Are you bored yet of me banging on about French brand Le Petit Marseillais yet? No – good because I still have more products to talk about from my November Paris shopping trip. I bought some bits from their ‘Karite’ range which is translated as Shea Butter in English. I got a repairing hair masque, hand cream, and…body scrub surprise surprise!
Masque Nourrissant – As you can see from the picture above, this is a lovely thick creamy hair mask and it smells a bit nutty and creamy like a desert. I used this at least 3 times a week and it kept my frizzy/flyaway hair in line. I would definitely re-buy this.
Creme mains Nourrissante – This is a fast absorbing hand cream that I keep in my drawer at work. It’s a must for this time of year, the air in our office makes me feel like a dried out husk!
Soins Gommant Corps – This is a good basic body scrub if you didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I prefer to use on dry skin then rinse it off for more friction. It leaves a slightly oily residue so you don’t have to use a moisturiser afterwards if you didn’t want to. This is also has that unusual creamy nutty scent.
I have no idea how much these things were individually, but I know they weren’t expensive. I like that they have a full range of products in ‘Karite’. I know why but bath and body products that match always make me happy. If you are headed to France anytime soon make sure you head to a Monoprix store to check out the goodies!
Fresh is one of those brands I’ve been lusting after for like forever, so I knew I was going to get my hands on something from them when I was at Sephora in the US. By the time I got to Sephora my cash was running low so I was just going to get the Sugar Lip Polish as I’m always looking for a different lip scrubbing experience. My cousin Lela was shopping with me and she pointed out that the Fresh Sugar Lust Set was better value as it was only a few dollars more at $28 and that you get three products rather than one lip scrub for $22.50. I’m glad I listened to her as you’ll see below:
Brown Sugar Body Cream – This is a very nice thick body cream and absorbs quickly so you can get dressed straight away. It definitely keeps my skin moisturised throughout the day and you can tell it’s high quality. However there are two issues I have with it; the scent and the price.
The fragrance is ‘an addictive iconic scent’ apparently but all I smell is Lemon Cif bathroom cleaner. I guess one would expect a sweet sugary vanilla scent because of the name but it is nowhere near. It has stopped me from using it on my upper body as I don’t want to really smell it all day, so it’s been used mostly on my legs. The price for a full size tube is $35 which is too expensive in my book for a daily moisturiser.
Sugar Lip Polish – So the original reason I headed to Sephora was also a disappointment. Now I know this doesn’t say ‘lip scrub’ rather ‘lip polish’ which would indicate to me that it will be less harsh than other lip exfoliators I’ve tried. But this actually does nothing to my lips as far as I can tell. They don’t feel buffed, exfoliated, or polished just oily. The only thing I actually like about this is the scent which reminds me of Coca Cola. This has brown sugar crystals, Shea butter, and grapeseed oil but all I could feel was the butter and oil. As I said above the price for a full size pot is $22.50.
Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 – This is definitely the best product of the bunch. I’ve been using it as an intensive lip treatment at night and it’s really helped to keep my lips from cracking with all the dry winter air. I like it because it isn’t waxy/heavy but stays on the lips so I don’t have to re-apply it every five minutes. This also has a lemon type of scent but not like the body cream above. I probably would re-buy this but as I have so many lip balms/salves I won’t need to any time soon. This retails for $22.50 and also comes in tinted versions for those who like a bit of colour with their lip treatments.
So I guess 1 out of 3 isn’t bad? I think Fresh stuff is beautifully packaged but very expensive for what it is. I wanted to buy the Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar too but it was $38 and as beauty crazy as I am, I can’t justify that much for what is essentially a bar of soap! Maybe I’ll put it on my birthday wish list for later on in the year. I also purchased Sugar Face Polish and I will be reviewing that in a few weeks.
You can buy Fresh products in the UK but they only have one store in the Marylebone area of London. There isn’t a UK version of the Fresh website however the Marylebone store will do mail order.
Scrubs and coffee – two of my favourite things and when combined together I’m deliriously happy. My first experience with a coffee body scrub was from Bath & Body Works and when they decided (without consulting me first) to discontinue it I was very annoyed. My lovely mom even rounded up about 30 tubs of the stuff in the sale but they have long since finished. So having moved on from the ‘Kona Coffee Scrub Incident’ as I like to call it, I’ve happened upon two others that have brought me much joy.
First up we’ve got Kit + Sensory Lab Coffee Body Scrub. I was kindly sent this by Madam M of the The Beauty Dispensary for an international beauty exchange. I’ve had my eye on this limited edition Australian scrub for a long time and I’ve been wondering how the heck I was going to get a hold of it so I was thrilled when Madam M offered her help!
I was surprised when I cracked it open as I expected a brown ‘coffee’ coloured sugar scrub but found a thick white salt scrub instead. This smells just like a pot of freshly brewed coffee – like the kind you get at American diners. The scrub is extremely thick and doesn’t contain any obvious oils so will appeal to those who like scrubs that rinse off but leave your skin soft with no residue. To use it, I palm some of it in my hand and apply to wet skin to get my much desired friction. It makes that beautiful crunching sound as it glides across the body and doesn’t foam so it can be the last thing that you do in the shower. This also makes the least amount of mess that I’ve ever had with a scrub so you don’t have to worry about tub grub. I love using this on my arms, elbows, neck and chest and I believe you can still purchase this from Kit and retails for $AUS 32.95.
Next up is the Cocoa Kona Coffee Body Scrub from 100% Pure. Now this is an entirely different animal to the Kit scrub; it’s runnier, nearly black in colour, and more grainy. This scrub is also 100% natural and suitable for Vegans.
The scent of the 100% Pure has a darker, rich aroma due to the cocoa/coffee combo. I should warn you now, this will make a huge mess in the shower. It will look like you’ve had a passionate love affair with an espresso machine so this isn’t for you if you hate messy scrubs. That aside, this takes away all the flakes, lump and bumps you have, and leaves you smelling like a Mocha from Costa. I use this on dry skin to minimise the mess and maximise the friction. It works best for me on the lower part of my body like my tum, bum, and legs. This is available from 100% Pure and retails for £16.50.
So tell me what other coffee body scrubs should be on Skin Scrubs radar!
