I’ve been into rose-scented goods as long as I can remember. I know a lot of people think of it as a “generational” scent—aka, for old ladies—and maybe that’s half the reason I fell in love with it.
As a little kid, I adored my grandmother and thought she was simply the fanciest, classiest, most elegant lady in the whole world. I loved sneaking into her bathroom and stealing little dabs of various creams and makeups, stealing little dabs of everything—most of which carried the signature scent of a powdery rose. I thought it was the most magical, upper-crusty scent in the entire world, and in a way, I still do.
These days, anything that boosts “Rose,” “Rosehip,” “Rosewater,” and the like has a habit of hopping straight into my shopping basket. I’m immune to its powers, no matter how much rose-scented soap I already have stocked up in my cabinet. And so, in an effort to get some of these products off the shelves (so I myself cannot buy them more and more), here are a few of my favorite rose-infused beauty products:
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater
If I ever won a contest where I could have a lifetime supply of one product and one product only, this might be the winner. Seriously, ladies, I am in love. This spray is soothing, refreshing, a perfect lift whenever you want to take a shower but can’t at the moment (like I wish I could do about five times daily at work). Imagine if clouds filled up with rose petals which seeped into the rain and that’s what fell on your face. That’s about as close as I can come to a description of this magical facial spray. Also, makes for a perfect hair perfume, light yet elegant. I’m gonna spritz a bit on again now.
It took me a few years to get behind the idea of toner (it’s like, just fancy water right?), but once I did, oh boy, did I fall hard. This rose toner is the perfect start to your morning, waking your face, cleaning out all the oil and sweat built up overnight, and leaving your skin refreshed and just subtly smelling like roses. Seriously, though, thanks the natural astringents in rosewater, any toner based in it is great for skin that’s at that post-acne alert but still oily stage like mine. Who knew flowers were the perfect cure for your skin, right?
Speaking of the cure for skin… Can we talk about beard burn for a minute? Look, I love my man and his facial hair, but if that boy doesn’t shave like an hour or two before we hang out (don’t worry, he usually does), kissing leads to serious beard burn all over the bottom half of my face. I look like a little kid tried to eat SpaghettiOs and got red from the nose on down; and worse, it stings. BUT! I found that this tiny little bottle of miracles soothes all the trouble away. Just a dab or two—a little bit of this stuff goes a long way—and my skin starts to feel better and the redness goes away in no time. Also, this stuff is great for any kind of skin malady, dehydration, irritation, etc., but beard-loving ladies, get a bottle of this stat.
Dr. Bronner’s Rose Pure-Castile Liquid Soap
This is my go-to rose-scented everything. You’ve already heard the Dr. Bronner’s evangelists who swear by the stuff. Oh god, maybe I’m one of them. I use it for hand soap. I use it for shower gel. I use it for shaving cream. I use it to wash my laundry. And then, everything gets clean and smells like a hint of rose. Okay, yeah, I’m a full addict.
Urban Outfitters Petal Perfume Oil
Like the best of us, I am a fool and hardcore sucker for the beauty section at Urban Outfitters. Is it me, or are those little bottles of perfume, dry shampoo and lip glosses prettier than the clothes? Like the petal perfume oil, for instance. I know I’m a sucker for it. I know it barely does a thing, skincare wise. I know this stuff is way too thick to put anywhere near my face. But it’s so pretty!! It’s perfect if you just rub a bit on the inside of your wrist—just enough to keep a light scent on you and make this bottle last long as a cosmetic decoration for your shelf.
My original rose-scented love. You’ve seen this stuff at every American Apparel and every Urban Outfitters for the past eight years. I have like, five half-used tins in various rooms. It’s great stuff. It moisturizes like a pro. There’s a reason every store carries this stuff in bulk!
