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.

Sunday Catch Up

Fancy coffee beans to try in my new coffee machine // New diary, yay! // Pizza for breakfast, great start to eating more healthily this year // This ready meal made me angry // Managed to make a roast chicken, woohoo // Feeling crafty

Short one this week, as it hasn't been overly exciting. I got a new job, mind, but had to stay in most days, including New Year's Eve (boo!). Let's hope this next week is a little bit more interesting.

Lush Father Christmas Bath Ballistic Review

I never used to be a massive fan of Lush cosmetics, but the last year I've grown more and more fond of their products, particularly their bath goodies. Yes, they're a tad on the expensive side, but they smell amazing and are nice for a one off treat from time to time.

With all the seasonal ranges in particular I feel like I need to get in before they're gone or else I'm missing out. There were a few items I was eyeing up in the festive season last time around, but before I managed to get my bottom into gear they were already gone and I was gutted!

I wasn't going to get a Father Christmas, but he looked so happy in the shop he somehow magically made it into my basket anyway!

With bath ballistics I tend to just plonk the whole thing into my tub, but if you don't mind getting your hands a little messy you could easily get about two or three baths out of him.

Once in the water, he instantly starts fizzing away and dissolving, leaving behind a foamy pink trail.

Then he starts to reveal his green interior - and yes, those are big bits of red glitter you see in there.

Getting greener.

And this is the end result: Bright green bath water with white foam and lots and lots of red glitter on top.

And oh my, is it glittery. There was glitter all over my body, glitter all over the bath tub, glitter in unspeakable places! As I treated myself to this bath on Christmas Eve Eve I didn't mind being a bit of a disco ball over the holidays, but I'm not sure I'd want to turn up to work like this. The glitter stayed on for days, despite several showers!

As for the scent, I'd describe it as "eating sherbet in the forest". Very sweet and candy like, but with a little bit of woodiness to it, sort of pine tree like. The Lush website only mentions that this contains mandarin oil, so I guess that's where I'm getting the sherbet notes from.

I did enjoy my nice relaxing bath very much and emerged smelling lovely. I think due to the overload of glitter I'll give this one a miss next year, though!

Did you get yourself any seasonal Lush goodies?

January Wish List

I feel a little bit guilty posting a wish list so shortly after Christmas when I was spoilt to lots of lovely things, but there's nothing wrong with a little (online) window shopping and a girl can dream after all, eh? Having said that, I am getting a tad bored with what's on offer on the high street at the moment. If I see another piece of moustache jewellery I think I'm seriously going to puke. Bring on some new spring items!

Planet Motif Sweater, Topshop, £35 // Jaquard Knicker Short, Miss Selfridge, £39 // Red Multicoloured Cross Bracelet, River Island, £4 // Red Embellished Feather Head Dress Print Tank, River Island, £18 // Chic Skinny Leather Belt, Topshop, £17 // Leopard Print Slipper, Zara, £37

I'm trying to be a little bit more brave with prints and the galaxy print sweater is an easy way to get into that with its nostalgic feel. I swear I had one almost exactly like this when I was about six. 

In the spirit of wearing more print I really like the baroque print short shorts from Miss Selfridge, too. My legs are the one part of my body I don't mind so much, so I'm sure these would get plenty of wear over a pretty pair of tights.

I'm usually not a major fan of crosses, but this bracelet is so wonderfully colourful it somehow appeals to my inner hippie. Maybe it's just a sign that it really needs to start being summer again!

The tank top reminds me of an amazing canvas print of a feather head dress I've seen a while ago (but couldn't afford) and ever since I've had a slight obsession with it. If I can't hang it on my wall, I can at least hang it from my shoulders.

I don't wear a lot of belts and quite frankly I'm not sure what I would wear this one with, but I really like the soft pastel blue colour.

Now, some might argue that I have enough shoes already (there might be a grain of truth in there), but I've actually managed to ruin two pairs of flats in the space of the last two or three months, so surely it wouldn't hurt to get some new ones? Especially if they look as comfy as these!

What are you lusting after this month?

Spa Organics Gentle Cucumber Cleanser Review

Welcome to the New Year everyone. I hope you had a great New Year's Eve and had a good time, even if like me you didn't do anything fancy.

For the first post this year I have a product I've been meaning to review for a while now, but haven't got round to till now: The Spa Organics Gentle Cucumber Cleanser*.

Spa Organics are a new cosmetics brand delivering (you guessed it) natural and organic beauty products at affordable prices. Their range isn't particularly big, but all products are well thought out and you can see the time and effort that has gone into creating each and every one of them.

I wouldn't be saying that just for the sake of it - the thing that made me take notice was that along with the cleanser I received a comprehensive list of ingredients for all their products, including an explanation what exactly it was doing in there. I don't know what half the ingredients in my beauty products are, not to mention what they're actually supposed to do for me, so this was truly a breath of fresh air. There isn't a single chemical nasty in their products, a lot of ingredients are locally sourced and the products aren't tested on animals either. So far, a big thumbs up.

The Gentle Cucumber Cleanser comes in a 150ml plastic pump bottle. It dispenses easily and the pump has a well functioning locking system which means it travels well without any spillages. I use about one pump in the mornings and one and a half in the evenings, when my face is grimy and dirty from make-up and, well, all that other mucky stuff you pick up during the course of the day.
The packaging may not be particularly fancy, but it's a new company we're talking about, after all, and it's the inside that counts. (I've had my fair share of brightly coloured, elaborately packaged products with lots of witty slogans printed all over them that turned out to be rubbish)

The thing that surprised me the most is just how creamy this cleanser is. I haven't tried an awful lot of all-natural cosmetics, but my experience with them so far was that the texture is somehow lacking without the use of silicones, making for products that are very difficult to spread and apply. Not so with this - it feels thick, smooth and luxurious on the skin, though it's creamy richness means you have to be extra thorough when rinsing it off.

I feel that the scent is definitely worth mentioning, so take note if you have a sensitive nose, please. This smells. Not in a bad way, but it has a very intense cucumber scent. It doesn't linger and disappears as soon as you rinse off the cleanser. Personally, it doesn't bother me - I associate the scent of cucumbers with freshness and cleanliness which fits in perfectly with the whole idea of a cleanser. Yet if strong scents bother you or if you have an aversion to cucumbers, this might be a point worth considering.

As for the skin benefits I would agree that this is particularly suited to sensitive skin. It was gentle enough and did not cause any of that pulling tight feeling that some harsher cleansers leave on your face. It's not meant to be used on the eye area, but if a little bit gets in through too vigorous scrubbing (I am often guilty of that) it won't leave your eyes red and sore.
At first, the cleanser wasn't quite thorough enough for me in the evenings and I'd still find a bit of dirt and make-up on my cotton pad after toning, but when I increased the amount I used from one pump to one and a half that seemed to solve the problem. After that, the cleanser served me well and did what it was meant to do in a gentle, skin friendly manner. The beautiful texture made me perk up and often stopped me from rubbing my face like a dirty old rag and to treat it kindly instead.

The cleanser retails at £10.95 for 150ml which is more than justified in my honest opinion. You'd be hard pressed to find natural, organic products at such a price and I find you get good value for your money.

You can pick up this as well as other products in the range on the Spa Organics website, which also includes the comprehensive list of ingredients used that I talked about earlier.

All in all, a great find for those who want to venture into organic skincare without having to break the bank or compromising on quality.

*PR sample sent for consideration