Luckyscent: For the Love of Vanilla

Vanilla - one of my favorite notes. Versatile in its offerings - vanilla can add warmth, depth or a touch of sweetness depending on the variety used and the accompanying notes in the blend. Luckyscent is bringing their picks for tops in vanilla fragrances to your attention. Check 'em out:

• NOTE VANILLEE EDP by M. Micallef - 75 ml $180
  We usually think of vanillas as of good girl scents, cozy scents, comforting scents… Micallef’s Note Vanillee, with its impish licorice accord and a boozy undertone of cognac and rum is a girl gone bad, very, very bad. We can’t get enough of the honeyed piquancy of the perfume, with its juicy mandarin and its seductive jasmine; the base of sandalwood, vanilla and smoky, sweet tobacco, rum and cognac is sinfully delicious. To paraphrase a famous quote, when vanillas go bad, we go right after them! Notes: mandarin, jasmine, honey, licorice, sandalwood, vanilla, cognac, rum
  
  
• VANILLE AOUD EDP by M. Micallef - 75 ml $180 As far as we are concerned, there can’t be too many great vanilla scents and there certainly can’t be too many aouds. Combine the two, and we are smitten. We are addicted to this unique combo of creamy, dreamy vanilla and spicy, resinous aoud. It is a perfect yin and yang harmony. The caramel-like sweetness of vanilla mixed with ylang-ylang and prune softens the starkness of aoud. Oud, in turn, prevents the vanilla accord from being too predictably foodie and infantile. This is a vanilla fragrance for those who usually shy away from vanillas… and a perfect starter scent for those curious about aouds. Notes: bergamot, ylang-ylang, prune, oud, caramel, musk, vanilla, benzoin
  
  
• VANILLA EXTASY EDP by Montale - 50 ml $95, 100 ml $135
  Vanilla lovers will be ecstatic about this Montale creation, the complex, sensual and indescribably delicious blend of vanilla, flowers, fruits and resins. Blended with creamy ylang-ylang and sultry jasmine, this is a grown-up vanilla-seductress. The delicious note of apricot adds a honeyed and playful touch to the composition, contrasted by the heavy-leaded, dark sensuality of the woody, resinous base of sandalwood, mahogany wood and benzoin. Heavenly delight, bottled. Notes: ylang-ylang from Comoro Islands, Egyptian jasmine, apricot, sandalwood, mahogany, bensoin, vanilla
  
  
• ELEMENT OF ATTRACTION EDT by Creative Universe - Beth Terry - 4.3 oz $72 A lovely and streamlined citrus-kissed rose that has all of the Beth Terry trademarks: clean, modern elegance; confident simplicity and that ineffable quality of being just right for any occasion. This is a lovely, fresh, perfect rose – the sort of rose that is most stunning when showcased in a single crystal vase rather than hidden in a profusion of flowers. Green mandarin and crisp citrus give the rose a sparkling and transparent quality and an admirably light handed dusting of amber and vanilla gives it all a warm glow. Subtlety is not a word that usually leaps to mind when one considers rose and vanilla – but in this case, the blend is indeed subtle, soft and beckoning. A prime example of how a scent can be seductive without trumpeting your arrival in a room. Notes: citrus, green mandarin, vanilla, amber and rose
  
  
• LANN-AEL EDT by Lostmarc'h - 100 ml $75 Breakfast in fairyland: lighter-than-air buckwheat cakes; bowls of warm, pudding like cereal topped with cream ladled from the top of the milking bucket; sweet apples “borrowed” by the pixies from a nearby orchard. A delectable honeyed fruit opening eases into a soft and mellow vanilla-tinged milkiness that is as comforting as a mother’s embrace. Incredibly cozy and yummy, this will definitely appeal to foodie scent fans, but it also has an airy quality that is unusual for a gourmand fragrance, so it may appeal to those looking for something soft, as well. We are (quite unscientifically) attributing this lightness to some sort of magical spell, remembering the tales of those mortals so enchanted by a meal of faerie treats that they could never bear the taste of mortal food again. A whiff of this, and we can see how that could happen. Lann-ael means “angel heath” in Breton. Notes: buckwheat, cereals, milk, apple, vanilla. For more information about the divine Lostmarc'h fragrances, click here.

Please visit Luckyscent to learn more about these and many other gorgeous fragrances.

SHEA TERRA ORGANICS: Bourbon Vanilla Indigenous Silk & Shea Butter Lotion

Indulgently thick and creamy, this silk and shea butter lotion quenches thirsty, dehydrated skin. On the entrancing island of Madagascar grow the richest, most intoxicating vanilla beans in the world. By daybreak vanilla orchids open and by night fall sigh their last breaths making these hand pollinated beans one of the world's most costly spices. The choicest plump beans impregnated with earthy, warm notes impart their aroma into this hedonistic blend. Wild harvested African herbs of aloe ferox, kigelli and African potato tone and encourage skin renewal. Reparative, organic shea butter deeply moisturizes the skin, penetrating deep beneath the epidermis to deliver valuable nutrients. Creamy goat's milk, once used to nourish the delicate skin of the queen of Sheba, softens and improves skin tone with its high content of lactic acid and vitamins. Cruelty free, wild harvested silk is added to form a gentle cocoon to seal in moisture.

99% Natural. Paraben Free. No Artificial Fragrance. Contains 20% shea butter/oil. An 8 oz bottle is $18.

REVIEW: As with all the Shea Terra products I've tried thus far, I was completely delighted with the experience after just the first use of this body lotion. Let me caution you, though. If you are one who likes a light, liquid lotion, this product is definitely not for you. The Shea Terra Body Lotion is as rich, thick and decadent as what most will experience in an actual body butter. In fact, it's so rich you'd expect it to be packaged in a tub rather than a dispensing bottle. The cleverness of this dispenser does allow the product to feed through, however if you live in a colder climate you may need to warm the bottle in some warm water before dispensing the first couple of times - yes, it's that decadent. The feeling is one of luxury and indulgence on
application. Here's what I liked best about the Bourbon Vanilla Body Lotion:

• the scent is a warm, rich almost caramel-vanilla with its bourbon notes, yet not at all overpowering or off-putting
• the lotion (read: cream) absorbs right into skin on application; there's no greasy feel to this product (which attests to its superior quality)
• the hydration factor on dry skin is fantastic
• the use of a product that is organic in content and 99% natural at a price of $18 for an 8-oz bottle is more than a whopping steal
• with regular use of this product, you actually do realize healthier, toned, renewed skin appearance
• it just feels so darned luxurious ; )

Shea Terra Organics Body Lotions and other products are available through Nordstrom, Shea Terra and b-glowing.

Dear L'Occitane

For the love of all that's good and precious in the world, please bring back my luscious Vanilla Parfait Body Cream!

I don't know about you ladies (and possibly gents), but I can't find this delectable cream online or in stores anywhere. With its distinctive vanilla spice fragrance and beautiful moisturizing properties, I'm just lost without it. Oh how I loved that sweet concoction of grape seed oil, squalene, gardenia, vanilla bean and sandalwood.

Please oh please, Mr. and/or Mrs. Head of L'Occitane en Provence, bring it back!