It's that time of year when I can no longer deny the discomfort of late-summer heat and humidity, and my wardrobe is temporarily pared down to my very lightest dresses and a pair of sandals. Similarly, I can only tolerate my freshest and lightest fragrance standbys, like Diptyque L'Ombre dans L'Eau, Clarins Eau des Jardins and Lostmarc'h Iroaz. If the weather is truly oppressive, I may even just reach for a scented body product and skip perfume altogether.
Fragranced body oils always feel luxurious, and REN's Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil satisfies my need to wear something scented, even on the sultriest days. Actually, it seems to smell best on steamy, sticky days — but maybe that's just the magical power of the name "Morocco." This is a high-end body product, no doubt, but its ingredients are largely botanical (lots of plant extracts that provide essential fatty acids) and its fragrance is reportedly all-natural and definitely intoxicating for a rose-lover like myself. It's a spicy, honeyed rose with a waxy aspect. It's lush, but not overwhelming. This oil absorbs beautifully into skin, leaving just a veil of scent behind. I've been using it after my morning shower and as a soothing pre-bedtime treat on my arms and shoulders. I've even been putting just a drop or two in my hair for extra moisture and subtle scent.
Speaking of bedtime, I like to use a deep-cleansing facial mask one or two evenings a week in summertime, and my new favorite is Lush's Rosy Cheeks Fresh Face Mask. I feel bad about recommending something that can only be purchased in Lush shops, not online, so please forgive me if you don't have easy access to a brick-and-mortar Lush location. Like all "fresh" masks from Lush, this one needs to be kept refrigerated, so it feels delightfully cool when it's spread onto the skin. But whereas most of Lush's fresh masks smell herby or grainy or perhaps vegetable-y, Rosy Cheeks smells like a bunch of tea roses and just a spoonful of strawberry jam. It's definitely not as sweetly scented as Lush's Rose Jam shower gel or Pearl massage bar, but you'll need to be a rose fan to have Rosy Cheeks on your face. For me, it's ten minutes of bliss. I can even temporarily forget how cranky and hot I've been all day.
REN Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil Rosy Cheeks is $65 (ouch, I know) for a 100 ml bottle. Lush Rosy Cheeks is $12.95 for a 60g pot, in Lush stores only.
The Ren body oil, is just so very lovely. I use mine before bedtime as well
It gives a soothing feeling to me and I like to smell nice, when I go to Never Land 
I just wish it wasn’t so expensive..so I only treat this to myself once in a while 
Sadly I haven’t tried any of Lush’s products, as we cannot get it here in Denmark. But many of my UK friends adore the label
This rose mask, sounds heavenly 
It’s definitely a “splurge” item, but it really does smell wonderful. I agree that a “sweet dreams” scent is the perfect way to the end the day!
I hope Lush will come to you soon!
Nooooo! I went into Lush this morning to try the new Cup o’ Coffee mask and completely forgot to try Rosy Cheeks! My eczema especially likes the sound of the calamine powder.
A, I have had so many facial-skin complaints this summer — the record pollen-and-mold count really messed me up. Redness, itching, scaling…ugh. I used some Rx cream for a while, and things finally improved. This mask really does feel soothing (from the calamine) as well as cleansing (from the kaolin)!
I’m generally not a body oil person, but the REN rose one is lovely. I’ve got a very personal connection with it, as I used it almost every day during my pregnancy. The body scrub from the same sub-line is great as well and I adore the shower gel.
That’s such a special memory to have! Very sweet. Now I want to try the shower gel too…
The shower gel is simply divine
It really does get to the point where it’s too hot for perfume, and these sound delightful! Thanks, Jessica!
My pleasure! I also have a lavender body oil from Ole Henrikson that I like for steamy summer evenings… simple and calming!