From Mistral, Cranberry Currant soaps in Joy (shown), Merry and Peace holiday wrappings. $5 each, or $16 for a 3 bar boxed set.
5 Ocean-Inspired Treats ~ body products review
Although our summer “unofficially” ended on Labor Day and “officially” ended on September 23 with the autumnal equinox, my corner of the world was warm and steamy until this morning, when temperatures abruptly dropped thirty (!) degrees and a cool drizzle began (and lasted all day). As much as I look forward to fall, I do enjoy using fragrances and scented body products that evoke some ideal summer day at the seashore. Here are a few recommended items that I’ve recently tried.
Zum Bar Goat’s Milk Soap in Sea Salt: Zum has been around so long, as a reliable standby in “health food stores” and the like, that sometimes I need to be reminded how much I like this brand…
The daily lemming
More summer, in a bar soap: Mistral's Island Palm. "A warm blend of orange blossom, magnolia and citrus evoking tropical sunshine, shimmering sea water, and the scent of sunscreen on the ocean breeze." $8 for 150g.
The daily lemming
Pretty packaging for Mistal's new Marbles Soap Collection: "Introducing our new Marbles Soap Collection... Quadruple Milled with gorgeous papers. Could you imagine a bathroom covered in one of these dreamy prints? New scents, the Citrus is intoxicating... Rose Peony, Cassis, Dahlia, Marine and of course, Verbena." $9.50 each for a 200g bar at Mistral.
Long Hot Summer ~ Soaps for the Sultry Days Ahead
Here at Now Smell This we know it doesn’t take long to spend LOTS of money on scented toiletries (I’m not talking perfume, either). I’m a big fan of fragranced bath products, and current pricing for “fine” soaps and bath gels is high. Who’d have ever thought Diptyque and Frédéric Malle would be on the bargain end of ‘exclusive’ bath lines? Diptyque shower gels are $44 and a bar of scented soap is $15 (reasonable!); Frédéric Malle body wash is $55.
Bath gels sell for what perfume used to cost — Hermès cleansing gel: $59; Tom Ford shower gel: $65; Bond no. 9 body wash: $75; Sisley shower gel: $85; Creed body wash: $95. Fancy soaps are less expensive to buy and go from the “low end” (Jo Malone and Atelier Cologne, $20 a bar; Hermès soap, $22; Chanel No. 5 soap, $26 per cake) to high and higher end — Bvlgari soap, $30 a bar; one Guerlain Shalimar soap, $31; Tom Ford soaps: $35 each, and, as with bath gels, Creed is most expensive at $45 per tablet (I’ll pass).
Hey, Roja Dove and Clive Christian! Have you lost your nerve(s)? I was expecting over-priced bars of soap from each of you for at least $100 apiece and bath gels (with pulverized Swarovski crystals and gold leaf) for $400 in 8 oz. over-dreck-o-rated bottles!
Though I’ve enjoyed many of the soaps listed above (Diptyque, Hermès, Atelier Cologne and Guerlain), today I’m writing about less expensive options that deliver great lather and quality aromas.
Kappus Violet Lilac | Germany, $4: This is an old-fashioned-smelling violet and lilac glycerin soap…