Take a Vacation via Your Beauty Products
No passport is required for a vacation if you’ve got the right beauty products. (Photo: Trunk Archive)
It’s unclear how it happened, but suddenly it’s the middle of August and summer is coming to a close. For some, that’s the cue to turn on the out of office autoreply and head to the beach. And for those not so lucky to make one last escape? It’s pretty much just an opportunity to be tortured via Instagram. But, here’s an idea: skip the misery and take a mental vacation with beauty products.
According to scientists, our sense of smell is our sense most closely linked with memory and emotion. Meaning that a quick whiff of coconut, for example, can instantly transport you back to your last tropical getaway, while a sniff of cedar or pine can send you straight to a cozy log cabin in the woods.
And while it may not be quite as good as the real thing, it’s a whole lot better than no vacation at all. So, from the coast of Morocco to the mountains of Vermont, here are five brands that will help transport you (mentally at least) to your dream destination. No passport necessary.
Escape to Northern California with skincare line True Nature Botanicals. (Photo: True Nature Botanicals)
Northern California: True Nature Botanicals
“When we were developing the products, we were inspired by the Pacific region and specifically Mill Valley, where we are lucky enough to live,” says founder Hillary Peterson of her skincare (and now hair care too) line. And maybe I’m biased because I grew up in NorCal, but these products are a major olfactory trip. “The ingredients that we most frequently use to give our products their light, lovely scent are those that we often smell when going for a walk in our own neighborhood,” says Peterson. With notes of night-blooming jasmine and citrus and with ingredients like grapeseed oil from the Napa Valley and sea kelp from the Mendocino coast, these products will make you feel like you’re in a convertible cruising up Highway 1 in no time.
Try the mist ($48) for a heady dose of jasmine or the brand new (out in September) shampoo and conditioner for a whiff of citrus, violet and sage, straight out of Peterson’s own garden!
MyHavtorn uses Sweden’s native sea buckthorn. (Photo: MyHavtorn)
Coastal Sweden: MyHavtorn
Fancy a trip to the Bollebygd Valley (it’s on the southwest coast of Sweden FYI)? Look no further than this new-to-the-US label and their proprietary ingredient: sea buckthorn. Grown on a farm that has been in the family for multiple generations, their nutrient-rich sea buckthorn oil has a slightly earthy smell that channels the area’s cool salty breezes. “Swedes like and need smells that lift our minds during long, dark winters,” says MyHavtorn co-founder Robyn Johannson. “We want our products to give positive vibes all year around.”
Rub in a few drops of their body oil ($45), featuring locally harvested rapeseed oil as well as lemongrass and rosemary, and you’ll find your mind filled with visions of the rugged Swedish coast.
Hawaii-based line Malie will have you dreaming of the beach. (Photo: Malie)
Hawaii: Malie
If it’s white sand beaches and pina coladas that you’re dreaming of, get a whiff of Malie. “The sweet scents of our products are inspired by and embody the indigenous local flora found on the islands,” says founder Dana Roberts. “Each fragrance captures the essence of the islands and is intrinsic to the Malie philosophy of sharing the gifts of our paradise with the world.”
Roberts suggests a spray or two of a scent from their new fragrance collection for an instant pick-me-up. Try Koke’e ($45), with fresh green and floral top notes that evoke the rainforest and a base of tonka bean and amber that draws on the feeling of a warm beach at sunset.
Invest in Kahina’s body serum for seriously soft skin. (Photo: Kahina Giving Beauty)
Morocco: Kahina Giving Beauty
Kahina’s products are indelibly tied to Morocco because they’re all based on a super pure form of argan oil, which founder Katharine L’Heureux sources from the beautifully exotic country. Now, she’s taken her attachment to Morocco a step further with her body serums, Fez and Essaouira, each of which features scent notes reminiscent of the iconic cities. “Scents that remind you of a place you love are always wonderful,” says L’Heureux. “And Morocco with its many flowers, herbs, spices and various types of wood is a particularly enticing and powerful scent experience.”
Try the Fez Body Serum ($32) — featuring light notes of rose and orange blossom mixed with heady patchouli and sandalwood and spicy cumin and clove — for a virtual trip to the famous souk or the Essaouira — with rose, lavender, geranium and petitgrain — for a bright, summery trip to the whitewashed surf town.
Vermont’s Ursa Major will take you from your desk to the mountains. (Photo: Ursa Major)
Vermont: Ursa Major
With aromas inspired by the scent of their favorite wild places in the Northest, Ursa Major co-founders Oliver Sweatman and Emily Doyle gather their ingredients (think birch, black spruce and balsam fir) straight from the forests of Vermont. “Our love of the mountains and forests of Vermont has definitely had a big influence on our products and the way they smell,” says Sweatman. “We always aim for the fresh, woods aroma spiked with floral, fruit and herbal blends,” adds Doyle.
Their most rugged product? Close your eyes and get a whiff of their Face Wash ($28) (), or their Shave Cream ($24), and you’ll swear you’re sitting by a campfire roasting s’mores.
Related:
