A New Perfume Love: Jurlique Essence of Rose

I've never been a big fan of roller ball perfumes. First of all, I rarely spray perfumes directly onto my skin, as the primary ingredient is alcohol which tends to be very drying. I suffer from dry skin, and have always thought it rather skin-damaging to be putting alcohol on tender points such as the wrist and nape of neck on a regular basis.

Which is why I was immediately intrigued by the Jurlique perfume rollers. I overheard the sales associate telling one of her customers that this was alcohol-free, and that it features a rich shea butter base. I went to try it, and as rose is one of my favorite scents ever, had to smell it. Although it may be oil-based, the perfume doesn't feel all that different from a normal roller-ball. Certainly it's less drying, but it's not greasy and absorbs quickly, leaving a depth of scent in its wake. See below for the back of the package, including the product ingredients.



I would even venture to say this is one of the loveliest rose tones I've sniffed yet. Many I've encountered over the years are either too sickly sweet (e.g., The Body Shop's Moroccan Rose) or almost too fresh (Jo Malone's Red Roses, which I still do love). For reference, I'm a big fan of the Chloe Roses perfume. Jurlique's is I feel a nice balance, with a richness and complexity that makes it smell more like a true bouquet of roses rather than a cheap imitation.

If any of you are looking to try a new perfume out, I highly recommend this. Jurlique was running a sale when I went, so I managed to snag this bottle for 40% off. A nice little addition to my perfume collection.

Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm: Moldy?!

As you may know from my previous post, I've been fairly consistently using the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm since I purchased it a year ago. Well, I was out for vacation for about a month and didn't bring along my big tub, only to return and find that it'd gone moldy! You can't quite see it in the picture, but it smells akin to how moldy food would in the fridge and I'm pretty sure can't be safely used anymore.

It's quite disappointing since most of you know this is not a cheap product, and I had quite a bit left. I suppose it has almost been a year, but still it's surprising. I think the main reason was probably because some water had gotten into the container (inevitable considering the tub-like packaging). I had decanted a small amount into a separate container for travel, and that one's still fine, so not really sure what went on with the big tub.

It's probably for the best since I wasn't very in love with this product. It doesn't do much of anything to remove makeup (I'd always find clumps of foundation still on my skin, and don't even get me started on eye makeup) and requires quite a bit of rubbing into the skin while using, which I think does more harm than good. Some people claim miraculous results on the texture of their skin, but for me? Meh, saw no difference even after a year, and feel like it even harmed my eye area what with all the rubbing required.

This is definitely going on the Products I Regret Buying list for 1) poor packaging, 2) exorbitant price, and 3) mediocre use.