Fragrance Friday

This is brief, because even though I have a ton of perfume samples to try, I keep forgetting to actually apply them. The only one I've managed to wear was Lanvin Me (mandarin, blueberry, rose, tuberose, licorice, sandalwood), which initially made me recoil with its super-sweet berry-full fruitiness, but settled down into an uninspiring pallid synthetic floral and was gone within a few hours. It was a rather unpleasant experience, overall, but it might be a good perfume for a young teenager. Really, though, you could buy something close enough at Bath and Body Works for a quarter the price.

via Neiman Marcus

Before I flew out to Turkey, I stopped off for a few days in New York and visited friends. L and I made our way to the Atelier Cologne boutique downtown, where we tried the new perfumes (Gold Leather and Silver Iris, neither of which was quite my cup of tea), received some free samples, and I picked up a bar of Orange Sanguine soap.
That bar lived in the bottom of my suitcase for the next month, and I finally opened it when I got back home, slightly worse for the wear. It's really, really nice––it smells exactly like the perfume (discussed here), lightly perfumes my whole bathroom, and, as L imagined, is an excellently invigorating morning-shower olfactory experience. It's extremely smooth and silky and cleans without drying (in fact, I find it lightly moisturizing, though if you have perpetually dry skin, it probably wouldn't be enough). The scent, while noticeable, is not overwhelming, and it does not linger or interfere with subsequent perfumes. It's $18 for a 200 g bar and it looks like it will last me about 2.5 months, which isn't terrible, but is still more than I'd like to spend on shower soap regularly, no matter how beautifully scented. Still, I'm glad I bought it, and have thoroughly enjoyed using it! I'll just have to keep my eyes out for a cheaper version, though I don't have much hope: Orange Sanguine is a uniquely cheerful citrus, in my experience, and I may very well eat my words and buy it again when my mood next falls into a funk.

What do you look for in a body cleanser? Have you ever paid $18 for a bar of soap? (In my defense, I also got 4 very generous sample spray vials...) Have you tried Lanvin Me, and if so, what did you think?

Skincare Saturday: Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Soap Bar Selection Reviews

Last week, I blabbed on and on about Chagrin Valley's shampoo bars. This week, I'll be talking about their soap bars!

I tend to prefer liquid shower gels over bar soap for cleansing myself, but I ordered several soap bars from the company in the hopes that they would help my face be less stupid, and as travel-friendly cleansing and shaving aids. I tried a couple of the complexion bars on my face, only to break out horribly, since almost all contain coconut oil, which hates my skin, even saponified. Fortunately, they make a few soaps that don't have coconut oil (in addition to the two discussed below, the Castile is also coconut-free), so I was able to test those on my face. My body is much less persnickety, so I was able to use them all and can now natter about them! A quick note: the complexion bars are designed for use on your face, but that's merely a suggestion––I find they work great on body, and at least one of the soaps that's not deemed a complexion bar would be lovely as a face wash (namely, Olive and Shea).

via Chagrin Valley

Grapeseed Tomato Complexion: This is one without coconut oil and designed for troubled complexions (that's such a nice way of putting it!), and it helps clear pores without irritating skin. The picture on the website (above as well) shows a bar significantly redder than mine, so I think I got part of the old batch that had less tomato; hopefully the new and improved version works just as well, because I really like this bar! It's nice and mild, doesn't strip my face, and doesn't contribute to breakouts. I like using it in the morning as it gives a nice soft, clean base for the day. It does remove makeup, but as it's traditional soap, you do not want to get it near your eyes (not that I speak from experience...), so I prefer to use it in the morning when I have nothing on my eyes, though I have also used it as my post-makeup-removal cleanser. I intend to buy a full size once I go through my current facial cleanser stash (namely, a 12 oz bottle of Purity, ha). $2.70 for 1.5 oz, $7.80 for 7 oz

Ingredients: Grapeseed Oil; Organic Sustainable Palm Oil; Babassu Oil; Virgin Shea Butter; Water; Sunflower Oil; Olive Oil; Sodium Hydroxide*; Canola Oil (Non-GMO); Organic Tomato Juice; Castor Oil; White China Clay; Organic Tomato Paste; Essential Oils of Lavender, Geranium, Palmarosa, Ylang Ylang. *Used during the Saponification Process to turn oil into soap. None remains in the finished product.  

Pacifica Shower Gel, Soap, and Candle Reviews and Pictures

Hey, y'all! I just spent an hour working on this post instead of grading midterms. I expect lots of loving comments in return. Carry on!


Pacifica is a perfume company stationed in Portland, OR and founded by a UO (University of Oregon, YELL O!) alum, Brooke Harvey Taylor. The UO Duck Store had a 25% off sale a few weeks ago, and I took the opportunity to snag some of the Pacifica products they carry (which include candles, body butter, shower gel, soap, reed diffusers, solid perfumes, and spray perfumes), and got a free gift to boot!

In keeping with the eco-friendly approach that permeates Eugene (and the Willamette Valley in general), Pacifica's products are made with locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible, have 100% recyclable packaging, and are made without animal testing, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, and other such "bad" ingredients. Now, let me take a moment to say that all rigorous scientific research done has shown that parabens pose minimal risk, and the crusade against them is simply a very successful marketing ploy, so there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of using products with parabens (unless you are one of the rare people who suffers from a sensitivity, much like I do to cocomidopropyl betaine), and if you go out of your way to buy paraben-free products, you're being ridiculous. In addition, the prose on the Pacifica website is rather, um, overly wrought, and includes lots of references to Buddhism and East Asian influences, which, well, cultural appropriation = problematic. In spite of all this, though, I really like the products from the brand that I've tried, so if you've managed to make it through that ramble (and if you're a regular reader of the blog, you should be used to such by now), here are my thoughts!

I got the shower gel in California Star Jasmine, since I was tired of trying to round up the enthusiasm to use Holiday Lights Aglow when it was 70 degrees out and don't like how watery the Body Shop Mango shower gel I have is (oh my god, why am I so wordy?!). CSJ in shower gel form is heavily green with a jasmine floral backdrop. The Pacifica website claims that the scent has orange top notes, but I get primarily green notes with some hints of citrus. Regardless, it's bright and fresh, and perfect for sunny mornings. It's also wonderfully thick and foamy, so a little goes a long ways; a mounded quarter-size dollop is enough for my whole body. I've also worn the spray perfume (I love testers!), which has the same bright green opening, but wears down into a more floral heart. It only lasts a few hours and the finish is rather barebones with just a shadow of green florals, but it's very refreshing and pretty, and at $22 for 1 oz, it's a good cheap thrill. Or, if you go to the UO, you can just duck into the Duck Store (I couldn't help myself) and spray yourself as a pick-me-up!
$10 for 8 oz shower gel from Pacifica and select retailers (like the UO Duck Store in Eugene, OR, and perhaps Whole Foods? We don't have one in Eugene [the locals rebelled when they tried to put one in, as we already have several locally-owned organic/natural food stores]); other California Star Jasmine-scented products available as well