Nip + Fab Aims To Brighten Your Mood With Its New Body Blends Collection

We’re all well acquainted with the notion of aromatherapy, the belief that certain natural botanical scents can invigorate the senses, soothe and calm agitated minds, kickstart our libidos, and so forth. With this concept in mind, Nip + Fab recently launched its Body Blends range of body washes, body scrubs, bath soaks, and body lotions. The products are available in three different scents: Yoga Blend, which helps you center your chakras via a blend of relaxing lavender, coconut and rose; Energy Boost, which is meant to energize you via a blend of citrus aromas like lemon, grapefruit, and sweet mandarin; and Detox Blend, which is aimed at making you feel like a brand new, better version of yourself, via a soothing tea tree, green tea, and jasmine fragrance blend.

I had the chance to try a few products from two of the aromatic ranges: Energy Boost and Detox Blend. Both clearly have their own aromatic profiles which do, indeed, help to deliver the mood-elevating effects they promise. 

The first product I tried was the Nip + Fab Energy Boost Body Wash ($8.99 at Target stores and Target.com). As promised, the zesty scent did help to awaken my senses and make me feel ready to take on the world. The lemon note is the most predominant and yet it’s still surprisingly subtle — a good thing since, when lemon scent are overpowering, you can wind up smelling like Lemon Pledge. That said, this body wash has a very watery consistency so that it’s difficult to even smooth it onto the skin and create a rich lather. At most, you’ll see a few tiny suds, as opposed to a full-on froth, which does take away from the sensory and textural experience. Sure, you’ll feel clean after your shower, but you might not necessarily get that squeaky sensation that some of us covet (and which can really only be achieved via a foamy lather. That said, the body wash does uplift the senses and it doesn’t dry out the skin but rather leaves it feeling smooth thanks to the incorporation of antioxidant and fatty acid-rich coconut oil.

Moving on, I tried two products from the Detox Blend range: the Body Scrub and Body Lotion. The Detox Blend’s aromatic notes appealed to me but, moreover, I liked the idea of detoxifying the skin, of unclogging pores, exfoliating, and revealing a new layer of smooth and radiant skin. Perhaps it was the “New Year, New You” chatter, but I was enticed by the whole “detox” notion.

First, I tried the Nip + Fab Detox Blend Body Scrub ($9.99 at Target stores and Target.com), which contains walnut shell bits that polish the skin, buffing away dead skin cells; frankincense oil, which is designed to ease stress and relax the body and mind; and a green tea, tea tree oil, and jasmine blend to calm the senses, soothe the skin, and protect it from free radical damage.

Now, the aroma of the Detox Blend products was far from what I had expected. The green tea note is almost imperceptible, as is the jasmine note, so that the tea tree aroma is certainly the ringmaster in this fragrance trio. For me, this was actually a drawback since it made the aroma feel a bit too medicinal — after all, it’s a main ingredient in first aid ointments to treat mosquito bites, burns, skin wounds, and fungal conditions like athlete’s foot. Still, there’s no denying that tea tree oil is a powerful antimicrobial, so it makes perfect sense that it would be incorporated in a detoxifying product.

In terms of the product’s performance, the scrub does polish the skin effectively, but I do think it might prove too abrasive for women with very delicate skin since the crushed-up walnut shell bits feel harsher than, say, ground-up sugar grains.

My favorite product in the Detox Blend collection is the Nip + Fab Detox Blend Body Lotion ($9.99 at Target stores and Target.com) since it does, in fact, moisturize the skin while promoting exfoliation on a cellular level. Again, the scent wasn’t as enticing as I thought it would be since it lacks the feminine allure that would typically accompany a jasmine-enhanced aroma and the freshness associated with green tea. The tea tree oil note is, again, so overpowering that it makes the aromatic experience less pleasant. That said, as a lotion, it does effectively hydrate and smooth the skin.

In addition to the aforementioned natural oils, the lotion incorporates glycolic acid, a potent alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that’s commonly used in anti-aging treatments, as well as acne medications, chemical peals and exfoliants due to its ability to break down the substances holding dead skin cells together beneath the epidermis, thereby facilitating the exfoliation process; lactic acid, another AHA (albeit a gentler one) that sloughs off dead skin cells at the surface level and promotes collagen production; and salicylic acid, which helps to unclog pores, thereby helping to eradicate acne-causing bacteria and detoxify the skin, leaving it smoother and more supple.

As you might have guessed from the list of ingredients, the body lotion does wonders in terms of improving the skin’s texture and tone. Also, it has an extremely lightweight consistency that’s really delightful, and your skin seems to readily absorb the product, making the application process a matter of seconds.

That said, if you have really dry skin (like I do), you may want to follow up with a lightweight lotion containing more moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, olive oil, sweet almond oil, maracuja oil, or macadamia extract. Also, if you’re using this lotion in the summertime, remember to apply sunscreen liberally since glycolic acid makes the skin particularly vulnerable to UV rays.