I missed a few items when I announced the 2014 version of Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess on Friday: there are also several tanning and self-tanning items, and I think for the first time (do comment if I’m wrong) a Whipped Body Creme…
Solscents ~ scented sunscreens
Solscents launched last year with a line of “Brightly Scented” suncare products, including sunscreens and lip balms “for consumers that do not want to smell like sunscreen”…
Lush Tender is the Night Massage Bar ~ scented body product review
In early February of last year, I stopped at a Lush boutique to try out the limited edition products for Valentine’s Day 2013. I was intrigued by an item called Tender is the Night, but I decided not to purchase or review it because it would be gone in a week or so; what was the point? Just two weeks ago, I noticed that Lush had re-released this product. When a sales associate cheerfully informed me that it was now part of the year-round collection, I pounced. I needed a little late-winter pick-me-up, anyway!
The new-and-improved Tender is the Night massage bar is oval-shaped with a pink floral ornament, rather than heart-shaped as it was last year, and supposedly it has an improved formula with a new “aerated” texture. My memory might be playing tricks on me, but I think its fragrance has also been adjusted. I remember last year’s version smelling strongly of jasmine, like Lush’s hot-pink Lust bar soap…
Seven by Love + Toast
Love + Toast is a Margot Elena Wells brand. If you shop in the US, chances are that you’ve seen one of her products somewhere — she’s also responsible for Lollia, Tokyo Milk, Library of Flowers and Apotheke: M, brands which pretty much cover the price and distribution scale from Neiman Marcus to Walgreens. All of the lines feature scented products in whimsical packaging, although Love + Toast is easily the cutesiest of them all. It’s geared a bit younger than its siblings, and has prices to match: many of the products can be had for $15 or less. Love + Toast emphasizes the use of natural materials (the brand’s tag line is “natural, not neutral”) but does not appear to make any “100% natural” claims. A portion of the brand’s proceeds goes to Girls, Inc., “a nonprofit organization that focuses on giving confidence to girls.”
Jessica reviewed two of the hand creams back in 2010: Mandarin Tea and Pomme Poivre. Today, I’m reviewing seven items, including two of the brand’s rollerball fragrances (Juniper Gin and Candied Citron), another hand cream (Sugar Grapefruit), three lip butters (Coconut Lime, Fizzy Ginger and Rose Sorbet) and a lip balm (Gin & Lime)…
Diptyque Softening Hand Wash & Velvet Hand Lotion ~ scented body product review
I wrote about Diptyque‘s L’Art du Soin collection of body products when it was first launched — can that really have been almost five years ago? — and I recently realized that I hadn’t covered some of the later additions to the line. I’ve been hoarding little sample packages of Softening Hand Wash (Savon Liquide Réconfortant) and Velvet Hand Lotion (Emulsion Velours pour les Mains) that I received last fall, and this week seemed like the moment to use them: my part of the world has been coping with an excess of harsh and frigid winter weather, and my hands need every little bit of pampering that they can get.
My bathroom-sink hand-washing routine usually involves an nearly used-up bar of LUSH soap or some diluted Dr. Bronner’s castile soap in a pump bottle, but if I were truly living a life of luxury, my counter would always be graced with a bottle of Diptyque’s Softening Hand Wash…