bareMinerals Luminous Hydrating Body Cream ($35.00 for 6.0 oz.) is a shimmering body cream that’s supposed to be “ultrarich, non-greasy.” It’s a thick body cream–somewhere between a more typical body butter and a whipped body butter, as it’s fairly solid and isn’t going to drip out of the jar, but it spreads well and doesn’t have to be scraped out by a legitimate block o’ body butter.

I’m a big fan of bareMinerals’ recent skincare range, so I was eager to try this body cream, which apparently also came out last year for the holidays–it’s limited edition again this year–but I was surprised to see it was available for $28 last year and has been bumped up to $35 for this year. SkinStore is still selling it for $28, though, if it’s something you wanted to try. I’m not a fan of limited edition skincare products (why!!!), and the significant increase in price is definitely off-putting. I do like the product; it’s a good, solid body cream. It’s not the very, very best I’ve ever tried, but it’s nice. Despite its thick, rich consistency, it absorbs within a minute or less. It spreads easily across the skin, and a little goes a long way. It leaves skin feeling softer, more hydrated but not greasy or oily.For normal-to-dry skin, I think it should provide an appropriate level of hydrating, as it was perfect for my arms, but on my desert-like legs, it didn’t fully hydrate.  It has a slightly earthy, herbal scent, but it’s not too strong, that is similar to the rest of the bareMinerals’ skincare range.  There is a fine gold shimmer that sits on the skin after application, but it will rub off at times (I sat cross-legged, and I saw the heel of my slipper was dazzling!). It’s a nice veil of shimmer–not sparkle–that would work well on decolletage and legs for the holidays.

bareMinerals Luminous Hydrating Body Cream

bareMinerals Luminous Hydrating Body Cream

bareMinerals Luminous Hydrating Body Cream

bareMinerals Luminous Hydrating Body Cream

Purr Lemonade Lip Scrub ($5.00) tastes like sweet lemonade as the sugar granules gently exfoliate away any dead skin from the lips. It works, and it smells and tastes delicious, but the consistency is on the looser side, so I find that is very, very easily spreads so that it doesn’t seem as effective exfoliating as thicker lip scrubs. The sugars just disperse and run a bit across the mouth and just outside of it. To that end, it is gentler as there are less sugar granules in motion at once.

As a quick note, I’m not entirely sure how much product my jar contains, as it doesn’t say on my jar. The listing I purchased it from said it was 1 oz., but it was also supposed to be contained in a glass jar. As far as I can tell, my jar is plastic and a white plastic cap (not a brassy metal one), and the labeling is on the top of the lid (not around the jar). The ingredients listed on my label are as follows: “sugar, hemp butter, sunflower oil, essential oil.” The listing also included olive oil, avocado oil, and beeswax, none of which are listed on my label, under materials.

Puur Pumpkin Spice Body Butter ($7.00 for 4 oz.) is an extremely thick, not-quite-solid body butter used to provide intense hydration to the skin. It’s supposed to smell like a “maple bar and brown sugar, with hints of pumpkin spice.” In the jar, there are bits of pumpkin spice and brown sugar, but there’s a very noticeable waxy/plastic-y note in it, and on, it smells like an old lipstick–I don’t get any of the sweetness or pumpkin spice after a half hour.  The consistency is just very lightly whipped but more solid (more like butter!).  It was also a little stringy (maybe

This also took forever to absorb! I would take a shower, apply this, and sit in shorts–two to three hours later, it would still feel oily and have a faint sheen. I tried using less and less as I continued to test it, and using as little as possible, it seemed to mostly absorb after an hour.  Ultimately, though it certain seems like it should be hydrating, I felt like a lot of the product was never absorbed and ended up on my bedding or clothing, so I did not feel like my skin looked or felt moisturized after using this.

Again, there was a packaging discrepancy, as it was pictured and described as being in an amber glass jar, and mine is just a glass jar. I really don’t have an issue with how either product arrived to me, but I don’t like that they aren’t as pictured. There were no ingredients listed on my jar, but the listing has these under materials: “raw ivory shea butter, olive oil, soy wax, arrowroot powder, fragrance.”

I might be the odd one out, as this is an Etsy shop with over 4,000 reviews.  If you’ve tried Puur, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Puur Lemonade Lip Scrub

Puur Lemonade Lip Scrub

Puur Lemonade Lip Scrub

Puur Pumpkin Spice Body Butter

Puur Pumpkin Spice Body Butter

Puur Pumpkin Spice Body Butter

PCApothecary Pumpkin Macchiato Body Butter ($6.50 for 4 oz.) is described as a “creamy spiced pumpkin blended with aromatic coffee and cream.” It’s a heavily-spiced moderately sweetened, creamy pumpkin with the roasted, nuttiness of coffee. The spices I get are nugmet, allspice, cinnamon, and a little clove–a lot like pumpkin spice mix if you’ve ever used it in baking. The consistency is creamy but airy, like a whipped body butter, and so it spreads easily across the skin. The body butter absorbed quickly on the skin–within a few minutes–and didn’t feel greasy or oily afterward. I’m a big fan of more whipped body butters, as you get the richness and luxurious texture of body butters without some of the heaviness on the skin. The scent lingers for six hours on me, and it tended to be less “pumpkin spice latte” and more pumpkin spice with an emphasis on cinnamon/allspice towards the end.

While I went shopping for lip scrubs on Etsy a couple of weeks ago, I also had a craving for some sort of autumnal-scented body butter. As a long-time Starbucks fan (or addict, however you’d like to label it!), fall means pumpkin spice lattes, caramel apple spices, and salted caramel hot chocolates. The calorie counts for all are hard to justify (I reduce the pumps of pumpkin spice in any latte/frappuccino I get, but a grande light frappuccino I can get away with a mere 1.5 pumps, whereas a hot drink needs at least three), a body butter version that might embody the flavors of my favorite fall drinks would be a lot easier to enjoy more often without the guilt!

You can visit their scent catalog, which has descriptions of the core collection of scents available all in one place. Pumpkin Macchiato is a seasonal scent, so it’s only available this fall/winter. If you’re interested in trying the formula but don’t know what scent (or just want a variety), they also offer samplers in mini sizes (0.5 oz.). Otherwise, you can purchase full-size (4 oz.) or mega jar (8 oz.) for $6.50 and $12.50 respectively.

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PCApothecary Pumpkin Macchiato Body Butter

PCApothecary Pumpkin Macchiato Body Butter

PCApothecary Pumpkin Macchiato Body Butter

For the holidays, Lush has plenty of offerings to tempt you. Here’s a quickie overview of some of the products I recently tried:

Melting Snowman ($5.95 for 2.1 oz.) is a bath melt, which are supposed to be used either in halves or wholes and tossed into the tub as you fill it with warm water. They’re supposed to add a hydrating element to your soak. He smells of chocolate, cinnamon, and orange. The “chocolate chip” eyes don’t fully melt and tend to float and smear on the tub (not so sexy to look at), and I did find myself needing to scrub those bits away post-bath. It’s definitely hydrating and makes the skin feel softer afterward.

Cinders ($4.95) is a bath bomb that also has “crackling vegan candies,” so you’ll actually hear it crackle and pop a bit once the majority of the bath bomb has fizzed away (about a minute). It smelled like spiced cider, not too sweet or too spicy, and it really was like splashing around in a vat of cider. You can hear the candies crackling here and there for about five to ten minutes. This was my favorite of the bath bombs I tried this season. It turned the water yellow, and I think this might have worked better if it turned the water orange or tangerine? in terms of aesthetics.

The Christmas Penguin ($7.45 for 3.5 oz.) is a bubble bar shaped like a penguin–and he’s a rather pricey bath bomb as a result! Crumble his little penguin body into a hot bath for some bubble action. When used, it will turn the bath water a light blue. It had a slightly tart, slightly sweet mix of citrus going on–a little fizzy and lemon-lime like.

Golden Wonder ($6.95 for 7.8 oz.) is a larger bath bomb that has a treat inside–if you shake it around, you’ll here something rattling inside. It’s golden and has gold glitter on the exterior, and it fizzes away in about a minute and a half. It had a very strong, somewhat synthetic, sweet orange. I didn’t love it–it didn’t give me a really fresh orange fragrance, more cloying and syrupy sweet. Spoiler alert: the portion inside is a vibrant turquoise-blue and did leave some bluish residue along my tub, so be sure to scrub and wash down accordingly.

Luxury LUSH Pud ($6.95 for 7 oz.) is supposed to be a lavender-scented bath bomb. When placed in a hot bath, it turned the water a muted, magenta pink with some foaminess. It took about two minutes for the entire bath bomb to fizzle away. It smelled like a mix of sweet vanilla and lavender.

Sandy Santa ($9.95 for 4.5 oz.) is a body buffer in the shape of Santa. It uses sand and sugar to exfoliate dead skin sells, plus it’s in solid form, so it also contains coconut oil and shea butter for softening and hydration. I wouldn’t say it hydrated all that much, and it really melts very, very quickly. I highly recommend breaking off just a small piece, going over the skin lightly, but then rubbing what you’ve melted off in with your hands, not the bar itself, as you’ll just waste most of it. It smelled primarily of orange oil with a little lemon, and for me, it read synthetic. Breaking him into pieces, I was able to get three scrubs worth of mostly legs and arms but not much else. I was surprised at the price point, given how few uses I was able to get out of him.

Let the Good Times Roll ($12.95 for 3.5 oz.) originally launched for the holidays but made it into the permanent range due to its popularity. It smells like incredibly sweet sugar cookies with a very, very subtle cinnamon spice. It contains maize flour and corn meal, so it is a gentle exofliator with fine bits that leave skin feeling soft but never raw, dry, or red. As a gentler exfoliant, I really liked it, and I’ve been feeling like there’s a void in exfoliators/scrubs in my routine lately, so this has been filling that void nicely. Of all the products I tried this holiday season, this was the only one I’d consider buying.

Celebrate ($29.95 for 7.7 oz.) smells of champagne and citrus–primarily orange–and has a slightly whipped consistency that makes it seem lighter than it is, but it is a rather rich product, because even after two hours of my legs dangling (open to the air!), my legs still felt greasy and slippery. I ended up toweling off what wasn’t absorbing so I could go to bed. I tried it again, and I used the smallest amount possible, and I still felt somewhat greasy after an hour. I would actually say it could make a nice massage lotion, since it never seems to really absorb, so there’s a lot of slip, which is great for massaging! I will also mention that my husband really didn’t like this scent–he found it overwhelming (and he can barely smell, I swear). Like his reaction is encompassed by this scenario: I take one step into his office, and then he says, “What is that smell?” with this face that says, “Please step back.” It had an almost medicinal quality to the orange/citrus in it for me.

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Lush for Holiday 2013

Melting Snowman

Melting Snowman

Cinders

Cinders

The Christmas Penguin

The Christmas Penguin

Golden Wonder

Golden Wonder

Luxury LUSH Pud

Lush Holiday 2013

Sandy Santa

Sandy Santa

Let the Good Times Roll

Let the Good Times Roll

Celebrate Hand & Body Lotion

Celebrate Hand & Body Lotion

Celebrate Hand & Body Lotion

LATHER Sofian Lavender Whipped Body Creme ($22.00 for 4.0 oz.) is a Bulgarian lavender-scented body cream that comes in a squat, round plastic pot.  I’ve been using this body cream for the past couple of weeks before I slip into my pajamas and go to bed, and I really love how fast it absorbs.  It has a lighter weight to it, being a whipped cream, than a heavier body butter, but it’s not loose like a lotion.  It’s an airy body butter or cream, so it spreads well and doesn’t stick.  It absorbs quickly, and it doesn’t turn sticky.  The cream hydrates my scaly, dragon skin well (I’m horrible at committing to hydrating my body parts–face, I never skip, the rest… well…) and generally, I feel like it’s been improving the texture of my skin overall, not just when I use it.

Long-time readers will know that I love lavender-scented body products.  It’s my go-to scent for when I want to (try to) relax.  I love it on my skin, on my bed sheets, and on my pillow at night.  I don’t like it to smell too medicinal, but I don’t want it to smell too sweet or perfume-y.  I still want a natural, herbaceous quality to come through.  The lavender in this body cream is perfect; soft, elegant, and natural.  There’s no sweetness from added vanilla, but it doesn’t smell medicinal at all.  It lingers on the skin but doesn’t project, so it’s something I can smell when I’m tucked away in bed, but nobody else will smell if they come near me.

Ingredients

water (aqua), glycerin, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, stearic acid, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, tocopheryl acetate, phospholipids, tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmitate, ascorbyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, dimethicone, sodium polyacrylate, tetrasodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, hexylene glycol, triethanolamine, carbomer.

LUSH Do Knot Disturb

LUSH Do Knot Disturb ($29.95) includes four products: French Kiss bubble bar, Sex Bomb, Lust soap, and Soft Couer massage bar. Note, mine is a press sample, and it came with Dirty Toothy Tabs, whereas the ones for purchase include French Kiss–boo!hiss! since I adore lavender! The bubble bar as the fourth item is a way better pick, because those Toothy Tabs aren’t for everyone (so just ignore it in my photos!). With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I wanted to share this with you, because I think it’s absolutely adorable. Totally a cute gift to give to your special someone who loves LUSH!

French Kiss is a bubble bar, which is described as a “calming and reviving lavender, rosemary, and thyme bath.” Bubble bars are typically used to add bubbles and scent to a hot bath. While you can certainly drop the whole thing into the tub, the best way to use these is to crumble a few pieces into the bath. I normally get two to three uses out of each bubble bar.

Sex Bomb is a bath bomb, which is described as “jasmine, clary sage, and ylang ylang.” It also has soya milk to make the water milky and helps to soften your skin while you soak. It primarily adds scent and color to a bath, and this particular bath bomb turns the water pink. Not as moisturizing as a bath melt, but skin won’t feel dry after a long soak with this. It will leave a faint purple ring around the tub, which I found rinsed off once I turned the shower on, but still something to mention.

Lust soap is all about jasmine. It’s full-on, unabashedly jasmine. I’m personally not a fan of jasmine (or most floral-based scents), but if you do love jasmine-scented products, it’s nice. It’s not synthetic or like a layered perfume.

Soft Couer is a massage bar, which is described as a mix of honey and cocoa powder. If you’ve tried Honey I Washed the Kids, the scent should be familiar. Massage bars are solid forms of moisturizing butters that melt as they’re slid around the skin (assuming you’re warm-blooded, of course!). I actually picked this up a couple of years ago in a trio of massage bars. If you do any massage, these are excellent–they really melt upon contact with the skin, and you can work it in over time, because it doesn’t dry down immediately.

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LUSH Do Knot Disturb

LUSH Do Knot Disturb

LUSH Halloween: Pumpkin & Demon in the Dark Soaps, Ceridwen’s Cauldron Bath Melt Reviews & Photos

Pumpkin Soap ($6.95 for 2.5 oz.) is warm and spicy; the clove and cardamom co-star in this autumnal-themed soap. I personally think it’s adorable; it’s the happy Jack o’ lantern, not the creepy kind. LUSH likens this to the “sweet and spicy scent of pumpkin pie.” I get a wee bit of pumpkin pie coming through on the tail end, but it’s not a scent I’d describe as gourmand. I think it’s the lack of sweetness that allows the spiciness of the clove, cardamom, and cinnamon to rise above the pumpkin aspect. It’s a subtle scent, too, and it disappears quickly after washing (which may be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences).

Demon In The Dark Soap ($7.95 for 3.5 oz.) is described as a mix of spearmint and apple juice. The scent is more mint than anything else, but there is an underlying earthiness to it. I found the minty freshness more apparent when just sniffing the dry bar, but the sweetness of the apple juice did come out when used and lathered. Overall, it has a more masculine edge, which makes it great to give to the dirty boys and men in your life, though I have no problem using it as a female! It’s a lower lathering soap compared to other LUSH soaps I’ve tried, but it gives me the same clean skin (without being drying). The scent does not linger for more than a half hour post-shower.

Ceridwen’s Cauldron Bath Melt ($7.95 for 2.8 oz.) is a perfect melt to choose for a decadent and ultra-relaxing bath, because it’s rich and herbaceous with lots of lavender. LUSH’s Bath Melts are nice, because they provide a milkiness to the bath water without making it feel oily or greasy, so your skin gets the hydration without the slippery tub afterward. It comes wrapped in muslin, which is a nice touch, because there is also oatmeal and herb bits and bobs, so the cloth keeps everything from getting into the water while still giving you the aromatic experience. After I emerge from a quick bath (I am actually not a bath person; I think it’s because I suck at relaxing), my skin feels soft and moisturized. There’s a lavender scent that lingers for a few hours afterward.

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LUSH Pumpkin Soap

LUSH Pumpkin Soap

LUSH Demon in the Dark Soap

LUSH Demon in the Dark Soap

LUSH Ceridwen’s Cauldron Bath Melt

Looking for Rainbows with Philosophy

Philosophy Everything’s Coming Up Rainbows Set ($28.00) includes a 4 oz. Rainbow Sherbet Shower Gel, 4 oz. Rainbow Sherbet Body Lotion, and 0.5 oz. Rainbow Sherbet Flavored Lip Shine. It pulls more like orange sherbet but it has that sweetness from pineapple, too. I loved the scent in the shower, because the getting a sniff of citrus was invigorating in the early morning.

The body lotion smelled exactly the same, but it’s a product that works best for someone who moisturizers daily or doesn’t suffer from dry skin–it’s a lotion, so it has a thin consistency. (My dragon scales need a body butter or cream!) It did absorb quickly, and the scent did not overwhelm me at all but still detectable after a few hours. Similarly, the Lip Shine shared the same scent, and it’s pretty much just a clear gloss with white shimmer. They’re fun and always give me an urge to lick my lips.

It’s a cute set, and I’m glad I bought it so I could try out a new scent. Even though it’s a fun set, it’s not a value set. Full-sized shower gels retail for $16 (for 16 oz.) and body lotions retail for $24 (for 16 oz.), while Lip Shines retail for $10. The set comes with $4 worth of shower gel, $6 worth of body lotion, and $10 worth of Lip Shine–$20 in sum but will set you back $28.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 27/30
• Value: 6/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: Depending on what product you like most, you may just want to grab that one (as all three are available separately in full-sizes).

AVAILABILITY: Sephora

Philosophy Rainbow Sherbet