E-tail therapy

by E_Diva

Do you long for the latest but loathe the hassle? Bring those girly alternative must-have brands straight to your door without the bother of in-store rack wrestling or standing in crowded lines, via the power of the Internet. There are loads of respected etailers who can make your beauty dreams come true, with a little bit of point and click. Check out what's hot this week!

Principessa Beauty

When you travel to principessabeauty.com, you are immediately greeted by a bright pink and black girly logo, topped with a squiggly crown. Principessa, the Italian word for 'princess', specializes in posh, italian-themed body products for the uber-feminine chick who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to say so. Don't let the colour fool you; it's a clever way to package intelligent, forward thinking pampering products made by women, for women. Say goodbye to pesky fillers and unnatural blends, because everything from this neat little boutique is filled with fragrant botanicals and extracts for potent aroma, plus natural antioxidants such as vitamins E & C.

For such great ingredients, you would expect a high price tag, but everything on the site is surprisingly affordable. Being a sucker for girly swag myself, I have to admit I was also drawn to the all-pink packaging and light, unobtrusive signature scent. Though the exact notes are top secret, to my nose the Principessa products smell fresh and floral, with a trace of fruit thrown in for good measure; not overly sweet, and faint enough that you could still layer with a favourite scented lotion or perfume. Cattiva Diva is a silky hand cream that sinks in and moisturises even very dry hands with no stickiness or greasy residue. It's also slim and pretty enough to pop into a handbag for quick touch ups.

While I was personally uninspired by Bagno Bliss (is it a shower gel? a bubble bath? maybe a bit of both, but it was a bit TOO light for my tastes) my small pot of pink Bacio Me lip balm more than made up for it, leaving my lips soft and kissable. I also had lots of fun cooing over the Principessa Candela-to-go, just the right thing if you need to set the mood with some candlelight and seductive room scent.

All in all, a very solid catalogue from these talented Canadian ladies-- there seems to be a bit of something for everyone, although I hope more scent choices will be on the horizon to add a bit of pizzazz. It's always nice to have a selection, especially when it comes to bath and body. Still, definitely a great start with lots of room for improvement as the brand expands. Also, if you're not entirely able to make up your mind, Principessa offers sweet little sample sizes of products so that you can give a few things a go before upgrading. Or, for more of a mixture, go for the Bellezza Box. It has mini versions of Bacio Me, Bagno Bliss, Candela-to-go, Cattiva Diva, Dolce Dreams and Fresh Fiore, plus a snazzy pink shower pouf, packaged in a gorgeous reuseable tin box that can double as a purse or makeup holder. It's PINK. Enough said!

Recommended: Bacio Me - Nourishing lip balm packed with shea butter and Vitamin E. Just the thing to perfect your pout!

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