After falling completely in love with Hathor Aphrodisia's Exotic Love Oil I was really hoping they'd score another home run with this body lotion. I am cursed with very fussy fair skin that is dry all year round, but in the winter it's truly the worst. I'm always looking for a product that has the clinical strength of something like Cetaphil and a soft, pretty scent (because no one wants to smell like a doctor's office.)

I've had the best luck with oil bases, and since Edenfantasys lists this as an oil based product I thought it would be an obvious choice for me. Unfortunately this lotion did not pan out quite the way I expected it to. Unlike Sensuous Beauty's Body Lotion or Intimate Organics' Massage Balm - both of which list oil as their first ingredients - this product seems be more water and emulsifier than oil. The ingredients are listed on the tube as follows:

De-Ionized Water, Glycerylmonosterate S.E., Peg 100 Sterate, Glycerine, Canola Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Sunflower Oil, NaPCA, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Chamomile Extract and Diazolidinyl Urea with Essential Oils of Rosewood, Tangerine, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Cedarwood and Patchouli.

Unfortunately this heavy, creamy lotion was thick mostly due to the emulsifiers it seems and not due to the oils in it. After squirting a dollop into my hands and rubbing it between my fingers the lotion quickly dissolved into a thin, watery liquid. It felt a lot like the heavily diluted cocoa butter made by Queen Helene or the hand lotion made by the Vaseline Company. Because of its water base it does quickly absorb, so you won't have to rub it relentlessly into your skin like you would with massage oil or balm. This is definitely to its advantage since it is billed as a lotion and not as a massage product, but you have to quickly spread the lotion evenly over the skin before it sinks in which can be a bit of a hassle.

The biggest downside to this lotion's water base is that it doesn't actually moisturize my skin. After rubbing it in my hands, arms and legs are actually left feeling sort of clammy and uncomfortable. It doesn't dry me out more like lotions with alcohol in them tend to, but it certainly doesn't do anything to give my skin relief. My skin also feels a bit sticky after use. Not terribly so, but noticeably tacky if I touch my fingers to the back of my hand or arm. There are nine different oils listed in this product, but six of those are essential oils - which are intended to be used sparingly to scent things. The canola, wheat germ and sunflower oil should act more as a base to beef up the fat content to make this a more lush cream, but it seems there just wasn't enough of them in the mix.

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I want so much to like this stuff, and I hate that I don't. Partly I want to love it because I dropped $25 on it, partly because it has a lot of pretty smelling (in theory) essential oils in it and also just because it looks so cute. The Hathor Aphrodisia Love Lotion comes in a lovely plastic tube with an inverted cap, which is a handy little feature as you are attempting to extract the dregs of your lotion from its container. Work with gravity, not against it! A lesson more manufacturers should take to heart. I love the sleek copper shimmer, the attractive, simple black lettering and cap, the funky and almost disturbing tentacled heart that captures your eye and doesn't let it go. Nothing can so make or break a product for me like the graphic design, and Hathor Aphrodisia always makes their stuff look so pretty!

Sadly even with the weird clammy skin situation put aside, I think this stuff stinks to high heavens. Which is not to say that it smells bad, mind you; I just mean to say the smell is far, far too potent. The aroma itself is actually very nice. I can most clearly detect the light, airy herbal chamomile that floats to the top of the profile, the heavy musk of the patchouli that drops deep below and the peppery rosewood that is suspended between them. The other essential oils like the tangerine, geranium, cedarwood and ylang ylang are less apparent to me, but somewhere behind those stronger scents to be sure. It's a pretty smell that I find comforting if I apply the lotion in my room and then return an hour later. Left about an hour in the air it's much less oppressive than it is on your body. If this thing were an incense or even a candle I might like it, but on my skin the scent just lingers like a bad flu and doesn't go away for hours. Even a small amount just on my hands gives me a headache and I would only consider myself moderately sensitive to strong perfumes.

I wish I could recommend this more highly, but I really can't. If you aren't looking for a lotion to deeply moisturize, but rather just one to perfume your skin with a decidedly pretty (though very strong) herbal aroma then you may like this one. If not, I think you may be better off with something from Intimate Organics.

This has moved on to a much happier home and for that I'm glad - $25 is a lot to spend on a lotion that sits around collecting dust. I gave this thing chance after chance to wow me but it just never came through as anything but a headache trigger. Blech. Intense herbaceous scents your thing? You may like this one. But don't even THINK about buying this - actually, don't even say the name OUT LOUD - if you're prone to headaches. This stuff knocks me right on my butt with its pungent uh, aroma.