My lavender favorites

Hi, everyone. This blog really stinks in that I haven't updated in ages! The holidays were fun but hectic, and they kind of kicked my ass a little bit, causing a fibromyalgia flare that still has me struggling. Hopefully your holidays were as happy as mine and 2012 is treating you well.

So anyway, let's make things a bit more fragrant around her, shall we? 

I was smoothing on some of my favorite skin soother today (the crazy weather is beating my skin up something fierce!) and started thinking about how my olfactory palette has expanded since I started on this perfumista journey. There was a time where lavender was one of my least favorite things to smell. I equated it with dusty potpourri. Sometimes lavender had a medicinal bite that tingled my nose.

Now, while it's not necessarily my favorite fragrance note, it's certainly one I enjoy.

I thought I'd take a minute and share just a few of my favorite lavender goodies.

The Soothing OneDream Cream (LUSH)

I mentioned that skin soother, and this is the one. It's not straight-up lavender. There's chamomile in there, too. Despite the fact that this is a perfume blog, my fondness for this is not just about the way it smells - which is, admittedly, not for everyone. It's also about what it does for your skin. It is a skin cream, after all! Ingredients like oatmeal, rose oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, and tea tree oil pitch in to help the chamomile and lavender soothe skin. Dream Cream helps smooth bumpiness, calm irritation, and minimize redness. Oh, it hydrates, too! While the slightly medicinal and distinct scent may be off-putting to some, I kind of like it. And it's short-lived and close-to-the-skin doesn't throw off my perfumes, which is important! And the fact that my kids like it really makes me smile.*

*It also reduces the girls' and my keratosis pilaris
 (those bumps on the back of the arms and legs)
and Lulu's slight case of excema.
That's not at all scientifically proven, but I know it to be true.

The Weird One
Gris Clair (Serge Lutens)

[image source]

Evocative. Interesting. Maybe even haunting. Gris Clair reminds me of a thunderstorm. Nope, there are no notes of rain or ozone. What is there, though, is a meeting of opposites. A thunderstorm is caused by an airmass is overly warm in the bottom layers, overly cool on the higher levels, or sometimes when both of those things happen. And of course, more duality is obvious when considering the coolness of falling rain drops and the heat of lightening. In Gris Clair, the herbal bite of cool lavender sits up on top followed by the warmer bottom notes of amber, incense and tonka. In fact, it's possible lightening struck this scent, because the there's an ashen, burned tinge to Gris Clair that I find particularly unique and enticing.

Some people find thunderstorms soothing. Other folks find them unsettling. Still others find them to be a little bit of both. I bet the same can be said of Gris Clair.

The Surprising One
Lavandula (Penhaligon's)

One might be tempted to write-off a scent like Lavandula. After all, it's a lavender perfume (read: boring) from a staid, historical company (founded in 1860). But Lavandula is neither stodgy or old-fashioned. It starts with a peppery, surprising bite of lavender with a green stalk. Once she has your attention, Lavandula calms your startled nerves with the cuddly calm of tonka, vanilla, and musk. This perfume never really sits still until the far drydown. Instead, she is constant but gentle movement, keeping you on your toes. My daughters both adore it (it's their favorite sleep scent). I do, too. 

Note for my bruthas:
Certainly, Dream Cream isn't just for the ladies.  I also do not consider Gris Clair or Lavandula to be strictly feminine scents.  I think men could pull of either of these perfumes. All three of these are a little unexpected, perhaps a bit odd, and definitely not potpourri- or bouquet-like. There's no reason men shouldn't try them. And remember, lavender is a focal point in the most famous of men's scents: the fougère!

So how 'bout you? Are you a lavender fan?

Share your favorites in the comments, or tell me why you like -or don't like!- lavender. I'd love to hear your thoughts!