Quick reviews of two fragrances from Lush (Kerbside Violet and All Good Things), two from Imaginary Authors (The Soft Lawn and Yesterday Haze), and one from Memo (Inlé).
A lovely gentle violet with jasmine and ylang. It’s sweetish but not too sweet, and nothing like so strong and sugared as the brand’s Tuca Tuca…
Remember Crazylibellule and the Poppies? Six or seven years ago, I was obsessed with their solid perfume sticks and I owned a few: Après-Midi en Douce, Rose à Saïgon, Joséphine Jonquille, Amoureuse. . . I was very sorry when the brand apparently closed its doors circa 2010, and I was happy to learn last year that Crazylibellule’s founder, Isabelle Masson, had returned with a line called Sabé Masson Le Soft Perfume.
Le Soft Perfume’s twist-up perfume sticks are now available in the United States, and I’ve finally started testing them. I’m trying sample amounts of their solid scent in tiny plastic pots, but from what I can tell in photographs, the packaging for this new collection is as cute as ever…
The last six months have found me getting more pleasure from home fragrance and bath products than from new perfume releases — I’ve spent LOTS of time washing off disappointing colognes, so I thought I’d report on some of the great soaps I’ve used to cleanse myself of dull or horrible liquid fragrances. All the soaps I’m reviewing are strongly scented, produce plenty of lather, and they don’t turn to mush with use or disappear too quickly. A Google search will give you lots of purchasing options for these soaps. (Please share your own soap “loves” or recent soap discoveries in the comments section; I’m always in the market for great-smelling soaps!)
Sea Aster Soap from Swedish Dream contains, yep, sea aster extract (aster tripolium), sea grass and heather (calluna vulgaris). These “wild” ingredients give the soap an outdoorsy, sporty, seaside vibe (without resorting to Calone or other ozonic perfume notes). If you appreciate fresh/clean and bracing aromas, Sea Aster Soap delivers…
Every winter Lush releases a small collection of limited edition products for Valentine’s Day. These items tend towards the pink and sparkly and sweet, but sometimes one of them catches my interest and makes me wish it were a year-round item. Two years ago, I felt that way about The Kiss lip gloss (really a whipped balm, and now back as a re-release!); last year, I was enthusiastic about the Tender is the Night massage bar. This year, my pick is Prince Charming Shower Gel.
Prince Charming’s ingredients include pomegranate juice, grapefruit oil, sandalwood oil and geranium oil, as well as natural “decoctions” of marshmallow (the plant, not the dessert item) and vanilla pod. Sniffed directly from the bottle, it’s a tart, juicy blend of pomegranate and citrus. Used in a steamy shower, Prince Charming smells deeper and more complex…
Our second-to-last holiday gift post for 2014 includes stocking stuffers and cheap thrills. Our final post, hopefully tomorrow, will be the luxury edition.
From Dana, the classic Tabu Eau de Cologne, in a number of sizes, all affordable: 15 ml for $5.99, 35 ml for $11.50, 90 ml Violin bottle for $19.99, or 75 ml “Nostalgia” bottle for $18.50. At Dana Beauty…