Any time I entered a room from 1986 until about mid 2010, the smell of Bath and Body Works’s “Warm Vanilla Sugar” waltzed in with me. I graduated to wearing more sophisticated perfumes after someone made fun of me for smelling like a high-schooler well into my 30s, but my love for sweet, dessert-scented fragrances never died — so when I smelled Laura Mercier’s “Eau Gourmande” line years ago, I was instantly hooked. I used the Crème de Pistache Soufflé Body Crème in place of perfume for years. It was my ride-or-die scent until Laura rudely discontinued it sometime in 2015 or 2016. I’ve spent a fair amount of time scouring the web looking for unused jars, frantically posting to Facebook beauty groups, desperate to find anyone who had some they wouldn’t mind parting with — to no avail. “You’re nuts for … a nut?” one of my pals commented.
I told her that pistachios are actually seeds, and that pistachio as a fragrance is similar to vanilla — but with a hint of warm, nutty biscotti. I had given up on ever finding a replacement pistachio scent when a pal who remembered my angst sent me a jar of Pistaché Skincare’s Whipped Pistachio Body Butter, which comes from an indie beauty line created by a fourth-generation pistachio grower (who’s also a woman). I opened the jar, expecting nothing — but when I took a whiff, I ran into the bedroom to my boyfriend repeating, “Oh my God, oh my God, it’s back.” The stuff is a near-perfect dupe for my dearly departed Crème de Pistache.
The pistachio body crème I originally loved was an incredible gourmand scent, but Pistaché Skincare’s Whipped Pistachio Body Butter has the added benefit of being super-powered by pistachio oil, which, if you believe marketing materials, is a rich source of antioxidant lutein and vitamin E. Pistaché’s pistachio scent is devoid of the sickly sweet artificial smells of lesser brands. And while a lot of products like to call themselves body butter, they’re often overly perfumed lotions in masquerade. True body butter should be ultra dense, incredibly emollient, and ultra-moisturizing — all qualities of the Pistaché. It’s also about half the price of the late, great Laura Mercier scent I loved so much. Sometimes, the new thing is even better than the real (discontinued) thing.
I’ve since tried multiple products from the line, including Pistaché’s pistachio oil–based lip balm that really and truly penetrates your lips, giving intense moisture without being slippery or greasy. You can put your lipstick on right over it, or use it to discreetly reactivate whatever amount of lipstick is left on your lips after eating.
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