Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel- Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums

I have all these girly, feminine shower gels and creams- vanilla, lavender-vanilla, citrus-vanilla, cinnamon-vanilla...You get the picture. Then there are the figs, roses and honey. But the one I find myself loving the most lately is the husband's Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel from Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums, based on the Dominique Ropion perfume by the same name.

It's sharp, bitter, has no frilly notes and yet feels utterly luxurious. There's a moment the peppery opening blooms in the hot shower air and transforms it into a spa (if spas had a cat or two perching between the shower curtain and liner, and another one keeping your towels warm). The ozonic note is perfect here, contributing to that clean, airy feeling and probably keeping the earthiness of vetiver at bay- this is a shower gel, after all.

While only a whiff is left on skin 10 minutes after toweling off, the best part of this Frederic Malle product is how it makes my skin feel: normal. No tightness or dryness at all, which as far as I'm concerned is pure magic. The husband (let's not forget the rightful owner of the bottle) is perfectly happy with the cleaning performance (antiperspirant removal), so everyone is happy.

Bottom line: I wish they sold it in gallons. I need to try the one in Bigarade Concentree.

Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums ($75, 200 ml) is available from Barneys and Freceric Malle boutiques. Speaking of Barneys, they have a typo on their web site "Vetiver Extraodinaire"- an R is missing there. The funny thing is that other websites (shopping aggregators, mostly) have picked this typo and copied it all over the net.

shower gel mage: editionsdeparfums.com
screen captures: Barneys

An Odd Ball- Ojon Tawaka "The White Ball"

Ojon Tawaka had a lot going against it as far as I was concerned. I'm not a bar of soap person, for reasons from germaphobia, cats who likes to play in the (dry and empty) bath, a deep dislike for soap scum and a general preference for the texture of shower gels and creams. And it's unscented.

But this ball has won me over completely in recent weeks. I can't think of any other shower product that showed this much kindness to my very dry skin, while not being oily and actually delivering a clean feeling. Looking at the ingredient list, it seemed more like a moisturizer than a cleanser: it's all about cocoa butter and several oils and extracts. But somehow it works and feels nice in the process. I'd probably go for something stronger had I needed to seriously de-slime myself, but it delivers well for the normal filth level of suburban life.

The ball comes with a little bowl and a metal drain that holds it in place. It's a bit awkward to hold and use at first, because the thing is quite big, but no special technique is required. There's no residue in the bath to complain about, and the ball still holds its shape and texture after weeks of use. Surprisingly enough, the cats show absolutely no interest in it, and I got used to the nutty, buttery smell which reminds me of a cross between black soap and shea butter. Not exactly Guerlinade, but I can live with it if the result is legs without the cuir de crocodile look.

Ojon Tawaka "The White Ball" ($65) is available from Sephora. I got it as a PR freebie.