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Editions M.R. Acide & C. O. Bigelow Lemon Body Lotion ~ fragrance & body product review

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In my last review I paired a neroli fragrance and body lotion. This week, I’m turning my attention to lemon, that commonplace citrus whose scent has become (unfairly!) linked with household cleaning products. I recently purchased some organic lemon essential oil to use in a class and once I’d opened it, I couldn’t stop sniffing it. So bright, so radiant, so satisfying! Here, then, are two very different products with lemon-centered scents that have entered my current rotation.

Acide is a contemporary interpretation of a classic Eau de Cologne, developed by perfumer Will Inrig for French menswear brand Éditions M.R…

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Tauer Perfumes L’Eau ~ fragrance review

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Lemon lollipop

Tauer Perfumes has done citrus fragrances before, most notably with Orange Star (2010) and Cologne du Maghreb (2011). Based on the name, I thought the newest, L’Eau, might be the first Tauer riff on a citrus classic cologne for hot summer days, but no, that’s not what it is. It is about citrus — it was reportedly “inspired by a lemontree in bloom on Andy Tauer’s veranda in crisp Zurich morning air”, and the notes follow suit: bergamot, lemon, orange, lemon blossom, iris flowers, musk, ambergris, timber and sandalwood. And L’Eau does start with a nice sparkle of lemonade, and it does start bright and cheerful.

But L’Eau has more heft than you’d expect from a classic cologne, and the “classic” citrus sparkle / juiciness is short-lived, as L’Eau moves quickly into something more modern and diffuse…

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Alvarez Gomez Agua de Colonia Concentrada ~ fragrance review

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Alvarez Gomez boutiqueAlvarez Gomez Agua de Colonia Concentrada

Alvarez Gomez is a Madrid-based, family-owned business that dates back to 1899, and Agua de Colonia Concentrada is its signature product. This traditional cologne is reportedly an easy item to find in shops throughout Spain, but it was virtually unknown in the United States until MiN New York began importing the Alvarez Gomez line last year. According to the company, Agua de Colonia Concentrada is “a very fresh, clean and natural-smelling cologne enhanced with carefully chosen essences of Mediterranean plants, flowers and fruit”; its official notes are Spanish lavender, lemon, geranium, eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme, English lavender and bergamot.

Agua de Colonia Concentrada was created in 1912, and Alvarez Gomez claims that its formula remains unchanged. I don’t know whether that’s entirely possible, but in any case, this fragrance does smell timeless, as a classic cologne should. It’s a strongly citrus-based interpretation of Eau de Cologne, with a tart, bright lemon note that evokes the peel as well as the pulp of the fruit. The lemon is almost brilliant for the first few minutes on skin; when you smell it, you’ll understand why Alvarez Gomez has chosen such a vibrant yellow for its packaging…

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Kings & Queens Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Body Scrub & Naturopathica Lemongrass Mimosa Body Scrub ~ scented body products

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Kings & Queens Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Body ScrublemonsNaturopathica Lemongrass Mimosa Body Scrub

If you read a few women’s fashion/beauty magazines per month, you’re probably familiar with the kind of feature in which a high-end item is paired with a more attainable, bargain-price item — “Splurge/Steal,” “Lust/Must,” and so on. Sometimes I consider using this device to recommend pairs of body products, except I don’t usually come across direct comparisons. These two body scrubs, however, do fall into a similar category. Both have citrus-floral scents and both are packaged in tubes (my strong preference for scrubs), but they’re sold in different markets at very different price levels.

Kings & Queens is a more widely-distributed spin-off line for Korres, the Greek skincare and makeup company. The Kings & Queens body products claim to be enhanced “with royal herbs,” and like the rest of the line, the Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Body Scrub is “enriched with royal mix [sic] of pomegranate, blue lotus and malachite natural extracts.” These extracts happen to fall towards the end of the ingredients list, after the water and sodium laureth sulfate and plastic exfoliant beads, but that’s not really unusual for a product in this price range. Because the exfoliating particles are suspended in what amounts to a lightweight shower gel…

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When life gives you lemons ~ scented body products

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Body Shop Energy GelBigelow Lemon Lime Souffle4mula

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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