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Category Archives: Bath & Body
Philosophy Fun in the Frosty Air and Jingle Joy gift sets
Curmudgeonly Confession coming up: I’m not a huge fan of Christmas.
Oh, don’t get me wrong: I love the day itself. I just don’t really enjoy the run-up to it, what with all of the hysteria, the Christmas-Carols-in-Spetember, the crazed shopping people seems to indulge in at this time of year. (When, as we all know, crazed shopping isn’t just for Christmas, it’s an all-year thing!) (I’m kidding.) (Maybe.)
If it was up to me, then, I’d restrict Christmas to the week before the day itself at most, and would do all of the shopping on Christmas Eve. I am, however, willing to make an exception for beauty products, and these Philosophy gift sets are my one concession to The Christmas Spirit. (Unless wine counts as “the Christmas sprit”, that is…)
These are…
This contains three of Philosophy’s classic shamppo/showel gel/bubble baths, in tree festive scents: Ginger Berry Frost, Fresh Vanilla Frost and Sugar Plum Frost. I can confirm that each of these:
a) Smells fantastic
b) Is a helluva lot more fun than the ACTUAL frosty air, which may look pretty, but which is really just a massive pain in the butt, isn’t it? I’d much rather be in a nice, steamy hot shower with these than outside with the frost, that’s for darn sure.
What you may or may not be able to see from the photo is that these also have a hint of glitter in them, which doesn’t make much different to the performance, but which IS very pretty.
I’ve also been “preparing for Christmas” with:
Jingle Joy, £13.56
The scent here is “Sweet Winter Air”, and the orange bottle is the shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath, while the oatmeal coloured one is a body lotion. You can see the shimmer effect much better in the shampoo here, which is such a gorgeous colour that… I was going to say I wish I could bottle it, but as it’s already bottled, that would be silly. Instead, I’ll simply say that I’m tempted not to actually use it, and just keep it out on display, because I really enjoy looking at it. (I won’t, though. That would be silly, too.)
If you want to try these for yourself, Philosophy is avaialable at Boots and QVC in the UK, and at Sephora and Nordstrom (among other places) in the US. The Jingle Joy set is actually a Nordstrom exclusive: they DO ship to the UK, but it may be on the pricey side for just one item.
(Disclosure: these were sent to me as review samples.)
Jean Paul Gaultier ‘Fragile’ Body Lotion
Confession: I don’t like body lotion.
Well, actually, that’s not quite true. I love the smell of body lotion. I love the feel of it. I really like the idea of it. But although my bathroom cabinet is currently filled to bursting point with bottle after bottle of lotion, the reason it’s so full is that I hardly ever use the stuff. I just hate getting out of the shower into my freezing bathroom and then having to stand in the cold and apply lotion, and I also hate having to spend the next 20 minutes or so walking around with my skin all sticky/greasy, which is so often the case with me and body lotions.
This one, however, is different. This is Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Fragile’ Body Lotion, and Mr Dollface bought it for my birthday last year, to go with the ‘Fragile’ perfume (my signature scent… when I can afford it) he also got me. And I absolutely love it. As well as the scent (which is exactly the same as the perfume: that sounds obvious, but trust me, it’s not always the case), this lotion absorbs into the skin almost instantly, so when I use it, my skin feels soft and smooth, but there’s none of that tackiness I associate with other body lotions. The scent also lasts all day – I can still smell it when I get into bed at night, which makes it perfect for layering with the perfume.
If I could afford to, I would wear this every single day. Sadly, at £30 for a small bottle, it’s much too expensive for that, and is a “special occasions only” kind of treat for me, but if you happen to be a Fragile fan, it’s a worthwhile investment.
Click here to buy it.
Medali & Gold’s Navel Fresh Spray for smelly belly buttons
Let’s talk about smelly belly buttons, readers. Don’t laugh, it’s a serious subject: or, at least, it must be, given that there’s now a product on the market designed specifically to deal with it.
Medali & Gold’s Navel Fresh Spray contains chlorhexafresh, and I’m just going to go ahead and admit that I have absolutely no idea what that is, other than that it’s exclusively manufactured by Medali and Gold, and, well, it’s designed to keep your belly button fresh and fragrant.
My navel is actually one of the few areas of my body I’ve never considered buying a dedicated product for, and I don’t really think that’s about to change anytime soon, especially given that this costs $19.99 – a sum I would be much more likely to spend on mascara. If this IS the product you’ve been waiting for all your life, though, you can click here to order it. Will you?
Liz Earle Energising Body Range
Meet my current Bathroom Buddies: the three products that have been accompanying me into the shower every day for the past couple of weeks!
These products are all part of Liz Earle’s new Energising Body range, which the brand was kind enough to send me to try out, having taken pity on me out there running through the mud and rain a few times a week. As it turns out, these are the perfect post-workout treat: as well a physically energising the skin with a range of natural ingredients designed to exfoliate and soften, they also smell fantastic, turning the shower into a little private spa, with a kind of zingy, forest-fresh scent that really helps wake me up, whether I’ve been out running, or, er, just lazing around in bed.
The three products I’ve been using are:
Liz Earle Energising Body Wash, £7.75/100 ml
This includes damask rose, flower water and essential oils like sweet orange, grapefruit and peppermint (which is presumably responsible for that “zinginess” I was talking about). It’s a clear gel which does a really good job of moisturizing the skin as well as cleansing it – my skin isn’t particularly sensitive, but this is so gentle it feels like putting moisturiser on rather than a simple shower gel.
Liz Earle Energizing Body Scrub, £12.50/200ml
Similar ingredients to the body wash, but this time in the form of an exfoliating scrub. I also have the Liz Earle foot scrub which I’ve been using daily, but this could also substitute for it: it’s a very fine-grained scrub, so it’s gentle to use, but still does the job on rough skin.
Liz Earle Energising Hip and Thigh Gel, £21/200ml
I must admit, my hips and thighs aren’t a part of the body I’ve been in the habit of giving any extra attention to, but this gel can be used elsewhere, too: they recommend trying it on the stomach and upper arms, and I’ve basically been applying it anywhere I feel like it! It uses things like eucalyptus oil, patchouli, geranium oil and other natural ingredients to invigorate and moisturise, and I always notice a difference when I use this – it leaves my skin feeling super-soft, and is a nice way to round off the other two steps.
The only downside to these is that they’re a little too expensive for me to be able to justify using on a day-to-day basis, but they’re great as an indulgent treat, and, as with other Liz Earle products, there are different sizes available if you want to just try them out – for instance, a 50ml tube of the Body Scrub is just £5.25, which will let you see what you think of it without paying for the full size.
Check them out and order online at the Liz Earle website.
Simply Wax home waxing range by Otylia Roberts
I have a confession: I have never waxed my legs. Or my bikini line. Or my face. Or, indeed, any other part of me, with the exception of that time I had my eyebrows waxed as a teenager, at a local salon I’d been given a gift card for.
On that memorable occasion, I screamed so loudly that my best friend, waiting outside for her turn, declined to have the procedure, and got her eyelashes dyed instead. She looked fantastic. I, meanwhile, walked around for the rest of the day with a giant red patch between my eyes, vowing never to let a wax strip near me again as long as I lived.
So far, I have kept my promise. I’m not sure if it’s that I have a lower pain threshold than other people, or if I’m just more of a wuss than other people, but I’m an absolute baby about waxing. It terrifies me. And you know what terrifies me even more than the thought of the pain? The thought of how long I’d have to let the hair on my legs grow before I’d be able to wax it off again. I mean, I shave every day: I’d have to walk around with furry legs in order to grow the hair long enough to wax. Aaargh!
In other words, I had totally decided that waxing was not for me. But then this little gift box from Simply Wax arrived:
Isn’t that pretty?
Inside it, I found these:
Philosophy ‘The Big Skinny’ self-tanning firming cream
If you’re anything like as pale as me, and therefore prone to using the odd bit of fake tan in order to avoid frightening small children, you’re probably well aware that the condition of the skin you slap the product onto has a huge effect on the outcome of your self-tanning adventures. Put simply, if you want to achieve a smooth, even tan, you’re going to want to first of all make sure you have smooth, even skin. Firm. Supple. You know the drill.
If you’re anything like as LAZY as me, however, you’ll ALSO know that the thought of using an exfoliator AND a body lotion AND a fake tan… meh. Who has time for all of that? Not me, which is why I find myself looking patchy a lot of the time looking with interest at Philosophy’s ‘The Big Skinny’. Rather than being a self-tanner with moisturiser in it, this is a moisturiser with self-tanner in it (yes, there is a difference) and its aim is to make your skin feel firmer and smoother, as well and giving it that sunkissed glow. It’s a hard-worker, this one.
The self-tanner is of the gradual kind, so you won’t wake up looking like you fell asleep on the beach, and if you DO have time for all those extra steps, there’s also an exfoliator which you can use first. Well, YOU can. I probably won’t bother, because I’m stupid like that.
This is $28 and you can grab it at Nordstrom.
Dollface Reviews: Aveeno Moisturising Creamy Oil
I was sent this product a couple of weeks ago, and while I’ve been really enjoying using it on my legs, I must admit, I’ve been using it fairly often on my hands, too. Why? Well, in addition to being non-greasy, meaning I can put it on and then get back to typing almost right away, it also smells almost exactly like marzipan to me. I know that may be off-putting to those of you who don’t like scented products, but I love them, and this one smells… well, delicious, really.
Happily, it’s also a very good moisturiser. The tag line on the bottle says “Moisturises like an oil, absorbs like a cream,” and I’d say that’s a fairly accurate assessment. One of my favourite body moisturisers, for instance, is Johnstone’s Baby Oil, but it’s so um, oily, I tend not to use it very often. This product, on the other hand, isn’t greasy at all, but it does contain sweet almond oil, which makes it nicely moisturising.
Aveeno’s Moisturising Creamy Oil is available from Boots and Superdrug, but doesn’t appear on either website yet, so if you’d like to try it, keep and eye out for it next time your in-store.
Benefit launch “Take a picture…it lasts longer…” glimmering body balm
Another new launch from Benefit! This is called “Take a picture…it last longer!” and is described as “shimmering, glimmering body balm [which] adds a seductive golden-pink sheen to legs and body.” So it basically sounds like a kind of High Beam for the body, then.
That’s just fine by me: I can’t really imagine using something like this anywhere other than on the legs, but a bit of well-placed shimmer can really help define the leg muscles, and bring dull, pasty skin to life. It sounds like the kind of thing that might come in handy on those days (or nights) when you don’t want to wear tights, can’t be bothered to apply fake tan, but do want to give your skin a little bit of a glow.
It comes with a ‘Bathina’ velvet puff for application, and costs $28.
Fizzy Baker Cupcake Trio Bath Bomb Gift Box
I’ve never been much of a fan of the whole “heart-shaped things for Valentines” thing.
I do, however, like cupcakes. A lot. In fact, I’m really glad I don’t have any in the house right now, because the very sight of the ones above makes me crave sugar – which is silly, really, because these ones are made of soap, not sugar. Which could be nasty, especially given that they even SMELL like cupcakes, apparently.
Anyway, edible or not, I think they make a sweet (yes, I went there) little gift. They cost $16.50 for three, and you can buy them here.
Dollface Reviews: Villainess bath & body products
Meet my new favourite indulgences…. Villainess is a US brand of bath and body products, and they’ve basically manged to combine everything I like in this kind of thing: quirky packaging and branding, great scents, products that remind me of food: you get the picture.
As an example of that quirky branding, here’s the product description for the ‘Bathory’ soap I’ve been using this week:
“The cloying sweetness of a covetous lust for misspent youth, offset by a geriatric touch of rose and carnation, and underscored by a malevolent insinuation of sandalwood.”
As you can probably gather, then, these products are all about wicked indulgence: just the kind of thing I like, but luckily there’s nothing “wicked” about the way they’re made, with everything being produced using natural ingredients that are sourced from cruelty free responsible suppliers.
‘Bathory’ is as great smelling as it sounds, but I was most impressed with the Smooch Scrub - a sugary scrub that turns into a creamy lotion on damp skin – and the Whipped! body creme, which is quite possibly the creamiest, butteriest body cream I’ve ever tried. I have the ‘Decadence’ scent, which uses lots of vanilla, and smells good enough to eat. Both the scrub and the body cream totally live up to the idea of indulgence: the Whipped! body cream in particular is a real treat to use, and although the product feels rich and buttery, it soaks into the skin quickly, leaving it feeling soft and smelling… well, a bit like cake mixture, actually.
The Villainess line is stocked exclusively by Posh Brats in the UK, and prices range from £5 – £15. Check out the line here.
