Weleda Week: Weleda Lavender Creamy Body Wash

(affiliate link) If I had to choose one shower gel or bath salt scent for the rest of my life, lavender would be it.
Its obviously a flower (herb?) long associated with relaxation and having a calming effect, which I would certainly say is true in my case. I know some people can't stand the smell but it's definitely one of my favourites. That said, I only appreciate a proper lavender fragrance, with that beautiful true lavender scent which is exactly what you get with Weleda's Lavender Creamy Body Wash.

This is a mild body wash that gently cleanses using Coco-Glucoside and Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (surfactants derived from coconut oil and fruit sugars) and has a silky base of organic Sesame Seed Oil and Glycerin. Lavender Essential Oil is obviously a main player in the mix, giving the creamy body wash a soft, comforting scent that soothes mind and body.

I'm not sure what more I can say about this other than that it's a really worthwhile addition to any bathroom (provided you don't detest all things lavender) and is particularly welcome during a pre-bed shower or even added to bath water to help you relax.
Weleda Lavender Creamy Body Wash is £7.95 for 200ml at Look Fantastic.

The Latest in Beauty Women's Health Beauty Box

Beauty box fans rejoice - this one is an absolute cracker! Featuring just under £140 worth of wellness goodies, the Women's Health Beauty Box is really high quality - no fillers here. The box has been curated by Editor of Women's Health magazine, Claire Sanderson, and features 18 of her favourite products from the past year (and a 50% off voucher for Bobble water bottles).

Satisfyingly heavy, the box is £40 for some very decent products and has a really good mix of skincare, makeup and wellbeing bits. I'd say it's well worth a look if you're wanting to discover a mixture of well known and niche brands.
Inside the box you'll find:

• TULA Exfoliating Treatment Mask
• MURAD Youth Renewal Retinol Eye Serum
• THIS WORKS Stress Check Roll-on
• SPORTFX Sport Stamina Mascara
• 58 LIFESTYLE Balancing Ecosoy Candle
• ORIGINS GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturiser
• BUXOM Plumping Lip Liner
• WET BRUSH L'il Detangler in Punchy Pink
• SOL DE JANEIRO Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
• DR ORGANIC Lavender Deodorant
• FREE SOUL Hero Protein Blend (Chocolate or Vanilla)
• COLAB Dry Shampoo Tropical
• DR PAWPAW Original Clear Balm
• PUKKA Wonder Berry Green
• PHILOSOPHY The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash
• NIBBLE PROTEIN Nibble Protein Bites Lemon with Coconut
• DANDI Dandi Patch
• NARCISO RODRIGUEZ Fleur Musc for Her
• BOBBLE 50% OFF Voucher

As you can see, this really is a great line up - I'm most excited about the 58 Lifestyle Candle (It smells AMAZING), the Buxom liner and of course the skincare bits like the Philosophy Microdelivery wash, Origins moisturiser and the Tula mask. If you've not tried Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum cream, now is your chance to 'try before you buy' the full size but if you're anything like me, you're gonna want the full size!
You can buy the Latest in Beauty Women's Health Beauty Box for £40 online at Latest in Beauty.

Bilou Creamy Shower Foams

If you're into cute packaging and enjoy smelling like a dessert, I'm pretty confident you'll want to try these shower foams.

The foams are by German brand Bilou (which, incidentally, was founded by a Youtuber), and are already making an impression here in the UK thanks to their instagram-worthy packaging and saccharine scents. Speaking of Instagram, Bilou's (@mybilou) is actually Germany's most popular Instagram page, with nearly 1.4 million followers!

Designed to be 'extra creamy', the kitsch shower foams are available in five different fragrances - Cotton Candy, Tasty Donut, Coco Cocktail, Pink Melon and Fizzy Berry.
I have to hand the Cotton Candy and Tasty Donut scents, which are both as decadently sweet as expected. The vegan shower foams are super, super creamy and create satisfyingly pillowy clouds of fluffy foam when dispensed. The foams contain aloe vera as well as sweet almond and avocado oils.
Cotton Candy is described as smelling like fluffy cotton candy, caramelly & sweet - just heavenly! Sweet, fluffy fragrance- rainbow cotton candy, vanilla, sugary sweet.

Tasty Donut smells like freshly baked donuts and fruity strawberry icing- absolutely delicious! Sweet aromas of bakery items, strawberries, sugar frosting, sugar sprinkles and freshly baked donuts.

Of the two, Cotton Candy is my favourite as it has an almost coco-nutty vibe to it. While Tasty Donut  does smell quite like a strawberry glazed sugar donut, I find the scent just a tad too artificial for me. Scent is of course a very subjective thing though, so I'm sure plenty of people would prefer the donut scent over the cotton candy one!

I'm quite fond of shower foams in general and they just seem that little bit more fun when they smell like freshly baked donuts or candyfloss at a seaside fair. There are also matching moisturising foams and body sprays available if you fancy layering up the sweetness.

Bilou products retail for £3.99 in the UK online and in store at Superdrug.

New Aurelia Body Cleanser + Serum

Aurelia Probiotic Skincare is one of those natural skincare brands that I have loved watching grow over the years. It really has gone from strength to strength and earned itself quite the reputation for its collection of effective natural skincare formulas. With that in mind, it's so great to see the award-winning brand adding to their range of bodycare products that will undoubtedly be just as covetable as the original lotions and potions that started it all.

To me, warm weather calls for refreshing bath and body products and the new Aurelia body products are a beautiful example of this. Zingy, uplifting, citrusy formulas are the perfect accompaniment to warm summer days and offer the ideal antidote to sweat and humidity. Housed in a convenient pump-action bottle, the Aurelia Restorative Cream Body Cleanser (£32) strikes a perfect balance between zesty refreshment and nourishing hydration thanks to a combination of geranium, clementine, rosemary and mandarin steam distilled essential oils.

The sulphate free formula offers a surprisingly generous lather from the aloe vera and Sodium cocoyl isethionate base (Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a gentle surfactant derived from coconut oil). 
Packed full of botanical ingredients including baobab and hibiscus, the bio-organic Cleanser is equally as refreshing when used first thing in the morning as it is soothing and comforting when I lather up with it before bed. I also find the scent to be quite unisex- not overly floral or typically feminine- so it's a perfect cleanser to leave in your shower for all to enjoy (if you can resist keeping it all for yourself, obviously). A really lovely point about this cleanser is that it leaves me feeling fresh, uplifted and above all, clean, but doesn't make my skin feel tight or 'stripped' in the slightest. Win.

The Firm & Replenish Body Serum (£48) is the perfect follow up product to use after the Restorative Cleanser. Featuring a similarly zesty citrus vibe, the serum is designed to be smoothed all over the body for an intensely nourishing, lifting effect. Featuring the same pump bottle design as the cleanser, the milky serum contains mandarin, angelica, bergamot and cedar wood blended with a coconut oil derivative and sweet almond oil for fast absorption that leaves skin silky. Since I had my baby in April, my skin has been so incredibly DRY so I'm really enjoying the hydrating and soothing effect of the serum without the heaviness of a thick body butter, which is a feeling I really can't tolerate as soon as the temperature gets above about 20 degrees! For now I've been using the Firm & Replenish Body Serum on my arms and legs but once my c-section scar has healed properly I imagine I will be slathering this liberally on my tummy and abdomen in an effort to firm things up a bit. It's worth mentioning that this is apparently a fantastic product for mums-to-be to keep growing bellies moisturised and supple.

If you're keen to try the new Restorative Cream Body Cleanser and the Firm & Replenish Body Serum (or anything from the bodycare collection really) I have a little treat for you - just enter the code BODY15 at the checkout for 15% off anything from the Bodycare range. Valid until 30th June 2017.

Dr Do Good In-Shower Body Moisturiser Spray

I am not currently a gym person, nor do I lead a particularly hectic or time poor lifestyle, so I may not be the exact target demographic for Dr Do Good. That doesn't mean that I don't think it's a great little product though.

Dr Do Good is essentially an in-shower moisturiser designed to save time and deliver a dose of hydration to your skin whilst you are still in the shower.

Simply sprayed onto damp skin (shake it first to mix) and then rinsed off, Dr Do Good delivers a dose of long lasting hydration thanks to its unique waterproof oil based formula.

The waterproof formula essentially locks in the water on your skin and 'feeds' it with vegetable extracts including tomato, yellow pepper, carrot, aubergine and broccoli. 

Tomato Extract: An antioxidant to protect against premature ageing of the skin.

Yellow Pepper Extract: Rich in Vitamin C. Keeps skin looking firm/ youthful.

Carrot Extract: Rich in Vitamin A. Nourishes, maintains elasticity and firmness of skin.

Aubergine Extract: Aids in keeping skin looking healthy and hydrated.

Broccoli Extract: Contains Sulforaphane, which is a compound that can make skin look less dull and may stimulate skin cells.

Despite the addition of the above vegetable extracts, Dr Do Good doesn't have a complex scent- it's just got a light, fresh fragrance that makes it perfectly unisex so your other half can freely borrow out without fear of smelling like a big girl.

I've had this product for a few months now, which has given me plenty of opportunity to try it out on both winter-parched skin and my slightly happier springtime skin and I've been happy with the results every time.  It leaves the skin feeling smooth and well hydrated without that obvious feeling of product you get with standard moisturisers.

If you're time poor, frequent the gym or just don't like the feeling of moisturiser on your body, Dr Do Good is a very good option.  You can find out more about the wonders of Dr Do Good and purchase a bottle for £15 here.

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Fresh Cocoa Exfoliating Body Soap

Christmas may be over but now that I'm a proud owner of a bar of Fresh Cocoa Exfoliating Soap, the chocolate party needn't stop just yet. If you know my blog you'll probably be aware of my love for gourmand-inspired body products, so this bar of chocolatey cleansing and exfoliating goodness is right up my (quality) street.

The triple milled soap contains Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Cocoa Seed Butter to cleanse and moisturise and Coconut and Cocoa Shell Powder to provide the exfoliating effect.
For me, the biggest selling point of this soap is that is smells delicious. The scent is decidedly chocolatey without being false, sickly or overly sweet, so even people who usually aren't overly keen on dessert inspired body products will probably enjoy using it.
In terms of it's exfoliating effect, it's what you would expect from a lathery bar of soap with bits in it - there is a definite feeling of dead skin being buffed away but it's still definitely gentle enough for use every day. In other words, if you're preparing to get your fake tan on, opt for a more traditional body scrub or polish because this soap might not quite do the trick.
However, for cleansing and leaving your skin smelling sweet and almost lickable, this is pretty much a revelation. Get thee to Fresh.

A 200g bar of this decadent soap is £13 in Fresh stores and online here.

Christmas 2015 with Therapie Roques Oneil

Therapie by Roques Oneil is a brand that I have a lot of time for. From the uplifting and mentally stimulating effects of the Restore Aura Spray to the cult favourite Himalayan Detox Salts, Therapie is one of those suits-all brands with products that boast universal appeal. It's for this reason that Therapie products make fantastic stocking fillers and gorgeous presents that I for one would be more than happy to find under the tree on the 25th. For Christmas this year, Therapie have a beautiful collection of ready made gifts including the Love Me Kit, the Discover Me Kit and the Value Duo.

The Love Me Kit includes Joie Uplifting Bath Infusion, limited edition Love Candle, Cherish Skin Repair Serum and Awaken Skin Rehab Scrub. I have tried both the Cherish serum and Joie bath infusion and can report that both products are soothing, relaxing and undeniably luxurious. The Love Me Kit is £140.

Therapie Love Me Kit

The Discover Me Kit (not pictured) is £38 and features Boost Hair and Body Wash, Himalayan Detox Salts, Cherish Skin Repair Serum, Restore Aura Spray and Equilibrium Bath & Shower Essence. This little kit with 5 favourite products is a brilliant introduction to the brand.

The Value Duo includes a 100ml bottle of Restore Aura Spray and a generous 500g pouch of the coveted Bath Salts. The duo is £48 but worth £63.

Therapie Value Duo

Therapie also have a selection of minis at very reasonable price points that make great stocking fillers or secret Santa gifts (or a little something for yourself, obviously). I've had the chance to try a few of the minis including the Restore Aura Spray and they are such a great way to try out some products before investing in the full sizes. At the moment, Therapie have a special promotion in which they are offering a free 100g sachet of Himalayan Bath Salts with the purchase of 3 minis, so now is the perfect time to discover the brand.
You can find out more about the glorious brand that is Therapie Roques Oneil and shop the brand here.

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Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar Reveal - Day #12

Today, in drawer number 12, there's a 50ml bottle of Kai Body Lotion. Not bad Liberty, not bad at all. I am familiar with Kai and first tried it about seven years ago when I was still in Australia so the exotic fragrance evokes all kinds of memories for me, like taking my dog to the beach and being with my friends in sunnier climes. It's nice then, to open up this little bottle of body lotion and have those memories come flooding back to me. Excuse me while I go and have a little happy cry. I have blogged about Kai roll on fragrance and Body Glow (my fave for summer - must remember to get some next year) which you can find here. Beware - the post is fairly ancient.
The Body Lotion is obviously scented with the stunning Kai fragrance and contains Shea Butter, Safflower Seed Oil and Apricot Kernal Oil and Fruit Extract.
The full sized version of Kai Body Lotion is £34 for 235ml at Liberty and you can find the 50ml size as part of the travel kit.

Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar Reveal - Day #2

For December 2nd we've got a travel sized Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash.
The Moroccan Rose range is probably Ren's most well known (and well loved) bath and body collection - with good reason. Like the other products in the Moroccan Rose range, the shower gel has a beautiful true-rose scent and contains palmarosa oil, geranium oil and of course rose otto oil. The body wash has won InStyle's Best Body Wash 10 years in a row, so that's some indication about how brilliant it is.
The Calendar contains a 50ml bottle but the full sized 200ml version is a reasonable £18, considering it is a luxury product. You can find Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash here.

L'Occitane Black Soap

It's not often that I feel like blogging about soap (unless it comes from Lush, obviously) but this one is a little bit different. L'Occitane Black Soap has been available for a good few months now and it's proved to be a very popular addition to the Aromachologie range.

I love balm- type products so I knew when I first saw the black soap in a L'Occitane store it would only be a matter of time before it took pride of place in my bathroom.
Because I'm a bit impulsive (just a tad), I took this home without even looking inside the tin so it really was a complete surprise once I opened it up and was met with the sight of semi-transparent black balmy sludge stuff and the scent of eucalyptus.

The black soap is essentially an olive oil based paste ('paste' sounds marginally more pleasant than 'sludge') with the addition of eucalyptus essential oil and is part of the L'Occitane 'Rebalancing' collection. The Rebalancing collection also includes a massage cream, exfoliating shower gel, bath infusion and a face mask but there's just something a bit extra special about the soap that got a lot of people interested.

Because of the consistency of the soap, it took me a while to figure out the best way to use it. I realise how ridiculous this sounds. My fail safe method is just to scoop a little bit out with my finger and spread it over wet skin before going to town with the loofah and getting all sudsy. It leaves me feeling clean but maybe wanting a little more in terms of fragrance? It just smells like eucaplyptus really, which is lovely of course but the scent doesn't tend to linger on my skin once I've rinsed the soap off. I suppose the fact that the scent doesn't stick around makes it suitable for pretty much everyone, after all, eucalyptus is quite a medicinal scent and might not be the kind of thing you want to walk around smelling of (especially for those of us who grew up in Australia with parents who used eucalyptus oil to remove ticks from the dogs). That said, if you're feeling a bit under the weather or as if you're coming down with a case of the winter lurgies, the eucalyptus in the black soap should help you breathe a little easier, which is never a bad thing.

Overall, I do enjoy using the L'Occitane soap. It is quite refreshing and sort of fun to use and has garnered a load of positive feedback on the L'Occitane website. As an end note - L'Occitane advise that you use the soap once or twice a week as a treatment, which I don't really adhere to. To me, it's just soap - and a pretty good one at that.

L'Occitane Black Soap is £16 in store and online.

Champneys Cracker Collection

Christmas crackers are such a pretty way to present gifts aren't they? You can just pop them under the tree as ready wrapped presents or add them to your Christmas table setting for an extra special touch. Over the years we've seen quite a few brands get on board with this festive concept but what really stood out to me with this Champneys offering is the value, quality and affordable price point.

The Champneys Cracker Collection is only £10 and includes four large crackers in a pastel colour scheme, each containing a 50ml product - perfect for splitting up and using as stocking fillers or secret santa gifts or of course just keeping the packaging intact and gifting the whole thing.

This set was actually my first taste of what Champneys have to offer and the rich scents and perfectly pampering feel of the products have now made me understand why this is such a well loved and respected brand.

Inside the crackers:
Heavenly Day Relaxing Shower Cream
A calming shower cream infused with the relaxing scents of geranium, lavender and chamomile.
Summer Dream Rewarding Shower Gel
A rich shower gel with summer fruit fragrances Grapefruit, Orange and Lemon Peel oils combine with Peach, Mango and Passionfruit scents rounded off with a touch of Sandalwood. Zingy and refreshing, especially for this time of year!
Citrus Blush Enlivening Shower Gel
A zesty shower gel with Mandarin, Lemon Oil and Cardamom.
Citrus Blush Enlivening Body Lotion
A refreshing blend of Mandarin, Lemon Oil and Cardamom with a Sweet Almond Oil and Vitamin E base.

Champneys have also created a range of gift sets and hampers to suit virtually any budget this Christmas including:  The Bag of Delights (£12) which features three body butters and a body soufflé. Bubble Heaven (£16) that includes three delicious Bath Soaks. The Relaxation Hamper that's brimming with bath and body goodies and a candle and socks! (£60)  - and the Bath Basket Collection (£30) that includes a Bubble Heaven, Shower Cream, Body Lotion, Face Cloth and Towel.
Personally I have my eye on this Luxury Throw (£25), probably because it looks so warm and fluffy and it's freakishly freezing right now.

The Champneys Cracker Collection and all of their other gifts are available at Boots in store and online.

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Lush Yog Nog Soap

You know those rare occasions when your soap or shower gel is so moisturising that you can forgo moisturiser altogether once you're out of the shower? Lush Yog Nog is pretty much that. And a whole lot more.

Now I know that Yog Nog is not a new Christmas release but I only tried it for the first time last night. Late to the party? Yes. Disappointed in myself for not trying it when it was released last Christmas? Bitterly disappointed. Bitterly.

Lush describe Yog Nog as: A creamy Christmas tipple of a soap made with moisturising soya yoghurt and a dash of spicy clove bud. Indulge your senses in a fudgy lather with ylang ylang, moisturising Fair Trade cocoa butter and stimulating nutmeg. Dusted with a generous amount of aromatic fair trade cocoa powder, after one wash you’ll be ready to don your best Christmas knitwear.

As is always the case with Lush, this description is pretty much spot on.

The creamy soya yoghurt base of the soap combined with nutmeg, clove and cocoa butter do all kinds of glorious things to my nostrils and evoke everything I love about Autumn/Winter and the festive season. The scent reminds me of spiced chai, crunchy leaves, Starbucks Eggnog Lattes with a hefty dollop of cream and all the Yankee Candles that smell like they're freshly baked and ready to eat. The scent lingers  for a while afterwards, so the party continues for a few hours after I've lathered up with it.

The consistency is just what you'd expect from a Lush soap- creamier and more melty than your average- I can almost feel my skin drinking it in. 

Also, just look at the design. LOOK.

So festive. I think it's safe to say that Yog Nog has replaced Snow Fairy as my top Christmas product from Lush. Now I just need to get my hands on the bath bomb.

As a final note, Lush, if you are reading this (which you are almost certainly not) please make a Yog Nog body cream so I can smell like Christmas whenever I like. Thank you.

3 Favourite Body Scrubs

Ok, I know I don't need three different body scrubs. Nobody needs three different body scrubs. Who doesn't love a good one though, right?

Not only does having a good old scrub in the bath or shower feel amazing at the time, but sloughing away those dead skin cells prepares your body to really absorb moisturizers and oils. Effective exfoliation makes skin instantly smoother and softer and personally it just makes me feel 'cleaner' than when I forgo a scrub.

Here's a look at my top 3 body scrubs currently on rotation in my bathroom:

The Body Shop African Ximenia Scrub

Part of the new Spa of the World range, the African Ximenia Scrub is thick and almost paste like in consistency. The texture makes it easy to spread over my skin (when damp) and feels beyond luxurious. The hero of the body scrub is Ximenia Seed Oil, which is known as the 'Tree of Life' and has been hand harvested in Namibia. The salt granules in the scrub are quite small, making it a relatively gentle scrub and the addition of Ximenia Seed Oil is soothing and softening. The scent is quite subtle and unisex - quite relaxing and gentle enough to be universally appealing. The jar is a decent size too, meaning you get a decent amount of product for your £18.

Willow Organic Beauty Pink Himalayan Body Scrub

I've written about this scrub before but it's getting another mention as it's one of my 'special occasion' bath and body products. The scrub contains oils-a-plenty including sweet orange, almond and barbary fig. The scrub is so, so moisturising due to all the oils and a real treat for the skin, especially at this time of year. I like to use this in the bath so I can sort of soak in the oils and Himalayan salt for a bit after I've scrubbed. A word of warning though - make sure you rinse your shower/bath out afterwards because we all know that oils can make things a little slippery. All in all, this is a truly luxurious scrub that I will probably finish by the time spring rolls around.

Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub

I'm sure there are hundreds of glowing reviews of this Soap and Glory bestseller and I could probably bang on about it for hours myself, but the main reason I like the Breakfast Scrub is because it smells like oats and maple syrup. Scrubbing with this is like stuffing my face with some kind of sweet pancake/waffle/porridge breakfast food. So sugary. So delicious. The scrub is made up of organic Cupuacu Bio Scrubs (not entirely sure what that is) banana, almond and honey extracts and sort of looks like something you could spread on toast and enjoy with a cup of tea. Not that I recommend actually doing that.  I do, however, recommend that you give it a try if you haven't already.

Have you got a favourite body scrub you think I should try? Let me know!

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L'Occitane Melting Honey Ultra Soft Cream

So I'm pretty certain I've found the perfect body moisturiser to see me through the autumn in the form of L'Occitane Melting Honey Ultra Soft Cream.
I am just a little bit infatuated with honey skincare products so when L'Occitane recently introduced their Melting Honey range, it was only a matter of time before one or two pieces ended up in my collection. I mean, it's called Melting Honey - how utterly luxurious does that sound?

The Melting Honey Ultra Soft Cream is presented in a cute round tin with a colourful honeycomb design, making it perfectly ornamental and certainly worthy of displaying on your dressing table. Or, you can do what I do and just keep it on the floor next to your bed :/

L'Occitane say: 'By combining a high concentration of nourishing shea butter and softening honey from Provence, this silky smooth, light-textured body cream helps to nourish and protect the skin, while enveloping it in the delicious scent of melting honey.'
They're not wrong!

This super silky moisturiser contains 10% Shea butter to deliver a hefty dose of hydration yet somehow manages to stay exceptionally light in texture. In fact, I'd say that texturally, it's halfway between a cream and a lotion (a crotion?).

And the scent? Don't even get me started on how great this smells. In a nutshell, the cream smells nothing short of marvellous - like real honey- and in turn, makes the skin smell pretty darn good too. If you remember the honey facial moisturiser that L'Occitane used to do (and if you happen to be reading this L'Occitane, please bring it back!) it smells pretty much exactly like that. In other words, it smells utterly divine.

I bought my tin of Melting Honey Ultra Soft Cream in store but you can find it at L'Occitane online for a fairly reasonable £18.

Body Shop Premium Strawberry Selection

The classic Body Shop scents remind me soooo much of my late teens/ early twenties (I was a compulsive vanilla oil wearer) so this gorgeous Premium Strawberry Selection is total nostalgia overload for me!

I am a long time fan (I'm talking like 15 years here!) of the strawberry body scrub so was so happy to discover it was included in the gift set alongside the eau de toilette, body butter, lip butter and mini bath lily (pouffe). 

I love layering gift sets like this that mean you can have a full on pamper session and scrub, smother then spritz yourself in the same scrumptious scent.

The Premium Strawberry Selection is presented in a durable red box with ribbon so is a ready made gift really and even though it is from the Body Shop Christmas collection of gift sets, it's not too festive looking so will do the trick as a birthday/anniversary/just because gift!

The Premium Strawberry Selection is £28  for 5 products so not bad in value at all. If strawberry isn't your cup of tea, there are sets in other scents too including coconut, Wild Argan and moringa so you'll find a ready made gift to suit the recipients taste or satisfy your own, obviously.
It's available from the Body Shop, but you probably guessed that already ;)

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L'Erbolario Narciso Sublime Bath Foam & Candle

Italian plant-based beauty brand L'Erbolario have pretty much bottled Spring with the Narciso Sublime collection. As a rule, I'm not much of a florals girl and will usually choose gourmande/ vanilla scents over anything too flowery but I must make an exception with this scent because it is a little bit gorgeous.

The Narciso Sublime range is based around the fragrance of the Narcissus flower ( also known as the daffodil but Narcissus sounds so much better) - a pretty special flower really because it is known to bloom before all the other flowers. With this in mind, this is a lovely fragrance for this time of the year when we're all still walking around with our coats on yet have secretly already started fake tanning as if we're willing the sun to come out.

I have the Narciso Sublime Bath Foam and Perfumed Candle to try and have so far been enjoying both rather a lot!

I've turned into quite the bath dweller recently so the bath foam couldn't have come at a better time to a more willing guinea pig! A couple of glugs added to a running bath produce fluffy, foamy bubbles that leave the skin delicately scented with the narcissus fragrance. Narcissus flowers and Narcissus distilled water combine with almond oil sufactants (basically a natural cleansing agent) and oat amino acids to soften the skin while you soak. The skin softening and toning agents are just a bonus to me really because the scent alone makes the bath foam worth using!

The Narciso Sublime Perfumed Candle is a proper luxury candle with a very decent scent throw considering its compact size. The candle is soy-based and encased in a heavy little glass jar with the prettiest/ cutest/ swooniest (not a word) design featuring illustrations of the Naricissus flowers. As you can see I have burned it a little already but I'm glad I've photographed it now so I can actually start burning it recklessly.

The Narciso Sublime collection also includes an Eau de Parfum, Cream Talc, Soap, Body Oil and Body Cream and can be found online or at the L'Erbolario store in London N1.

This post contains a sample

Sanctuary Sleep Comforting Night Butter

I've pretty much been the Mayor of Stress-ville lately so have been on a hunt for relaxing, soothing bath and body products to try and force myself to unwind in the evenings. In stressful times it's all well and good to say that you should look at the root of the problem and adjust accordingly but sometimes you just want a quick fix to take your mind off things while you continue to make self-destructive life choices!
The newest addition to my growing collection of stress-less bits and pieces is the Sleep Comforting Night Butter by Sanctuary. This majestic purple lidded tub contains 200ml of pure unadulterated bliss that's ideal for stashing in your bathroom or bedroom and being put to good use after a nice soak.

The formula is proper, thick creamy body butter that's perfect for this moisture-sapping weather that is upon us and the best part is that is actually sinks in! I slathered myself up good with this in between Masterchef Australia and bed last night and awoke with not a sign of grease. It's a revelation I tell you.
Onto the fragrance, this Night Butter smells glorious. It's packed with sleep encouraging essential oils including ylang ylang, frankincense and patchouli blended up nicely with apricot kernel oil and mango seed and shea butters, so it smells nothing short of dreamy, which is appropriate since it's designed to use at night and all.

Sanctuary Sleep Comforting Night Butter £9.50 at Boots and is currently included in a 3 for 2 offer. Get it.

Supracor - A New Way To Scrub Up For Spring

We all know how important a good scrub in the shower is - removing yucky dead skin cells is key to lovely, healthy skin and a vital first step when you plan to fake tan!

I've been trying out a couple of products from Supracor - a Californian brand that uses recyclable materials to produce a huge range of lifestyle and bath and body goodies.

Lately I've been using the SpaCells Facial Sponge and Stimulite Bath Mitt to rid myself of any flaky bits and get the circulation going.

SpaCells Facial Sponge

This nifty little sponge fits onto your fingers like a mitten and removes makeup, cleanses, exfoliates and massages all at once thanks to the 'honeycomb cells' that it's made up of.

The SpaCells sponge features two sides for two different jobs:

The clear side is soft and flexible, perfect for pairing with your cleanser to give your skin care regime added oomph.

The black side is a little more heavy duty and isn't designed for use on facial skin - use this side to buff away at elbows, forearms and the back of your hands.

The SpaCells sponge even includes some easy instructions to give yourself a facial massage, which is a rather nice touch!

Stimulite Bath Mitt

I'm not going to lie, this bath mitt is pretty hardcore. You can use this one for dry body brushing before you jump in the shower, or use it with shower gel or soap for lathered up scrubby goodness.

The biggest selling point of these products for me is that they are naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. I like to scrub my skin with exfoliating gloves and puffs but let's face it, they can get rather manky after a while and nobody likes a mouldy shower puff!
These two products are well worth a look if you're in the market for some seriously effective exfoliation - the SpaCells mitt in particular is a great option for fans of the Clarisonic or other exfoliating devices as you still use your regular cleanser with it, it's just turbo-charged!

For more information about Supracor products, visit beautyworkswest.com and have a gander at the range.

Have you tried anything from Supracor or a similar product?

Thanks for reading.

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