Satsuma Sunshine

As I type this I'm curled up on the couch with Charlie the Cavalier, hair sopping wet in a towel and exhausted from scrubbing out our ensuite shower. Since showers are on my mind I thought it the perfect time to share my thoughts on The Body Shop's limited edition Satsuma Shower Gel!

Originally an annual Boxing Day launched scent, the Satsuma scent is currently available at The Body Shop in a whole big range of products - but by far, my favourite product from the brand is their sudsy and delicious-smelling shower gels! The lather with these is perfect and I've hoarded this particular bottle from a Boxing Day splurge many moons ago - I have to admit that I often pop open that lid for a sniff when no-one is looking! TBS shower gels are a bit pricier than the average that our household uses (we go through the stuff so fast!) and as a result of that, Mister isn't allowed to use any of TBS stuff and is relegated to the Original Source bottles I stock up on for us (as evidenced in this Instagram post!)

Satsuma is a whopping great hit of tart and tangy tangerine in a bottle for me - the scent immediately makes me happy and it's probably my favourite from the brand, followed closely by the lovely floral Moringa from the permanent line. The only negative about this that I could think of was that I'm unsure about the other products in the Satsuma line up - do I want a perfume or body mist to make me smell like a walking tangerine?! I can't really knock that as I haven't personally tried it out, but I can't see myself reaching for it like I do my vanilla body mists...

TBS shower gels are soap free and this satsuma scent is naturally fragranced with satsuma peel essential oil- how lush is that?!  The 250ml bottle retails for $9.95 AUD but it also comes in a jumbo 750ml size for $19.95 AUD, along with products like hand sanitizers, mini gift cubes, beautifying oil and the famed body butters! I'm considering grabbing one of the Body Sorbet's ($19.95/200ml) as it seems like a perfect summer moisturiser for me...

Are you a citrus gal at heart, or are florals more your thing?
What is your fave Body Shop scent and product?
-Emma


*Purchased this product myself - honesty, always!

The Lush Limited

I've been trialling a few new bits and bobs from Lush since before Mother's Day, which is the theme of this new collection of limited edition products. I'm not a huge Lush addict though I do like quite a few of their products, so I was intrigued to see some new scents I'd not tried before. I sadly haven't gotten around to a bath in recent months (seems like a lot of effort, though my achy back sure could use a good soak!) so I am yet to try the Mother Superior Bubble Bar ($9.95/180g) which is scented with cherry blossoms. I aven't had a go at the Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb ($6.25/165g) either, so will have to schedule in some relaxation time stat and use these up!

Let's get an honest opinion out of the way - bar soaps just don't float my boat! I feel like they all leave my skin 'squeaky clean' which I can't stand, even though I know they aren't drying my skin out or anything like that. I definitely prefer a shower gel but was happy to give this floral chunk of Love You Mum Soap ($6.95/100g) a go (FYI, this flower is just part of the larger design, check it out!) and adored the sweet scent of jasmine, mimosa and co...I still didn't love the bar soap feeling though, and so have relegated this to a shaving lubricant and it does a marvellous job at that!

Now I'll move onto the two products I enjoyed most from this limited collection - the Yummy Mummy stuff! I do cringe a little bit with the name of this stuff as I feel a fraud to use it without being a Mumma (does being a furMama to Charlie count?) but the scents are pretty rad! I did think about giving this stuff to Mumma Bovary but I know that the strength of the lilac scented Yummy Mummy Shower Gel ($9.95/100g) would give her an instant migraine, and that would NOT win me any daughter points!

 

My pick of the bunch, though? The Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner, mmm mmm. Of course I've chosen the priciest of the lot at $32.50/250g but man this stuff smells delicious. It's a mix of fresh strawberry and cocoa butter and so it smells like a sweet and moreish butter with a fruity twist. I spread a bit on my arms and décolletage when I apply my hair conditioner and then rinse them off for silky skin and hair - time saver! It unfortunately doesn't stop Charlie boy from wanting to lick the scent from my arms, so it very similar to a traditional body lotion in that respect ><  

 

Do you have any tricks for keeping up with body moisturising in winter?

Isn't is great that they've made an alternative scent to Ro's Argan Body Conditioner!?

-Emma x

 

*All of these Lush products were provided for consideration. Honesty, always!

 

Sweet Orange Scrubbin'

As a big fan of body scrubs in general, I was pleased when the A'kin Sandalwood & Sweet Orange Invigorating Body Scrub* hit my desk. Being a gel based body scrub means that this isn’t as ‘scrubby’ as something sugar or salt based, but I still find it gets the job done nicely and is perfect for those who like a light gentle exfoliation, or those who perhaps scrub it up daily! I have used this as a shower gel in a pinch and find it to be pretty rad at that as well, which perhaps makes the semi-steep price tag slightly more palatable ($24.95 for 200ml) The scent of this is really nice, with essential oils making the sweet citrus a nice natural scent that to my nose is slightly jammy. As with many products available at Echolife it is sulphate and paraben free, so those who keep their eye out for those details should be pleased with A’kin for that.

Ultimately the scent is the saviour for this product, though I would much prefer a tub of rough scrub in this scent. It is available for purchase from Echolife (hooray for free shipping!) and I’d love for you to share your scrub loves in the comments below!

How often do you use a body scrub?

Have you tried any awesome body scrubs lately?

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Shower Situation: Complete!

You might remember about a month ago I shared my overflowing shower situation with you in this post. I ended up impressing myself, instead of finishing up the 5 products I completed 8 items!

Botanics of Australia Revitalising Body Cleanser*
Garnier Fructis Sensitive Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

 L'Occitane Cherry Princess Pearlescent Shower Cream*

  John Frieda Conditioner 3 *
Lush Glogg Shower Gel
Burt's Bees Cranberry and Pomegranate Sugar Scrub
Alpha-H Age Delay Cleansing Oil*
Charmed soap bar

I'm pretty content with having less in my shower caddy, I still have a lot to choose from but more room to store them. I needed to throw out the soap bar, it was never going to be used and looks gross so out it goes. My favourite products from this challenge would have to be the L'Occitane shower cream and the Alpha-H Age Delay. I will be going into mini reviews tomorrow when these also feature in my June Empties, so be sure to check that out if you are interested in seeing what I thought of any of these.

Though I said I would treat myself to some Haus of Gloi products when I finished up some shower items, I came home from work to find some new shower products from Clarins and L'Occitane waiting for me so I am going to hold off for now. It looks like the PR for those companies decided to reward me prematurely!

How much does your shower caddy hold?
Is it overflowing?

*These products were sent for consideration in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

The Shower Situation

An overflowing shower caddy...

...with other products stacked on the shower floor!

I love having some nice shower products to choose from as I unwind at the end of the day, but all of this is getting to be a bit much. I am sick of the half-finished items getting in the way, so have made a deal with myself. When I finish up 5 shower products, I can hop over to Haus of Gloi and haul my butt off. Sounds fair, right?

What do you recommend from Haus of Gloi?

What do you think of my shower situation?

Freeman Salt Body Scrub-Guava

 

I stand (and type) before you, a self-confessed scrub addict.

It's one of my favourite times of the day, that moment when I step into the shower and choose a scrub from the collection at hand. A recent acquisition that I burned through quite fast was the Freeman Salt Body Scrub in Guava, which is essentially large salt pieces suspended in a heavily scented gel. This is a formula unlike most of my other scrubs, which is perhaps why I found myself reaching for it constantly (and why it then featured in my last 'empties' post) I tend to favour scrubs that resemble sand in texture and are in tub form, but this squeezy tube was a nice change and worked well in the shower. A plus was the 'easily crumpable' packaging which meant I could get to every last bit of this stuff- I'm not a scrub waster, no no.



Clear scrub filled with salt pieces



A seemingly crappy image that better shows the scrubbiness of the prod



The scent wasn't terrible by any means, but I do think I would choose a different one the next time I buy this, as it wasn't 'wow' for me. The scrub was quite effective and left my skin pretty smooth, but I was annoyed by the ever-so-slight residue it left behind. I kept in mind, however, that it only cost me five buckaroos, and so was not deterred by this minor fault. I found that the salt was quite sparse in the gel, and I needed quite a bit for it to really exfoliate. You really have to work for your scrub and some may find that too much of a hassle. Here I will admit a dorky favourite feature:

The first part of myself that I scrub are my arms (no idea why) and the salt felt amahhzing when it hit my hand on the way down, when I was rinsing it off. Weird, yes, but ultra relaxing for unknown reasons.

Pros:

*Affordable and works well for it's price

*A range of nice scents to choose from

*The 'salt running over hand' factor

*Easy to use packaging that works in the shower

Cons:

*Packaging looks a little cheap

*Need to work for good exfoliation

*Salt pieces a little sparse

*Need to use quite a bit, therefore you burn through it fast

Freeman Salt Body Scrub in Guava retails for $5 AUD and is available at Priceline.

In the U.S I do believe it retails for $3 USD, and is available at some pharmacies/drugstores.

Overall I enjoyed using this, and though it's not my favourite scrub (I am loyal to my sand-scrubs!) I will be repurchasing. For it's price I think it's a winner, and would love to know what your opinions of it are- so do share!

emmabovary xx