A Touch Too Much; Le Mani di Fornasetti.

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I'm fascinated by this candle by Fornasetti (whose website is a work of art in itself). With top notes of thyme and lavender, a heart of orris and cedarwood, and a base of incense, I can imagine this somehow smelling both rich and fresh. I say imagine, because I've never had the fortune - quite literally - to smell this candle: it retails at £99. Which not only is completely impossible for me, but quite possibly immoral too. Still, like the candle I wished for on Wednesday, it's evidently a luxury item, and looks beautiful. So I can admire it from afar.

What appeals most to me is the design of the ceramic jar the candle comes in - I love these surreal, slightly limp looking hands, and I can't even really say why. I imagine they'd look almost scary when the candle was set alight above their fingertips...

Maybe they appeal because they bring to mind this drawing by M. C. Escher.

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What's a creature comfort you would spend a lot on, if you could? I'm really bad at shopping and am not often very interested in expensive things, but this candle has captured my imagination.

Wednesday Wishlist #6 - More mixed; creature comforts.

Eye Chart Silk Screened Cotton Canvas Pillow by Utilitarian Franchise, Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar, Adjustable Hand Woven Criss-Cross Bracelet by Dear Dotty, Rainforest Radiance Shampoo by The Body Shop, Pomergranate Noir Home Candle by Jo Malone.

This weeks picks are a bit more varied. Maybe reflecting my slightly stressed state and a need for some creature comforts?

Insta-London.

Sunshine on a Saturday morning in Marylebone.

In Lantana's, awaiting an amazing brunch (disposable camera preview).

Note my raw garnet necklace from Et Respice Finem sneaking into the shot.

I wished for them, and finally made them mine.

Pistachio, rose, and salted caramel macaroons from Ladurée.

(So expensive you might as well roll up a fiver and eat it? But that wouldn't taste like heaven).

Assorted shots from a weekend of spoiling ourselves.

Little Luxuries: More Macaroons from Bettys.

An unexpected gift, all the more delicious for being so. I ate the last pistachio one last night, and I'm missing these macaroons already.

However, the little green & gold box is beautiful, so that's a consolation... Even if it is now empty.

Lavish Luxuries: Jo Malone.

There's something both spooky and sweet about Jo Malone's latest campaign for her Wild Bluebell scent, which keeps catching my eye in the shop window on my wanderings. The image makes me think of a slightly sinister, supine fusion of Alice in Wonderland and Marie Antoinette, and the scent is apparently inspired by an eponymous contemporary fairy tale. I had thought I wouldn't like the smell (I normally find bluebell scents too sweet), but Jo Malone's blend is beautiful - it's fresh and feisty, and so different from what you'd expect.

Of course, at £36 for 30mls and £76 for 100mls, it most definitely is an absolute luxury, and one which I cannot permit myself. Jo Malone scents are so unique and wonderful, but I don't think many people I know would treat themselves to one very often, as the prices seem unjustifiable for spending on your self. However, my White Jasmine & Mint body crème which I was given for my birthday is just so perfect, and a little goes a very long way.

Extravagance aside, throughout the month of October, for each bottle of Red Roses Hand and Body Wash sold within the UK, Jo Malone will donate £5 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation's UK grants - giving you a very good reason to get yourself a wonderful treat, or buy one for someone special.

Little Luxuries: Bettys Macaroons.

This week, as my Mum was visiting, we sampled the macaroons from Bettys. This lovely picture from English Rose Rambles shows just how beautiful they are. I think that's one of the things I love most about macaroons; you almost can't bear to eat them.

Almost.

I am a self-confessed almond addict, and these are the perfect fix.

We got one of each flavour: lemon, raspberry, pistachio and chocolate. I had the pistachio one, and it was just perfect - crunchy and light, and gooey in the middle - and it tasted of real pistachios. My Mum & Grandad approved the lemon and chocolate, respectively. The raspberry was shared out in little nibbles between the three of us, and the verdict was that it was rather too sweet, but a beautiful colour.

Macaroons are such luxury items and the ultimate indulgence, so beautiful and delicate that you can't help but savour them.

Maybe living in York, so very close to a Bettys, will be a bit of a liability.