Camille Beckman: one of the longtime loves of my life

I have an incredibly sappy story to share with you today, my lovelies. If you'd like to skip it and go straight to the review, by all means scroll right on past the first part of this post. But just know that I'm kind of pouring my heart out to you in this post and opening myself up to some mockery (I wouldn't blame you!) but I still feel compelled to share it.

When I was a teenage (many, many years ago), my parents used to take me to a popular Jewish deli here in San Diego called D.Z. Akins. It was one of my favorite places to go, and not just for the delicious matzo ball soup, knishes or rugalah. You see, D.Z. Akins had a gift shop in the lobby that you had to walk past before you entered the dining area (they still do, actually). And in this gift shop they had so many beautiful things that would catch my eye but, even back then, my love of beauty products trumped all. Every time we went to D.Z. Akins, I remember making a B-line straight to these beautiful little pots of hand cream with cute little satin roses glued to the tops of the lids. I remember begging my dad to buy me one every time we went there and, of course, he did.

Camille Beckman Glycerin Hand Therapy in Violette

circa late 1980's

I've held on to this little pot of hand cream all these years because of two reasons. 1) It reminds me of my dad and how he would, and still does, try to give me anything I want in life, no matter how large or small. And 2) it's my earliest memory of "coveting" a beauty product. I used it so sparingly because I never, ever wanted to run out. Yes, it was that special.

Fast forward to the end of 2011 and one day I receive an email in my in-box from...Camille Beckman. Well, not THE Camille Beckman, but from a person who works for the company. When she asked me if I would possibly like to receive some products for review, I don't think I have to explain to you how quickly my fingers typed that response. In fact, she probably thought I was a freak because I'm sure I came across as a little TOO enthusiastic. 

The thing is, I somehow lost touch with good ol' Camille as I grew up. It's not that I stopped loving the iconic Glycerin Hand Therapy,  but I think that these products became more difficult to find in my area, so I just moved on to trying new things (as I'm prone to do, even when I absolute love one particular brand, because that wandering eye of mine cannot be tamed!). 

So today, I'd like to share with you what I received from Camille Beckman, and tell you how these new products live up to my memories of yester-year.

First up, I received three products from the new Midnight Monarch collection:

Camille Beckman Midnight Monarch Collection

Glycerin Hand Therapy (retail: $10.50, 4 oz)

Silky Body Cream ($10.50, 8 oz)

Body Butter (retail: $14.50, 5.25 oz)

Let me first describe the scent of Midnight Butterfly.

From the website:

Top Notes: Jasmine Tea & Bergamot
Heart Notes: Orange Orchid Nectar & Damask Rose
Base Notes: Midnight Patchouli & Vanilla Amber

To my nose, this fragrance is very reminiscent of Thierry Mugler Angel, only not as sharp, and a bit softer and more feminine. If you like Angel, I'm 99.9% sure you'll enjoy Midnight Butterfly.

Let's start with the Glycerin Hand Therapy, since that's no doubt the product that Camille Beckman is best known for:

Instead of a satin rose, you get a paper butterfly on the top of the lid! How adorable is that?

This product is EXACTLY as I remember it. In fact, I'm happy to see that all these years later, Camille Beckman products are still made in Eagle, Idaho and I'm willing to bet that the formula of the Glycerin Hand Therapy has not changed either. It literally feels exactly as I remember it.

 This is a thick, rich and decadent hand cream:

But the thing I love about it is that it envelops your skin makes it feel like your hands are coated in satin. If you've ever used Avon Silicone Glove hand cream, it feels like that, but better. It's richer, but at the same time it seems to absorb quicker, and you don't have a greasy residue after you work it in. Your hands literally just feel like silk. And it lasts too. For me, it even lasts through a couple of hand washings.

The Silky Body Cream is lighter than the Glycerin Hand Therapy, making it a nice choice for arms and legs. I find it to be rich, but not too rich. 

The Body Butter has a pudding-like consistency. The second ingredient is Shea Butter, so it's not as "glycerin-y" as the Glycerin Hand Therapy but a little more creamy on the skin. I like this for dry patches on my body like elbows and knees.

In addition to the trio of Midnight Butterfly products, I also received some smaller packages of Glycerin Hand Therapy in the following fragrances:

Here's a quick rundown of the fragrances pictured above:

Tuscan Honey: 

"Be swept away by the warmth of Tuscan Honey. Indulge yourself with the scent of sweet honey comb perfumed with the sensuous resins of Sienna’s raw earth."

I was so surprised by the complexity of this fragrance. The honey note is not a sugary-sweet honey, but more of a raw honey mixed with deep, rich resins. You've just got to try this one yourself to really understand. Unlike anything I've ever smelled before.

Peaceful Olive:

"Peace begins with the scent of a simple olive branch, and so does our new Peaceful Olive....Enjoy gardening like never before with Camille Beckman."

Probably the most unisex of all the fragrances I received, this one's clean with an earthy olive note. 

Jade Dragonfly:

"Sunlight, shimmering water, and crisp mountain air create the elements of Jade Dragonfly, a clean fresh fragrance of the New Generation Spa Line."

If you like clean, soapy fragrances, I think you will enjoy this one quite a bit because it really has a delightful soapy note to it. Nice for an office environment (I can't see it offending anyone).

French Vanilla:

"French Vanilla will remind you of cookies and cakes straight from Gramma’s Kitchen. Because of the rich Vanilla we use, our products often take on a caramel hue. French Vanilla is our second best selling Fragrance."

Two words: Vanilla Frosting. One more word: Yum.

Lime Leaves:

"Lime Leaves, a refreshing clean fragrance with a twist of Lime."

I can't quite put my finger on this one. I can detect the crisp lime, but there's something else going on--a botanical note that I don't quite recognize. It's a citrus fragrance but it also smells like green leaves. Clean but a tiny bit antiseptic in nature. 

Camille

"Camille our namesake and top selling fragrance is a delicate and light cashmere floral. This clean fresh scent is pleasing for most everyone."

Camille reminds me of my grandma, and that's a wonderful thing. It takes me back to one of her face creams and brings back a flood of beautiful memories. This would be a nice gift for seniors, or for yourself if you enjoy nostalgic scents. (PS: And how could I not love this, given that it comes in the signature pot with the little satin rose on the lid??).

I hope this post helped introduced you to one of the longtime loves of my life (when it comes to beauty products). If you were already a fan of Camille Beckman, I hope I was able to give you some helpful info as to the new scents that are now available. I truly love the Glycerin Hand Therapy just as much as I loved it the first time I used it all those years ago, and I hope that if you try it for yourself, you'll love it just as much.

To find out where Camille Beckman products are sold in your area, click here. You can also order them directly through the Camille Beckman website.

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

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