Cherry pickings

July and August is cherry picking season and there's nothing like eating sun kissed cherries directly from the tree. Cherries are warm and earthy but sweet, juicy and a bit tangy at the same time - you can probably tell that I love cherries and every time I find a beauty product that is cherry scented I just have to try it.

That's exactly what happened when Batiste launched their Dry Shampoo in Cherry - I saw the cute vintage inspired bottle, read about the cherry scent and that was it for me. Dry shampoo is just one of the best inventions ever. It helps to refresh your hair and adds volume. I have long hair and using a little dry shampoo is brilliant for when I wear my hair up since it adds texture and makes it grip a little better. I always have a few dry shampoos on the go and the rich, sweet cherry scent is lovely for days when I go for a more floral or retro look. While I do like the scent, I've got to be honest and say that I still think that the best Batiste fragrances are Tropical and Blush, since they are much fresher, lighter and easier to wear together with other scented products. 

Rituals is a fabulous brand founded in 2000 that you don't see mentioned that often. I love their concept of spa inspired beauty and home product ranges. They even sell casual, comfortable clothes - perfect for a spa evening at home! The product ranges take inspiration from Eastern rituals, e.g. Ayurveda, Hammam and Tao and they all smell amazing. They come in sleek and contemporary, stylish packaging at very reasonable prices if you compare with other similar brands.

My favourite ritual is without a doubt Sakura which uses cherry blossom. There is a very rich symbolism surrounding cherry blossoms and some aspects of it are love and happiness, but it's also a reminder of mortality and re-awakening. I've always wanted to go to Japan to see the beautiful palaces and temples, Mount Fuji and for hanami - picknicking under the blossoming cherry trees. How beautiful!

I have a travel size set of cherry blossom body products that I absolutely adore and use sparingly. I'll start with the Zensation Cherry Blossom and Rice Milk Shower Foam which is a gorgeous silky gel that turns into a rich foam under the shower. The foam gently cleanses the body at the same time as it nourishes the skin through the rice milk and of course you'll get that wonderful, soft, musky and sweet cherry smell. The perfect match with Zensation is the Magic Touch Cherry Blossom and Rice Milk Body Cream. It contains vitamin E, rice milk and centella that are all ingredients that perform miracles on dry or dehydrated skin. I absolutely love the formula of this body cream - it's simply lovely, thick and creamy and it just melts into the skin with very little massaging needed, leaving it silky and moisturised for several hrs afterwards. The cherry scent from the shower foam is quite subtle but when you layer that with the body cream, you get a really nice and noticeable fresh, sugary and creamy cherry scent that lingers.

I was on the hunt for a cherry scent that I thought would finish off the ritual nicely and I was choosing between the Cherry Blossom Water, or Escada's Cherry In the Air. But since I enjoy Rituals cherry body care products so much, I actually blind bought the body mist online. It's marketed as a relaxing body mist and it is similar to the creamy, sugary scent of the shower foam and body cream, however it has much heavier, deeper and sweeter notes than the other products.

I always give balanced and honest feedback on products, and unfortunately Blossom Water didn't meet my expectations. I did buy it blind (only got myself to blame), but here are some words from the description - relaxing and refreshing. Both of them make me think: Light, crisp and possibly a tiny bit aromatic or herbal. Instead Cherry Blossom is warm, powdery, with just a hint of vanilla and spice - it reminds me SOOO much of Cacharel's Lou Lou, which is a lovely statement perfume (far too heavy for me though) but I don't think anyone could possibly describe it as relaxing and refreshing. All in all, the Cherry Blossom Water is a nice, warm, rich and extravagant cherry fragrance, but you might want to be careful with it in a warmer climate, and although I personally don't usually categorize scents into day or evening wear - this one would be perfect as a sumptuous addition to a gorgeous evening outfit for some oriental mystique.

One of the best cherry fragrances I've ever come across is actually in a candle - Yankee Candle in Black Cherry. It's such a delicious, genuine cherry smell that captures both the sweetness of ripe cherries but also the tartness, making this a fresh, light and piquant scent. It is yummy enough to eat, and I can't stop sniffing the candle, even if it's not actually lit. I've got the tumbler candle with the brushed metal lid, which should give about 35 - 45 hrs of fragrance, but if like me you adore this - you can also find Black Cherry as a large jar candle which should give you up to 150 hrs of pure cherry bliss!

Until I'm fortunate enough to visit Japan, I'll just have to surround myself with the gorgeous smell of cherries, and keep on dreaming of cherry blossom season. Sayonara!