Confession time: I only own one bottle of Frederic Malle fragrance, and I've never reviewed it. As perfume writers go, I'm a terribly untimely one, I know. I shall review my (tiny) bottle of Bigarade Concentree one day, but in the mean time I'm having far too much fun reviewing the more peripheral products of the range, some of which are so lovely, they have made me gasp. Like these, the Shower Cream and Hair and Body Oil from the Portrait of a Lady line.
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle's Portrait of a Lady is not a fragrance I've overlooked in the past so much, as simply thought wasn't for me. Too sophisticated, too dark, too ... well, ladylike. Lipstick Rose, the bright and bubblegum-pink confection of rose and violet (smelling of nothing so much as a waxy lipstick from the fifties, or your grandmother's bowl of dusting powder on her dressing table) has always been, for me, the defining rose fragrance of the Frederic Malle range, and I've been caught huffing it in a slightly demented fashion by more than one Frederic Malle stockist in several countries. Why I've just never bought a bottle is beyond me, but I think I just love winding shop assistants up.
ANYWAY, someone mentioned that there was a hair and body oil in the Portrait of a Lady range, and I thought that was a marvellous idea. PoaL is an oddity in that is a huge, dark and deep fragrance - a red and black rendering of rose, writ large in smoke and fire - but one that also remains remarkably close to the body, lacking the wide sillage you'd expect from the ingredients list. I thought an oil would be an excellent way to experience the fragrance again. I was surprised by the starkness of the bottle when it arrived, but as the Frederic Malle line is all about the contents, not the packaging of the fragrances, then I guess I shouldn't really have been.
The oil itself is light in texture yet deeply, headily, fragranced, delivering a story of darkest burgundy rose, set amongst a bouquet that also includes cinnamon, frankincense and deep resonant - yet surprisingly clean - patchouli. It's a scent that's at once velvety, smokey and (I find) somewhat leathery, a supple Spanish glove-leather, which is unlined, so you can experience both the sensual suede and smooth leather against your skin. It's beautiful. And yet, not as ladylike as I remember, I find myself wondering what it would smell like on my husband. I'll probably never know, as one look at the name, and he'll run a mile, which will be a shame for the both of us.
I applied some Portrait of a Lady Body and Hair Oil to my hands in lieu of handcream (it absorbs beautifully used so) in the office the other day, and the fragrance was commented on by everyone who came by my desk afterwards. It's not too fruity, not too floral, not too much anything, just Oriental-fragranced beauty from start to finish. It absorbs quickly, and leaves skin feeling deeply hydrated and beautifully moisturised, and of course, gorgeously scented. I had been planning to use it as a layering product, expecting it not to be that scented on on its own merits, but it's so satisfying to wear alone, I don't think I'll be bothering with using fragrance over it now. You can also apply it to the hair, I haven't tried that yet having just had a keratin treatment, and I'm awaiting washing that out, currently, but I can't deny that the idea of hair that smells of PoaL makes me swoon slightly. It's great on dry shins too, but the price point means I won't be using it for that too often ...
However, if you do want to layer your fragranced products, then there is also the hydrating Shower Cream, which is identically scented to the oil, and produces a rich and creamy lather in the shower without stripping the skin. It's heady stuff though (as is the oil), and you need very little to scent your skin gently for the whole day.
Perfect for Christmas presents, the Shower Cream retails at £40 for 200ml, and the (organic!) body and hair oil retails at £130. A big investment, possibly, but what price beauty? They're available from Selfridges, Les Senteurs, and Liberty.
The Fine Print: PR samples
This post: Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady Shower Cream and Body Oil originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
One of the best things about being a beauty blogger is the fact that all kinds of things arrive in an unexpected fashion, and occasionally those things turn out to be products you never realised you couldn't live without, and Olverum Bath Oil is one of those things.
Random fact, I don't think I've actually taken a bath since Kneipp discontinued my favourite Juniper-scented bath salts, and Shu Uemura discontinued Hinoki bath oil, and then I ran out of my beloved Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak (which was certain used to be called something else, but on a quick google search, it seems I'm merely misremembering), because yes, I am that fussy about my bathing products. I'll happily shower in any old (cheap) crap, but baths are for lingering, for loitering, for indulging in*, and, it turns out, I do want a strong herbal element to my bath. I have no idea why, except maybe it's linked to the fact that I grew up in the heyday of the "badedas bath", and ALL baths in the seventies smelled of pine as a result.
Olverum Bath Oil smells not only of pine (from Siberian Fir Needle oil), but also of eucalyptus, lavendin, lemon, rosemary, verbena, lavender, lime, juniper and geranium, and combined in a ground nut and sunflower oil base, those scents are amazing. It's like being surrounded by the alpine forest of your dreams. I spent some time near Lake Bled in Slovenia last year, and this bath oil smells how those forests looked. It's beautiful. Deep and distinctive, resinous from the woods, yet also sharp and bright from the citrus, and yes, it is ever-so-slightly medicinal. It simply smells like it would do you a world of good even before you pour it into a hot bath. And actually, bearing in mind it contains eucalyptus, it'll probably help soothe a head cold too.
At around £25 for a 125ml bottle, there's no denying Olverum Bath Oil is an indulgent treat, but as it is highly concentrated, you need only 5ml to scent your bath, and your bottle should last 25 baths as a result. £1 for a bath in the middle of a Alpine forest is a bargain, no?
You can find Olverum Bath Oil at Liberty, House of Fraser and Roullier White.
The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases
* And, of course, reading in**
** and only occasionally, you know, washing in.
This post: The best bath oil in the world? Olverum Bath Oil originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
My orange blossom obsession continues (it'll pass, don't worry. Hopefully). After a £35 shower gel yesterday, here's one for a tenth of the price. I discovered the Imperial Leather Foamburst luxurious body wash back in June having discovered that I'd travelled to Cornwall without my usual toiletries bag, and so needed something to replace, but I didn't want to spend too much. So, for £3 (give or take 20p or so), I picked one of these up, and was delightfully surprised at both the lather, and the scent!
Naturally, I left it behind when we came back to London (d'oh!), and I'd not been able to find it in any Boots since - and it has been sold out online everywhere too! So, when I spotted it at Ocado this weekend, I stocked up. I've been a bit sniffy about the Foambursts in the past, not quite seeing the point, but they're actually really nice. Basically resembling a shaving foam when squeezed from the can, it turns out you can, in fact, use them for shaving, but they do also give you a nice moisture-filled shower experience too. And this particular scent is very nice indeed. A bit faint, all told, but rather nice - if you smelled it blind you wouldn't know it came from a product costing £3 at all! Consider me a convert.
Oh, and they're on offer at Boots for £2 each at the moment, so snap a couple up. You'll be glad you did.
The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases
This post: Imperial Leather Foamburst Nourishing Shea Butter and Orange Blossom originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
All this week, and next, I'm bringing you the best products to scent yourself and your home ready for the festive season.
I've been boycotting Starbucks for years (seriously. Don't ask), apart from twice a year, when they bring out their eggnog lattes. I have one on the first day they're available, and one on the last. For, whilst I loath their coffee, Starbucks is about the only place us UK peeps even see eggnog from one year to the next, and I LOVE eggnog. I shouldn't, it's basically rum and nutmeg flavoured custard (served cold), after all, and I'm not a fan of rum either (not a fan of much in the post, now I come to think of it - moi, a masochist?), but somehow eggnog is much more a sum of its parts.
Philosophy Old Fashioned Eggnog is an easier to get hold of scent than Haus Of Gloi's Eggnoggin', (which I adore) is warm, boozy and spicy, and almost good enough to eat. It has a creamy undertone to the scent, and comes complete with a recipe for eggnog on the label. What more could you want? A matching lipgloss? Philosophy have one of those too. I did have one of those to show you, but I appear to have eaten it. Sorry.
The Fine Print: PR samples. :Burp:
This post: Smells Like Christmas 4 - Philosophy Old Fashioned Eggnog originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
Some people might know that I'm more of a bath person than a shower person, so this is a hodge-podge of bath/hair and shower products, but this is everything I have in current rotation - and more!
From left to right:
Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax bath/shower oil (just visible) - I adore this stuff, and have been through several bottles of it. I will never be without it again.
Ren Rose Otto Shower Gel & Bath Oil - I adore the scent of roses, and for me, it's hard to beat the scent of these items, sweet and heady these are my real "special occasion" treats.
Morrocan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner (back)- I've had these for a while now, and not got around to giving them a full review, but I think these are good all-round shampoos and conditioners, but they don't have anything particularly special to recommend them, to be honest. Rather on the expensive side, they're perfectly acceptable, but ... they're not something I'll re-purchase. I'm just using them up at the moment.
Connock London Comforting Body Wash - This is a pricey (£22.50), but rather wonderfully moisturising shower gel. I adore the subtly floral scent, and find that it really does leave my skin feeling softer and smoother after using it. It's full of papain, which I think explains why.
Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak - Love this stuff. It foams slightly in the bath, so it's a slightly different effect to my beloved Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax oil. Intoxicatingly herbal, and truly a relief for any aching bits you might have, it's a wonderful addition to any bathroom.
Elemis Sharp Shower & Bath gel - I've mentioned before my love of minty products, and this is a wonderful smell. I've only used it once though (it's a very recent addition to my collection!) so can't tell you how it works with my skin, but if you like minty scents, then you must try this.
Naked Rescue Repairing Hair Treatment - a hair mask. It's okay. It didn't really do what it said on the label, but ... it smells nice. I got it after a failed Keratin treatment last year that left me with crispy frizzy hair, and it left my hair a little softer, but didn't really treat the problem.
Haus of Gloi Bubbling scrubs - I love these, not having much experience with satisfying body scrubs, these were a revelation for me, and I love their squidgy texture, which is really satisfying to play with in the mornings. The scents here are Eggnoggin' and Snow Wolf, both of which I also have full-size pots of. Sadly, they were part of the Christmas collection so no longer available in those scents. I'm hoarding mine!
Body Shop Earth Lovers Shower Gels - in Apricot & Basil, and Cucumber & Mint. These are soap-free, 100% biodegradable, and contain no colourants, parabens or sulphates. And they're very nice indeed, they lather nicely on a shower lily, and smell delicious. Nice to know you're not harming your skin or the environment using these.
Shu Uemura Pleasure of Japanese Bath oil - I wish this stuff hadn't been discontinued. That is all. This is my back up bottle, and I shall cry - yes CRY - when it runs out.
Haus of Gloi Whipped Soap - Haus of Gloi don't always have this in stock, but it's worth grabbing them when you can. I use this as a shaving foam, and on occasion as a soap (who knew?) and they're rich and luxurious on the skin. This is Eggnoggin', which again, I have a back up for, as it won't be back until next Christmas.
Haus of Gloi Bathing Dust - Again, another discontinued product that I love. This is in the scent of Samhain, which is a glorious leafy scent that perfectly encapsulates autumn in a tub. Gloi have - currently - no ability to bring these scented salts back, which distresses me greatly.
Body Shop Spiced Vanilla shower gel - Another (sorry!) discontinued little gem. The warm scent of vanilla mixed with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg makes this a cuddle-some little bottle of love. I'm hoping they bring it back next Christmas.
Paul Mitchell Wild Ginger Awapuhi Shampoo & Conditioner - These are currently my second favourite shampoo & conditioner, but don't let that put you off, they're actually excellent. Very excellent indeed for sulfate and paraben-free products, it's just that I've found something which is unexpectedly better for my hair (and which I'll tell you about later). The shampoo lathers wonderfully well, which means I don't have to double-cleanse with it, and the conditioner - which is silicone free - has wonderful slip and leaves my hair soft, silky and very, very shiny. I adore the slightly spicy scent of ginger too. They're the best shampoo and conditioner on this shelf of my shower.
So, what's in your shower?
The Fine Print: This is a mixture of stuff I've bought, stuff I was sent by PRs, gifts, and stuff I've snuffled around eBay in a mournful manner for.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.
