When Cupid first tightened his gilded quiver and unleashed his first arrow, though wearing a blindfold, he had no trouble nailing his target – the glistening, baby soft skin of a soon-to-be lover begging to be caressed and kissed. If ever exfoliated, nourished, and perfumed skin from the neck down were in demand, it’s Valentine’s Day. Whether your preference – and budget – is for luxury, indie, or affordable brands, this curation of clean, vegan, skin care-quality shower gels, scrubs, moisturizers, and fragrance will leave your limbs, torso, and tush prepped for Cupid’s favorite pastime.
Sangre De Fruta – Luxury Botanicals
If bathing in a rose and jasmine petal-strewn river like Narcissus, and rubbing the body all over with an equally magical elixir is your jam, Sangre de Fruta’s botanical formulations deliver the indulgence your self-care demands. This clean, vegan, female-founded brand sources the most exclusive botanicals for a ritual worthy collection of Botanical Bar Soap, Botanical Body Wash, and Botanical Bath Salts in the cleansing phase. To prep the skin for nourishment, the prebiotic rich Botanical Tonic balances for better production absorption and leaves a light rose scent that also refreshes linens.
As this is skincare level-body care, actives and moisture are delivered in three formulations: a serum, a lotion, and a cream. The Botanical Body Serum, a blend of luxurious and rejuvenating Evening Primrose and Meadowfoam seed oils, pays off the ultimate hypnotic and aphrodisiacal essential oil of real Jasmine de Nuit.
Sangre de Fruta’s Botanical Hand & Body Lotion combines the most healing and moisturizing botanicals – aloe, comfrey, avocado, and sea buckthorn – for deep hydration. For areas in need of additional TLC, the Botanical Body Cream, rich in shea butter and rosehip oil, results in an emulsion equal parts silky, whipped cream and Wiccan healing salve.
Element Brooklyn – Environmental Indie Beauty from Bushwick
For recycling devotees uber conscious of their ecological footprint, local NYC indie brand Element Brooklyn has developed its body care collection as a refill-based system of clean, fragrance-forward formulations to rival beloved luxury brands at a major discount – up to a whopping 90%. With a pronounced dedication to sustainability, the Bushwick-based company is certified net plastic negative – ie. they remove twice as much plastic from the environment than they use. Element Brooklyn ships all their body washes and creams in eco-friendly refill pouches to make the best use of existing plastic empties or with their refillable dispensers.
Element Brooklyn matches their forward-thinking approach to packaging with vegan, cruelty-free formulations, all of which are sulfate-free unlike their luxury counterparts. Based on a famed Australian export known for essential oils, Element Brooklyn’s best-selling Desert Bloom Body Soap and Kiso Forest Body Soap leave the skin pristine and fragranced respectively with an ancient Egyptian-inspired blend of geranium blossoms and mandarin oranges, and Hinoki, the Japanese cedar beloved in traditional bathhouses. For thorough, sweet-smelling exfoliation, the Pumice Stone Hand Soap leaves the skin sleek and silky with notes of citrus and vetiver.
For a silky glide from head to toe, to accompany the body washes, Desert Bloom Hand & Body Cream and Kiso Forest Hand & Body Lotion combine essential oils, shea butter, and coconut oil to absorb without stickiness.
Element Brooklyn’s collection of dupes for the most coveted luxury candles makes it easy to unify body and ambience with heavenly scents. Stock up on In Full Bloom Candle for its Parisian florals and the old school tobacco and vanilla notes of Inner Circle Candle at a significant discount.
Affordable Bliss from Onyx Professional
Re-launched last year in tandem with a stellar, results-driven foot care line, the Onyx Professional Bath & Body collection delivers multi-tasking at every stage of the grooming process. The five Valentine’s Day-worthy rose-scented products exfoliate, cleanse, and treat in a myriad of ways. The Foaming Sugar Scrub cleanses and exfoliates in one swoop and includes an anti-bacterial scrubber for more demanding areas like knees, heels, and underarms.
The Foaming & Hydrating Body Wash Shake with evening primrose oil and niacinamide mousses beautifully for a moisturizing cleanse that doubles as a shaving cream that provides a full guide for razors. The Hydrating Body Lotion & Serum Duo nourishes and softens with a skincare-level blend of niacinamide, ceramides and moisturizers. A few spritzes of squalane-rich Hydrating Shimmer Mist and Hydrating Dry Body Oil & Essence Duo will leave limbs radiant, rose-scented and ready for a night of whatever Cupid has in mind.
Bootybeautiful with Coco Fesse
Some focus their body care on long, glimmering arms and legs, and for others, only one body part reigns supreme. In our increasingly derriere-obsessed culture, it’s the booty – firm, high, round and supple – that counts. Twerk Crème by Coco Fesse – translated from the French for “Coconut tush” – firms and smoothes uneven texture with caffeine, while deeply moisturizing with Thai coconut oil and shea butter. Given the richness, Twerk Crème absorbs rapidly with a tropical jasmine scent and Carnivale-ready gold shimmer for maximum “assitude” and peak spankability.
Unisexy with Jordan Samuel Skin
Undoubtedly the biggest trend in fragrance the last few years is the unisex boom. While
the challenge of crafting an olfactory experience redolent of florals and woods without involving gender norms is no easy task, sticking to the most tried and true notes of citrus to please all noses is a prudent strategy. Cortile Dolce, the latest from the minimalist, though results-driven Jordan Samuel skin care line created by ex-dancer Jordan Samuel Pacitti, translates from the Italian as “sweet courtyard.”
Like most gardens along the Mediterranean, this unisex fragrance is reminiscent of the salty sea breeze perfumed with almonds, jasmine, and zesty citrus leaves. Spritz your partner, take in the heavenly scent of Amalfi coast at sunset emanating from their skin, and then let them spritz you back as lovers do to satisfy Cupid’s whims for Valentine’s Day.
Happy Valentine’s Day!!
