'I tried Selena Gomez's $39 aromatherapy pen and I was...confused.'

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellbeing. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Mamamia's Beauty & Health Editor trials Rare Beauty's new Find Comfort Stop And Soothe Pen.

When it comes to the beauty industry, there's an awful lot of unnecessary stuff out there — we all know this to be true. And while we're all for doing whatever it takes to make you feel great, sometimes you just wanna cut through the BS and spend on products that are actually going to do something good for your face/body/mind. 

I get it! Gosh, I get it.

As someone who tries and tests beauty products for a living, I've come across a lot of very good products. But also, a lot of very pointless products that are, for the most part, just pure marketing and fluff.

Watch: Remember that time I tried the 10-layer foundation hack? I do. Let's revisit. Post continues below.

So when Selena Gomez's newest Rare Beauty range came across my desk – the 'Find Comfort' collection – I was immediately intrigued.

If you haven't heard of the new range, it's basically a line of skin and hair products centred on encouraging holistic experiences to support self-care. It includes a Body & Hair Fragrance Mist, $55, a Hydrating Body Lotion, $55, a Hydrating Hand Cream, $35 – and a Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen ($39).

Yes! An aromatherapy pen. It immediately caught my attention, too. 

Because body and hair products aside, do you really need to spend $39 on an aromatherapy pen? Is this something we really need in our lives? And is it actually any good? So many questions.

I tried it out.

What is the Rare Beauty Find Comfort Stop & Soothe Pen? 

As mentioned, the Rare Beauty Find Comfort Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen is $39 and you can buy it at Sephora. It's described on the Rare Beauty website as a "weightless, fast-absorbing gel" with a "soothing peppermint and lavender scent that helps you relax and refresh the senses on the spot."

The formula comes in a leakproof click pen that you can easily chuck in your bag for on-the-go top-ups.

Here's what it looks like:

Rare Beauty Find Comfort Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen.

The formula itself has a gel-like consistency (although it kind of looks like a lightweight moisturiser or lotion). You simply click the bottom of the applicator to dispense a dose of the product. The top of the pen is a silicone-type tip that you can use to massage it into your temples, the back of your neck and behind your ears to help soothe and relax. 

The scent is a combination of lavender, peppermint, and tonka bean oil.

How did you go with it?

Okay, I just want to preface this by saying I really don't love the scent of lavender. One of my high school teachers used to smell like she bathed in pure essential oils and slathered it on her toast in the morning, and the mere whisper of it now reminds me of headaches and homework anxiety, so. 

I was also worried the scent would be super overpowering and that I'd walk around the office smelling like a hippie. However, when I popped it on my wrists and neck on my way to work on a Monday morning (when I could already feel the stress creeping up), I was surprised to find the scent was more subtle than expected. In fact, it had a fresh, minty smell more than the headache-inducing lavender scent I expected. Cool!

I also really enjoyed the cooling sensation after application — it absorbed quickly into my skin and wasn't the slightest bit greasy or sticky. I also applied it to my temple area, and it didn't mess with my makeup, which was a plus.

I loved how the gel dried down into an almost perfume-like scent (it had a soft scent of vanilla tonka beans) and didn't really linger. I couldn't decide whether my nose had just gotten used to it or whether it was just really subtle? I asked one of my colleagues and she said she couldn't smell anything — so unsure if that's a good sign or a bad sign. Hard to say.

Throughout the week, I tried applying it in different areas — behind my ears, directly into my palms (hovering them over my face and taking deep breaths) and just sniffing it straight from the pen during the day like a freak. 

The verdict.

Alright, let's just get this straight — no one needs an aromatherapy pen. Just like someone doesn't need seven different serums. Even if it's from the lovely Selena Gomez.

Now, it's also probably worth knowing that I'm not very into woo-woo kinda stuff. I don't do the incense or oil diffuser thing, I don't meditate or do breathwork — none of that. So for me, an aromatherapy pen is not in my usual scope. 

While I can't say the pen gave me stress relief as such, I do think the scent was pretty calming and the practice of applying it/having a sniff and some deep breaths forced me into a moment of mindfulness. It would help me recognise when I needed a break, causing me to stop and focus on something else that's not the screen in front of me. 

I will say that for some people, the smell intensity may not be strong enough for them to find it truly effective. While the subtlety of the scent was something I quite liked, it didn't really last and I did have to reapply it throughout the day. However, the convenience of having it tucked away in your bag to top up on the go is really satisfying.

Look, all in all — if I had to spend $39 on a product to help me calm and de-stress, I'd probably rather spend my money on a lip product or a face mask to chuck on after a long day. But if you like this sort of thing and have the money, go for it!

If you want to check it out for yourself, the pen and the whole new range are available now at Sephora.

While we have you, have you voted in the 2024 You Beauty Awards yet?! Click the link below to nominate your favourite brands and products. 

Feature image: Supplied/Canva.