Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

Botanical Essence Eau de Parfum No. 1 is the first fine fragrance from Liz Earle.   You all know what a huge fan I am of Liz Earle products and this is a wonderful addition to the line.   It can be very difficult for me to like a fragrance – any fragrance.   They can’t be too sweet, too fruity or just too, too if you know what I mean.  I can sneeze and have a reaction to some fragrances (think Calyx) which make my throat close up, literally.   So you can imagine my hesitation when I received a sample of this – do I even try it?

Well, I’m glad that I did!   It’s really a wonderful fragrance, and especially for summer.   It’s not too heavy or too much of anything.   It’s not a fragrance where if a person is wearing it you can name off the brand as you walk by them.   I like a fragrance to be individual.  To me, what’s so unique about this is the different notes that come across during the dry down.  At first it’s light and fresh.  Sparkling was a term they used, and that really fits it perfectly.  The top notes are

• Bergamot
• Mandarin
• Orange Bigarade
• Lemon
• Cardamom

Then after awhile it takes on a whole different tone.   The middle notes are:

• Rose absolute
• Lavender
• Geranium
• Nutmeg

Then at the end, it again takes on a whole deeper tone – but not so deep that it takes you into the warmth of a cashmere sweater.  It’s just a lightweight wrap instead.   The base notes are:

• Cedarwood
• Vetiver
• Tonka Bean
• Patchouli oil

When deciding to create a fragrance for the Liz Earle line they went to leading French perfumer Jean Charles Niel.   They gave him time to indulge in this age old art of hand crafting a complex scent with true passion.   98% of the ingredients are natural and come from all over the world, such as France, Turkey, Italy and more.  The three year journey ended with Botanical Essence  No. 1.  

The fragrance is $78 for 1.6 fl oz and is available starting July 1 at Lizearle.com

Are you looking for body care that is paraben free, certified by the Vegan Cosmetics Organization, and follows the Natural Ingredient Resource Center criteria for labelling natural ingredients and products?   Then Verikira Naturals is a great line of natural products for you to own.

I’ve been testing a few products from the line – the Cucumber Hand and Body Wash and the Fresh Feet Foot Creme – Paraben Free.   I have turned into a germ-a-phobe as of late (hey, I’ve been sick for 1 1/2 of the last 3 months – wouldn’t you be!) and I have a gazillion hand washes at home so I thought I would bring this one to work for all of us to share.   It was immediately being used and the Method brand hand wash was pushed aside.   The first thing I noticed is that when this says cucumber, it really smells like a cucumber!   You know how some products are cucumber scented and you might get a light hint of cucumber?   Not with this, with every squirt it smells like a fresh cucumber from the organic garden was just sliced.   Yummy!  I don’t find this to be drying at all and it seems to be a hit in the office!   Check out the ingredients by clicking here.

I know, I’m redundant, but my feet are HORRIBLE!   You know it’s bad when you get a pedicure and the person giving it to you comments to you about how bad/dry/awful your feet are!   Embarrassing!   So I’m up for trying any foot cream in hopes that it’s “the” one.   Well, the Fresh Feet Foot Creme may be “the” one for me.   I apply it at night – slip on my socks and hope that the foot fairy will give me remarkably smooth feet overnight, and she does!    Usually when I put on a foot cream, it will soften my feet and bring the dryness from a level 10 to about a 4.   But the Fresh Feet Foot Creme made my feet feel amazing!  You know how your skin feels right after applying a wonderful lotion – super soft and lovely.   Well, my feet still felt like that the next morning, they were that soft!    This creme has some wonderful ingredients that you can read about here, but I do have to say for me and my sensitive nose, I wish the scent was a bit softer.

Right now, Verikira is available online or if you live in the Minneapolis area it is also available at Spalon Montage.