Posted by Jessica
on
27 February 2011
Mayron’s Goods’ line of body products caught my eye immediately with its packaging: the bold lettering, bright red borders, and 1950s-style illustration of a delivery man and his van are upbeat and distinctive. Although most of Mayron’s Goods’ nature-based lotions and potions were created with babies in mind, these labels are refreshingly free of ducks, peapods, or naked infants clad in flower petals; moreover, the products themselves are suitable for anyone who needs gentle, lightly scented skincare or just prefers to use products without ingredients such as synthetic fragrance, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, or DEA (diethanolamine).
In the final weeks of this long winter, I’m finding Mayron’s Goods’ Tangerine Massage & Body Oil especially soothing and effective on my dry, rough arms and legs. It includes an assortment of botanical oils for moisture and it sinks quickly into the skin; even more importantly, it has a tangerine-mandarin fragrance that feels like orange juice for the soul. Chapstuff for Cheeks and Lips, my other favorite from the line, is a balm blended from cocoa butter, beeswax, soybean oil, and other natural ingredients. It smells like oranges and milk chocolate…
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I’m definitely not an expert in ayurveda, but lately I’ve been gravitating towards body products that incorporate elements of ayurvedic medicine in their ingredients and their usage. Anjolie Ayurveda is one line that I’ve been using with enthusiasm this summer, and Bhaktiveda is another. Bhaktiveda’s products are manufactured in India, using Himalayan-grown herbs and other natural ingredients, and they’re intended for all skin types.
Bhaktiveda Tulsi Body Lotion highlights tulsi — also known as Holy Basil — as a key ingredient with nourishing and purifying benefits; the lotion’s neem oil also promises anti-bacterial properties. On its own, neem can have an unpleasant sulfurous smell, but in this blend, it’s camouflaged by essential oils of anise and lavender. I happen to love the herbal-sweet fragrance of anise (COPA Soaps’ anise-scented Basil soap is still one of my favorite soaps, ever!), so I’ve been enjoying this lotion as part of my morning routine…
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I’ve never referred to myself as a “chocoholic.” I enjoy chocolate, but I’m an equal-opportunity sweets lover, and I’m usually more likely to seek out cookies or ice cream or a really good piece of apple pie than a cocoa-based dessert. Today, however, I rounded off my lunch with a slab of chocolate cake. I think the last long weeks of winter have finally gotten to me. In this spirit of unexpected cravings, I’ve rounded up a handful of chocolate-fragrance body products for your delectation.
I’m fond of Villainess’ vaguely steampunk aesthetic, not to mention its range of unusual scents. Its Dulces en Fuego (“fire candies”) blend mixes cocoa with cinnamon and black pepper and a touch of musk. The dense, sugar-based Smooch! Warming Body Scrub actually does seem to give off heat when it’s first applied to the skin, and the matching Dulces en Fuego soap (shown above) looks dangerously dark before it foams. The scent of Dulces en Fuego reminds me of the tiny cups of rich, spiced “Aztec” chocolate served at Mariebelle in New York, although it probably doesn’t taste as good…
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Posted by Jessica
on
23 January 2010
I find myself using body oils more often in cold weather; somehow, in my mind, they seem to cut to the chase in moisturizing dry skin, particularly on rough knees and elbows. Yes, I could just use jojoba oil or everyday olive oil and get good results, but I inevitably prefer a product with appealing packaging or a more interesting fragrance. MBeze’s Body Oils fit both criteria. Their labels look like Pop Art interpretations of vintage magazine ads, and I’ve tried the oils from two of their available scent “collections” so far.
The “Aim to be Pleased” fragrance is described as “Determined, driven, never a dull moment. That’s the way you roll. We’ve taken cherry blossom and added just a dash of sandalwood to make this scent as brave as you are.” Aim to be Pleased is subtler than it sounds…
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Posted by Jessica
on
30 August 2009
Citrus scents can be such cheerful, uncomplicated fragrances, and they can brighten up a gloomy day with their connotations of sunshine, cleanliness, and good health. I particularly like to layer citrus-fragranced shower gels and lotions under my favorite summer perfumes, to boost their bright-and-crisp qualities.
However, the available range of lemon-, lime-, and orange-scented products is occasionally disappointing — especially at the higher end of the price spectrum, for some reason. One example is Strange Invisible Perfumes Wild Orange Invisible Body Lotion. I’m assuming it’s intended to be layered under Strange Invisible Perfumes’ citrus-accented perfume oils, such as L’Invisible or Fair Verona. It’s a nice enough medium-weight lotion, packaged in a bottle that suggests a fancy hair mousse. It’s all-natural, with aloe vera and olive oil for moisture. It smells like, well, sweet orange oil. But for this price, I was expecting to be amazed, and I just wasn’t. ($40 for 8 fl. oz.; for buying information see the listing for Strange Invisible Perfumes under Perfume Houses.)
NARS is best known as a creator of trend-setting color cosmetics, so I was surprised to learn that the company also sells a line of body products. Its Ginger Grapefruit Body Lotion promises a fragrance that “fuses the vibrant essence of grapefruit and cassis with the romantic floral touches of sweet peony and violet flower.” This sounds like something I’d love…
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