LAPIS Blue Tansy + Squalane Balancing Facial Oil
A simple facial oil that gets the important things right.
I purchased this product with my own money from herbivorebotanicals.com.
The Backstory
I bought Lapis because I fell in love with Herbivore’s Aquarius cleanser and its beautiful blue tansy fragrance. Their Lapis body wash smelled similarly wonderful, so when I discovered a facial oil promising that same aromatic experience, I was interested.
Did I need another facial oil? Absolutely not. Did I want one? Absolutely.
Herbivore happened to be running a sale, which provided all the additional justification I apparently needed.
Formula & Claims
Lapis is a relatively simple blend of squalane, jojoba, caprylic/capric triglyceride, and kukui nut oil, with vitamin E, blue tansy, jasmine, and rose.
The brand positions it as a lightweight, balancing oil that moisturizes without feeling excessively heavy, particularly for combination or blemish-prone skin.
Blue tansy contains potentially soothing aromatic compounds, but I’m not expecting dramatic results from this formula. It’s primarily a facial oil, and I bought it to do facial oil things. Fortunately, it does them rather well.
The Experience
The fragrance is exactly what I hoped for. It’s very similar to the scent I love in Herbivore’s cleanser and body wash, and easily one of my favorite things about the product.
The texture is another success. It’s lightweight, spreads beautifully, and absorbs comfortably without leaving the heavier, lingering oiliness I find in some other facial oils. There’s still a visible oil finish, naturally, but I find it elegant enough to use a small amount during the day.
The blue oil looks beautiful in its glass bottle, although the dropper isn’t my favorite. Trying to operate one at night with slippery hands can feel like an unnecessarily elaborate dexterity test.
Otherwise, I genuinely enjoy using it.
Final Words
There are only so many ways to formulate a facial oil, and many products ultimately offer similar benefits. What distinguishes Lapis is how well Herbivore handles the experience: a lovely fragrance, an elegant texture, and beautiful presentation.
It’s reasonably priced within the premium facial oil category, and I’d happily continue using it.
It has competition. Oak Essentials makes another beautifully scented, elegant oil, while FarmHouse Fresh Dew Ritual offers a similarly enjoyable experience with a few additional ingredients that make its formula more interesting.
Naturally, I could just mix a drop of all three and enjoy the best of everything. A completely nonsensical approach to skincare maximalism that I would never recommend to anyone with a responsible relationship to money.
But I can’t say I regret owning any of them. Lapis is a lovely oil, and sometimes that’s more than enough.
