Vanilla Pumpkin at The Body Shop

(post contains affiliate links)

 Something most don't know about me is that I'm a total Halloween enthusiast. I love all things kooky and spooky and Autumn is, hands down, my favourite season. With this in mind, it's almost a given that I'm pretty keen on pumpkins (I consumed 3 pumpkin spice frappucinos in the space of 4 days recently!) and I've been a fan of vanilla fragrances since I can remember. The Vanilla Pumpkin range from The Body Shop is right up my street- though this is the first year I've actually tried it!

I have the shower cream from the collection and a Pumpkin Spice Lip Juicer. Here's the lowdown on both.

The Vanilla Pumpkin Shower Cream promises sweetly scented suds to satisfy your autumnal candy cravings. For normal to dry skin types, the cream wash gently lathers and cleanses, leaving skin with a nice 'kiss' of pumpkin vanilla scent that's deliciously cozy and perfect for this time of year when the leaves start to turn. Enriched with Glycerin and Vanilla extract, the rich shower cream produces a frothy lather. According to The Body Shop, the Vanilla Pumpkin range smells like warm baked pumpkin with notes of caramel, maple syrup and almond milk. I'd have to agree- it's pretty delightful. The limited edition shower cream comes in a 250ml bottle and retails at £6.50.

The Pumpkin Spice Lip Juicer took me by surprise, firstly because I expected a non-coloured balm rather than a pigmented product and secondly because it has a very true pumpkin spice scent! I'm not familiar with Lip Juicers so can't compare to others in the core range but this limited edition Pumpkin Spice variation feels lovely on (it coats the lips but doesn't feel sticky) and leaves a subtle pumpkin-copper tint with a slight shimmer. This isn't a shade I'd pick on purpose but it's surprisingly pretty. The colour is buildable too, so just swipe over the lips a few times for a more intense payoff. The Lip Juicer is suitable for vegans and formulated using organic Fair Trade Olive Oil. It's £7.

The Vanilla Pumpkin range also features a Body Butter, Hand Cream and Bath Bomb. There's also a new Pumpkin In-Shower Radiance Mask that I'm very keen to try!

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!

*Post contains samples

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 ;)

Post contains sample

The Body Shop Honeymania Eau de Toilette

I received some lovely Body Shop bits and pieces for Christmas including some products from the new Honeymania range.
Whilst I get on well with the Honeymania Body Scrub and Body Butter, I was left a little bit put off by the perfume from the range.

Now, scent is a very personal thing- for example, I love vanilla fragrances while the rest of my family detests them so please don't let me put you off trying this out for yourself.
It's described as 'light and wearable with a rich floral scent' but when I first spritzed this, all I could smell was air freshener. Not the result I was hoping for.

Freshly sprayed, the Honeymania eau de toilette is just a little too Ambi Pur for my liking and it very nearly gives me an instant headache. I for one absolutely hate the smell of floral air fresheners in general so feeling like I've just given myself a once over in Febreeze doesn't really appeal to me.
All is not lost however as the perfume does dry down to quite a nice, subtle, flowery scent so it has certainly not been banished from my handbag- it's just the freshly sprayed smell of this that isn't quite my cup of tea.
To be honest, I don't really know what I was expecting with the Honeymania eau de toilette. Of course this stuff wasn't going to smell like actual honey. What does honey even really smell like?

Though I wouldn't purchase the Honeymania perfume, I do hold a candle for The Body Shop Vanilla Fragrance and generally enjoy the rest of the offerings from the iconic brand.

The Body Shop Honeymania eau de toilette retails for £8.50.

Vanilla Body Mist by The Body Shop

In my teenage years, Vanilla was my fragrance of choice.
 I remember how delighted I was when my mum bought me Vanilla Dream aerosol body spray by Aussie brand Australis when I was 13.
In hindsight, this stuff smelled beyond revolting but it started the ball rolling for my love affair with all things sweet.

In my early twenties I moved on to the somewhat more refined Vanilla Perfume Oil by The Body Shop and the little glass bottle remained a handbag staple for a long time.

Fast forward a few years and here I am, on the other side of the world browsing The Body Shop shelves on my lunch break eyeing up the new line of body mists and feeling a jolt of nostalgia when I notice the iconic vanilla scent I once adored is available in the range.

Just like the original perfume oil, the body mist delivers a sweet burst of warm, true vanilla fragrance.

Unexpectedly, the scent lingers on the skin for quite a long time, though it seems to dull down to a more subtle fragrance as the day wears on.

The mist is alcohol based rather than oil based so it's ideal for spritzing on hair to freshen up locks without the risk of giving yourself greasy roots!

The plastic bottle and 100ml size mean the spritz is the perfect addition to your handbag for spring :)



What do you think about the mists? Have you tried them out yet?



Thanks for reading :*

Hurrah for Chocolate Body Butter!

When I found out that The Body Shop had created a chocolate scented body butter, only two thoughts ran through my mind:

(1.) Why on Earth hadn't they done this before

and

(2.) I WANT!

Launching at the end of this month, the aptly named Chocomania could just be the most indulgent of the body butter family. The moisturiser contains 13 Community Fair Trade ingredients (the most The Body Shop has ever put into one product), and promises to leave the skin smooth, hydrated and of course deliciously scented. To complement the body butter, a matching shower gel, lip butter, body scrub and soap are set to hit the shelves just in time for Valentines Day.

Chocomania Body Butter is available instore from January 30th, but if you can't wait that long, you can find it at thebodyshop.co.uk where it's being sold at the special price of £9 for 48hrs only!

With Valentines day approaching, I'm thinking that this year rather than eating my weight in Quality Street and wallowing in my own self pity, I may just treat myself to a tub of this. :)

Thanks for reading!


Hannah Rose xxx