Archive for the ‘Fragrances’ Category
La Collection De Grasse is the name of L’Occitane’s luxurious set of new fragrances. It’s the fruits of their new in-house perfumer, Karine Dubreuil who is no strange to L’Occitane having worked on fragrances for them previously.
Dubreuil has a portfolio to be proud of with the likes of Thierry Mugler’s Womanity, L’Artisan’s Mûre et Musc Extreme and L’Eau D’Ambre, Gucci’s Envy Me and for Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria range, Pivione Magnifica and Grosellina under her belt.
And Grasse? Well it’s the town where Dubreuil grew up in, and it is also considered the world’s capital of perfume.
There are four choice scents housed in elegant bottles and distinguishable by the spring colours yellow, orange, purple and green. Let’s take a closer look at them, shall we?
Jasmin & Bergamote has top notes of mandarin orange and bergamot; a heart of jasmine and lemon leaves; and base notes of sandalwood and cedar. It is a very fresh and citrusy scent, and would be perfect to spritz on during the daytime.
Magnolia & Mûre features notes of bergamot, blackberry, magnolia, rose, patchouli and moss. Quite a sensual and sophisticated scent, I would say.
Vanille & Narcisse features notes of blackcurrant and bergamot in the top; heart of narcissus and gardenia; the base includes vanilla and tonka bean.
Finally Thé Vert & Bigarade is a unisex fragrance, containing notes of orange, bitter orange, green tea, yerba mate, cedar, thyme and musk. It’s the lightest fragrance out of the four.
I couldn’t tear myself away from Jasmin & Bergamote and Magnolia & Mûre because I adore jasmine and roses, but after much deliberation, I settled for the latter as I have a strong fondness for rose scents like Ghost, Stella and Christian Dior’s Oud Ispahan. Also it struck me as a fragrance I could actually get away with wearing all year round.
These fragrances are available as 75ml Eau de Toilette, 175ml Body Milk, 175ml Shower Gel, 125g Perfumed Soap and as gift sets too. I was given the collection in miniature sized bottles, which is a great way to try them all for £28 and handy for travelling too. Find them at L’Occitane concession counters, L’Occitane’s shops or online.
*PR samples
The Body Shop has released a number of exotic new scents in a collection of 30ml Eau de Toilette bottles. There are eight addictive fragrances to choose from which are Strawberry, Moringa, Coconut, Mango, Shea, Satsuma, Pink Grapefruit and Vanilla.
I was sent a couple to spritz and try – coconut and mango. Light, delicious and easy to wear, these sprays are refreshing yet subtle – perfect for the summer. Honestly, these are getting me in the mood for my holiday next month so I may pack one in my suitcase.
I adore the sweetness of the Brazil Nut scent the Body Shop brought out recently and these scents are very much in line with it so if you have a sweet tooth for fragrances then these are sure to be up your street.
As with anything the Body Shop produces, strong ethics matters. Each Eau de Toilette relies on Community Fair Trade organic alcohol from sugarcane and is sourced from the Body Shop’s Community Fair Trade supplier, the CADO co-operative in Ecuador ensuring stability to their communities.
The Body Shop’s range of Eau de Toilettes in these tropical flavours are available in cute 30ml bottles for only £8.50.
*PR samples*
The humble Brazil nut. Enjoyed either plain or covered in chocolate. Except it’s a rather extraordinary nut, not just because it comes from the depths of the Amazonian rainforest, but because it takes an epic journey, which The Body Shop is keen to raise awareness of with its relationship with Community Fair Trade and the new Brazil nut collection.
Last week I met Gaston Vizcarra, the founder of Candela and Community Fair Trade Supplier of Brazil nut oil at the unveiling of this new range. He struck me as the Santana of Brazil nuts (a compliment – honest). There is something immediately heart-warming about Gaston in the first few minutes of meeting him. Maybe it was the pocketful of Peru he had brought with him (his home) and as the evening unwound, so did his adventurous stories. Accidentally stumbling into a tiger’s den whilst looking for Brazil nuts definitely makes my life pale into insignificance. (FYI – Tigger was not home.)
Gaston and the Brazil Nut mood board
Gaston has been supplying Brazil nut oil since 1989 through the Community Fair Trade programme to businesses like the Body Shop who use it to make those much-loved toiletries and cosmetics we love to use.
This ‘trade not aid’ relationship has helped immensely to sustain, harvest and protect over 3,000 hectares of the Peruvian rainforest by providing a livelihood for the nut collectors and nut crackers part of the Candela co-operative. Did I say Peruvian? I did. That’s because Brazil nuts are grown in Peru, as well as Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil (of course).
The enormous coconut-like shell in which the Brazil Nuts are found inside
Gaston works with more than 270 nut gatherers who hand harvest Brazil nuts from the Madre de Dios region, providing a safe alternative to logging and illegal gold-mining which results in deforestation and pollution. And because the Brazil nut is so invaluable as a source of income to both parties, the environment is also protected to ensure this cycle continues for future generations.
This 5 minute video by The Body Shop sums up the story of the Brazil nut perfectly:
Last year, The Body Shop International bought over 20,000kg of Brazil nut oil from Candela. This oil came from approximately 280,500m2 of forest, from nearly 3,000 trees. It’s pretty remarkable to know Gaston’s hopes and dreams came from a small bottle of Brazil nut oil that he brought to the UK all those years ago.
Understanding how this chain of events leads to the pretty lotions and potions we pick off the shelves was an eye opener. I think we are familiar with how passionate the Body Shop is about creating products derived from natural resources but the realisation of the long and arduous process involved gives much food for thought and indeed value and appreciation. Now I can’t look at a Body Shop Body Butter without pausing to think about how it got there in the first place.
You may recall the Body Shop brought out a Brazil nut Body Butter a while ago. Well it has returned by popular demand and this time, it’s brought some new friends to join the party:
Body Butter (£13)
Beautifying Oil (£9)
Body Mist (£7.50)
Shower Cream (£4.50)
Eau de Toilette (£8.50)
Cream Scrub (£12.50)
The complete collection (with real Brazil nuts for decorative purposes)
The first thing that is striking is the subtle sweet scent – it’s like chocolate or toffee with vanilla but aromatically sensual without being sickly sweet. I admit I wasn’t a fan of the Body Shop’s chocolate range (it was a little on the nauseous side) but the Brazil nut has won me over, especially the Body Mist and Eau de Toilette.
Another favourite is the awesome scrub with the shells crushed into smithereens for exfoliating. I am not impressed with scrubs that are too soft to work. Give me something that will do its job, and this offering certainly does.
The creamy Body Butter speaks for itself, considering it’s always such a popular and sought-after product of the Body Shop. In total the entire collection will set you back £55, which is (pea)nuts, so you could indulge in it entirely without feeling guilty (that’s how I justify multiple goods purchases) and hey, it is a worthy cause.
I can remember when Anita Roddick founded the Body Shop, and how strong her ethics were so I am pleased to see her legacy lives on with The Body Shop striving for the same beliefs:
AGAINST animal testing
SUPPORT community fair trade
ACTIVATE self esteem
DEFEND human rights
PROTECT the planet
The new collection drops on 23rd April. You can also visit the Body Shop’s website on Community Fair Trade here.
*PR samples*
As the seasons change, so should your choice of fragrance and Liz Earle’s new scent is certainly one to be sniffed at. The follow-up to the floral fragrant No1, No15 is beautifully sensual, spicy and perfect to lift the autumn and winter blues.
It’s made up of a blend of 15 precious botanicals (hence the name) and is packaged in a gorgeous cream box that cleverly folds out to reveal illustrations of the perfume’s 15 ingredients. It is one perfume box I would not discard easily – far too pretty. The feel and look of the bottle itself is elegant too and is distinctively different from Liz Earle’s first fragrance.
The 15 notes are Bergamot, Cedar wood, Patchouli, Guiacwood, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Cypriol, Siam Benzoin, Damask Rose, Elemi, Cinnamon Leaf, Clove Bud, Pink Pepper, Bourbon Vanilla and Vetiver, with 90% directly derived from natural ingredients. It sure makes for spectacular list but one that harmonises so well.
While No1 was floral and chic, No15 sits at the other end of the scale as the more feisty sister. At first it reminded me of DKNY’s Delicious Night (a favourite of mine), but while the deeply sexy Delicious Night lingers strongly on the skin, No15 purrs softly as a warm, cosy scent whether it is worn during the day or in the evening and with Christmas just around the corner, would make for a perfect present.
No15 is available from Liz Earle online and John Lewis stores priced at £45 for 50ml.
*PR sample*
