I have problems with the majority of the black tea fragrances on the market. Some of them, like Comme des Garcons Te and Speziali Fiorentini Te Nero, smell disconcertingly tarry, rubbery, or even incense-like. Perhaps they are supposed to render Lapsang Souchong in its full strength, and not the meek Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas I am used to. Others, like L'Artisan Tea for Two, have a strange cocoa-butter note; still others are too light and airy, or too floral. Even my reigning favorite, Elizabeth W. Sweet Tea, isn’t so much an accurate rendition of tea as much as it is a sweet sugary lemon and almond concoction with the barest hint of tea.
Eskandar's Black Tea & Lemon Body Wash, however, lives up to all my expectations. Its fragrance is the perfect blend of the strong, slightly twangy, slightly herbal scent of black tea leaves, the tartness of fresh squeezed lemons and just the slightest hint of sugar. Every morning I wash with it I feel as if my shower has been transformed into a gigantic tea cup.
Not only is the smell superb, but the quality is top-notch. Eskandar products contain 97% plant and mineral derived ingredients (what they claim is the highest percentage on the market), with no harsh chemicals or animal-derived ingredients. I appreciate the natural aspect, and I was also pleasantly surprised at the amazingly thick texture and the super creamy, moisturizing lather. The quality is equivalent to or better than any body wash I have ever used.
It is perhaps on the pricy-side for a shower gel, but Eskandar also sells most products in 50 ml travel sizes, and they are very reasonably priced. Besides, the quality is truly worth it, and I plan on checking out the other Eskandar scents and purchasing some of the other Black Tea & Lemon products (it is also available in a body milk, bath essence, glycerin soap and candle), because the scent is truly addictive.
It is easily found online, check azaleasf, beautyexclusive, beautyhabit, or neimanmarcus.
Sounds absolutely yummylicious and exactly what I am looking for. I wish they had an EDP…do they??
Though I'm not a gourmand fan and have read some of your reviews with a bit of detachment, I LOVE the smell of tea & lemon. Thanks for the great review – I'm ordering this today!
I usually don't splurge on luxury body washes, but this sounds too yummy not to try. Lemon & tea sounds divine. Thanks for the recommendation, A!
I agree with you, A. I bought a bottle of the seaweed and rosemary body wash last year and enjoyed every last drop. The quality of the product was excellent.
Next time, I will try the black tea and lemon.
Hugs!
Sadly, no! Wish they did, but at least they carry a full range of other body products…
LOL, oh my, I must do some non-gourmand-centric reviews soon…I swear that's not my only taste! Anyway, I'm glad to be able to point you towards something you'd like this time…feel free to e-mail me and let me know what other kinds of scents or things you'd like to see me review!
It's definitely good! You should definitely try it, at least in the 50 mL trial size which usually runs from $9-12. A harmless splurge!
Oh, I was thinking of trying Seaweed and Rosemary next! It will either be that or the Sandalwood I think. Anyway, I'm glad to know someone else agrees with me on the quality…far more than I would have expected from a design house! (This Eskandar is the same famous Anglo-Persian clothing designer of the fashion world…)
Oh I'm a lemming for this one, I love Black Tea scents! I'm running to beautyhabit! But before I go, I have to add that I adore, no, LOVE Elizabeth W's Sweet tea, and find it very true to tea scent. Maybe you are more sensative to lemon, I don't even remember noticing lemon. I wear this all summer long. Refreshing and crisp, a great summer scent.
Yay Victoria, if you love tea scents, I'm sure you will love this! I actually agree with you that Elizabeth W.'s Sweet Tea isn't totally inaccurate per se, it actually smells a LOT like a glass of Southern Sweet Tea…but even that to me is like sugary iced tea to my nose, and not the black tea scent I was looking for. (Despite this, I too adore it — it is one of my Top Ten scents! In the coming weeks I plan to review some of the matching body products for it…)
At one time, I did some consultancy work for eskandar, and spent some time in the room where they worked on the Bath & Body stuff. And it was murder, because I could hardly concentrate on my (technical) work for the ache to try out all the little bottles. They were utterly gorgeous, and considering how expensive all eskandar's clothes are, the B&B line seemed a snip! Very good quality – eskandar himself insists on the most luxurious of materials.
Oh I didn't mean it that way! You don't need to change a thing! My taste tends to lean heavily toward florals (jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, lilac), as well as plant-inspired scents (like tea, currant leaves, lemon, etc). I'm not partial to fruit, spice, woods, or sweets, but I certainly love to read all your reviews and appreciate the chance to hear about products I wouldn't otherwise know about. Who knows, maybe one day I'll develop a taste for almonds and vanilla! Other reviews on this site have turned me on to iris, which I'd never bothered with before!
I can only imagine the temptation!! Very jealous of you though for getting to be anywhere near Eskandar headquarters!