I don’t know about you, but I have been hearing an awful lot about Kai and Leila Lou. For years, I have seen these brands in the press, read numerous articles in glossy magazines penned by beauty editors raving over them and have heard celebrities using the word “obsessed” to describe their devotion to these two wildly popular brands. Look them up on Beauty Collection’s website and you will see that both Kai and Leila Lou’s perfume oils have five star ratings and dozens of comments left by happy customers singing their praises.
I am going to dissect these two brands for you. Let me put them head to head, through numerous tests and judge them on multiple factors. I will describe the fragrances in detail, chronicle every pro and con about the formulas, and track performance of each product. Afterwards, you can take my data and use it to help you decide if one of these (or both!) fragrances is right for you. This all sounds super scientific doesn’t it?!
So for each brand I reviewed the perfume oil and a bath and body product. For Kai that was the Bathing Bubbles and for Leila Lou it was the Body Lotion. Let’s do this!
Kai creator Gaye Straza struggled for years to find a perfume that agreed with her, After a lot of frustration, Straza decided to make her own fragrance. Kai Perfume was inspired by her frequent vacations to the tropics in her youth, and the white exotic flowers she discovered and fell in love with during these trips. Kai’s delicate scent is intensely floral yet simple and elegant.
I was super excited to get my hands on this perfume. For years I have been curious about it because of how popular it is. When you smell it in the bottle it smells so floral. Definitely not in a Grandma way though.This is a modern floral that starts with Gardenia but ends with a tropical smell. I can’t place it though. It just reminds me of the beach. The air and the sand, plants and sea. It’s all there. The tiny glass bottle is a has a roller ball applicator making it a cinch to apply and highly portable for touch ups. After application, it dried down into a creamy floral, and some Tuberose leaked out. The fragrance lasted throughout the day and when I went to bed at night, I could still smell it on my wrists.
The thing that I find most interesting about this fragrance is that even though it is a floral it is never overpowering. I have never met a floral perfume that I liked. I always felt like it entered the room before me and left way after I did. Plus I always felt like it was in my mouth or my husband was coughing and gagging, swiftly evacuating the bedroom after I sprayed myself. But not with Kai. Delicate is a great word for it. Delicate, floral and creamy
Kai’s nourishing bubble bath is packed with moisturizing Vitamin E rich Argan Oil and naturally cleansing coconut and sugar derivatives which will leave your skin soft, supple and glowing. Your bath and skin will be fragranced with the same floral scent as Kai’s perfume oil. Personally, I loved the Bathing Bubbles. I actually used it as both a bubble bath and a shower gel. The formula did leave my skin feeling extremely smooth and hydrated and the scent was gorgeous. Not too strong but just enough so that the scent lingered on my skin throughout the day. The bottle is fairly large (16oz) and will last for some time.
This irresistible fragrance was created by Rosie Jane Cosmetics. The light perfume oil is made with 100% essential oils. Leila Lou was meant to capture the alluring scent of freshness and innocence. With notes of Pear Blossom, fresh cut grass and Tangerine, the scent is unique, modern and clean.
I am new to this brand but have heard loads of positive things about tit since I started blogging for Beauty Collection. According to Leila Lou’s website, there are only three stores that carry the line in my state and I don’t frequent any of them, so I am not surprised I have never seen it. The glass bottle is slightly larger than Kai’s, but it’s the same roller ball style. When you smell Leila Lou straight out of the bottle you smell a clean scent that is mixed with a fruitiness. It smells really good! Once applied, it dries down and becomes more complex. You can smell floral behind the clean fruit smell. It’s a beautiful mix of fruit, floral and a soapy clean. The only thing that really bothered me about this oil was that it didn’t last long enough. Kai definitely beat Leila Lou in terms of performance but the brilliant thing is that the bottle is totally portable making it easy to reapply when needed.
Leila Lou’s light body lotion contains 100% essential oils and naturally hydrating ingredients. Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil, Jojoba and Coconut Oil moisturize your skin while the scent of Leila Lou’s perfume oil fragrances your skin. Even though this was a very light formula, I loved the lotion. I used it all over my whole body and it kept me moisturized throughout the day. Layering the lotion with the perfume oil did help with the staying power of the fragrance.
Overall I am in love with both fragrances. They both have their own special qualities. The thing the I found unique about their coordinating bath and body products was that the fragrance translated well and the formulas were phenomenal. Too many times I have been disappointed by a perfume’s matching lotion or shower gel. Either the fragrance isn’t the same as the perfume or the formula is terrible. Drying lotions is the number one problem I find with perfumed body products. These did not disappoint though. I would highly recommend both brands and feel like they are universal scents. If floral based fragrances scare you, give Kai a try. It’s a fantastic perfume to ease into floral scents. Leila Lou was my favorite of the two. The clean scent is as perfect for day as it is for a night out.
So….have you tried either of these brands? What did you think? Do you have a favorite?
I hope all of my sweet readers have a happy and safe New Year! Thank you for your support in 2011, stay tuned to see what Beauty Collection brings you in 2012. It’s going to be beautiful!
Product: Kai Perfume Oil
Price: $49.00
Purchase: All Beauty Collection locations as well as beautycollection.com
Product: Kai Bathing Bubbles
Price: $36.00
Purchase: All Beauty Collection locations as well as beautycollection.com
Product: Leila Lou Perfume Oil
Price: $38.00
Purchase: All Beauty Collection locations as well as beautycollection.com
Product: Leila Lou Body Lotion
Price: $28.00
Purchase: All Beauty Collection locations as well as beautycollection.com
