In case you're willing to shell out a bit more for your lip balm, here's Naturopathica's Sweet Cherry Conditioning Lip Butter ("A luscious lip treatment, featuring a naturally plumping pomegranate-jojoba complex and antioxidant-rich sweet cherry seed oil, deeply conditions to reveal softer, fuller lips"; $22 for 15 ml). I've never tried it but it does seem to get good reviews, and there's a matching lip scrub as well.
From Naturopathica, the Chill Chocolate Vine Stress Candle: "This elegant, deliciously scented candle, made from natural, vegan soy wax, comforts the senses with relaxing accord of rich dark chocolate and sweet honey, rounded by a warm subtle undernote of vanilla to chill the mind and relax the body." $48 at Neiman Marcus. (There is also a diffuser, stress mask, detox toner and eye balm.)
I can’t believe it’s been nearly three years since I wrote a post about vanilla lotions, with suggestions for fragrance layering; but time has indeed flown, and the new year seems like as good a time as any to revisit some favorite themes. I still agree with my own recommendations from that earlier post, and now I can add another half-dozen ideas for products that feature vanilla, often mixed with other notes for results that may also appeal to the non-vanilla-lovers among us.
First, an option that’s traditional all around: Caswell-Massey Vanilla Orchid Hand & Body Lotion (above center), from the venerable toiletries company. Even though its name mentions the flower of the vanilla plant, this is a rich gourmand vanilla with a caramel note. If you’re really in the mood for some head-to-toe vanilla-bean sweetness, you could also try the matching shower gel, dusting powder, and Eau de Toilette. ($17, currently on sale for $12.75, at the Caswell-Massey website)
I have a weakness for certain high-end natural lines, and since I already loved certain skincare and haircare products from this company, it wasn’t surprising that I fell for John Masters Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Milk (above right). This light lotion is packed with antioxidant-rich oils, soothing botanicals like comfrey leaf, and extracts of vanilla, honeysuckle, blood orange oil, and grapefruit peel oil for fragrance. It smells like a Creamsicle…
If you read a few women’s fashion/beauty magazines per month, you’re probably familiar with the kind of feature in which a high-end item is paired with a more attainable, bargain-price item — “Splurge/Steal,” “Lust/Must,” and so on. Sometimes I consider using this device to recommend pairs of body products, except I don’t usually come across direct comparisons. These two body scrubs, however, do fall into a similar category. Both have citrus-floral scents and both are packaged in tubes (my strong preference for scrubs), but they’re sold in different markets at very different price levels.
Kings & Queens is a more widely-distributed spin-off line for Korres, the Greek skincare and makeup company. The Kings & Queens body products claim to be enhanced “with royal herbs,” and like the rest of the line, the Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Body Scrub is “enriched with royal mix [sic] of pomegranate, blue lotus and malachite natural extracts.” These extracts happen to fall towards the end of the ingredients list, after the water and sodium laureth sulfate and plastic exfoliant beads, but that’s not really unusual for a product in this price range. Because the exfoliating particles are suspended in what amounts to a lightweight shower gel…