Holiday Scented Beauty Products

By Kerri Winick, GalTime.com Beauty Editor

Oh, the smells of the holidays...in our beauty products!
Oh, the smells of the holidays...in our beauty products!

If there's one thing I love more than the holiday season itself, it's the myriad of merry scents floating through the air. Swirls of evergreen, pumpkin, cranberry, and yes, even my beloved peppermint mocha latte, all dance around my nose. And those festive fragrances got me thinking: who wouldn't love a little scent-sational cheer added to their daily beauty routine? Here are six products currently taking up real estate in my bathroom:

Jane Iredale Chocoholicks, $35: This thin palette contains four chocolate truffle flavored glosses: Blood Orange (copper), Espresso (rich brown), Very Berry (sheer plum), and Chili Pepper (red.) It's portable, pretty, and contains a gold, retractable lip brush. (Dipping my finger in a pot of gloss always skeeves me out a little!) The beauty of this bar of color is that you can mix and match "flavors" to create your own unique shade. Avocado oil and shea butter work to smooth rough patches without looking "cakey." To avoid stickiness, don't apply too much at once, and use a light hand when dipping the brush in the palette, otherwise you'll take a chunk out of the pot. (PS: The sweet chili pepper gloss is my fave. It's the perfect pairing of naughty and nice!)

Related: Nothing to Wear? Try These 5 Holiday Outfits


June Jacobs Spa Collection Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish, $60:
I recently discovered June Jacobs Spa Collection, and I only wish I had known about the line sooner! These products are utterly luxurious and make me feel like I spent the day at a pricey spa. My current obsession is the Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish. This exfoliator can be used on your body and on your face. And that's nice, and all. But the real treat for me is that it looks and smells like the most delicious pumpkin pie filling on this earth. (Seriously, people. It smells good enough to eat.) Not only that, my skin feels baby soft after using it. Even my husband went gaga for this stuff. June Jacobs Creamy Cranberry Cleanser ($44) is also dreamy, packed with antioxidants and botanicals that leave skin glowing. (FYI: I also die for the Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque, $62.)





Related: Wakeup Makeup for After Your Holiday Party

philosophy 'oh twinkling night' duo , $15:
Every year, philosophy amazes me with its line of holiday scented products: gingerbread, snow, milk and cookies, you name it. This year, my heart goes pitter-patter for a new gift set: the 'oh twinkling night' duo, available exclusively at Nordstrom and on Nordstrom.com. It's one half 'twinkle berry' (bright raspberry punch) and one half 'holiday lights aglow' (fresh evergreen and citrus.) These are not your typical holiday scents, and that's part of what makes them so attractive to me. Not only do they smell fresh and "happy," they're multi-tasking, and can be used as body wash, bubble bath, and shampoo. The icing on the cake? The formulas are gorgeous and shimmery. They twinkle in my hand like sparkling snow, and that's enough to put any beauty junkie in the holiday spirit!

Bath and Body Works PocketBac Sanitizing Hand Gel, $1.50, or 5 for $5: These mini hand sanitizers are one of my staples. They don't have a strong alcohol-y smell, and they don't dry out my hands (Which are already starting to feel the effects of dropping temperatures.) Check out some of the spirited scents that are now on store shelves: Gingerbread Cookie, Apple Wreath, Mrs. Claus' Apple Pie, Pear Tree, Christmas Candy, Winter Cranberry, Pink Sugarplum, and Peppermint Stick...just to name a few. At 5 for $5 you can't afford not to give them a try. (My advice? Apple Wreath is a must!)

The Body Shop Candied Ginger Body and Home Fragrance Products, $4-$18:Sometimes, a scent is so yummy, you just want to have it everywhere: in the bathroom, floating through the living room, on your body, you get the picture. 'Tis the case with The Body Shop's seasonal sensations. Candied Ginger is the freshest fragrance on the scene, but you can still find the classics, like Cranberry Joy and Spiced Vanilla. Each scent comes in the form of candles, body butter, shower gel, sugar scrub, hand cream, body lotion, lip balm, and more, making it easy to achieve head-to-toe holiday happiness. Mix and match different products to create gifts for your friends...or for yourself (It can be our little secret!). The body butter, sugar scrub, and lip balm are my top picks...in candied ginger, of course.

C.O. Bigelow Merry Mentha Lip Glosses, $7.50: Inspired by the foamy deliciousness of my favorite holiday drinks, C.O. Bigelow's Merry Mentha Lip Glosses come in flavors like Peppermint Mocha, Sparkling Apple Cider, Gingerbread Latte, and Spicy Vanilla Chai. (Are you drooling yet?) To say I'm addicted to these glosses is a major understatement. I currently have one sitting on my coffee table, one in my diaper bag, and one in my jacket pocket. (I rotate them throughout the day, just in case you're wondering.) Each gloss contains 100% natural peppermint that cools your lips and freshens your breath, without overpowering the other flavors in the tube. Speaking of flavors, they don't smell or taste "fake" and the shine factor is a perfect ten. Think of it as a holiday treat…minus the calories. (PS: My current favorite is Peppermint Mocha.)



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