Product Review: Lotus Wei Transformative Perfumes
Confession: Sometimes I sort of miss phthalates.
Ugh, OK, I don’t really mean that. But you know that feeling when you smell something so amazing—a flower, a candle, your boyfriend’s deodorant—and then all you want to do is smell that thing all the time? Well, phthalates can help with that. They can also help bend your gender, though, so we avoid products that contain them—which means almost anything with synthetic fragrance.
As such, I’ve been on the hunt for a perfume I could love as much as my old favorites. A signature scent, if you will. My criteria has obviously changed over the years: I don’t want a perfume to last all day—I find that weird; but I’d like it to be portable so that I can reapply it before I go out at night; I’d also like it to be 100% organic, or as close to that as possible; and I want it to elicit as many or more “You smell greats” as my Chanel and Hanae Mori used to.
Tough! But not impossible.
In the last three years, I have tried many, and loved few. Alexandra and I have both experimented with using essential oil treatments as perfume. She loves Hope Gillerman’s, and we both still adore Tata Harper’s Irritability Treatment; I love Honore des Pres for its luxurious and playful packaging and nuanced scents (Vamp à NY and Love Coconut are my favorites). There have been others. And now…there’s a new favorite in town.
Lotus Wei has started making perfume! And at $45, it’s affordable! And portable! And organic! And…transformative? Ben oui!
Like all Lotus Wei’s products, these perfumes contain aromatherapy and flower essences, meaning they’re double-teaming you for best results. I have already professed my love for the Infinite Love Energy Mist, and I dose my friends with the Elixirs all the time. Now, thanks to the unbelievably delicious smelling perfume, I can wear it all day long, too.
So Infinite Love is the one I’ve been wearing. It has rose, and mandarin and honey, starting out as a mix of really bright—not heavy or musty—rose with citrus, and it quickly warms into a sexy, caramelly smell as it blends with my own skin. It’s garnered a lot of questions, comments and, yup, compliments, and because it’s got the flower essences in there, I feel like it’s working on a subtler level as well. Mmmmm!
So let’s toss this topic back to you guys. Have you found YOUR signature scent?
(And guys, get excited, because we’ve started calling in some aftershave and colognes as well. Expect some reviews from our boy testers soon!)
Two words: FRIDAY DEAL!!!
I discovered Lotus Wei thanks to you and am smitten. I got the little set to sample them all and I tend to favour the Infinite Love and the Inspired Action. I definitely want to buy them again but one of my biggest criteria is being able to get it in a carry-able size because I like to use a little but frequently throughout the day. SO excited to hear of Lotus Wei doing the perfume in the fragrances I love and in a size I prefer.
May I be so bold as to repeat myself… FRIDAY DEAL!!!
:)
I just picked up Phoenix Botanicals’ B-612 solid perfume, and it’s absolutely lovely. Give that line a try!
Thanks for reviewing these :) They sound lovely. I’ve been wearing Chaman’s Party by Honore des Pres for a few months, and I love it. It lasts for quite a while and is unisex enough that my husband can wear it if he’s feeling like wearing a scent. It just may become my ’signature scent.’
Your post is eerily well-timed! I was just researching natural and organic fragrances this morning, and bemoaning the loss of the beautiful James Heeley “Ophelia.” I decided to dedicate myself to further “greening” my home and beauty routine this year. And while I have so far done really well with cleaning supplies and most products (still searching for the perfect shampoo), the perfume situation makes me want to cry. I LOVE fragrance, love trying new things, love collecting. Last year I discovered Ophelia and decided it was going to be my spring/summer go-to scent. But I guess I may have to let dear Ophelia drown and opt for something more friendly to my body. I just tried Crow’s Water + Perfume line and liked just about everything I tried in their sample pack. But the search will continue for a grand fragrance love affair. I haven’t tried Honore, yet, but plan to, and am also saving my ducats to try some of Roxana Illuminated samples from Etsy. Thanks for the review of Lotus Wei. Another to try!
My signature scent is lavender – not because I so much want to smell like lavender, but it’s the only thing that keeps me from getting bug bites daily. Ha – so it’s a good thing I like the smell, and people do sometimes tell me I smell nice. I really love the Lotus Wei Inspired Action and Pure Energy. I’ve toyed with the idea of trying the perfumes. As @Naomi says, Friday deal! I got a truckload (only slight exaggeration) of Lotus Wei with their awesome recent deal.
@Rebecca you should definitely try the stress remedy I reviewed from Hope if lavender is your jam!
As for me, I’m in the same boat as Siobhan: loving many, but always on the hunt for THE one. These days I’m combining my Honore des Pres (which is almost done) with the Hope Stress remedy. But I just about cried with joy when I found out there was going to be a Lotus Wei perfume line.
Oh and @Kari, Chaman’s is my scent too and I love it. But my husband doesn’t wear it and sometimes I think he would like me to wear something a little more feminine. Infinite Love here I come. :)
Love Coconuts and Tallulah Jane’s 333.
Both delicious!
I LOVE Pure Vanilla by Lavanilla, it smells delicious. I’ve been told I smell like cookies and cupcakes. :)
Everything that these folks make is of the highest quality I have been able to find.
http://www.aguadeflora.com/collections/mists-of-maui/index.php
Sounds like I need to try this dreamy stuff!
My current favorite is this little guy:
http://captainblankenship.com/products/scents/mantra-solid-perfume/
My personal favourite isn’t featured here but is the Chakra Karma Suburban Yoga Warrior Essence available from lululemon at the very reasonable price of 70 CAD per ml. It may cost more but it will last you longer because it is superconcentrated essential oil with the proper synergies and energies to promote peace and harmony thorugh higher-level vibrations.
Oh yes! EOV by Essence of Vali and I cannot believe no one mentioned it yet. It is absolutely lovely, has a great staying power and you will certainly get compliments when wearing it. It is really awesome!
I tried Honore des Pres but we didn’t click…
I’ve been using tsi-la organics. You can try some samples for around $20—good for those like me, watching their budget.
Ooooh! This is good news! I’m also an Infinite Love fan since the first Friday deal. I ‘ve also tried many natural fragrances; many either don’t work with my chemistry or don’t smell complex enough, but I found a couple that I’m a fan of; Tsi-la Saqui, and Red Flower Champa. Both are oils that are in small roller bottles.
Melange Perfume. I can’t say for certain that all products are 100% clean, but I believe they are pretty close to it. I started using their No. 9 scent a couple of years ago after an amazing friend gave it to me as a gift–their oil based fragrances were a welcome replacement for the chemy, alcohol-based perfumes that stung my skin and overwhelmed my nose. All of their products (roll-on, solid perfumes and solid palettes) come only in travel sizes perfect for carrying around and blending/changing frequently. Since they run $18-$28, these perfumes have been an affordable luxury for me.
I like vamp a ny by honore des pres and undergreen. The biggest challenge for me with green scents is lasting power. Most last only 30 mins or so and then disappear. While scent doesn’t have to last all day, I expect more from a perfume. So I think most (including the above) need to improve that.
Yes! I love their stuff and now they have perfume, sooooo psyched to try these.
PS. My signature scent is Indian Coconut Nectar from Pacifica
I love the scents in the Essence of Vali products. I am enjoying trying different scents, and in different types (e.g., oils vs mists). She also offers a wonderful perfume called EOV. These products are wonderful!
Question: What’s the verdict on Pacifica perfumes and other products? I wear the lilac one and was wondering if I’m crazy. I haven’t seen anything about them anywhere.
Wow, Infinite Love sounds amazing. I too have been on the lookout for some natural perfumes to use. Pacifica’s got some nice ones, but now I’ve got to try Lotus Wei! Melange Perfumes and Agua de Flora sound nice, too. :)
Ok so these are expensive but amazing: Strange Invisible Perfumes. I like woody, oriental, spicy fragrances and the Magazine Street and Musc Botanique are my favorite. 100% natural, 90% organic and they have SO many fragrances. Tsi-la Saqui is another one I love, also the Passion Fruit/Vanilla from Lavanila (but I’m not totally convinced that’s actually natural…) It’s been hard to move from my favorite old perfumes, but these have made it easier :)