From the Kew Gardens collection at English Soap Company, a bar soap in Apricot Vetiver: "The Kew Gardens Apricot Vetiver Soap has a fresh, juicy scent of succulent peach and apricot leading to a rich fresh heart of exotic mango, raspberry, and Florida orange enhanced by delicate sweet nectarine. The base has very soft musk notes and delicate rosewood accords." 240g for $10.75 at The Bee's Knees.
From the Kew Gardens collection at English Soap Company, hand cream in Narcissus Lime : "Nourish hard-working hands with this Kew Gardens Narcissus Lime Hand Cream, a sumptuous cream with ingredients to keep your skin feeling soft and pampered. [...] the fragrance leads with top notes of lime, bergamot and pear. Floral notes from jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose and narcissus form the heart of the scent and come together on a base of vanilla and sandalwood." £8.29 at The English Soap Company.
From the Kew Gardens collection at English Soap Company, a bar soap in Elderflower and Pomelo: "Immerse yourself in a harmonious blend of Elderflower and Pomelo with our Soap Bar. Indulge in the delicate floral notes of elderflower perfectly complemented by the bright, citrusy aroma of pomelo. Enjoy a luxurious bathing experience that leaves your skin feeling refreshed, revitalized, and delicately scented with the captivating essence of these two exquisite ingredients." $9.99 at Amazon.
Here at Now Smell This we know it doesn’t take long to spend LOTS of money on scented toiletries (I’m not talking perfume, either). I’m a big fan of fragranced bath products, and current pricing for “fine” soaps and bath gels is high. Who’d have ever thought Diptyque and Frédéric Malle would be on the bargain end of ‘exclusive’ bath lines? Diptyque shower gels are $44 and a bar of scented soap is $15 (reasonable!); Frédéric Malle body wash is $55.
Bath gels sell for what perfume used to cost — Hermès cleansing gel: $59; Tom Ford shower gel: $65; Bond no. 9 body wash: $75; Sisley shower gel: $85; Creed body wash: $95. Fancy soaps are less expensive to buy and go from the “low end” (Jo Malone and Atelier Cologne, $20 a bar; Hermès soap, $22; Chanel No. 5 soap, $26 per cake) to high and higher end — Bvlgari soap, $30 a bar; one Guerlain Shalimar soap, $31; Tom Ford soaps: $35 each, and, as with bath gels, Creed is most expensive at $45 per tablet (I’ll pass).
Hey, Roja Dove and Clive Christian! Have you lost your nerve(s)? I was expecting over-priced bars of soap from each of you for at least $100 apiece and bath gels (with pulverized Swarovski crystals and gold leaf) for $400 in 8 oz. over-dreck-o-rated bottles!
Though I’ve enjoyed many of the soaps listed above (Diptyque, Hermès, Atelier Cologne and Guerlain), today I’m writing about less expensive options that deliver great lather and quality aromas.
Kappus Violet Lilac | Germany, $4: This is an old-fashioned-smelling violet and lilac glycerin soap…
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…