Fragrances Boutique

One of the consolations of summertime, for those of us who don’t enjoy heat and humidity and the constant sight of other people’s unkempt feet in flip-flops, is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Even I, a dedicated starch-lover, experience a craving for something a little more colorful at this time of year. I’m grateful for the network of farmers’ markets that has expanded to urban areas, and for the tiny city-yardspace behind our new home, where my husband and I are making our first attempts at growing a few potted edibles.

Oyin Handmade’s Juices & Berries is a spray-on, leave-in conditioner for hair, and it smells like the kind of fruit salad that you can only make at the height of the summer season. It’s scented with a mix of natural and synthetic fragrance oils, and it turns out to have a much more appetizing and realistic aroma than many berry-fragranced toiletries on the market…

I’ve never referred to myself as a “chocoholic.” I enjoy chocolate, but I’m an equal-opportunity sweets lover, and I’m usually more likely to seek out cookies or ice cream or a really good piece of apple pie than a cocoa-based dessert. Today, however, I rounded off my lunch with a slab of chocolate cake. I think the last long weeks of winter have finally gotten to me. In this spirit of unexpected cravings, I’ve rounded up a handful of chocolate-fragrance body products for your delectation.

I’m fond of Villainess’ vaguely steampunk aesthetic, not to mention its range of unusual scents. Its Dulces en Fuego (“fire candies”) blend mixes cocoa with cinnamon and black pepper and a touch of musk. The dense, sugar-based Smooch! Warming Body Scrub actually does seem to give off heat when it’s first applied to the skin, and the matching Dulces en Fuego soap (shown above) looks dangerously dark before it foams. The scent of Dulces en Fuego reminds me of the tiny cups of rich, spiced “Aztec” chocolate served at Mariebelle in New York, although it probably doesn’t taste as good…