Diptyque Paris, those purveyors of fancy-schmancy candles, now have a pricey new skin care line called L’Art du Soin, which le Google machine translates to “The Art of Care.”
And I totally get that. I’ve been giving a few of the items a try this month, and my mug does feel like it’s been properly cared for and nurtured. The gentle products haven’t aggravated my normally fussy, acne-prone combination skin at all, which is quite an accomplishment.
The heavily scented products contain some unusual sounding ingredients, too, like marble powder (Wha? As in statues and countertops?), and other things, like sweet almond oil, that are more usual for skin care.
The overall presentation is très posh. These are the kind of skin care goodies you find in those fancy bathrooms at five-star hotels frequented by movie stars and diplomats.
After using them for a while, I see these as great getaway products. Vacation products. But when the plane lands and it’s back to the real world grind, I think I’d want to resume my aggressive anti-aging, anti-acne agenda.
Gimme, gimme, gimme, the stuff that slows down time’s march across my face and prevents the zits, which left to their own devices would take over my chin (those @ssholes), from exacting their reign of terror.
For me, the standouts in the line include the Infused Facial Water ($55), which contains damask rose and geranium extracts and smells amazeballs — like someone (either Prince Charming or a stalker) left 10 dozen roses on my doorstep. Lightly hydrating, it doesn’t make my skin feel sticky, which is great.
The Moisturizing Protective Lotion ($72 OMG!) has SPF 15 and absorbs quickly into my skin. It also layers well with makeup and looks lovely in pics (none of that SPF flashback).
The thick, waxy Nourishing Cleansing Balm ($65), which is made with sweet almond and hazel seed oils and beeswax, among other things, is kind of neat. Worked into dry skin, it removes makeup — everything — even waterproof mascara and long-wearing liner, and like the Facial Water, it smells like the air around a rose garden.
I also like the Multi-Use Exfoliating Clay ($65), which doubles as a mask and a gentle exfoliating scrub. It gets rid of the guck without drying my skin, and it’s one of the products that contains marble powder. It also has hydrating apricot kernel oil, and it reduces inflammation while regulating oil with kaolin clay.
The Radiance Boosting Powder ($58), you mix with water to create a cleanser. It’s a gentle exfoliator along the lines of Amore Pacific’s $60 Treatment Enzyme Peel.
If you’re in the mood for special occasion/vacation skin care, look for the new line at Diptyque counters and neimanmarcus.com.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Happy hump day, babe. 🙂
Oh là là, très chic! 🙂 I love Diptyque candles, but their skin care products are unexplored territory for me. I’d love to venture in and explore though, oh boy oh boy.
These all sound lovely and luxurious! I’m especially curious about the clay mask/exfoliator, as dry skin bits and roughness are the bane of my skin’s existence.
(Although I totally sympathise with the chin zits – what is it with those?!?)
Wow, fancy fancy lady 😉 Those look perfect to pamper yourself on a home-spa saturday afternoon but for everyday use I’m not so sure. Too pricey and maybe not too effective at least for me.
From candles to skincare….that’s a major stretch.