Since everyone's skin seems to be suffering the winter blahs these days, here's another remedy that will leave both your skin and your senses happy.

Violet Bath Oil from San Francisco-based elizabethW is a skin-softening blend of safflower, sweet almond, and jojoba oils, with a delicious violet scent that is refreshingly not at all like violet candy (I find that so many violet-scented products fall prey to this trap, these days. If I want violet candy, I'll go buy that instead). Here, elizabethW's violet is accented with mandarin, lily of the valley, cyclamen, and ylang ylang, so the overall effect is less violet pastille and more lush summer garden with fresh violets in bloom.

Now pour some in the bath, close your eyes and imagine it's not winter. You just might be able to trick yourself.

Available at elizabethw.com. More about this interesting new brand in an upcoming post!