The Body Shop Red Musk: fragrance review

When I first discovered The Body Shop I was a teenager. This also happened to be a time when the company was run by its founder, Anita Roddick, and not by the conglomerate that is L'Oreal. It gave a wholesomeness to the concept which I sorely miss.

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I also miss (sorely!) some of those fabulous, early perfume oils with imaginative and totally incongruent names: Japanese Musk, Azmaria, Ananya and Woody Sandalwood (the latter was a huge hit on my crush!). These are no more... Thankfully, in an array of mainstream and much more forgettable scents that get discontinued at seemingly lighting speed, there are still a couple The Body Shop fragrances that manage to capture my interest. The latest has been Red Musk.

I discovered Red Musk on the recommendation of a friend from a fragrance board and I thank her for it. I bought the perfume oil on the spot and didn't regret it. The advertising copy insists this is a spicy and unconventional fragrance for fiery situations, but what I get is the cozy core of the original White Musk powdery scent drydown, ornamented with the lushest tobacco and dried fruits overlay. In a way it's like a lighter, subtler Burberry London for Men, a very fetching scent in its own right. Red Musk is like a fluffy terry robe that a handsome man who smokes pipe tobacco with apricot flavor has worn for a few days; it has that soft, enveloping lived-in feeling that is both a consolation and a longing, and I happen to be a total sucker for this kind of scents. Maybe you are, too?

The Body Shop Indian Night Jasmine: fragrance review

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." This quote by Indian author Arundhati Roy is one of my favorite ones, shedding light where despair has cast its long, oppressing shadow. Scent also works the same way, transforming the mundane or the forsaken into sparkle and comfort. And when that comes with no requests of owning heaps of cash the size of the Koh-i-Noor jewel from Andhra Padesh, rejoice for all involved! One such case is Indian Night Jasmine by The Body Shop, possibly the nicest fragrance in the company's current rotation.

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Jasmine by its very nature is a precious essence to harvest; the delicate flowers need not see the heat of the day, as they emit their strongest scent during the cloistered shadows of the night. They get picked by hand, they wilt and brown easily, emitting their narcotic scent while they die... literally dying in scent. Modern technology has managed to isolate and replicate the sweetest and freshest elements of this natural wonder and to create fragrances that come at a competitive price point.

Indian Night Jasmine by The Body Shop manages to smell smooth, lush and orientalized, befitting the imagery of wild shrubberies growing out of control somewhere in India, the "moonshine in the garden". The air is dewy, warm and heavy with the promise of romance. Eyes kohl-sooted, glimmer under the canopy of fringed lashes; skin sleek with anticipatory sweat. This could be the night.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all the readers of Perfume Shrine and may the benevolent ghosts of your loved ones be around you on the dia de los muertos. I like to believe that our cherished, most loved ones can escape the Night's Sultan on this special occassion and for some brief moments come to us and kiss us gently on the forehead while we are fast asleep...

Perhaps you might want to burn some scented candles for them, on this special night, like I plan to for mine, and leave some sweet treats for them on the mantelpiece to ease their journey back.

Personally I am very partial to the very cool look of L'Artisan Parfumeur candles that were specially made for the leather-goods (and recently fashion too!) brand Bottega Veneta. Their Intreccio one (click here) with its herbal notes and touches of pine and cypress seems autumnal to me. And isn't it a pretty sight?

Or you might want to go more traditional and focus on the pumpkin quest!
This Colonial Candle in Pumkin Pie would make a great room fragrance, scenting the place with the spicy smells of the traditional dish; while this Pumkin Strudel from Claire Burke is unusual and yummy.
If you want to go the way of the burner, then The Body Shop has a seasonal offering in their range of room fragrance oils, called Pumpkin Nectarine, with fruity notes on a bed of spice and vanilla.
For an inexpensive easy treat Bath and Body Works has a device called Fragrance Bulbs in the seasonal scent Pumpkin Pie Paradise that includes the aroma of rich pumkin with the addition of cinnamon and caramel. Sounds terribly fattening, but without the calories. Of course you would have to be the type who goes for those bulby things in the first place. Myself I usually prefer the tradition of the candle.

Snow White Dove has a whole list of fragrance oils which could be used in a myriad of ways and for this occassion Pumkin Spice is a great bouquet garni of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. I am eyeing their Mulberry, with hints of pine needles, as well as their Vanilla Treasures with cranberry, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and roasted nuts for the upcoming winter months meanwhile...
At Specially Made by LLC, you can find a long list of fragrance oil as well, of which Eggnog, Gingerbread, Harvest Spice and of course Pumpkin Pie caught my attention.
Country Light Candles offer another wide selection, out of which yet another Pumpkin Pie raises its head.

Last but not least, if you have kids at the appropriate age for indulging in crafts, you might even consider making your own pumkin soap. You will find a lovely little recipe clicking here. Or just wash yourself with the handmade Soaps by Sarah in Pumpkin Cornbread. A Jack-o-lantern experience is guaranteed!

Pic of retro postcard from allposters.com. Pic of L'artisan candle from sybarites.org

We have a winner!!

Like I had announced on the Perfume Quizz ~before the crash down that cost me so much time in restoring things~ there was to be the recipient of a bottle of italian perfume by a niche brand as a prize.
The winner is Lea, who contacted me by email in the meantime, hitting the right spot by guessing none other than The Body Shop White Musk.
Yup! That was the one! Softly sensual, ever so lightly floral, reformulated at some point, non expensive, widely popular and related to the late Dama Annita Roddick (rest in peace)...
And the prize is musky too. Congratulations Lea!

Thanks for the participationg and stay tuned for more contests on Perfume Shrine. Many things have haunted by cupboards that seek people to love them.