Vanilla is often dismissed as a boring flavor, the preference of the conformity prone and unimaginative. In truth, however, its aroma is one of the creamiest, sexiest, and most sensual, plus it's accommodating enough to mingle excitedly with earthy, floral, fruity, woody, and musky notes alike. Pacifica Perfume founder Brooke Harvey Taylor has been exploring the many facets of vanilla — first, with the classic Vanilla Vera Cruz fragrance, which combines Mexican vanilla bourbon, dry vanilla bean, and a hint of orchid, and now, with the new Island Vanilla scent, which fuses together the fruitier, floral-infused scent of Tahitian vanilla with the creamier, richer Bourbon vanilla aroma.
Inspired by the fragrance she enjoyed during many surfing excursions to the South Pacific, the new Island Pacifica Island Vanilla Fragrance Collection showcases Taylor's interpretation of "the perfect vanilla." Creamy but not heavy, this scent features light honey and jasmine notes to accompany the vanilla notes, as well as lighter juniper, grapefruit, and heliotrope essential oils.
As usual, my favorite product in the collection is the Pacifica Island Vanilla Body Butter ($18 at PacificaPerfume.com), which is free of parabens and relies on such skin nourishing ingredients like: shea butter, which is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants that hydrate skin, treat such skin conditions as eczema, soften the skin, and protect it from free radical damage; mango butter, which moisturizes even the most parched skin, restores elasticity, and helps heal wounds and other topical irritations; almond oil, a stellar emollient that softens skin and also helps to relieve itching, flakiness, and other unpleasant dry skin side effects; linoleic acid-rich safflower oil; and soothing aloe vera juice, cucumber extract, chamomile flower extract, and white tea extract. In its body butter form, the Island Vanilla scent also boasts a hint of coconut that heightens the tropical feel.
The Pacifica Island Vanilla Spray Perfume ($22 at PacificaPerfume.com) feels a bit fruitier and more floral, perhaps due to the grapefruit note that, while barely detectable, does give the overall fragrance a bit more sparkle. Gluten-free, paraben-free and made strictly of natural, pure grain alcohol and plant-derived essential oils, the Island Vanilla Spray Perfume feels sweet, lively, and ultra feminine, like a lei made of orchids positioned atop a vat of vanilla ice cream.
For ladies who are constantly on the go, the Pacifica Island Vanilla Roll-On Perfume ($12 at PacificaPerfume.com) will prove to be a must-have since it allows you to apply the scent to pulse points as desired. I actually prefer using the roller ball version of the scent to the spray since, given that part of the scent's magic is its elusive quality, this better allows you to create that effect.
If you need something to relieve the winter blues, the offerings in the Island Vanilla collection will transport your senses to Tahiti, providing a much-needed mental vacation.
[...] We’ve raved about the new Pacifica Island Vanilla Body Butter, how its creamy vanilla base is accentuated by sweet honey and fresh jasmine notes, then refreshed with a surge of white tea, and how natural moisturizers and skin conditioners like shea butter, mango butter, lavender extract, safflower seed oil, almond oil, and rose hip oil leave skin feeling silky smooth. But that’s just one of the many delights in the Take Me There Island Vanilla set. This travel-sized kit includes a 2.5 fl. oz. of the Island Vanilla Body Butter, along with a 0.33 fl.oz. tube of the Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume Roll-On (made of essential oils and natural grain alcohol), and a full-sized tube of the brand new Color Quench Natural Moisture Lip Tint. Those of you looking for a lip balm with just the slightest hint of hibiscus pink color will love the fatty acid-enriched Color Quench Moisture Lip Tint, which melts right onto your pout, providing some much-needed relief for chapped, dry, or flaky lips, and depositing a sheer veil of shimmering pink color to make those lips all the more alluring. [...]