Pacific Islanders have long counted on monoï oil for a variety of needs, from curative to cosmetic. And once you get a whiff of the scented oil, your vanity — and skin — will never be the same. Learn how monoï is made, and how this beauty bigwig can contribute to your daily routine, when you keep reading.
If you love jasmine, you'll find Fruits & Passion's new Nourishing Dry Oil ($14) completely sweet. Its Monoi variety, made with argan and avocado oils, gives skin and hair a soft jasmine scent.
Although it's not exactly a complex perfume, it's pretty and light enough that you won't reek of flowers in the heat. It also soaks in really quickly—I've put on way more than I needed, and it still absorbed in just a couple of minutes. It also didn't make my clothing all oily and sticky, which is a big plus. On hot, humid days, it's the next best thing to sitting in the garden.
This traditional Tahitian coconut oil is the signature ingredient in several products, and its divine scent alone merits it a definition. Monoi gets its gorgeous fragrance from Tahitian gardenias, which are submerged in the pure oil and left to soak. It's also known for its skin-friendliness, because it doesn't contain any emulsifiers. This means that it gets a big "green" thumbs up, and also that it solidifies at temperatures under about 70 degrees Farenheit, which means no worrying about it spilling in your bag on an airplane. NARS makes a luxurious Monoi Oil Body Glow II ($59) that still has the gardenia in the bottle, and C. Booth also makes a Monoi Dry Oil Spray ($7) in a convenient spritzer that's a bit more easy on the wallet. If body oils aren't your style, I'm a devoted fan of Korres Monoi Oil Bronzing Powder ($28), which hydrates a little and gives great coverage (try using it as a blush).
