Now that the sun is setting earlier and it’s starting to get colder I will be dragging out one of my favourite shower gels. If you aren’t familiar with Korres shower gel then you should be – particularly Juniper and Rum! It’s amazing how many other shower gel brands get it so wrong with cheap nasty ingredients but Korres gets it so right. This has a lovely warming effect and maybe is just psychological but it really makes your skin feel like its been given a cosy blanket to wear. The scent goes from warm and spicy and to fresh and mountainous and back again. It really does make you feel like you are in a Scandinavian forest one minute and on a Caribbean beach the next. Even though this is marketed to men I don’t see why it should only appeal to the guys. I don’t like super sweet or floral scents anyway so this is really nice for me and goes with my tomboy personality. It’s also a departure from my usual roster of Molton Brown or shower gels that smell like food. Korres shower gels always soften the skin but they also do lots of lovely body milks as well. Skin Scrubs hearts Korres!

This is available at Mankind!

This is available at HQhair and Bath & Unwind!

I think for as long as I have a blog or a least some kind of platform to talk about exfoliation I will always be looking for the roughest body scrub I can find. I don’t know why I am so obsessed with scraping every last bit of skin off my body – I just can’t help it! Ben, my ex used to say that I would be a psychiatrists dream patient as they would probably come up with loads of different theories for my fascination with desquamation.

I’ve been so disappointed of late with the slew of scrubs I’ve been testing that I didn’t think I wasn’t going to find anything to rave about any time soon. This Italian beauty brand I am happy to say has given me a reason to smile again.

Lacote is not a brand I’ve used before but seeing as they are Italian and I’m half that nationality I thought I should give them a go. Lacote products are all about GUAM algae and it’s benefits including ridding your body of cellulite. Let me just say what I love about this scrub is the size of the tub. I hate body scrubs that come in tubs the size hand cream. What’s the point if you only get one use out of it? The scrub is suspended in mixture of plant and essential oils but there isn’t a pool of oil floating on the top. I mixed mine with a little plastic scrub spatula just to even it out a bit. This contains marine salts so the scrubby bits are nice crushed chunky bits of beautifully fragrant sodium chloride.

The distinction of this scrub to the zillion other ones I’ve tried before is that you need to wash before you use this scrub (and not after) as soap/shower gel interferes with the affects. I would suggest you wash with a normal bar of soap, nothing fancy or moisturising, just soap. I used Wright’s Coal Tar Soap which is good at getting rid of dirt and oil and leaves your skin squeaky clean.

The best way to use this scrub is in small handfuls and I like to very vigorously rub it on all the different sections of my body. I found it really effective on my triceps (bingo wings) and inner thighs. You may notice that your skin goes a bit blotchy and red but this doesn’t last. You are meant to leave the scrub on for for a few minutes before you rinse it off to get the full effect. There is a lovely cooling tingling effect (from the mint essential oil) after you pummel yourself to death. Make sure you rinse yourself thoroughly as scrub can end up in the strangest places. You will feel a bit oily when you’ve rinsed it off but after you’ve towel dried most of it will come off and you will be left with a lovely sheen and a buff, sexy bod. Just a few warnings though, you cannot use this during pregnancy, breast feeding, or if you have irritated or broken skin. And as with all oily body products be extra careful when getting in and out of the bath or shower!

This is available at Mankind and Geo F. Trumper!

I don’t know about you, but shaving my legs and armpits isn’t the beauty ritual that it should be. Unlike applying a face mask or body scrub, shaving is just maintenance that needs to be done. I don’t care how many different shave gels, creams, etc. that there are for us ladies – none of them inspire me to jump in the shower with a razor and go crazy. I have been on the lookout for a different kind of shaving product for some time and I thought it best to look at men’s stuff. After all this is the one area of beauty that men’s grooming has perfected over 100 years or more. So after perusing the Mankind website for bits and bobs to buy I found Geo. F. Trumper’s products.

Geo. F. Trumper’s is a gentlemans barbershop and perfumer that was established in London in 1875. They sell lots of different types of shaving products, colognes, and razors for the discerning gent. Their shops also offer a luxury wet shaving service, something that would make a lovely gift for your fella.

First let me say when this arrived I just looked at the packaging for a while. I’ve always been a sucker for great packaging and this just begs to be admired. I also noticed how heavy the actual shave cream tub is. It comes in a heavy duty plastic which somehow feels reassuring. The rose scent is quite delicate but smells of quality. James thought it was strange that this came in rose but I explained that rose and violet were common scents in Victorian times for men. I think that’s right isn’t it?!

I purposely let my leg fur grow for a week so I could see how well this works. You need to add very little of the shave cream to your wet legs to get a lather. While it does foam a little it won’t turn into a bubble bath. After I applied it to my leg the razor glided over it with expert precision. I found leg hairs I didn’t even know I had (I know, too much information) but it makes your leg quite slick so you don’t miss a thing. After rinsing my legs the area felt smooth, soft, and not at all dry. This is especially important if you have dry legs in the winter, which is why most of us don’t want to shave during the colder months. I also loved using this on my armpit area which can be quite sensitive and prone to razor burn. James also had a go with it. He is one of those men who has five o’clock shadow about 10 minutes after he shaves and I noticed that he was able to get a closer shave with this. He was also impressed and it left his face incredibly smooth. This is more expensive the the usual shaving gel that you would get at Boots but I know this will last for ages so I think it’s worth it. The shave soap is also available in Almond, Coconut, Extract of Lime, Sandalwood, and Violet.

This is available at Boots!

If you have sensitive skin you will always find quite a few products that treat your skin if it is on the drier side. There are lots of serums (which are banned in my house) and other products to help calm and soothe irritated skin. Cleanance is one of the few face washes I’ve found for sensitive oily skin. I personally won’t use cleansers that don’t lather as I feel like I haven’t washed my face properly. The creamy tissue-off type cleansers in my opinion are better for dry, tight skin.

I already use other Avene creams for when my face flairs up, which it has been doing lately. I think my skin knows that Autumn (dare I say it) is around the corner and it’s just itching to freak out on me. I love Cleanance because it works with other Avene sensitive skin products but also works well with the bazillion other skincare products I use.

This fresh smelling face wash is very concentrated with a lovely thick texture that lathers really well and rinses clean. With it being so concentrated you only need about 5p size amount to mix with water to wash your entire face. Because it is also soapless and contains Avene thermal spring water, your skin still feels soft afterwards and not stripped of it’s moisture. You can’t tell from the picture but the cap on the bottle has a sturdy locking mechanism so you can throw this in a gym bag and you don’t have to worry about it leaking. A bottle of this lasts for ages so it’s worth the money. If you are regular at Boots you can usually find Avene products on their 3 for 2 skincare promotions which makes them an even better deal.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you then will know that I don’t normally review makeup. My first love is with all things scrubby and I certainly don’t buy enough makeup to blog about it. On this occasion I’m going to make an exception!

My wonderful long time friend Christine got married last Saturday and I knew it was going to be an emotional occasion. I wanted to make sure that I had ‘panda eye’ insurance and bought a waterproof mascara. I’ve always used Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara because I like the full brush and the formulation. I’ve not used Maybelline Great Lash since uni but I was in a rush at Superdrug and also skint before payday.

Compared to the brushes you get now this is short and stumpy which I prefer. I don’t like the knew rubbery thin brushes, maybe it’s me I just find them hard to use. I’m also not a mascara connoisseur so I wouldn’t know or appreciate the difference in the new type of brushes. Well I put my Maybelline on and walked out the door and let me tell you from the moment Christine walked into the room till the moment we all left to take pictures I was crying, blubbing, and dabbing my eyes and this mascara didn’t budge. Even after we left to go to the reception which was in the Scottish Highlands (rain that came at us sideways, gusts of cold wind) I was shocked that my makeup wasn’t half way down my face. Taking it off wasn’t difficult either, I used one of my Good Things skincare wipes and about 80% came off. I had to use a cotton bud the next morning to get the remnants off on my lower lashes. If you have any weddings or other tear inducing events coming up I highly recommend this!

This is available at Superdrug!

Annabella – The lovely Fei from Peonies and lilies recommended I try Love Lettuce a few weeks ago. Lush fresh masks are always so fun to use and the fact that you have to keep them in the fridge just adds to the novelty factor. I expected this to smell like salad but it reminds me of shortbread biscuits?! It’s made with ground almond oil and honey so maybe that’s what gives it a sweetish smell but it isn’t overpowering. This mask also reminds me of what a 1960′s housewife would be wearing in her pink bathrobe and hair rollers.

This mask is nice and creamy, goes on easily, and doesn’t slide off your face. There are also loads of scrubby bits in it as well which of course I love. I made sure I left it on for only the recommended ten minutes by timing myself. I have this bad habit of leaving masks on for longer than the recommended time. When I went to take it off I splashed my face with water for a few minutes but I didn’t really get anywhere, so I took the warm flannel route to get it off. I have to admit the first time I used this it didn’t really wow me as much as I hoped. I thought it was okay but I felt like there was an oily residue leftover which I assume was the almond oil. I have however used it a few more times and it has grown on me but I think if I buy it again it will be in the winter when my skin is drier.

James – Another day another face mask! If my mates knew that I used these things I would never hear the end of it. Annabella happily put this green goo on my face with delight and I sat in front of my computer for ten minutes feeling like a plonker. After using the lava mask a few weeks ago this one just felt ordinary. I was expecting it to smell like seaweed or grass because of the colour but I didn’t notice much of a smell at all. Getting this off made a bit of mess in bathroom, I thought it was just going to peel off but I ended up getting bits of it everywhere. Annabella didn’t fair much better with her water splashing so we used a warm flannel to get the rest of it off. I didn’t think this was anything special and my skin felt a bit dry afterwards but maybe it’s not for my skin type. Apparently there a quite a few other Lush masks and I can’t wait to try them! (By the way I was being sarcastic)

This is available at Lush!

This is one of those underrated products that doesn’t get much attention especially when Body Shop keeps bringing out new stuff all the time. I think I’ve been using this mask for about 15 years now. I say that ‘I think’ because I can’t  remember when it actually came out.

I love twisting the pot open and really breathing in the scent before I use it. The smell reminds me of chalk, baby powder, and fresh laundry hanging on a line. The consistency is lovely and thick. If you hold it upside down with the lid off it won’t come out! As a scrub the grains are nice and chunky with rough edges to give a good consistent exfoliation session but it’s gentle enough to use several times a week. As a mask is really absorbs oil and sebum because Kaolin Clay is the second ingredient. If you have dry skin avoid this mask – it will just dry it out even further. I prefer to use this in the morning to wake my face up. I like to give it a good buff then leave it on while I do my other scrubby bits in the shower and then wash it off after 10 minutes. It rinses fairly clean but I always like to use a toner afterwards to clean up any residue.

This is one of the few products that I can use all year round as it suits my seasonal changing skin. It also works well on my neck, elbows, and other rough dry bits. I really love using this on my tired, puffy summertime feet. The scrubbing grains really feel good on the tops of my feet and the blue corn powder makes the soles of my feet feel clean and deodorised.

This is available at The Body Shop!

One of my favourite Sex and the City episodes is in the fifth season when Carrie meets Jack Berger. She tells Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha that Berger gave her that feeling of Zsa Zsa Zu – butterflies in her stomach which is how she knew she liked him. I love it when beauty products give me the same sensation.

This review could go one of two ways. I could say this is a gentle scrub, ideal for those who have sensitive skin that don’t want to use anything really rough; or I could also say it’s rubbish and don’t waste your money because clearly all they have done is chuck a bunch of stuff in a tube and called it a scrub. Before I completely diss this, I will say I love the smell which is quite fresh and not dissimilar to aloe vera or a fern type scent. It has a nice creamy formulation and it rinses really clean so no gooeyness or greasyness. However the grains are too small and there isn’t enough of them to make a real difference so I don’t understand what the point of this scrub is. I also don’t understand why if something costs less than £5, they can’t get more grains in the tube. Surely the grit they use isn’t that expensive. I always want to try different scrubs from different price points but this makes it difficult to get excited about doing so because I know I will always end up being disappointed. *Yawn* come on guys how difficult is it to get this right? Just put more crushed Apricot seeds in and it could redeem itself, otherwise it’s just a nice smelling cream with bits in it.

One last thing I would like to point out is that its mentions on the back of the label ‘tired skin that looks dull or oily needs a thorough workout’. This product is supposed to be for the body but that sounds like it’s a reference to the skin on your face. I’ve never had oily body skin so I think this is a bit strange. Anyway after using this several times for several weeks I have to say ‘Is that all there is?’

This is available at Boots!

James – I actually love Korres shower gel so when Annabella said she had something from Korres for us to try I naturally assumed it would be another one. I never thought I would find a toothpaste looking tube of scalp scrub waiting for me in the shower. This contains green silt and corallina oligoelements which are supposed to balance oily, dry or dandruff prone scalps. I do suffer from dandruff and oily scalp so I can understand why she bought it. Then again knowing Annabella she probably thought as it said ‘scrub’ there would be some kind of rocks or dirt it in!

I like the fact that this is in pump as it makes it easy to use. I really like the smell too but I would be hard pressed to describe it. In case you were wondering it doesn’t smell like a swamp even though the ingredients would suggest otherwise. I used this for a couple of weeks and I have seen an improvement in my hair. The strange thing is I don’t know what the improvement is. I think my hair feels softer, my scalp doesn’t itch but this could be down to the fact I’ve also been using Molton Brown Anti-dandruff Jackberry Hairwash which by the way is fantastic. I think this would be quite soothing and calming to someone who had a really irritated scalp and I would use it again, most likely in the winter months when my scalp is more flaky/dry. I just thought I would add that even though I found this easy to use, I have really short hair. If any of you ladies (or gents) out there have really long hair this might get a bit messy.

Annabella – Well of course I thought this was going to have rough scrubbing grains but I realise now that would be stupid because it would scratch your scalp. I really love the smell of this, I suppose there is something algaeish to it but like James says it doesn’t smell like a frog pond. I have the oiliest hair in the world so I wanted to see if this would make an improvement. I struggled at first trying to get this into my scalp because my hair is longer. It feels all seaweedy and squidgy in my hair, and I used about four pumps of it and left it on for 10 minutes whilst I did my other scrubby bits. It rinses really clean and my hair felt really sleek afterwards but you still need to shampoo. I did notice that I didn’t need as much shampoo for a few days after I used it. I have coloured hair so I was a bit worried that this would turn my hair green and thankfully it didn’t. If you have dyed red or hennaed hair I don’t know if this would be a problem, you might want to ask your hairstylist before using it. I don’t think I used it long enough to see much of an improvement in my oiliness but it does give my hair more body and shine. This is a convenient, easy to use hair treatment that only needs to be used once a week. And because you don’t need much, it should last a long time.

This is available at Mankind!

This is available at Mankind!

A few weeks ago when James was placing an order for some men’s bits at Mankind he stupidly asked me if I wanted/needed anything. He probably thought I would say no as it’s a men’s site. Yeah right like I wouldn’t find something to buy?! I’ve always loved scrubs and masks that contain dirt, grit, mud, sand, rocks etc. and men’s products seem to have these in abundance. I immediately spotted this lava mask under ‘Editor’s Choice’ so I knew I had to get it. When I opened the packaging it contained a little card that I would consider to be a ‘love note’ telling me it contains volcanic mud and sand.

The scent of this mask is really hard to place. It reminds me of the fresh air of the Colorado Rockies but it also reminds me of freshly washed laundry. I was expecting the mask to be black but it’s a very pale ash colour. There was a pool of liquid at the top when I opened it but you just need to stir it. The liquid helps to keep the mask from drying out. You can also add additional water if you need too. This was a bit tricky to apply. You need to make sure your face is damp otherwise the mask just keeps coming off and then you end up putting more on. Once the mask is on it starts to have an immediate cooling affect that lasts the entire time you leave it on. I don’t know if this is a side effect but it feels really nice. This says it will draw out excess oils and toxins from the skin so I left two angry spots unattended (it was very difficult to do) just to see if this mask would draw them to the surface and sure enough it did!

Just as it was difficult to put on, it was also a bit of faff to get off. It didn’t quite peel off it kind of came off in chunks. I made a bit of mess in the bathroom. James asked me why it looked like someone dropped cement on the floor! For all the difficulties get it on and off the results are totally worth it. Plus the cooling feature of this mask is really unique, almost like you having an ice pack on your face. My skin felt so smooth afterwards that James was eager to have a go. He also got fantastic results, smooth skin that looked refreshed and clear. I would definitely buy this again. If you have oily or problem skin (when mother nature brings your monthly bill) then this is a real treat!