From Alba Botanica, Hawaiian Deep Moisturizing body oil in Kukui Nut: "Find sweet satisfaction with this nutrient-rich, super-smoothing, fast-absorbing body oil. Made with a blend of kukui nut, sweet almond, coconut, flaxseed and sunflower oils, this body oil works its magic to nourish, hydrate and protect skin from moisture loss. Skin is doused in silky perfection." Reviews on the smell range from yum to sticky sweet, so perhaps give it a sniff first? About $7 for 250 ml at Vitacost.
Alba Botanica Very Emollient Coconut Rescue Bath & Shower Gel (946 ml for about $11) and Very Emollient Coconut Rescue Body Lotion (907g for about $11) both came out last year, and I have yet to try them. If you've tried them, do comment!
For those of us on the East Coast, it has been a cold winter, no doubt about it. I'm entirely ready for spring, but meantime my skin is showing every sign of a mid-winter crisis — it feels taut, itchy and generally uncomfortable. So for the past few weeks, I've been grumbling and rummaging around for various solutions that would fit into my new 'returning student' budget!
I decided to take a chance on an Alba Botanica body cream since I've been pleased with their body washes (see my review of Honey Mango Bath & Shower Gel, and Bois de Jasmin has a review of their Midnight Tuberose Shower Gel). Their Kukui Nut Body Cream seemed like a good bet — chock full of rich nut oils plus shea and cocoa butter, hypo-allergenic, 100% vegetarian and it comes in a jar which always makes me feel that tad more luxurious…
It would seem that the end of autumn has hit the east coast. Dreary skies have arrived, and blustery rainy afternoons turn quickly dark as city lights shine on slick wet streets. A last gasp of bitter crackling brown leaves swirl on the highway as I drive home from school, like djinn rising up in the desert sands, and I have a feeling soon the deep silent cold of winter will set in. (As an aside, the squirrels around these parts have been unusually frantic chasing and burying nuts this autumn which only confirms my pessimistic ponderings.)
Happily, this season I have found the perfect antidote to the cold. Alba Botanica's Honey Mango Bath & Shower Gel is a delightfully sweet-warm way to wake up under the shower on a leaden gray morning. It's something like mango ice cream mixed with honey — the kind of honey you find in Winnie the Pooh scratch-n-sniff books…
I’ve written before about my love for coffee, both as a beverage and as a fragrance. I’m always surprised that more coffee-scented body products don’t exist. Surely I’m not the only person who loves this smell so much? For anyone who shares my obsession, here’s a summary of a few high-quality toiletries that include actual coffee for its smell as well as its other benefits.
Lush’s Sonic Death Monkey Shower Gel (shown above, middle) looks like something you could drizzle over ice cream, and it smells like a drink that would set you back about $7 at Starbucks: a potent mocha blend of coffee and chocolate, with a shot of orange syrup…