Scented Skin Care: the little things matter

As someone who really gets my jollies out of perfume, I really appreciate it when the little things I use every day, like lip balm or face cream, give me a fragrant boost. There are some companies that really understand that the short time we all take to satisfy our daily needs is just another opportunity to show just how much potential there is in every moment. The products I have listed below all make me happy, and are small indulgences I can highly recommend. Their fragrances are all distinctive, yet don't interfere with my perfume. In short, we've got ourselves some (mostly) cheap thrills here.

Pangaea Organics Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom lip balm- $12
The scent of French lavender with its slightly fruity nuances is incredibly authentic here, and coupled with the gentle spicy warmth of cardamom, it's truly delightful. The balm itself is soft and spreads easily, and comes in a convenient oversized stick form. All lovers of lavender must try.

Decleor Aroma Solutions Nourishing Lip Balm- $16
Luxury takes hold with a more complex blend of oils, essences and resins: Hazelnut, rice and macadamia oils, barley grain, vanilla and tonka bean, petitgrain and cinnamon. These sound like notes in a beautiful perfume to me, but in lip balm form, it translates as slightly naughty. I was curious to see if the tonka would be noticeable, and it is, thankfully. No one essence in this concoction dominates, it is a natural and sophisticated blend that is perfectly paired with the silky texture of the balm that comes out of the squeeze tube. This is quite possibly one of the best lip balms I've ever tried.

Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Enrichie Anti-Fatigue Moisturizing Day Cream- $35
Do you love the scent of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil? Yeah, I do too. It's got a soft jasmine and warm skin scent that no one else can duplicate. Women all over the world clamor for the stuff; it makes skin satin-soft, and it disappears into damp skin leaving no greasy residue. And, most importantly, the fragrance is to die for. That's why when Nuxe decided to create a Prodigieuse facial care line, I was definitely interested. The cream itself provides fabulous, rapidly-absorbing, long-lasting moisture for dry skin and has antioxidants and sweet almond oil for nourishment. The fragrance of the cream is true to the dry oil, and lasts longer than you might expect on the skin. It's not overwhelming in the least, but it will last several hours.

Kisu Lip Balm- $7
This lip balm is available through the DSH Perfumes website, and although Dawn does not make it herself, she's addicted to it just like I am, so she decided she had to sell it through her website. It has the scent of pure Italian neroli essential oil, and that's it. The texture of the balm (in stick form) is very soft and melts onto the lips. The fragrance and the formula itself are so incredibly soothing, it's the closest thing to an instant pick-me-up that I have come across. It's brilliant, and a steal at $7.

Ren Frankincense and Boswellia Serrata Revitalizing Repair Night Cream- $55
This is a night treatment cream that I've used on and off for a couple of years. The fragrance, for lovers of frankincense, is just gorgeous. It's very raw and natural-smelling, herbal, resinous and incredible for a facial massage. Initially I was concerned about my sensitive skin reacting to the frankincense, but it's actually very calming to my skin. Ren products are a bit on the pricey side, but they are really gorgeous and worth the money in my opinion. This is a dead-of-winter must.

Clarins Huile Santal- $50
This is my most recent acquisition, recommended to me by the author of one of my most favorite blogs ever, Beauty Huile. Out of all the facial oils in the world she said unequivocally that for me, it should be Clarins. She was spot on. I really like a heavier texture in facial oils because my skin is dry and I don't like to use a lot of products at one time on my skin. The Santal oil has a base of hazelnut oil and plumps up my skin and makes it as soft as silk and feeling toned. Lately, I've been using it for facial massage at night, and when I wake up in the morning, my complexion has officially ditched the redness it usually has, and instead I have an even skin tone that's as cool as a cucumber. The fragrance is mostly lavender, but there is also cardamom and traces of woodiness- I can't say I can identify it as sandalwood, though. If there were natural sandalwood essence in this oil, the amount probably wouldn't be enough to stand above the lavender to be noticed. The fragrance is relaxing in the way that only lavender seems to be able to pull off, and the quality of the product is excellent. Clarins makes a couple of other facial oils for other skin types as well.

I'd love to know what scented skin care products you use! Please comment below and dish, because obsessed minds NEED to know.

[I was not compensated for these reviews, all opinions are my own and products were purchased by myself with the exception of the Nuxe Prodigieuse Cream, which was a press sample sent to me by the company]