August is the month of vacations! Everyone’s off on holiday catching the rays and celebrating life with the fam. It’s my favourite time of the year as well and come summer I like to change up my body care and skincare to suit the boiling hot temperatures here in Sri Lanka & prepare for adventures to come.
Apart from the obvious sunscreen hoarding, (trying to save our skin here. Literally) I find myself hoarding body oils. I LOVE them for summer! They don’t melt off as lotions and creams do and continue to hydrate the body throughout the day.
As you can see, I’ve managed to accumulate quite the collection (what’s scary is this isn’t all LOL) and over the years discovered a few favourites i’d like to share with you today. The best ones come from France. Unfortunately. I know a lot of you don’t have access to these brands but some are widely available and i’m sure i’ll be able to recommend something you’d like.
My most used/ all time favourite has to be the Lierac Sensorielle Regenerating Oil & Toning Oil.
If you love white flower scents, this one’s for you! I literally can’t get enough of the fragrance. It’s this incredible floral scent mixed in with hints of citrus. The essence of summer captured in a bottle.
To nourish and hydrate skin, these oils contain a few delightful skin loving ingredients such as Almond Oil, Apricot kernel oil & Sesame oil. Applied freshly after a bath, they absorb well and don’t feel sticky or uncomfortable. Both versions are equally good with the toning oil slightly less nourishing in comparison if you feel the you need a lighter option.
I also love that this particular oil comes fitted with a spray. No spills and messy oil drips. It’s a winner across all boards.
Next up, a fairly recent acquisition. The NARS Monoi Glow body oils.
These are the latest (reformulated) versions of the cult favourite Monoi Oil by NARS.
The primary ingredient used here is Tiare flower infused Coconut oil (60%). Nourishing and hydrating as the Lierac but more exotic in scent. It instantly transports you to your last summer escape, bringing back memories of the beach and sun kissed glowy skin.
I don’t own the previous version, (though I did take a quick whiff at the counter and concluded) this one’s more perfumed and sweeter with intoxicating notes of White Frangipani, Ylang Ylang & Vanilla.
Only downside is these Monoi Body Glow Oils don’t come with a spray & the bottle opening is quite large making it difficult to control the amount dispensed.
The African Botanics Marula Shimmering Oil is something special.
100% Organic, 100% Vegan & preservative free!
I received this as part of a skincare sampler set I purchased off Net-a-Porter (this one’s a mini size btw) & really like the soft shimmering glow this imparts as it nourishes and moisturises.
Marula oil, the key ingredient is a ‘super oil’ with a high concentrate of Omega 6 & 9 and Vitamic E and C. These deeply nourish and heal the skin, reducing redness & improving skin elasticity. The only downside is i’m not a huge fan of the Marula scent. It can be slightly too sweet at times and I don’t find myself reaching for this much. However if you are on the look out for products with clean ingredients. This is a good one to consider!
Next up, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse.
If there’s one body oil that started it all. It’s this cult favourite all purpose oil that truly lives up to the hype.
I find this very exotic in terms of smell, floral with a hint of incense or something along those lines…… Quite universally appealing I feel.
Ingredient wise this contains 6 precious plant oils including Sweet Almond, Camellia, Macadamia & Hazelnut & Vitamin E. A combination to nourish and soften the skin and eliminate stretch marks etc.
What’s great about the Nuxe oil is that it’s easily available! Most drugstores carry this (in Singapore you can find this at Watsons) and is moderately priced too. Around $50 or so.
*What you see here is the smaller (LE) size that was released last year & a tiny shimmer version (again part of a gift set which came with a candle. And OMG you need the candle!).
Onto another favourite! The Roger & Gallet Huile Sublime.
Roger & Gallet is one of my favourite French Pharmacy discoveries. I managed to stock up on quite a few of their products last time in Paris and have to say I’ve loved every single purchase including this oil (which I managed to get my hands on a while after, thanks to my lovely bro).
This again is another zesty, orangey scented oil that’s soo addictive just as the Lierac. And praise the lord, it comes with a spray! I also find the packaging soo beautiful, and possibly the most luxurious of the oils I own. A collectors piece if you may. I hope I never run out!
In terms of ingredients, it’s formulated with 8 precious oils that nourish & moisturise the skin and quite lightweight in comparison to some of the others. Unfortunately I believe the oil is limited edition but they do tend to relaunch it once in a while, so keep an eye out if you do happen to be at a store. I highly recommend it!
Other Info
The Nuxe, Lierac, Roger & Gallet are all available in French pharmacies. I believe Feel Unique stocks a few of these brands too. *Nuxe is available locally at Watsons.
African Botanics can be purchased via Space NK or Net-a-Porter.
NARS Body Glow is available at all NARS Counters (Tangs Orchard and Robinsons).
Lastly, hope you found this post an interesting read
What are your favourite body products for summer? Do you use body oils or any multi purpose oils as the above? Please share!
