Flower Power - Botanical infused skincare

By Louise Emma Clarke
Founding Editor of The-Beauty-Pages.com

March has finally arrived! And whilst the weather still isn’t as warm as I’d like, there’s definitely a sense of spring in the air – so I’ve decided to dedicate my first blog of the month to all things light, bright, and floral in the beauty world! Think of it a virtual bunch of flowers – with the added benefit of preparing your dressing table and bathroom shelves for the warmer months ahead…

LILY OF THE VALLEY

This season belongs to Lily of the Valley – those pretty, delicate white buds that shoot up in spring to let us know that warmer weather is on its way. Right on cue, Stella McCartney has launched a perfume called L.I.L.Y Eau de Parfum, from £44, which has a delicate heart of white lily of the valley flowers. It’s wearable and very pretty – and I’m a big fan. And if you love the perfume, you’ll also love Crabtree & Evelyn’s Lily range, such as the Body Cream, £22.50, Triple Milled Soap, £4.80 <1>, and Home Fragrance Spray, £9.50.

GERANIUM

Geranium flowers come in a range of bright, happy colours – so it’s pretty apt that the scent of the essential oil is just as cheerful and uplifting. It’s found in a range of energising bodycare products, such as Clarins Toning Body Polisher, £23.20 and Tisserand Awakening Shower Gel, £6.25 <2> – both designed to give you a kick start when you’d rather be lying under the duvet. I also adore cult British fragrance brand Miller Harris’ Geranium Bourbon Eau de Parfum Spray, £60 <3>, which takes you straight to a fresh, green garden on an English summer’s day.

LAVENDER

Lavender is usually the first ingredient suggested when a brand wants to create a relaxing, sleep-inducing, and soothing scent. For a calming ambience, I love lighting L’Occitane The Harvests Lavender Candle, £15.57 – and when I’m out and about, Tisserand’s Skin Soothing Roller Ball in Organic Lavender and Chamomile, £5.35, is instantly de-stressing when applied to pulse points. It’s a lesser known fact that lavender oil is also a very effective antiseptic, so it’s also common to find extracts in foot products – I love L’Occitane Shea Butter Foot Cream, £17.50 <4>.

ORCHID

The orchid is exotic, beautiful, delicate and sweet-scented – but who knew that it also had amazing benefits to the skin? Blue orchid is the main ingredient in Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil, £23.20, having a toning effect on the complexion. Whilst Guerlain have dedicated 10 years of research to the flower, with the result being their Orchidee Imperiale <5> range – the ultimate anti-ageing skincare line, which promises to “turn back cellular time”. It’s not cheap, starting at £104 for the Eye and Lip treatment – but you’re paying for some serious skincare research.

ROSE

Rose is one of the most commonly used floral notes in beauty products – and with its soft, powdery, and very feminine scent, that comes as little surprise. It has a vintage and rather glamorous feel, especially when used in products such as Dior’s Crème de Rose lip balm, £18.50 <6>, Dolce & Gabanna Rose The One Perfumed Shower Gel, £22.10, and Bvlgari Rose Essentielle Body Lotion, £36.77. I can imagine the products lined up on the dressing tables of Hollywood starlets like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Marlene Dietrich.