Grapefruit Face Cleanser – This zesty smelling cleanser cuts through the oil on my face like a treat. It rinses clean and eliminates the need for toner afterwards. This gel is a lot thinner than most cleansers but it’s highly concentrated so you only need about a 5p size amount to wash your face.

Lime and Rum Hand Washes – These hand washes smell divine and get your hands remarkably clean without stripping your skin. They are cheaper if you buy them in a gift set, I keep one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen.

Eucalyptus Shower Gel – This has a very strong medicinal smell of Eucalyptus which I love but it’s not for everyone. I use this in the summer when I feel hot, grimy, and worn out. Afterwards I feel sanitised and refreshed. As with the face cleanser you only need a small amount to get a good lather.

When I met James in 2008 he was using leftover Lynx and other Christmas gift sets for shower gel. He would use whatever was around. Fast forward a few years later and he promptly turned his nose up when he saw this! I said that just because something isn’t expensive doesn’t mean it won’t work. I’m now eating those words for my tea.

Dead Sea Source says of it’s Invigorating Coffee Body Wash – “It contains marine extracts combined with Fair Trade coffee and lemongrass, basil and black pepper. It is a great antioxidant cleanser for the whole body and leaves skin soft and smooth.”

I bought this because of the promise of coffee to invigorate my skin and get me going. I like the bottle, it reminds me of a flask and it’s quite a generous size. I road tested it on a Monday morning as I need all the help I can get to start the week. The scent unfortunately doesn’t smell like coffee. James says (and I agree) that it smells really sweet like a powdery cocoa with caramel thrown in. This is fine if you like chocolate but I was expecting to be hit with the smell of a freshly ground roast.

The shower gel lathers really well and does get you clean but this didn’t feel like anything special. The powdery cocoa scent doesn’t even last very long so what’s the point? Dead Sea Source do other body washes but I would hazard a guess that they have the bog standard marine/sea salt type smell. In my opinion this sits in no mans land for shower gels. Probably a little pricier than some people are willing to pay but not pricey enough to make you think it’s good quality. It’s a shame, I was looking for a good alternative to Korres and there is no chance of that with this! Somehow Korres manage to get it right with their quality and price point but Dead Sea Source have missed the mark. I think I will start a petition to Starbucks for a bath and body range!

In the same vein that my fellow beauty bloggers eagerly await the next big makeup collection with baited breath, I too start pacing the floor when I hear that my favourite beauty brand is launching a new range. I immediately begin to stalk the staff at House of Fraser and the Molton Brown boutique in Nottingham for information. I acted no differently when I was told about the latest shower gel, Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod. Unlike other cosmetic companies, Molton Brown do not release a new product every five minutes, so when they do launch a new range, it’s worth getting excited about.

This contains pink pepper from Reunion island, African ginger and patchouli. I guess you could look at Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod as the female counterpart to their extremely successful Re-charge Black Pepper Body Wash. However, lets get one thing clear; this  isn’t a super girly sweet scented shower gel disguised in pink. This scent is subtler than the Re-charge Blake Pepper but still has a bite to it. If Re-charge Black Pepper is manly, confident Danny Zuko from Grease, then Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod would be all woman with attitude, à la Betty Rizzo. As with all of their shower gels this cleanses, nourishes, and protects your skin. If you have never tried Molton Brown, this would be a great place to start. I think this is a fantastic everyday shower gel that will be in my regular rotation! This will be available in Molton Brown stores and concessions from September.

This shower gel looks great in the bathroom and evokes feelings of having afternoon tea in the garden of a lovely thatched cottage. I’m sure Cath Kidston does this on a regular basis. It doesn’t quite work in my terrace in Nottingham but I can pretend. Surprisingly the scent for this was quite refined and delicate. I was expecting it to be really perfumy and a bit cheap! That’s horrible to say but you never know with these lifestyle brands. The gel lathers really well, and softens your skin. I was also surprised how long the scent lingered afterwards. It’s not a fragrance that I would wear all the time but if you use other rose scented products then you’ll love this. The most important thing is that it doesn’t make you smell like an old lady. This would also make a lovely scented bubble bath if you are into that sort of thing. Cath Kidston has an extensive range of Bath and Body products including body lotion, shower gel, lip balm, various lovely soaps, hand cream, and hand washes. There is also a cute baby range too!

Available at Cath Kidston online!

Caribbean Therapy Body Cleanser – I bought this in a travel size. I always try to take advantage of this when brands offer it as it’s a great way to test products before committing to a full size product. This is a very creamy body wash that smells wonderful. It’s very gentle on the skin. I did find that it doesn’t lather as easy like shower gels do. I really had to work it into my scrubby gloves to get some foam so if you don’t use gloves or a washing implement you may have to work the lather in your hands. Make sure you don’t keep adding  more as it will eventually lather up. Whilst I did like using this, it didn’t wow me enough to buy a full size product. It would be great for someone who has tight dry skin as it does leave it very hydrated afterwards.

Caribbean Therapy Body Scrub – This contains sea salt, Caribbean cane sugar, coconut, avocado and passion fruit oils. When you open up this tub you notice three things: the smell which is fabulous like ginger and lime, the tub says 450g but it was only about 3/4 the way full which I think is a bit cheeky considering the price, and you have to stir it up as the oils and sugar separate. I was a bit dismayed with the amount in the tub but you only need a few handfuls to do your entire body. This is quite oily even after  stirring it up, so you need to be careful to rinse the shower afterwards. I thought the sugar felt nice and rough but there was way too much oil for my liking. If I could change it I would have definitely put more sugar and sea salt into it and less oil. If you are a regular user of body oil in the shower this would be a great alternative to buying seperate exfoliator and body oil. This would also be good for people who suffer from constant dry legs in the winter. I would use this again but I’m going to save it for the colder months when my skin is zapped of moisture.

Caribbean Therapy Body Cream – Contains Caribbean Mango and coconut. I also bought this in a travel size. I didn’t really need to use the body cream after using the body scrub but I wanted to try it anyway. This by far is my favourite product as the cream sinks right into the skin and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. It also smells wonderful like the rest of the range. I don’t usually use body lotions and creams in the summer but I would use this and I will definitely get a full size one for the winter months instead of using body butter which is too heavy for me.

Overall verdict – I will pass on the body cleanser but I will keep the body scrub and body cream in my winter arsenal to combat dry skin. I would encourage anyone to take advantage of Aveda’s travel sizes as it is a great way to try something because if you don’t like it, you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your hard earned cash.

Yes To Carrots (for Normal to Dry Skin) is part of a bigger Yes To range that also includes Yes To Cucumbers and Yes To Tomatoes. I briefly saw Yes To Carrots products at Boots in Nottingham on the very same day that I was approached by a Biotherm salesperson! Read more about that rubbish day here. I’ve not seen Y2K again in Boots so either I was hallucinating, or it only spent a brief moment on the shelves. I wanted to try this for the very obvious reason in that I thought it would smell like a) a salad b) carrot cake or c) carrot and coriander soup. However when I did get my hands on some my hopes were dashed. I overlooked this small annoyance and put it in my shopping basket.

What I do love about this is the 500ml size bottle. It’s very generous. Most non-high street shower gels come in at 150-250ml. The shower gel itself is lovely and thick and lathers really well and you don’t need much to get a good wash. It does a great job of making your skin soft and I didn’t need any body lotion afterwards. If you love baths (I don’t) then this would be perfect for lovely bubbly soak. This shower gel is Paraben free, rich in dead sea minerals and not tested on our furry friends. It’s also made from organic carrot juice, and sweet potato. Scent aside, which is a something like a fresh floral fragrance, I do like this shower gel. I will probably appreciate it even more in the winter when I’m dried out like a husk from being surrounded by central heating all day.

This is available and Bath & Unwind!

I’m on tenterhooks waiting for the new Sex and the City movie. I’ve seen every episode a million times, watched the first movie a million times and now I need more. HBO left a void in TV viewing in 2004 which they only recently replaced with True Blood. I love every aspect of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha. They represent the ‘four temperaments’ of human personality. I also love Molton Brown so in honour of the new film I’ve matched up their personalities to Molton Brown shower gels.

Carrie – she is the humanist of the group. She likes to talk about her feelings and relationships. She is also a free spirit with her über-stylish fashion sense that only she can pull of. Carrie is Inspiring Wild Indigo.

Miranda – she represents the competitive element. She is the no nonsense voice of the group and takes her career seriously. For those early mornings and long days she has to alert ready for anything. Miranda is Vitalising Vitamin ABC.

Samantha – she represents the spontaneous element. She is a here and now kind of gal and doesn’t look back. She is confident and sexy and isn’t afraid to show it. Samantha is Sensual Hanaleni.

Charlotte – she represents the methodical temperament. She is a traditionalist at heart, waiting for her prince charming. Never crude or crass, a true lady for the 21st century. Charlotte is Heavenly Gingerlilly.

This is available now at Beauty Expert!

Writing a review for anything from Molton Brown is very difficult for me. I love everything they do and I don’t want to appear biased towards their products. I worked for them many years ago and it was a great experience. Literally the best job I’ve ever had. I’ve been to the factory in Hertfordshire and watched the shower gels being made. This was a ‘Willy Wonka’ type of experience. In my mind there were Molton Brown Oompa Loompa’s running around mixing all the of the vats of shower gel and singing a tune while they worked. In reality it was a bunch of disinterested men in labs coats with clipboards. They all looked at me like I was nuts as I squealed with delight while watching the shower gel pouring into the bottles. To date visiting the Molton Brown factory has been one of the best days of my life.

So with that in mind, I bring you an unbiased, fact based review! This shower gel like all the others is magical. It glides over your skin and deposits a delicate scent of spring meadow on your skin. Not too heady or sickly sweet. It looks, feels, and smells like luxury. The scent lasted long after I was out of the shower. My skin was happy from the embrace of Fairy Fleur and Cornflower. The scent brought back my childhood memories of spending hours in the fields near our house with my best friend. My only problem with this shower gel is that it is limited edition. I’ve been told by Molton Brown that this will only be available until the 26th May or until stocks last. Available in Molton Brown stores and online 15 April!

Just like Carrie Bradshaw and her fantasy shoe closet I also have a fantasy, not about shoes or bags but bathrooms. A bathroom that can change styles at the snap of a finger, traditional Victorian one minute, sleek and modern the next. A bathroom big enough for all my tubes, bottles and jars and a place to store big fluffy towels. A girl can dream……

Ikea may not be the first place you think of for luxe but these glass lilac accessories would make any bathroom feel royal.

John Lewis 100% Egyptian Cotton Towels. Available in Face cloth, Guest, Hand, and Bath towel and Bath sheet.

Molton Brown Relaxing Yuan Zhi bath and shower gel. This relaxing elixir will send you off to the land of nod.

Bathroom picture courtesy of Moraco Imports.

Today I’m feeling cold and cranky. Summer is definitely over (well what little summer we did have on these fabulous British Isles). I’m listening to Sunlight by DJ Sammy and all that is doing is making me wish I could chuck my job in and move to the Balearics and get a bar job. When I was a teenager I hated the sun and warmth. I was happy to mope around wearing Cure t-shirts and black combat boots. Now a bit older I realise that the sun provides us with sanity. And so does chocolate. So how can you have some chocolate without gaining weight or feeling guilty for having it? I think Philip B has the answer.

How to use

I have say that chocolate body washes aren’t anything new. I’ve used quite a few in my day so I was curious to see if this one would be the same as the others, just shower gel with a sugary smell that doesn’t last. Well the first thing that most people do when you get a product like this is stick your nose halfway down the bottle to see what is smells like as that is the main focus. Amazingly it does smell like chocolate milk. You don’t need much to get a good lather which made me feel happier as it is on the pricier side of shower gel land. The smell does envelope you and on rubbish cold rainy day like today it’s the perfect antidote. My skin always feels warm and cosy after I use it. Definitely a great choice when us girls have the decorators in! wink wink

Plus Points

• Smells like real chocolate milk
• Skin feels comforted after use
• No calories

Minus Points

• Pricey

Verdict

This is definitely a fabulous solution to the chocolate without weight gain issue now I have to find a place to hide it  from my boyfriend and anyone who comes to visit. Who shares their chocolate anyway?

Contains:

Cocoa Butter, Oat Protein, Aloe

Country of Origin

USA