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Common Scents

I finally got down to one of the downtown Toronto Lush Cosmetics stores last week and tested out their Gorilla perfume line.
Unfortunately, I found them better suited to...well, gorillas.

I really, really wanted to like them, since they are 100% natural, never tested on animals, and, as the heavily pierced, tatooed, dread-locked sales girl told me, they are not made with beaver anal glands.

But just because I don't want any beaver anuses harmed in the making of my perfume, doesn't mean I want to smell like one.

I'm just kidding, they aren't THAT bad. But they just aren't for me - they all smell too much like incense - and as any perfume lover knows, scents are highly personal.

Fortunately, I went to Sephora yesterday and FELL IN LOVE! I discovered the LaVanila Laboratories line of fragrances and personal care products.

I have always loved the smell of vanilla, and it should come as no surprise that I generally favour gustatory scents. My old favorite: Angel by Thierry Mugler, also falls into this category with notes of both vanilla and chocolate.

LaVanila has a whole line of fragrances combining vanilla with other ingredients. I chose the vanilla grapefruit because I love how the freshness of the grapefruit balances out the sweetness of the vanilla.

But best of all, all of their fragrances are free of: petrochemicals, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oils, silicone, synthetic dyes, sulfates and parabens. The ingredient list also doesn't include castoreum (beaver anal gland extract).

So now I can bask in a beautiful scent that makes me feel calm and happy and I know that there are no toxins in it that can harm me or my family, nor were any beaver anuses harmed in it's production. Hurray!

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