Review: Grace Cole Pineapple & Passion Fruit Body Butter

Grace Cole is not a brand I'd ever heard of before, but while doing some online shopping for a few showery bath bits, I noticed that a lot of their items were on offer, so decided to give them a go! This body butter sounded too delicious to pass up on - passion fruit is one of my favourite scents and flavours, ever.

What I expected was a tropical olfactory explosion that would mentally transport me onto a holiday on a Caribbean island of some sort, but it turned out to be a little weak in that department. The scent was nice, but really nothing to shout about, as it was very pared back and disappeared soon after application. Great if you don't like obtrusive scents on your skin, but I prefer something a bit more punchy - The Body Shop are still ranked right up there as my favourites when it comes to nice smelling body butters, though my latest Elizabeth Arden one smells pretty amazing, too.

When it comes to texture, however, I absolutely cannot fault this. It's thick and rich, but sinks in nicely without leaving a film on the skin. (That dip on the picture above is from me dropping the lid into the pot by the way.) It's a spot on formula for anyone who like me likes their body butters thick and silky. I just wish the smell had been a touch more holiday feeling inducing!

Monthly Favourites: July 2014

1) Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask

Wow, what a mouthful.... The interesting thing about this mask is that I didn't really get on with it at first. After using it for the first time I woke up the next morning with the biggest. spot. ever. The really painful kind that takes half a ton of concealer to make it look slightly less angry. I almost decided to pass up on the mask afterwards, but somehow I persevered and now I absolutely love it. I guess it's just kind of proof that it really does draw out impurities and now after using it regularly once a week it's keeping my skin clean, but still nicely moisturised. I don't want to be without it anymore!

2) Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow

I already have this in another shade, but this one is a very welcome addition to my collection. It's a peachy apricot shade which might look a tad orange against my normally pale skin, but in the summer it just adds the most beautiful natural glow to tanned skin. The formula is absolutely amazing and blends out to look insanely natural and also lasts pretty much all day. All I need to do now is get my hands on the remaining two shades, as well as the two new cream bronzers!

3) The Body Shop Papaya Body Butter

There used to be a time where I wouldn't use any other lotion or butter on my body apart from various Body Shop variations. Then I got bored and it turns out I hadn't bought another one for years! What else can I say other than: It's good to have it back. I love the way the smooth, buttery texture allows it to just sink straight into my skin and leave it soft and hydrated. Not to mention the smell is amazing and lasts for ages as well. Maybe not so great if you don't want your lotions to clash with your perfume, but personally, I'm quite happy to smell of delicious papayas all day.

4) Rimmel Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector

Never in a million years did I think my favourites would ever feature a fake tan - it might be an odd thing to say as a beauty blogger, but I'm absolutely terrified of false tan! Then I got this in my Glamour Latest In Beauty box and thought that as it's a wash-off tan, I might as well give it a go. Turns out it's an absolute breeze to use, doesn't leave skin at all patchy and offers a very natural result that doesn't look orange at all. It's the perfect little pick me up on days where I want to wear skirts or shorts and my legs are just a bit too pasty. A great product for every tan-o-phobe like me out there.

Review: Boots Extracts Vanilla Body Butter

Vanilla seems to be a staple scent in many beauty products: lipsticks, glosses, lotions and as a sweet base note in pretty much any "cheaper" perfume on the market. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of that scent. Not because I don't like vanilla, but because that synthetic scent smells more like sweet plastic than actual vanilla. If you've ever felt the same, then I got a little treat here for you.

If you think of vanilla in most regular beauty products as your standard Mr. Whippy ice cream, then this is the five star gourmet clotted cream Madagascan vanilla ganache. This smells unbelievably good and nothing like that plasticky fake vanilla scent you'd expect. It's so intensely, but beautifully vanilla-y, that I half expected to find little black scraped out seeds in the lotion.

Alas, when it comes to formula, the quality matches that of the incredible scent. I'm a big fan of thick, rich body butters rather than runny lotions and this fits the bill perfectly to keep my skin hydrated and soft as a feather. Additionally, however, it sinks in immediately to a velvety smooth finish, so even in warmer temperatures it doesn't leave a sticky mess - I'd actually say it feels very cooling and soothing on the skin. I am seriously, seriously impressed with this body butter and I think it might even be better than the Body Shop butters, which are my all time favourite.

Note that the packaging has changed a little bit ever since I purchased mine, but the formula is still the same. At £8 for a tub, Boots have really knocked it out of the park with this one!

Review: Soap&Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream

I do love me a nice thick body butter. Even though this is called a "Body Buttercream", it's actually a bit lighter than some of your standard lotions - certainly nowhere near as thick as buttercream frosting!

The thing that drew me towards this product is the amazing, amazing smell. It's fruity, fresh and zingy and makes your skin smell a bit like a mojito. If you're a fan of the Sugar Crush scrub they do, chances are you'll love this.

As for moisturising properties it does the job very well for my dry skin, though it might get a little sticky on those who don't suffer from dry patches.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream retails at £10.50. If you want to prolong the scent even longer, there's also a matching Body Wash at £6.50 a pop.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Review

Apparently there are people who don't moisturise their skin every day, or so I've heard....
In all seriousness, though, if you can get away with it then good for you! Me, on the other hand - if I skipped just a day of slathering myself in lotion, my skin would soon resemble that of a dragon. It's fair to say I'm addicted to body butters. Take your runny lotions and milks and drown kittens in them for all I care (whoaaa, did I really just say that? Poor kittens), I need thick, gloopy butters for my skin.

For a long time Body Shop butters were the one and only for me, but in the past year or two I've come to realise that other brands bring out products that are just as good or perhaps even better and there's been a lot of body butter adultery going on (sorry, body shop!). This one I received in a gift set for Christmas and by the time this review's come around the tub was already long gone.

As you might guess from the fact that this is made for very dry skin, this stuff's tough. It's the thickest body butter that I've ever come across, which isn't greasy. I have no idea how that works, but somehow it does. Think hardened Philadelphia cheese instead of an actual knob of butter if you want to get an idea of the texture.
It does take an awful lot of elbow grease to get this stuff over your skin, but a little extra workout here and there doesn't hurt now that bikini season is getting a lot closer. It also takes a few minutes to sink in, so not one if you're in a big rush. We all know the pain of trying to get into skinny jeans right after you've buttered yourself up. It's hilarious for anyone who's watching, though.

If you're willing to see past these little blips, then you shall be rewarded with absolutely gorgeous skin. The type that has you stroking yourself all day long like some sort of creep. The type that makes people who accidentally brush past you turn around saying things like, "GOSH, your skin is so soooooft".
And the smell.... oh, dear me, the smell. I once read on a beauty blog that the scent reminds them of Miss Dior Cherie and I have to agree wholeheartedly. If you love it, you're sorted, as chances are it will layer beautifully with whatever perfume you put over it, but if it's not your type of scent, then stay away, as this will make your skin smell all day long. Even though I don't see why anybody wouldn't love the scent. Or body butters. Mmmmmmh, body butters....

At £10.50 for 300ml this one's a cult product for a reason.

Naked 24 Hour Coco de Mer Body Butter

Today I'm sharing a product that was bought out of sheer desperation. Body lotion or body butter is one of those beauty products I cannot imagine living without. Something just doesn't feel right if my skin is not covered in nice smelling deliciousness after a shower.
This Naked 24 Hour Body Butter was bought during a mad dash to Boots when I realised that I hadn't enough of my old one left to last me another application.

I can't say I've ever heard of this brand before and their product range on the shelves wasn't overwhelmingly big either, but something about it just appealed to me, so I thought I'd give it a go. It contains 97% natural ingredients, which is a bonus and is vegetarian- but not vegan-friendly.

This picture freaks me out a little

As it was a product bought out of desperation I even forgot to take photographs before using, so sorry about the mucky insides of the tin. The picture above actually really, really grosses me out, but it shows just how thick this body butter is - quite literally like butter. You've really got to give it some elbow grease to scoop out a bit and then to rub it in.

Due to the thick texture it does take a little longer to sink into the skin than some other butters I've tried, but is still faster than a lot of horrible runny lotions. It keeps skin very soft and moisturised and would be particularly great during these cold winter months. That 24 hour promise on the tub is probably fairly accurate for a change.

The only issue I had with this was the scent. I would describe it as a very heavy, floral infused shea butter smell and for me it was just way too overpowering. A bit like walking into a scented candle shop or one of those "alternative" stores, where the air is so thick with incense you can't see past the tip of your nose.
If you're interested in giving this a go, I definitely recommend giving it a quick sniff first. I've read plenty of reviews online from people who adore the scent, so maybe it's just me. For moisturising properties, however, this body butter gets a big fat thumbs up.

At £5.45 for a 300ml tub it is also very reasonably priced.

I love... mango & papaya body butter review

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like as soon as the sun comes out you want to smell like a fruit salad or some kind of tropical cocktail that gets served with a paper umbrella, a slice of pineapple and a glacé cherry? Now, my heart firmly belongs to Body Shop Body Butters, but even I have to admit that in the summer months they can be a tad too rich meaning they leave a sticky layer on the skin which eventually mixes with sweat - YUM!

Bin ich es nur, oder merkt ihr auch, dass man sobald die Sonne etwas scheint plötzlich wie ein Obstsalat riechen möchte, oder wie ein tropischer Cocktail, der mit Papierschirmchen, einer Ananasscheibe und kandierter Kirsche serviert wird? Mein Herz schlägt zwar immer noch für die Body Butters von The Body Shop, doch selbst ich muss eingestehen, dass sie in den Sommermonaten etwas zu reichhaltig sein können. Das heißt sie hinterlassen einen klebrigen Film auf der Haut, der sich schließlich mit Schweiß vermischt - LECKER!

I was instantly drawn to the I love... display when I went shopping for a body lotion due to the bright colours and the yummy sounding names. I shop like a pro, dontchaknow.

Der Stand von I love... zog mich im Geschäft magisch an, wegen der bunten Farben und der leckeren Namen. Ich shoppe nunmal wie ein Profi.

The scent of this is heavenly. Fruity, sweet and gorgeous without being sickly in the least - at least in my opinion. On me the scent doesn't last quite as long as some other body products I've tried. About half an hour after showering it's pretty much gone - great if you don't want it to interfere with your perfume, but not so great if you want to smell like mango and papaya. I guess you could try layering it with the shower gel and other products from the same range if you wanted the scent to linger for a bit longer.

Der Geruch dieser Body Butter ist himmlisch. Fruchtig, süß und wunderschön, ohne Würgreiz zu erzeugen - meiner Meinung nach, zumindest. Der Geruch bleibt an meiner Haut nicht ganz so lange haften wie andere Produkte. Etwa eine halbe Stunde nach dem Duschen riecht man wieder nichts mehr. Das ist toll, wenn man nicht möchte, dass sich der Geruch mit dem Parfum beißt, aber nicht so toll wenn man nach Mango und Papaya duften möchte. Man könnte vielleicht versuchen, den Geruch mit Duschgel und anderen Produkten aus der Reihe aufzubauen, damit er etwas länger hält.

The texture of this is lovely for the warmer months. It's soft, easy to grab and very fluffy. Think low-fat whipped spread rather than actual butter. For that reason it's very easily spreadable and sinks in quickly without leaving any nasty residue.

Die Konsistenz ist für die wärmeren Monate sehr toll. Sie ist weich, leicht aufzunehmen und sehr... fluffig. Eher gewhippte Diät-Margarine als tatsächliche Butter. Aus diesem Grund lässt sie sich sehr leicht verteilen und zieht schnell ein, ohne einen ekligen Film zu hinterlassen.

This product left my skin feeling nice and moisturised, as it's supposed to. I usually shower in the evenings (I already have to get up at 5am as it is, I'm NOT adding an extra hour to shower before work!!) and the next morning my skin still feels velvety soft. I'm not so sure how it would fare on rough winter knees and elbows, as it's just not that moisturising, but for normal skin without any dry patches, or for the warmer months of the year this is just fabulous.

Das Produkt fühlte sich sehr feuchtigkeitsspendend an, wie es auch sein sollte. Ich dusche normalerweise abends (Ich muss auch so schon täglich um fünf aufstehen, ich häng da jetzt nicht noch ne Stunde dran, um zu duschen!!) und am nächsten Morgen fühlt sich meine Haut immer noch samtig weich an. Ich bin mir nicht so sicher, wie sie mit aufgerauten Winterknien und -ellbogen zurechtkäme, da sie jetzt nicht so reichhaltig ist, aber für normale Haut ohne trockene Stellen, oder für die wärmer Zeit des Jahres ist sie einfach wunderbar.

And the best thing? This costs £2.05 in Superdrug. Bargain if you ask me!

Das beste? Sie kostet €5,95 bei Douglas. Im Verhältnis zum Body Shop ein Schnäppchen, wenn ihr mich fragt!