Hey everyone! Today I'd like to tell you about Darling Clandestine's body balm, called Balm for Live Bodies. It's one of the shop's largest and priciest items, but I think it's worth a look as my fellow northern hemisphere folks and I start preparing for colder, dryer weather.
Side view of a full size body butter. These things are huge!
On a disclosure note I want to say up front that I have a couple different versions of this product, and both of them were very sweet freebies from Evonne. Last year she kindly sent me a little tin of it on request so I could try it out. Then, in a later order, I received a full size balm out of the blue. It was completely unexpected, extremely generous, and one of many reasons why she will continue to receive the majority of my "fun money" budget every month.
Here's Evonne's description of the product:
This is what the giant full size looks like:
And this is what the one ounce Sharkling tin looks like (though note this contains a perfume solid rather than a body balm):
Here's Evonne's description of the ingredients, which will tell you a lot about the product's performance:
The longevity comes with a price, though, because I could feel the waxy/balmy (though thankfully not greasy) texture sitting heavily on my legs for many hours after I applied it. The bath finally took the "edge" off the balmy feeling, but I was astonished that I could still touch my legs under the hot water and feel the product hanging on tight to my skin. I also noticed it took at least a couple of washes with soap to get the balm off my hands after application. Other folks may have different experiences, but for my skin and me, this balm is a serious commitment! I want to mention that despite the heavy oils, this balm doesn't make my skin shiny, so I feel comfortable putting it on my legs before going out in shorts or a dress.
I also want to touch on the scent. I agree that these are moderately scented - when I apply it to my legs, I can catch faint whiffs of it pretty regularly without getting overpowered by it. I haven't broken into my full size yet (Evonne isn't kidding when she says a little goes a long way!) but I'm working my way through my mini in Step Right Up. I own Step Right Up in perfume oil form as well, and I think there's a significant difference in how the scent presents itself between the two products. In perfume oil form, I find Step Right Up is a reasonably complex mix of blue notes and spices. In balm form, the scent is pared down to a simple, cloyingly syrupy note and is missing all the complexity and spice of the oil. I don't know how other scents translate to balm form, so others may retain more of their notes. I will say my full size (a Suicide Mix that has a lot of Aragon in it) seems more complex on cold sniff, so I'm reserving judgment until I give that one a try.
Overall, I give this product a thumbs up, but with a giant caveat that you need to know what you're getting yourself into. If you have very oily skin or little patience for heavy products, you may want to steer clear of this balm. But if you're a fellow lizard-skinned person like me, I encourage you to pick up a Sharkling and see what you think. I'd love to hear your experiences with it!
Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, follow us on Pinterest, and/or follow us on BlogLovin to get all of our updates!
Here's Evonne's description of the product:
"Inspired by the silky, ever-so-applicable texture of my solid perfumes, I've created a rich balm that you can smooth all over your skin (and also use as a pretty wonderful hair gloss)."
"The scent concentration is moderate, so you can apply it to your public parts and smell lovely, but not overpowering, to your adoring public."As of writing this post, the balm comes in two sizes. Full sizes come in a four ounce tin for $22 and "Sharkling Sized" balms come in a one ounce tin for $8. You can purchase a full size in any of the perfume oils (not solids) currently available in the shop, with the exception of Aequitas and Morderteile Kelah (for performance reasons) and Tilt-A-Whirl (for safety reasons, due to the high amount of citrus oils). Sharkling balms are available in a limited number of scents - you can see the current scent offerings in a drop-down menu on the listing. Both the full size and Sharkling size are always available unscented, as far as I know. I believe I've heard the fabulous More Tea, Wesley? say that Evonne is working on a vegan version of this balm, but I don't think a vegan version is currently available.
This is what the giant full size looks like:
Full size body balm with the lid off. It's much paler and more opaque than the perfume solids!
And this is what the one ounce Sharkling tin looks like (though note this contains a perfume solid rather than a body balm):
This one ounce tin holds a perfume solid, but the Sharkling body balms come in the same tins.
Here's Evonne's description of the ingredients, which will tell you a lot about the product's performance:
"It's crafted with nourishing organic avocado butter, shea butter, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, and vitamin E."In case all the rich butters and oils didn't say it clearly enough, this is a very heavy duty balm. I cannot stress enough that this is not something I carry around in my purse for casual application through the day. I use it mostly as a serious treatment for my perpetually dry and itchy legs. Last time I used this product, I applied it to my legs around 5 or 6 pm. I then walked (and sweated) outside in the heat for a couple of hours, came home, took a hot bath around 9 pm, went to bed, and could still smell and feel traces of the balm on my legs the next morning. I didn't feel any need to moisturize my legs until the following day.
The longevity comes with a price, though, because I could feel the waxy/balmy (though thankfully not greasy) texture sitting heavily on my legs for many hours after I applied it. The bath finally took the "edge" off the balmy feeling, but I was astonished that I could still touch my legs under the hot water and feel the product hanging on tight to my skin. I also noticed it took at least a couple of washes with soap to get the balm off my hands after application. Other folks may have different experiences, but for my skin and me, this balm is a serious commitment! I want to mention that despite the heavy oils, this balm doesn't make my skin shiny, so I feel comfortable putting it on my legs before going out in shorts or a dress.
Here's a closeup to show the balm's texture. This stuff is seriously thick!
I also want to touch on the scent. I agree that these are moderately scented - when I apply it to my legs, I can catch faint whiffs of it pretty regularly without getting overpowered by it. I haven't broken into my full size yet (Evonne isn't kidding when she says a little goes a long way!) but I'm working my way through my mini in Step Right Up. I own Step Right Up in perfume oil form as well, and I think there's a significant difference in how the scent presents itself between the two products. In perfume oil form, I find Step Right Up is a reasonably complex mix of blue notes and spices. In balm form, the scent is pared down to a simple, cloyingly syrupy note and is missing all the complexity and spice of the oil. I don't know how other scents translate to balm form, so others may retain more of their notes. I will say my full size (a Suicide Mix that has a lot of Aragon in it) seems more complex on cold sniff, so I'm reserving judgment until I give that one a try.
Overall, I give this product a thumbs up, but with a giant caveat that you need to know what you're getting yourself into. If you have very oily skin or little patience for heavy products, you may want to steer clear of this balm. But if you're a fellow lizard-skinned person like me, I encourage you to pick up a Sharkling and see what you think. I'd love to hear your experiences with it!
Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, follow us on Pinterest, and/or follow us on BlogLovin to get all of our updates!
0 comments:
Post a Comment