The Body Shop Deluxe Body Butter Tin

While I was in Manchester last month I did a hell of alot of shopping. I was going to do a big haul post showing you guys what I bought and what not but in the end I decided not to. I didn't want to be bombarding you with picture after picture of stuff I got, I know some may find it a little boring. I'd much prefer to do reviews on the things I love as it means I can give a more indepth view on the product which I can't really do in a haul.

One of the purchases I was most excited about was this gift set from The Body Shop. I went to the store in the Trafford Centre but there are tonnes dotted all over Manchester. I was drawn towards this particular gift set right away as not only is it really great value but I also got to choose what I wanted in it. I got to pick any three body butters I wanted out of the range and they put them all into this gorgeous gold metal tin. I don't know if this was a year round offer or not but in my opinion it's definitely worth checking out. I've never seen it in Dublin so it may just be a special promotion in the English stores. There were also mini body butters available in a smaller tin which was so cute. I decided on the bigger tin in the end, 3 body butters for £20 how could you wrong. The only problem I had was fitting it into my suitcase coming home. Before my Mom left for Dublin she told me to leave it in the hotel, could I ever? No is the right answer, I just think it's such a handy size tin especially great for holding these body butters.

You may be wondering what body butters I got, Mango, Pink Grapefruit and Shea made up my three. Two of which have the new packaging which looks lovely. I like how it shows a picture of the key ingredient in the body butter. All the old body butters had so much writing on the lids which then in turn looked very cluttered. There's neat writing around the sides of the new tub saying what skin type it's for and the scent which is a nicer change. Out of the three I bought, Mango and Shea are my favourites, I really can't decide which one I like more. I've heard that the Body Shop are bringing out a new Peach range, I love anything that has this scent so I can't wait to try some bits from the range when it's out.

What's your favourite body butter scent? Do you like the new packaging?

Laura<3

Summer Must Haves/Essentials #3 - My Saviours for Dry Skin

The weather has been quite changeable in Ireland lately as a result my skin hasn't been the best. It's been horribly dry on my elbows, legs and arms. To try to combat this I've been switching between two body moisturisers. I've only got into using body creams as of late, don't get me wrong I've used them before but not as regularly as I do now.

One of the products that I'm going talk a bit more about was already featured in my July Favourites. I'm going to start off with the other body moisturiser I've been loving this month and that's Yes to Carrots Intense Softening Body Lotion for  extra-dry skin*. I wouldn't be familiar with many products from this brand as I've never tried them before. I've heard pretty good things about the range from my Nana, she's absolutely in love with their products. She a big fan of their cleanser and day/night moisturisers from the line. The Yes to.. brand have lots of different lines like Cucumber, Tomato and Blueberries which all target different skin types e.g. oily, dry etc. I really want to try the Tomato range but I haven't seen it anywhere in Dublin which is odd as they stock everything else. As my first product the Intense Softening Body Lotion has impressed me considerably. It comes in a 170g tube which is huge and as it's mainly for problem dry areas this is sure to last ages. The product itself is quite thick so I only take the tiniest bit, I've been using this mostly on my elbow. I had psoriasis a couple of years ago and that part of my body still tend to get dry from it and this has been helping it alot. Alot of people will be happy to hear that this product is 99% Natural and contains no SLS or Petroleum, nothing nasty at all insight. After using this on my skin, it was left feeling lovely and soft even though it is an intense lotion it does dry into your skin fairly quick which gets major brownie points with me. I always see the Yes to Carrot range on special so I'm pretty sure you can get this product for in and around the €7/€8 mark which for me is great value as it's such a big tube. My other skin saviour was featured in my July favourites post. At €53 for 340g, Kiehl's Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter is alot more on the expensive side of things. I'd been wanting to get this for a while before I caved in and finally bought it. The Kiehl's staff in my local store Dundrum really know there stuff so I was pleased when I was buying it in the end as it was definitely what I was looking for. There was a 20% off event on aswell when I bought this so the product was reduced for the day to €42.40 which certainly helped me make my decision. Being from the Creme De Corps line, I had high hopes for Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter. I'd tried the original cult body and fell in love with it right away so this product had to hit a high note with me. In the end I'm so happy I bought this as it's such a nice treat for my skin. It's a thick yellow cream that smells absolutely heavenly I adore the scent I could sit here and smell it as I write this post no problem. I've been using this alot since I bought it, with the body butter itself being so thick I only need a small amount as a little bit spreads over the skin alot. This means that  the tub (which is huge by the way) is still pretty much full, it seriously looks like I've used hardly any. When applying this whipped butter be warned it does take that little bit longer to seek in but once it does it leaves your skin smelling yummy and feeling hydrated. All in all I've enjoyed using both these products, if your looking for a bargain I'd definitely go for the Yes to Carrot offering and if you want to go that extra mile, treat yourself at payday to the luxurious Kiehl's Whipped Body Butter, you won't regret it. If you don't want to fork out on this giant tub there's also a smaller one to choose from, I'm not too sure of the price off the top of my head but from what I can remember it's not considerably cheaper.

Have you tried anything from either of these brands? What are your dry skin saviours?

Laura<3

The Handmade Soap Co. Choco-Mint Lip Balm

The Handmade Soap Co. was an Irish brand I knew very little about, until I bought their grapefruit body butter (smells amazing) back in December. After using it for the past 3 months now, I can tell you that I love it, it's so moisturising. Even though I've had it for a while, I still have so much product left, so it's certainly worth the money (€22.95). I was contacted recently and asked if I wanted to try one of their lip balms. I didn't know The Handmade Soap Company did lip products too, so I looked forward to trying it.

There are three lip balms to choose from, I was sent the Choco-Mint lip balm. It smells so nice, like mint chocolate chip ice cream, definitely more on the minty side though. I tend to get lip balms that have fancy packaging so this of course is very different. Don't let the metal tin put you off though as the product itself is great. As you can see from the picture, it is a solid balm so you do have to warm it up a little. Once on the lips, it's very cooling and moisturising, great if you have dry lips like me. I've been using Choco-Mint lip balm for the past while and I still have a lot of product to go, for €4.50 this is great value for money. I really liked this lip balm, when I run out I'm definitely going to try and get my hands on the other two.

Have you heard of The Handmade Soap Company? What products have you tried?

Laura<3

My First Order From Marshmallow Blends

I recently made my first order from Marshmallow Blends. This online store was started by Nicoletta, you may know her as Nicoletta's Beauty Space. Marshmallow Blends sells everything from solid scrubs to lip butters, so needless to say it's hard to purchase just a few things. When Nicoletta first blogged about starting up her own company, I immediately knew she was on to something special. I couldn't wait to make a order, sadly I heard Marshmallow Blends only delivered to England. I told Nicoletta about this and she changed the delivery to include Ireland. Thanks so much for that!!

I went a bit mad as usual and bought a good few things as you can see. The packaging is simple which I like as I feel it let's the product itself do the talking.

Maple Lip Butter
Wow this lip butter smells amazing, very sweet just like maple syrup. As you can see from the picture above there's already a dip in the product. I have really dry lips at the moment, I've been using  this lip butter so much. I like the sturdy packaging as I can throw this lip butter in my bag without worrying about it breaking. I ordered my Mom the Lemon Cheesecake Lip Butter which she loves and is constantly raving about! There are three other lip butters to choose from. I already have my eye on Strawberry & Champagne and  White Chocolate & Honey.

Coconut Ice Solid Scrub Bar

This is by far the best Solid Scrub bar I've ever used. I've tried many before and they all seem to dissolve in the shower after only one use. Marshmallow Blends Coconut Ice Solid Scrub Bar is different, I've used this twice already and there's still lots left. The scrub itself is coarse which is how I like them to be. If you love coconut scented products you'll love the smell of this!

Buttered Pecan & Maple Massage Candle
I haven't gotten around to using this yet. Like all the other products, Buttered Pecan & Maple Massage Candle smells great. Like the Maple Lip Butter, but even sweeter. I may do a individual post on this when I  use it.

Pink Sugar Body Butter
Another product I've been using alot, this body butter is thick and creamy so a little bit goes a long way.  I've been using this body butter after showering and it leaves my skin feeling so soft and smooth. This size tub is sure to last me ages as well which is always a good thing. I don't own anything that smells like this it's beautiful. Vanilla and Sweet! I also ordered one of these for my mom. I got her the AppleJack Whipped Body Butter, she loves the spicy scent.

Strawberry Cheesecake Massage Bar
This product was a little something extra that Nicoletta popped into my order which was such a nice touch. In past experiences with massage bars, my skin felt oily/greasy after using them. This resulted in me using them only at night. Again I was really surprised with this massage bar. It didn't leave my skin feeling that way at all just lovely and smooth which I was happy with. The strawberry scent is really nice. Thanks so much Nicoletta for adding this in. Another product I enjoyed using!!

I love all the Marshmallow Blends goodies I purchased. I'm certainly going to make another order very soon. I already have my eye on the Caramel Cupcake Body Scrub.

New products go up on their  facebook page regularly so it's worth having a look at! If you want to see what else Marshmallow Blends has to offer check out the website.

Laura<3

Kings & Queens Bath and Body Collection!

Having been around for a while, Kings & Queens is a brand I haven't heard much about. The products are inspired by herbs and spices used by Kings and Queen of times gones by (hence the name). The packaging design is unique and stands out which I was immediately drawn to. The range itself features everything from lovely soaps to gorgeous body butters. I was lucky enough recently to be sent a few products from the brand to try.

Kings & Queens King Sumatra Pepper Bergamot Shower Gel
King Sumatra Pepper Bergamot is my least favourite from the products I tried, mainly because I'd consider this more of a men's scent.. If I tried a different scent I'd probably like it more. The showergel is great and lathers rather nicely. The scent stays a while after showering.

Kings & Queens Nefertiti Honey Body Milk
Does exactly what I'd expect a body milk to do. Nefertiti Honey is extremely light but also moisturising, it left my skin so soft. This smells amazing like pure honey. I'm a big fan of it! At first it may come across a bit strong for some people but it settles into a nice soft scent.

Kings & Queens Tsar Peter Tobacco Soap
When my Mom seen this soap, it reminded her of the carbolic soap she used when she was younger. I was really intrigued to see what this was going to smell like. I thought this would be a scent I wouldn't like. I was expecting it to be very strong, but in fact it was just musky. Still not something I'd use on a regular basis,I think Tsar Peter Tobacco Soap is more aimed at men. The soap gives a good lather and this size is sure to last for ages.

Kings & Queens Queen Isabella Cinnamon Orange Shimmering Body Milk

This is exactly the same as Nefertiti Honey Body Milk except it contains a light shimmer. Queen Isabella's Cinnamon Orange Shimmering Body Milk would be great to use before nights out over tan or on holidays as it leaves you with a gorgeous glow. The Cinnamon Orange scent is my favourite scent of the bunch, it's just smells so amazing. I very tempted to purchase some more Cinnamon Orange scented products from the range.

Kings & Queens Caspar Myrrh Body Butter
I was expecting not to like this scent but I was left pleasantly surprised as it's actually quite nice. Rich and spicy it wouldn't be a scent I'd use all the time maybe if I wanted something different. The body butter itself is thick but not enough to leave you feeling greasy/oily. This would be perfect for people suffering with dry skin. I don't think the Myrrh scent would appeal to many people, it's also available in three others.

This is a brand I could see of lot of people liking because of the story behind each product. I love how at the back of each product it tells you a bit about each King or Queen that used the spice or herb. The sizes of each product is very generous and I can see them lasting a long time. If I was to recommend one particular scent from the range it would have to be Cinnamon Orange (my favourite).

Kings & Queens Bath and Body Collection is available to buy online.

Laura<3