Today I thought I'd review my favourite massage bar from Lush.
This was initially part of the Valentine's 2013 collection at Lush but is now a permanent product... I'm guessing due to so many people love it as much as I did!
From Dusk 'Til Dawn (£4.95/50g - here) I feel is unlike any of the other Lush massage bars, which is maybe why I like it so much. I'm not a huge massage bar fan but this bar seems to produce more of an oil than the other bars and is so uplifting with it's natural citrus/orange scent.
This wonderful cone shaped massage bar, which is designed to be worked into knotted muscles, contains a lovely range of oils to moisturise the skin - Moringa Oil, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Sicillian Lemon Oil and fair trade Cocoa and Shea butter. Making this one of Lush's most naturally zingy and citrus-y bars. The bar is also 20% lighter than the other bars so less effort is required to melt it over the skin and it lasts longer on the whole.
My favourite way to use this is straight after a shower on warm damp skin. Working the side of the bar over larger areas which produces a lovely not overly greasy oil (the more you use it the thicker feeling the oil will become on the skin). I then work the oil over my skin with my hands. My favourite thing about this is the scent - very orange-y and uplifting but also comforting! Of course if used with a partner then the pointed tip can be used to work into the back muscles and is pretty affective.
Positives - Best value for money compared to the other Lush massage bars, good size and shape, natural ingredients, non-synthetic scent, uplifting.
Negatives - The unnecessary shimmery coating on the top (this does go within the first use though).
I'm already looking forward to the Lush Halloween products that will be out 23rd September!
It always seems to mark my use of more Lush bath and body products as the weather starts to get colder.
Fee xo.
After a nice relaxng shower this is nothing more I enjoy than slathering on a thick and heavenly scented body butter. Actually I tell a lie, I do love my body oils as well. So it would only be right that I had a sizable collection of body butters.
Showing you them all would be boring so I thought I would share with you my top 5 which I just can't get enough of.
When it comes to body butters I enjoy yummy scents and something thick but not greasy. I have however included two summery scented body butter as I occasionally like a fruity scent in summer and on holiday and the options below actually comes in travel size as well!
Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Buttercream 300ml
£10.50 - Boots here
For me the Soap & Glory body range is split up into two scents - floral & fruity and gourmand & yummy. I personally love the latter scent as I'm not so keen on something such as The Righteous Butter personally, so if you are picking up something from S&G you should be aware at the huge difference in scents and have a cheeky sniff. Rambling aside the Soap & Glory Smoothie Star ticks all the right boxes for me, the whipped texture is perfect, the scent makes me want to eat it, it soaks into the skin quickly and it does actually make my skin softer.
You can read my full review of the Body Buttercream here so I won't go on too much. But if you like really yummy foodie scented products... I'm talking cake/vanilla/popcorn/pistachio then you will absolutely love this!
Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae Body Butter 50ml (£2.49)
Full size 200ml £8.49 - Boots here
A slightly lighter body butter here but just as yummy! If you have never experienced pistachio scented body products before you may not be expecting such a cakey/foodie scent as it is a nut after all. However pistachio scented products really are to die for if you like anything yummy smelling. Though I should warn you this is quite heavily scented so again having a smell of the tester or a cheeky sniff of the tub would be a good idea as this scent does linger on the skin, which I personally love but some may not like.
For quite a light and smooth body butter this really does hydrate the skin well and it a good one if you want to apply something quickly after a shower/bath. The Nip + Fab Body Butters also come in - Mango Smoothie, Coconut Latte and Cherry Tarte.
Garnier Intensive Nourishing Lotion for Dry/Rough Skin 250ml
£3.14 - Boots here
After seeing so many great reviews of the Garnier Intensive 7 Days range I decided to pick up the Softening Cocoa Butter Nourishing Lotion for Dry/Rough Skin (they do so many different types) and I have been nothing but impressed by it! This technically isn't a body butter but as it's so moisturising and amazing I had to include it. For me this is light but highly nourishing lotion that quickly absorbs into the skin and gets to work. Unlike a lot of cheaper creams that work on a superficial level this really does soften the skin and keeps it that way. A great one for after shaving or on dry areas of the body such as the feet and knees. I also love the cocoa butter scent of this lotion as it gives that yummy comforting chocolate smell that is quite subtle. For the price this is just an amazing product!
Korres Fig Body Butter 150ml
£12.50 - Look Fantastic here
A slightly higher end body butter here but if you love the scent of figs or like slightly unusual scents then this is one for you. Korres are also a great no 'nasties' brand with lovely products that just work. The scent of this is what I love about it most as it makes me think of a warm mediterranean holiday... though for some it may make you think of Christmas! Either way it is just a very different scent for a body lotion/butter which is very easy on the nose. As it is in a tube I would say it is more of a body lotion than a body butter though it is slightly thicker than a lotion and does soften dry skin well.
Champneys Distant Shores Body Butter 300ml
£10.00 - Boots here
Last but not least a very summery body butter which is ideal for taking on holiday as it comes in a 50ml mini travel size for £2.50 here or in-store. As you can see I do have the large tub size of this which is going to take me forever and a day to use up as such a little amount goes a long way. The reason for this is the consistency, it's much more of a jelly feeling body butter that you may be able to see from the inside of the tub image above. This makes it light feeling on the skin but still has the moisturising level of a body butter. The scent of this is quite tropical, my nose picks up grapefruit, lemon and mango the most. A great one to try as a mini first!
Would love to know your favourites!
Fee xo.
Since trying out a few pistachio scented products from the Laura Mercier bath & body range I have been in love with anything of a similar scent (with a cheaper price tag!). So I have been working my way through all the pistachio products I can get my hands on, on the high street.
My next pistachio discovery was with Nip + Fab's Pistachio Sundae Body Butter which I truly love because of the yummy nutty scent and texture of the butter. I'm also glad to see it's available in a 50ml travel size, making it cheaper to buy and ideal for taking on holiday with me.
But now I am on to Soap & Glory's Smoothie Star Body Buttercream (300ml/£10.50 - Boots here) and really it is true love. What I love about anything with a pistachio scent is the gourmand element to it, it makes me think of yummy freshly baked cakes! But with Smoothie Star it goes one step further as the fragrance is pistachio, almond and sweet vanilla which very much reminds me of Bakewell Tarts. Really this body butter smells good enough to eat.
As for the consistency it isn't called a Body Buttercream for nothing, the texture of this reminds me very much of The Body Shop's Body Butters (which I always enjoy using) but with a more whipped lighter, less greasy feel. For me this is a perfect consistency for a body butter as you don't feel like you are slapping it onto the skin and having to work it in, it all just feels light and it is effortlessly applied but still just as moisturising.
This really is a lovely body butter to apply and for that reason I have been moisturising my legs and arms more often, just so I can inhale the scent. But it does also of course leave my skin really soft and more toned feeling the day after. The only thing I can criticise is the price (though it seems all large body butters in Boots are around the £9-11 mark these days) and there isn't a mini 50ml size of this, which is slightly disappointing.
If you like the sound of this I would suggest having a sneaky sniff of it when you are next in Boots as if you don't love this type of edible scent then you may not like it!
The next pistachio product to try on my list is the Sanctuary Mela Rose & Pistachio Body Butter.
Fee xo.
If you are familiar with Clinique then I am sure you have seen this little pot before. This small pot of All About Eyes eye cream currently resides in my fridge - in the little compartment that is meant for cheese & butter to be precise!
I reach for it when it's 'one of those morning' ...I am sure you know the kind. The mornings where you can hardly open your eyes from the lack of sleep or amount of alcohol consumed the previous night. The one where your own reflection scares you.
Tapping this cool gel under my (crusty) eyes is like heaven, I kid you not.
It makes me almost human enough to apply my mascara without getting it on my nose.
However in general I don't really 'believe' in eye creams. I just use an oil-free moisturizer to keep the skin around my eyes hydrated as to be honest at twenty-two, wrinkles aren't a concern, just yet! So this is why I don't use the All About Eyes all the time. It does make the skin under my eyes really smooth though!
Anyways so when I saw this new £2 cheaper version that is out on the 1st June my eyes lit up.
It's the new
All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage - £20
Which as you can see is in a handy roller-ball pen format, much more hygienic than dipping your index finger into the little glass pot.
However the main thing that I am excited about is that the roller-ball is made out of stainless steel - this really takes the whole cooling effect to another level for me!!
Which will help drain all that nasty puffy fluid away and make me look even more human.
The other important aspect of this is that it can be applied in the morning pre makeup and also throughout the day over makeup!
For them annoying times where your contact lenses have created fluid under your eyes or when the pollen is making you want to claw your eyes out! Or for people like me who spend way too much time infront of a screen, typing.
So mid afternoon I was whip this out and de-puff my eyes. Yes, I am actually quite excited about it. As it's just one of those products that I know will work..and no I wasn't paid to say any of this!
A while ago I asked for a someone to review this product for me, as it is aimed at people with dry skin and I personally have quite an oily skin type.
So here is a review of the product by Emma at Emma Lou Beauty News who has being trying out this product for over a month now.
First Impressions...
Packaging of this product is functional, nothing special to look at, but it’s a moisturiser, doesn’t really need to branch into the make up style of packaging!
I was sent a 50ml bottle which has a pump dispenser which is great, so much more hygienic than having to keep sticking your fingers into a tub of cream, and less wasteful.
The Claims…
“Provides long lasting moisture to dull and dehydrated skins and helps to reduce expression lines”
The Results...
I have used this product pretty much every day since I received it. At first I was dubious as it is marketed for dry skin, which I defiantly have, but when I applied the product it is a very thin gel consistency, I was worried it wouldn’t be very moisturising as I tend to use quite rich moisturising creams as anything else seems to just sink into my skin so quickly!...
First Impressions...
Packaging of this product is functional, nothing special to look at, but it’s a moisturiser, doesn’t really need to branch into the make up style of packaging!
I was sent a 50ml bottle which has a pump dispenser which is great, so much more hygienic than having to keep sticking your fingers into a tub of cream, and less wasteful.
The Claims…
“Provides long lasting moisture to dull and dehydrated skins and helps to reduce expression lines”
The Results...
I have used this product pretty much every day since I received it. At first I was dubious as it is marketed for dry skin, which I defiantly have, but when I applied the product it is a very thin gel consistency, I was worried it wouldn’t be very moisturising as I tend to use quite rich moisturising creams as anything else seems to just sink into my skin so quickly!...
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, on application the first thing you notice is the smell, and it’s divine!! It smells really fresh with lemon/grapefruit tones. This is marketed as Organic and it defiantly lives up to that from the scent alone. I started off using this in the morning and then applying my usual moisturiser over the top, as ( it recommends on the bottle) and then I used it in the evenings on its own after cleansing. It defiantly does not make your face feel dry or like you need more moisturisation, I just prefer a heavier moisturiser before foundation application, if you have an oily skin type you could probably get away with this on its own.
As for reducing expression lines, I think you would have to trial the product for a bit longer to make any definite claims on this. It has a plumping feel to it though after it is applied so I think I will carry on using it and see if there are any results re the lines…! Here’s hoping!
Overall I think this is a really nice product, especially if like me you have a drier skin and always tend to use heavy moisturisers, sometimes I feel like my skin is overloaded, and this gel was a pleasant change as it felt so light…… I’m not 100% sure on the price, looking on there website I believe it is in the £20 - £25 range not bad for the amount you get, I still have a good amount left. (Oh, one thing I would say re packaging is I prefer see through bottles, I like to know how much product I have used...Just a personal thing!)
Anyway thanks so much Fee for choosing me to review this product, I hope you like my findings.
After purchasing my fifth mini pot of this I decided I should maybe do a review of it - I obviously have used enough of it right?
I don't know why but I have never purchased the full sized version of this which is 300ml (£10.00) I always seem to opt for the travel size of 50ml (£2.25) well actually I kind of do. 300ml is just too huge for me! I like to put it in my handbag...I take it with me when staying in hotels...I put it next to my bed so that I remember to moisturize my hands before I go to sleep.
So a huge 300ml tube would seem abit silly especially when my bag weighs enough when empty!
Now I think we all know Soap & Glory is a lovely brand with equally lovely packaging so I shan't ramble on about the 50's the packaging as you can see for yourself.
But what I want to talk about is the texture of the body butter and also the smell. The texture of the body butter is slightly thinner than I guess most of you would expect - but if you rub it between you fingers if does feel quite rich. However the thinness of the butter really doesn't work against it at all. It soaks into damp skin perfectly leaving a trace of the product on the top of your skin. This is also ideal to apply after shaving your legs in summer - I don't know what it is about it but it really just umm well 'works'.
As for the smell of the product which I have to say is highly fragranced with lots of floral notes with a hint of vanilla. It smells very similar to Miss Dior Cherie perfume if you have ever tried it.
So if you dislike skincare/body products with a heavy fragrance I would say you should maybe avoid this or actually do have a whiff of this in Boots or Target.
But if you do want something that is glorious smelling to apply after a bath or shower your more than likely going to love the smell of this.
Overall I would say this is an ideal product for the coming summer months/holidays to apply and breath in the wonderful floral scent while you paint your nails! Okay, maybe I'm going abit to far but what I am trying to say is that for a mere £2.25 this does feel like a treat.
I'm also sure most of us could afford this with our Boots advantage points alone!
UPDATE - Soap & Glory products are now available to purchase here at ASOS
Images - Taken by myself (Full 50ml size retails at £23.00)
I have been trying out the Frankincense Hydrating cream for awhile now, hence the oddly shaped nearly empty tube. I have tried this product on various parts of my body and I've actually had quite different results from it, so I think I know the product well enough to do an in-depth review.
The Smell - I think all Neal's Yard products have quite strong smells, like a heady essential oils smell. However this specific product did take some getting use to as its sweet yet herbal smelling, almost to overpowering. But on the good side, when it has been rubbed in the smell dilutes somewhat.
The Texture - As you can see the texture looks grainy, this really isn't the case, it's just tiny air bubbles. The solution quickly changes from being greasy on application to soaking into your skin, however this did depend on were I applied it. I found the drier the skin the faster it soaked in, which made it great for my feet (no sitting around).
Application - As I mentioned previously I have had varying results. I first applied the cream to my hands which did wonders by plumping up the backs of my hands and making them appear all round healthier.
I also tried it on the dry patches on my face, these being my chin and in between my brows. As soon as I applied it, it left my skin a bit tacky but did solve my dry skin problems. However a few days after use I developed 3 large spots! under the skin, which took longer than normal to go away. So my bet was the cream was actually too rich for my face and made it go from dry to oily.
Conclusion - Other than the hiccup with my face I really like this cream a lot, it currently resides in my handbag so I manly use it as a hand cream, especially in this cold weather and also because of the size. Unfortunately they only sell the bigger 50ml version at the moment so I'm not to sure if I would re-purchase this as it would definitely be too big to lug around in my bag - I'm still pondering until I've finished the tube.
On a side note... I think Neal's Yard products aren't really designed for people in there 20's, I think it only works well for me as I have drier skin in certain areas.
But from the texture I'm positive it would be ideal for more mature skin maybe 40+ as a daily moisturizer which I could see being plumping and hydrating to the skin especially on the neck and face.
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