Liz Earle Orange Flower Hand Wash (6.7 oz for $19.50) is a low-lather liquid hand soap lightly scented with an herbal/floral blend of notes with a touch of orange.  The hand wash contains orange flower water, as well as seven pure essential oils, and its foaming agents are derived from corn syrup and coconut oil.  Liz Earle has managed to create a more organic/natural product that doesn’t stink of compost nor lacking in quality.  Too often I’ve found brands capitalize on using buzz words like natural or organic, but then the products themselves don’t deliver.

In a household with sixty-pounds of overeager puppy (well, I suppose, he’s just a dog now!), I’m always washing my hands.  It’s really essential for whatever hand cleansing product I use to do everything it can to moisturize or rehydrate my paws throughout the day.  Since using Liz Earle’s hand wash, I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in my skin’s texture and roughness.  My hands don’t feel dry, and they’re certainly better than they usually are.  This is most likely one of the better hand soaps I’ve used, all things considered.

The only thing that gets me is the price, because the idea of paying just about $20 for hand soap seems ludicrous.  I can appreciate that they’ve designed the pump to only pump out all you need (which is a very small amount), at the very least.  If the price were less, I’d repurchase it without a second thought–as it stands, I’m not entirely sure.  It’ll depend on how long it lasts overall, I suppose!  Get yours at LizEarle.com.

Philosophy “The Holiday” Cookbook ($35.00) features six 2 oz. bottles of Philosophy’s popular three-in-ones. Each is scented differently, but all can be used as a shampoo, shower gel, or a bubble bath. Who doesn’t appreciate a product that multi-tasks? And in my shower, a product that can do three things will definitely earn a spot to call its own! I’m a huge fan of Philosophy’s shower gels (3-in-1s, whatever!), because they lather SO, SO richly and luxuriously! I’m all about being able to work up a good lather, and any shower gel that can’t do that doesn’t past muster with me. Thankfully, Philosophy has yet to disappoint me when it comes to their formula!

You get to try six scents: Gingerbread, Cinnamon Buns, Spicy Pear, Pumpkin Spice, Red Velvet Cake, and Hot Cocoa. Philosophy does an excellent job of making their scents smell just like their namesake. I can appreciate truth in advertising! My favorites were, well, all of them to be honest. If I had to pick three, I would say Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice (mmm, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte anyone?), and Hot Cocoa–they’re just supremely holiday-esque scents.  Get one for yourself, or one for a friend (or both!)! :)

Let’s take a peek inside! :) Continue reading »

Snowcake Soap ($6.95 for 3.5 oz.) is one of Lush’s cult-favorite products that only comes around once a year (the holiday season or winter season, whichever you prefer!). Funny enough, Lush really does know how popular this product is–in their product description, they write, “If we didn’t bring out a fresh batch of Snowcake every Christmas we’d probably be chased down the street by irate LUSH customers.” I wouldn’t be surprised at the truth of that statement! I know the lovely Muse over at Musings of a Muse stocks up on this every year, buying it by the bucket load!

I hope my Lush fans don’t put me on a spit and roast me up, but Snowcake isn’t part of my must-have, very favorite, to-die-for Lush products. But let me explain myself first! I am simply not into soaps. I never liked them growing up as a kid (discovering shower gel/body wash was a dream come true) because there’s this slight “squeaky clean” feeling at the end. It’s difficult to describe, but I just can’t jive with that feeling, which pretty much leaves most soap bars out. This is the only reason why I’m not all over Snowcake like melting snow (oh, that was terrible)–otherwise it is a great product.

So, for the soap lovers out there, Snowcake is a deliciously scented milky white soap bar that smells like marzipan and amaretto with a little almond in it. In the shower, it melts against the body into a creamy lather. The scent fades after an hour or two post-shower, but it’s enjoyable for that hour. I don’t find the majority of soaps, shower gels, body washes, etc. to have prolonged scents after you step out of the shower. For me, it’s not a big deal–if I want to be scented everywhere, I opt for a good body lotion layered over a coordinating (or very lightly scented) shower gel/wash or a spritz of perfume.

Fear not, for those who aren’t so head-over-feet in love with bar soap, the good folks at Lush have bottled up the scent and excellence of Snowcake Soap into Smitten hand cream! (Review is forthcoming, but I’ll tell you I do recommend it!)

Holiday Bubble Bar ($6.95 for 3.5 oz.) has a lovely spicy, cinnamon-y rose scent that really blooms once the product hits the water, rather than just sitting on your shelf. A huge plus to this holiday bubble bar is how awesomely it bubbles up your bathwater. Sometimes the amount of bubbles you get can vary from okay to fun, and this one is VERY fun. I only used about a third of the bar for a single serving of 5-year-old splashing fun. The glittery red bits are pretty fine, but you can still see them in the water. The water itself turns a pinkish shade (not blood red!) with a little orange in it. Get yours at Lush!

A Gold Star Bubble Bar ($6.25 for 3.5 oz.) is pretty when you look at it, and it has a strong lemony-citrus scent. It bubbles OK compared to other Lush bubble bars, and I personally found the scent to be just a little too reminscent of Sprite or 7-Up (the sweet lemon-lime flavor) to work for my nose. I don’t mind glittery bits in my bathwater, but this one isn’t overly glittery, so it’s not an issue if you’re really adverse to glitter! The color of your bathwater is a little *ew*, considering it’s, well, a yellow bath bar. But you know it’s just the bubble bar, so there’s no reason to get gross about it ;)  Get yours at LUSH!

Ojon Tawaka “The White Ball” has launched just in time for the winter season (only available at Sephora)–that’s right, it’s white. Be sure to read my original review of The Ball here for insight on what I thought about the original (so you have a point of comparison).  “The White Ball” produces a creamy lather designed to help moisturize skin, often prone to dryness during the winter time. Unlike “The Ball,” this version has no real scent. I would say you might notice a starchy, rice-like scent if anything–but that’s really only if you’re trying to find a scent.

“The Ball” has Ojon’s signature cocoa-rich scent while “The White Ball” lacks any identifying scent. “The Ball” is designed to be more of a body buffing product, while “The White Ball” adds moisture and leaves skin feeling clean and smooth. Both the consistency and color of the product while being used is milky. It’s easy to get confused between the two, but they are distinctly different products that do different things. They might have the same shape and come with the same wooden bowl, but otherwise, don’t lump them together!

Like the original, I find this to be an indulgence. It’s a product you splurge on, something to use when you want to prolong your shower by pampering and rolling away every stressful thought. The ball shape is meant to be rolled over the skin, which simultaneously gives you a little massage while you clean! Bonus points for this one not leaving any residue on your shower!

Find yours at Sephora.

See more product photos… Continue reading »

LUSH Rub Rub Rub & Yummy Yummy Yummy ($8.95 to $23.95) are two shower gels that recently came out. Rub Rub Rub’s scent can be compared to Lush’s Sakura bath bomb (which is a fresh, spring-blossom-day kind of scent). RRR is not just a shower gel, but more of shower gel meets shower scrub. It’s not a full-on shower scrub (it’s just not gritty enough), but the sea salt in it helps make this gel give you softer, smoother skin. I actually like that it’s got the lather of a shower gel, but some of the grit of a scrub, because I can still use my bath poof to lather up and get some extra exfoliation in.

Yummy Yummy Yummy is comprised mostly of strawberries, honey, and almond oil. I definitely can sense the strawberries in the product, but I wasn’t as impressed with the actual product. It is runnier than Lush’s other shower gels (and I’ve tried several!), and it doesn’t lather up as nicely as their other ones, either. I have seen some murmurings about the product separating, but I’ve had mine for over a month with no separation whatsoever. So as a shower gel, you’re better off with one like Flying Fox, but I found a better use for it–my hair. If you want a touch of strawberry smoothie scent in your hair, just shampoo your hair a little with this instead!

Kings & Queens Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Showergel ($9.00) pulled me in with its citrus-lemony scent dusted with a woodiness. It’s not the lemon scent of your dish-washing soap, but something gender-neutral and reminds me a bit of fading summer and the beginning of fall. It’s hard for me to choose between using this and Philosophy’s Caramel Apple in the morning these days, but lately I’ve been reaching for this. At $9.00 for 10 ounces, I feel like I can definitely indulge on this, whatever the economy may be at the time. This particular product is vegan (all of the Kings & Queens line is supposed to be vegan, except the body butters, which contain beeswax), and it’s mineral-oil and paraben free. I’m not too picky when it comes to shower gel–I want a good lather and a pleasing scent. I love perfume-y scents as much as food-based ones when it comes to my shower gel. This one nailed the scent, but what about lathering? Oh, yeah, it does that, too. No problems on that front! So all in all? An affordable shower gel that I love. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Available at Sephora

Philosophy’s Haunted House ($30.00) is a three-piece set of three perfectly fall scents: Pumpkin Spice, Black Licorice, and Caramel Apple. I love, love, LOVE Philosophy’s shower gels (which also double as a shampoo and bubble bath). I prefer to use them as shower gels personally, but they definitely work well as a bubble bath, too! My favorite scent was Pumpkin Spice, because nothing reminds me of the descent into fall like pumpkin pie. (Funny enough, I just polished off a Pumpkin Spice Latte!) Caramel Apple is also a nice scent that’s sweet without being cloying or overwhelming. Like most shower gels, these scents won’t pervade the rest of your day. They’re fun to enjoy in the shower and fade away afterwards. If you love the scent, it’s a good idea to layer it with a body cream or lotion. Black Licorice isn’t my personal favorite scent (I can’t stand licorice, actually!), but it really does smell just like the candy–so if you’re into it, you’ll adore it. I love Philosophy’s shower gel formula because they lather up with little product and smell just like they’re named. These didn’t disappoint!

Lavanila Healthy Body Wash in Vanilla Coconut ($20.00) is providing customers with a 100% natural and sulf-atefree body wash option. You can choose from four scents: Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Grapefruit, Vanilla Blossom, and Vanilla Coconut. These body washes are new products to their Healthy Body line, which already includes coordinating fragrances and body butters.

The company lists the key ingredients as: coconut oil (to cleanse), oat protein (moisturizes and adjusts skni’s pH), pomegranate (gently exfoliates), Goji berries (antioxidant), Willow Bark extract (acts as an astringent to tone), and Vanilla Planifolia Fruit extract (anti-inflammatory). You won’t find SLS, mineral oils, parabens, silicone, or phthalates in this product.

Vanilla Coconut reminds me of the beach–it’s just got that heavenly scent of coconut and the beach scene. If you liked Bobbi Brown’s Beach scent, you’ll love this, too. The scent doesn’t linger prominently once your shower is over, so if you want to smell like the beach all day, try layering the scent with the body butter. I find it lathers really well for a product tagged natural, and even against more chemically-created lathers, it lathers well. This is best used with a puff sponge, because it helps the product lather and gently exfoliate and cleanse your skin.

You can find this at www.sephora.com, or you can learn more at www.lavanila.com.