Review: Lush Figs and Leaves Soap

Lush US: $7.60/3.5 oz (100 g)

Lush UK: ₤3.40/100 g

Lush DE: €5.35/100 g

http://www.lushusa.com/Figs-and-Leaves/00065,en_US,pd.html?start=2&q=figs%20and%20leaves

https://www.lush.co.uk/product/148/Figs-and-Leaves-Soap-100g

http://www.lush-shop.de/figs-and-leaves-seife.792.html

Image found on Lush.co.uk

This soap is scented with figs and orange blossom with an “undertone of eastern exoticism”. Formulated with figs and aloe vera, this soap is very gentle and soothing to the skin, making it suitable for irritated or sensitive skin. Apparently it is so gentle that you can use it on your face! The fig seeds act as a gentle exfoliant.

Ingredients:

Water, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Fig Decoction, Glycerine, Aloe Vera Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Ylang Ylang Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Linalool

I have been using this in the shower every day for the past few weeks, and I really love it! The smell is amazing, it is actually one of the few Lush soap scents that I like, and whoever thought of putting the seeds in as an exfoliant was a frickin’ genius. Maybe most people wouldn’t consider that cool, but I think that was really innovative and just generally awesome. You know when you have an itch, especially on your back, and someone scratches it for you and it feels amazing? Using the soap straight on your skin so the exfoliating seeds work feels like that. I know that is a pretty weird description, but that’s what it feels like. It’s amazing.

I have not used it on my face, but judging by the fact that it didn’t aggravate a quite nasty razor burn I had on my legs, I’d say it should work. The one and only gripe I have with it is the fig leaf on the top, which kinda comes off on you as you use it, but it really isn’t that big of a deal because you can easily wash it off.

Overall:

With the amazing smell, innovative exfoliating seeds, and the gentleness of this soap, I would highly recommend it!

Rating: A

Review: Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion

6.7 oz/200 ml

Sephora (Clarins.com): $40

Clarins.co.uk: ₤30

Clarins.de: 33€

http://www.sephora.com/moisture-rich-body-lotion-P95060

http://www.clarinsusa.com/Moisture-Rich-Body-Lotion/C020202002,en_US,pd.html&cgid=330&start=6

http://www.clarins.co.uk/Moisture%20Rich%20Body%20Lotion/C020202002,en_GB,pd.html?start=8&cgid=330

http://www.clarins.de/Baume%20Corps%20Super%20Hydratant/C020202002,de_DE,pd.html?start=1&cgid=330

**NOTICE: contains parabens (ethylparaben, methylparaben)**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion is a moisturizer for dry skin. It contains “peach milk, shea, candlenut oil and orange blossom” that “visibly minimize the signs of ageing caused by sun, cold, heating and air-conditioning”. It supposedly “helps smooth dry, rough patches and improve skin tone” and “gently removes dull, flaky cells for a youthful, all over glow”. It also should sink in quickly.

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil/Huile Minerale, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glyceryl Myristate, Glycerin, Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Peanut Oil, Stearyl Heptanoate, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Stearyl Alcohol, Parfum/Fragrance, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Disodium Edta, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Malic Acid, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Potassium Sorbate, Carbomer, Ceteth-24, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Wax, Prunus Persica (Peach) Leaf Extract, Choleth-24, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Sodium Citrate, Sutilains, Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Bht, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Citronellol, Eugenol, Citral, Isoeugenol.

This is a very rich, luxurious cream that smells AMAZING but not overpowering at all, and is excellent for hydrating dry skin. I love how it comes in a tube, so everything is very hygienic. And yes, it smoothed my rough patches. It even made the skin on my legs look polished and semi-healthy, despite their deathly paleness. I don’t know if I would call it a “glow” but it certainly is an achievement. On those points the moisturizer has certainly upheld its claims. I cannot speak for the aging part, but I mean as I, not a dermatologist/expert, understand it, well-moisturized skin looks less saggy than poorly-moisturized skin. I guess that makes sense… That having been said, it really doesn’t sink in quickly. At all. Actually, it kind of takes forever to sink in. But it really is a good product that works really well, I would just recommend applying it before bed rather than before anytime you need to get dressed. I am also not so happy about the parabens or the price. However, if neither of those things bothers you, then I think you will be very happy with this moisturizer.

Rating: A

Review: The Body Shop Rainforest Balance Condtioner

60 ml/250 ml/400 ml

The Body Shop UK: £2/£4/£6

The Body Shop DE: 3€/6€/9€

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/hair/conditioner/rainforest-balance-conditioner.aspx

http://www.thebodyshop.de/haarpflege/conditioner/ausgleichende-pflegespuelung.aspx

Does not contain parabens, silicones, or colorants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Body Shop Rainforest Balance Conditioner is a conditioner specially formulated for oily hair. It is made with pracaxi oil, white nettle, seaweed, and aloe vera. It claims that it “lightly conditions to reduce excess oils for hair that looks clean and fresh all day without weighing it down. Like it’s matching shampoo, it has a very thick consistency.

Ingredients

Aqua, Kaolin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Parfum, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Propylene Glycol, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Alcohol, Citric Acid, Lamium Album Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol.

This was a really disappointing product for me because I really like the shampoo that goes with it. It just did nothing. First of all, it had a strange consistency, thicker than normal conditioner with a weird almost gritty texture. It kind of felt like a mud mask in conditioner form. It didn’t condition my hair at all. On top of that, it smelled like a mix of the afore-mentioned mud mask and a chlorinated pool. Yeah, not really a good smell, and especially not a comforting smell for something you are putting on your hair! Luckily the smell doesn’t linger, so you didn’t walk around smelling like pool for the entire day.

There really isn’t much to say about this product. It didn’t work. It smelled bad. End of story. A really disappointment, I must say. Don’t waste your money! The price may have been well worth it for the shampoo, but for this it is really too much.

Rating: D

Review: The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter

50/200 ml

The Body Shop US, $6 (only in mini)

The Body Shop UK, £5/12.50

The Body Shop EU, €5/15

 

 

The Pink Grapefruit Body Butter is described as a creamy lotion for the body that sinks in quickly, making the skin feel hydrated and soft for up to 24 hours. According to the Body Shop, it is intended for normal skin

 

Ingredients:

Water, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lanolin Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Limonene, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citral, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Yellow 6, Red 33.

 

The texture of the cream is reasonably thick, but honestly this does not seem to help. The body butter was not, unfortunately, as hydrating as it claimed. It did provide some moisture, but did not condition my normal-to-dry body as much as it should have. The effects certainly did not last for 24 hours, as the next day around the same time; my legs were back to how they were the day before. The cream also did not sink in as quickly as I would have liked, and left an ever-so-slight residue.

 

However, I must say that the Body Shop hit the nail right on the head in terms of scent. This lotion smells divine. It is a nice refreshing, zingy scent, exactly like pink grapefruit. It’s funny, because sometimes, like with the Mango Body Butter, the body butters do not really smell like the fruit that they are supposed to (although they do usually smell nice nonetheless).

 

There’s not very much to say about the packaging, it’s pretty standard: a round tub with a screw top. It does its job just fine. One thing I do like, though, is its color. It is a lovely shade of pink.

 

This body butter is a bit of a trade off: the lotion is fairly mediocre, but the smell is lovely. If my skin weren’t on the drier side, I would definitely consider getting it just for the smell. Consider it a body spray in lotion form, with a little bit of moisturizing properties. Actually, you could just apply it over an unscented moisturizer that actually hydrates the skin, and get a satisfactory outcome. Not ideal though, and perhaps not worth the effort.

 

Rating: B-