Bath and Body. Seboni Fistral Sea and Heligan Maze body lotions

I seldom if ever talk about bath and body products. I decided to remedy that and write about those that first and foremost smell great. Of course I do require my lotions to moisturize well and my shower gels to foam nicely and not to dry my skin, but, as a perfume junkie, what I am looking for in my bath and body products is firstly a nice smell. Two body lotions by Seboni, Heligan Haze and Fistral Sea, certainly meet that requirement. Seboni (Cornish for “lathering soap”) is a collection of bath, body and hair products inspired by the scents and sights of Cornwall, South West England. They are described as “completely free of any artificial fragrances, parabens, lanolins, harsh detergents and animal products”, and are said to contain “only botanical based ingredients and essential oils”. Fistral Sea, a blend of lavender, cedar, chamomile, mandarin, myrtle and armoise is supposed to evoke "a walk on the rugged Cornish coast", and, without smelling in the least aquatic, it actually does somehow manage to make me think of the sea and the rocks and the dramatic, grey sky. It smells amazing, woody, herbal, slightly citrusy, very delicately sweet and not in the least sharp or overly fresh, as many sea-inspired products are prone to do. According to Seboni, this scent “relieves emotional tension, anxiety, fear, stress, depression, and anger”…a very useful quality for the high-strung, forever stressed little me. I have only started using it, and who knows, perhaps it does all that it says, but the rather ambitious promises aside, the lotion absorbs into my skin fast, does not leave an oily film (something that I hate) and moisturizes quite well. It also layers nicely with musks, smoky scents like L’Eau du Navigateur and leathers. Heligan Haze. Another stunning scent, this one with notes of lavender, sage, thyme, rosemary, juniper, dill, cypress and geranium. Inspired by “the scent of fresh herbs, mixing with fragrant heather and juniper along the valleys of the Cornish coast”, the fragrance of Heligan Haze products is said to promote clarity of mind (yes, please!) and alertness and to counteract emotional tension (I’d love that!). All I can say about that, like Fistral Sea, this scent certainly does have a nice, calming, comforting effect on me. It smells dry, very herbal, woody…in fact it smells like it was created to be layered with Caron Yatagan or Diptyque Virgilio. I must add that I'd highly recommend that men try these two lines of products, since both scents strike me as firmly unisex, there is nothing even remotely girly, flowery and/or sweet about these two very "atmospheric" Cornish creations with names that make me think of Wuthering Heights. Heligan Haze and Fistral Sea lotions (as well as bath & shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, etc, etc.) are available at beautyexclusive.com, $35.00 for 8.5oz. The Seboni line also includes Citrus Grass and Ladock Woods products, the latter is said to smell of patchouli, oakmoss, birch, clary sage, orange, vetiver and geranium and sounds like a must try for me.