonna, Arizona and it was just breath taking. The landscape, the hiking, the little streams, on New Years' Eve, it snowed---We were told it rarely snows there and so we were unable to go the chruch on the rock becasue we didn't have snow tires and we couldn't hike up Bell because the road was closed. We did however stumble upon two people vowing marriage to each other as the sun was setting at a little rock formation near our Bed and Breakfast. So touching and so amazing! What a way to ring in the New Year! ~Kristina Kristina AT KristinaHughes DOT com

Posted by KristinaH | Apr 3 2008 10:54AM

I would have to say Bali sitting in my room in looking over at the rice paddies... well- there are others too.. that's just one of my faves :) carol@intlarrivals.com

Posted by Carol P | Apr 3 2008 10:52AM

The most beautiful place I ever visited is Hanalei Bay in Kauai, Hawaii...beautiful, crystalline water, the color of light turquoise...turn around, and you can see a waterfall on the mountain that faces the bay! shollihan@yahoo.com

Posted by Godric | Apr 3 2008 10:33AM

oops, this is Victoria who wrote about Alaska...when envisioning the beauty of Alaska, I forgot to include my email address which you'll surely need to notify me if/when I win! Thanks. vcaras@concentric.net

Posted by Victoria | Apr 3 2008 10:24AM

The most beautiful place I have ever traveled to is Alaska. It was always my dream to go and I went on a cruise to the inside passage. The muted color palate of the trees and landscape as our ship floated quietly was as soothing as anything I have ever experienced. To see the vibrant turquoise of glaciers is surreal and the thunderous 'boom' when shards of ice fall into the sea are completed unexpected. I was also shown the incredible vastness and beauty from the air in a floatplane which landed first in a fiord and then on a glacier. I will never forget that trip and I would visit again before I chose a city - no matter how beautiful!

Posted by Victoria | Apr 3 2008 10:22AM

The most beautiful place is in mexico my grandmothers backyard. Sitting in her creaky hammock in her broken concrete patio. Seeing her wash her clothes by hand in the backyard in her built in washboard/sink. A beautiful coral colored rose bush which has been around for decardes grows wildly and gives a dreamy aroma. Vaguely hearing nearby traffic and the bell ringing of a man selling palitas (ice pops) up and down the neighborhood. Drifting off for a nap and opening my eyes seeing the gorgeous gray hair wrapped in a bun of my grandmother as she hangs her gown on the clothes line. Visiting her in Mexico is the most beautiful place, the food that comes from her kitchen and the beautiful city that she lives in. Going out in the evening is a treat to see locals dress up in bold colors and hang out in every taco stand. The culture, the people the memories of the backyard always make it me come back. michelleromero3993@yahoo.com

Posted by Michelle 3993 | Apr 3 2008 10:08AM

The most beautiful place I ever visited was in my own state and that was Macinaw island, It was so nice there. govchick2010@yahoo.com

Posted by MCJunkie | Apr 3 2008 10:03AM

As a wanna-be documentary photographer, I jumped at a chance to document a medical clinic in one of the poorest communities in Port Au Prince. Where I can't say the landscape was physically beautiful, the people were not only stunning to look at, but had the most beautiful spirits. What I remember is a community that had none of the normal graces we enjoy. Open sewers provided a gathering place for feral pigs and dogs... Small concrete shed-type buildings sometimes housed a family of 8 (where everyone slept in shifts). They knew they were poor, but their spirit of love and community ran high. They shared what they had with one another. They protected their neighbors and friends. They kept their Sunday clothing bright, starched and clean. They taught me a lot about what's really important - it's not things - it's relationships. It was completely beautiful.

Posted by Kelp30 | Apr 3 2008 9:58AM

The mosy beautiful place I have ever been is Lake Tahoe, CA. Absolutely gorgeous! Clean, fresh air, sparkling lake, unspoiled natural beauty abound. Lake Tahoe is fabulous for warm or cold weather. Swimming, boating, hiking in the summer. Snow skiing in the winter. traymona[at]aol[dot]com

Posted by traymona | Apr 3 2008 9:58AM

Just this past May, my husband and I were able to spend a week on the Hawaiian island of Kaua''i. We were overwhelmed not only by the natural beauty, but also by the amazing diversity of the environment - everything from the mountain at the center of the island which purports to be the rainiest point on earth to the desert beaches on the western end of the island. Just stunning!

Posted by luckycapps@yahoo.com | Apr 3 2008 9:57AM

The most beautiful place I ever visited was Zion National Park in Utah. The setting is completely humbling: the mountains, earth, trickling water... And while I never felt smaller and less significant in my life, I also felt more at peace than ever before. robynk16 [at] gmail [dot] com

Posted by Robyn K | Apr 3 2008 9:53AM

The most beautiful place I''ve ever traveled to was Japan. I love the culture, the food, the people, the environment, the atmosphere, etc. All too beautiful for words. Go visit! bunnybox9 [at] lycos [dot] com

Posted by Bunny B | Apr 3 2008 5:01AM