From P.F. Candle Co, the Wild Herb Tonic Air Freshener: "Barefoot walks through wild herb gardens, cool mountain stream baths, crisp morning air. Lemon balm, thyme, orange, fir". A 2-pack is $12.
The daily lemming
From Method, Hydrating Serum Hand Wash ("...serum-like hand wash is thoughtfully formulated with skin loving ingredients like jojoba esters, allantoin, and glycerin to moisturize hands and support the skin’s microbiome + skin barrier function") in Coco Twist ("...like tropical nirvana with notes of coconut, avocado, and macadamia oil"), $6 for 295 ml at Ulta.
The daily lemming
Mr. Bubble Foam Soap, in a twin pack with Blueberry and Original Bubble. "Mr. Bubble makes getting clean almost as much fun as getting dirty! Mr. Bubble Foam Soap Twin Pack makes bath time double the fun with two different scents – Blueberry and Original Bubblegum. The foam soap will bring out your kiddo’s creativity; they can make silly foam sculptures and drawings in the tub or on the side of the shower. The foam soap washes thoroughly, leaving skin soft, smooth, and squeaky clean." Two x 227g for $6.99 at Target.
The daily lemming
From Essencias De Portugal, Orange Blossom Bar Soap: "Go on a citrus infused floral journey with this delicately scented Orange Blossom scented bar soap. Enriched with glycerin to keep skin soft and hydrated this Portuguese soap is sure to please." 200g for $8.95 at Smallflower.
Cra-yon Art Life, Snif Natural Talent & Maison Millais New York Nostalgia ~ short fragrance reviews
Way back in January 2021, Kevin wrote that 2020 had been the year of overpriced, overhyped scents: “Never have I smelled so many $250, $350, $450 perfumes that reminded me of $10 scented candles.” Based on various online “gift guides” that have scrolled past my eyes lately, I can’t say that late 2024 is looking any different. I’m less and less impressed by arbitrarily high prices. Here at NST we’ve been saying “under $100 is the new ‘free'” since 2009; in that spirit, here are three fragrances I’ve encountered over the past year or so that live up to their descriptions, feel accessible to scent-curious shoppers and sell for less than $100 for a full-sized bottle.
First: I initially came across the Cra-yon fragrance line at the Liberty department store in London and made a mental note to find out more later. Cray-on started showing up in the United States soon after that trip, and I picked up a bottle of Art Life at a perfume swap event in New York. (Swap meet-ups are the Gen Z version of the early-2000s message-board swaps!) Cra-yon was “founded by Christine and Niclas Lydeen, French/Swedish fragrance pioneers” and comes across as a welcoming, upbeat brand that doesn’t take its own cool-kid vibes too seriously…