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Hi there,

When I heard we were going to do a feature story on the relaunch of Tova’s Signature fragrance for the June InsideQ, I jumped at the chance to conduct the interview. I have always admired Tova, and I missed the opportunity to meet her when we last interviewed her (and her husband Ernest Borgnine) in November of 2007. I wasn’t going to let this chance go by.

The day I was to interview Tova at her home in Malvern, Pennsylvania, I reviewed the previous Insider magazine stories. One of them read, in part, “If you were invited to Tova’s home for the first time, you might be more than a little nervous to meet her. After all, she’s one of QVC’s most glamorous guests and a legend in the world of beauty. But on arriving at the beautifully appointed carriage home, all those anxieties would disappear. Tova, soft spoken and warm, would invite you to take off your shoes and join her in the cozy living room.”

Upon reading this, I (in somewhat of a panic) slipped off my loafers and inspected my socks! Yes, I have been known to have a thread bare spot in my socks from time to time, and I would have been mortified had I been in the position of removing my shoes at Tova’s house if this were the case. Fortunately, my socks were in perfect condition and, breathing a sigh of relief, I set off for the interview.

Tova’s assistant, Linda, met me at the door and invited me in. We chatted momentarily and soon heard the sound of Tova’s heels on the hardwood floor. She entered the room wearing a white jacket, chocolate pants, and stunning ruby and diamond earrings. Tova greeted me like a long-time friend and showed me to the living room where a fire was crackling cheerfully. I was a little nervous, but Tova quickly put me at ease and the interview was more like a catch-up conversation between friends.

Tova gave me the history of her Signature fragrance, from its “birth” in 1982 to the relaunch on QVC on May 18 of this year. Tova first brought her fragrance to QVC in July of 1991 and sold out of 10,000 bottles in five minutes. “I would say it was the number-one selling perfume at QVC, first in the U.S., then in the U.K., and eventually in Germany,” Tova proudly told me. Her description of Tova Signature was poetic, and I could see the love and devotion that goes into everything she does.

“Most perfumes are never aged,” she explained, “and Tova Signature has always been aged for a minimum of three months. To my knowledge there is not a perfume in existence today that is aged. It’s an eau de parfum; it’s concentrated at over 28 ½% essential oil. Perfume is laid down similar to a piece of music; it’s conceived in notes: the top, the middle and the base. It’s all a matter of how a chord goes together. If you have a flat in between it falls apart. The notes are bergamot, which is that citrus, crisp, beautiful note, which comes from Italy; then jasmine absolute, which is the highest-priced item within Tova and not used very often. Then you have lavender which is from Provence, France, and beautiful sandalwood from East India, and then hypnotic aphrodisiac musk. The combination is so identifiable now and we are in our third generation of Tova users.”

Before I knew it, we had talked for over an hour. As I was preparing to leave, Tova graciously offered to show me the rest of her home. She took me from the living room into the entrance hall where a lamp was softly lit above photos of her mother. “That’s Mother’s light,” she told me, “we never turn it off. This woman was a pioneer also, and a risk taker. She brought me to America was I was 7 1/2 with a dream and $76. She instilled in me that the American dream is possible. She said, ‘Now that you’re here you can do anything.’ I started my company, the Tova Corporation, in 1977. It’s been an overnight success in 35 years.”

From there we went into another sitting room with a fireplace, the kitchen with a sunny dining nook, and formal dining room. On the second floor landing is the original sofa many of you may recognize from Tova’s shows. It was custom built to Tova’s height and when QVC was ready to “retire” it, it was given to Tova, who had it reupholstered. Tova took me through the master bedroom and sitting area, and Ernie’s bedroom, decorated simply in blue and white (“Ernie likes blue,” she explained). When I asked her the secret to 39 years of marriage, she told me, “Ernie would say, ‘I only see her half the time,’ now his new one is ‘separate homes.’ You constantly have to communicate. And I must say the woman has to want the marriage more, so therefore, she has to understand it’s not a Cinderella story. And also you have to establish trust and a communion.”

It had been a wonderful afternoon with Tova that went by all too quickly, however I knew I’d be returning shortly for the photo shoot. “When you come back we’ll have champagne,” Tova promised.

My next blog will take you behind the scenes of the InsideQ photo shoot at Tova’s house. Don’t miss it!

If you could meet one of our on-air guests, who would it be? Send your answer to QVCInsider@QVC.com and you may see it in an upcoming blog.

For advance news about what’s coming up at the Q, check out InsideQ magazine and follow my tweets at Twitter.com/QVC.

Happy trails!

Troy

Editor, InsideQ magazine