Providence Perfume Company has branched out into the realm of bath and body products which came as a very pleasant surprise to me. I knew nothing of this development until a box filled with samples of body lotions and shower gels landed on my doorstep. I’m not inundated with press packages like many bloggers, especially since I’m on a bit of a break, but I get a few, so I don’t normally get too excited over these things. This was an exception. When I lifted the top off of the box, I was truly thrilled and couldn’t wait to give them all a try knowing full well I would want to share my thoughts with all of you.
There are five scents in this bath and body line: Stonefruit & Ylang, Sandalwood, Fern, Gin & Tonic, and Chai Cocoa. Stonefruit & Ylang is the standout for me, hence the image of apricot blossoms above.
Regarding their ingredients, the shower gels, body lotions, and hand creams are 100% natural and contain 90-97% organic ingredients. The shower gel is sulfate free and is infused with organic aloe juice. The lotion is made with olive, aloe, coconut and jojoba oils, while the hand cream boasts shea, kokum, mango and cocoa butters.
As you would guess from such high quality ingredients, these products feel wonderful on the skin. The lotion is lightweight and melts into the skin immediately. It provides excellent hydration and leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft. The hand cream is thicker of course, and takes a little more time to fully absorb, but is by no means greasy and is a very lovely treat for dry winter hands. The shower gel is very mild and non-drying, and doesn’t lather up a great deal on its own. I used it with a shower pouf to augment the suds which worked very well, and the scent from all of the five fragrances filled the shower beautifully but did not linger on my skin afterwards.
As I mentioned, Stonefruit & Ylang is my favorite. I did not receive a sample of the hand cream in this scent, but the lotion is fantastic. The fragrance lasts for hours and is juicy apricot perfection. It’s ripe and floral with an indolic tang that bursts when you first apply the lotion (or suds up in the shower). After the scent settles on your skin, ylang’s tropical blossom-like quality adds to the sweetness of the fruit, creating such lushness that it is hard to believe that it came from a small application of lotion on one hand! Stonefruit & Ylang is truly a fragrant experience, and I can only imagine that using it all over one’s body would be truly intoxicating.
Sandalwood is my second favorite, as it’s smooth with just the right interplay between creamy and dry. I like that it’s not too overpowering and find that it layers beautifully with Stonefruit & Ylang. As for the other fragrances, Gin &Tonic is a lighthearted lime with a floral twist; Chai Cocoa is a dark chocolate confection laden with cardamom and ginger; and last but not least there’s Fern, which will knock the socks off any oakmoss-chypre loving perfume nerd out there.
These are all very reasonably priced for such gorgeously and botanically perfumed body products. $24 for the hand cream (3oz), $36 for the body lotion (9oz) and $30 for the bath gel (9oz). Available at ProvidencePerfume.com
Samples are also available.
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Sandalwood is my favorite, there is something about it that I can’t figure out