I love gift giving. They say it’s better to give than to receive, and I wholeheartedly agree. Nothing makes me happier than finding the perfect gift. It’s so fun selecting a lavender-scented candle, bath oil, or other little luxury to delight someone I love.

Rarely, though, do I get luxurious gifts for myself. But now that I’m Editor-in-Chief of Pretty, I’ve discovered a wonderful loophole: research.

If I want to write an informative post about, say, products to help someone sleep—maybe someone who works endless hours creating content about pretty outfits, pretty hair, pretty food, and a pretty home, all while personally looking like homemade sin as she pushes a mountain of desk clutter aside, ignores the jungle-sized weed overtaking her front yard, and settles for Hamburger Helper for dinner—well, research is essential. Sometimes you just have to take one for the team.

First Impressions of This Lavender Lover’s Dream

Full disclosure: Whispering Willow kindly sent me their Tranquility Box as a PR sample for review. I wasn’t paid for this post, and—as always—every opinion is my own. (If loving this body oil is wrong, I don’t want to be right.)

When I read about their Tranquility Box, I couldn’t wait to try it. And yes, I felt a tiny pang of guilt keeping something so lovely for myself. That guilt evaporated when I got home from a trip to find the package waiting—tucked under a pile of junk mail and bills. How nice to get something in the mail you actually want!

The box itself is a calming lavender shade, perfectly fitting since all the products inside are lavender-scented. It includes:

Natural Linen Spray (4 oz)

Hand & Cuticle Salve (1.5 oz)

Lavender Eye Pillow (soft cotton)

Natural Body Oil — my personal favorite (more on that soon)

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The Lavender Experience: Relaxation in a Box

By the time I finally reached the “research phase” of this post, I’d almost forgotten how to relax. Normally I run ninety-to-nothing from morning to night, then lie in bed mentally reciting tomorrow’s to-do list.

But after I spritzed my pillow, applied the oil and salve, and settled the eye pillow in place, something unexpected happened: I still knew what was waiting for me the next day… but I didn’t care.

I’ve tried plenty of lavender products over the years, but most fall into one of three camps: too strong, too weak, or too cheap-smelling. Whispering Willow’s? The holy grail.

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Testing the Products

Linen Spray – I sprayed it well before bed (my husband isn’t a fan of strong scents), but he didn’t complain. Once I’d used the other products, I barely noticed the pillow scent because I was so smitten with the hand and body fragrances.

Hand & Cuticle Salve – Rich and creamy; I’ll save it for winter when my hands are chapped.

Lavender Eye Pillow – Can be microwaved or frozen. For “hard-hitting journalism,” I tried both: 30 seconds in the microwave deepens the lavender scent, while a couple of hours in the freezer is perfect after a sweltering August day. My twist? I liked using it under my neck to ease sore traps. Heaven.

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The Star of the Show: That Lavender Body Oil

The Natural Body Oil is magic. I expected it to be greasy—it’s oil, after all—but it’s not. It glides on like silk, absorbs quickly, and won’t slick your sheets if you use it right before bed. The lavender scent is perfectly balanced, and I swear it flips my brain’s elusive “off” switch.

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Gift-Worthy Ideas

Naturally, my mind went straight to gifting:

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Behind the Scenes

Julia Gold, founder of Whispering Willow, told me:

“Our body oil is made with a mix of organic oils and is scented with a pure essential oil which gives it that smell you love so much. 🙂 We worked on that mix of oils for a while to make sure it was moisturizing but not overly greasy and would absorb fairly quickly. A lot of trial and error got us to the end result you have.”

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For Pretty Readers Only

The team at Whispering Willow has set up an exclusive discount for Pretty readers: 15% off any order through this weekend (August 16-17) with code PrettyMag15.

Oh, and here’s something they do all the time: free shipping on all orders over $65. Considering how gift-worthy this box is, you could easily hit that and check a few names off your list.

Confession time: I will 100% spend an extra 20 minutes on a site hunting for just one more thing to get the free shipping — and I almost never shop somewhere that doesn’t offer it. If you’re nodding along right now, you’re my people.

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The Fine Print (Because It Matters)

This Tranquility Box was provided to me at no cost for review purposes. I received no payment for this post, and all opinions are entirely my own.

Sometimes “research” really does pay off — in this case, with the best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages. 💜 Use code PrettyMag15 for 15% off through the weekend.