Sanctuary Body Scrub

The Sanctuary Body Scrub is the last item that I received in a gift box for my birthday earlier on in the year. I have to be honest to begin with and say that I’m not the biggest fan of any body scrub. I much prefer a smooth and silky feeling shower gel but as I have liked so many other Sanctuary products, I was more than willing to give this one a go.

Sanctuary products are available from Boots and the Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden. This particular product currently costs £5.50 from Boots for a 200ml tube.

The packaging for this body scrub is much like any other product in the Sanctuary range. The plastic tube is see through for the most part, save for the black printed text which gives the Sanctuary logo, name of the product as well as a description. At the bottom of the tube is an orange flip cap which is really easy to open. The orange colour of the cap is in keeping with the Sanctuary brand colours which means this matches the other products I have.

When squeezing the scrub out of the tube, I can quickly feel that it is of a really thick consistency, much like a paste. The scrub comes out of the tube really easily so you only need to squeeze it gently in order to get a decent amount in your hands. As well as being thick, the scrub has a rough texture to it. This comes from the particles inside the liquid and those are what makes this a scrub instead of a shower gel.

When using this product, Sanctuary advise that the best results can be seen if you use in a slow, circular motion on the skin. As a body scrub, this is designed to help clear your body of dead skin and to make it feeling wonderfully soft and smooth. The circular motion helps to exfoliate the skin. This product does feel a little rough on the skin but not as much as some other body scrubs I have tried in the past. Whilst in the shower or bath, I can feel the particles rubbing on my skin but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable at all. The scrub also has the addition of a soothing orange oil which helps to make the scrub feel softer than it maybe should.

As scents go, this one is very gentle in comparison to other Sanctuary products. The scrub contains patchouli oil as well as the previously mentioned orange oil. Strangely though, I don’t really smell either of these in the product. I would have loved for this to smell more like the orange oil but instead I got a weakened down version of the scent that you normally get with a Sanctuary product. Usually, these smell quite strong in the bath or shower but not this one.

After using the product, my skin does feel very soft and exfoliated. I can definitely feel the difference between my skin before and after using this body scrub. I do feel that my skin feels even softer though with the use of a body moisturiser straight after but the body scrub on its own does do a good enough job. This is one of the better body scrubs I have used mainly because it doesn’t feel incredibly rough on my skin. I would have liked this so much more though if the scent had been stronger.

Carex Nature Protect Handwash Manuka Honey & Oatmilk

Handwash is one of those products that I’ll buy when something is on offer. A little while ago in my local Sainsbury’s I found Carex Nature Protect Handwash with Manuka Honey & Oatmilk on offer for only £1. The normal price for this product is roughly £1.80 depending on where you buy it from and this is for a 250ml bottle.

This handwash comes in a square, plastic bottle which has a pump dispenser at the top. The front of the bottle has the Carex logo printed on it which is quite large but there is also room for the name of the handwash as well as the ingredients to be printed on there as well. As the bottle is clear, you are able to see the honey coloured liquid inside. The packaging is quite plain as there isn’t too much on the front but it does look appealing on the shelf.

One of the two main ingredients in this handwash is Manuka Honey which I had never heard of before. After looking it up online, I found that it comes from New Zealand and it is supposed to be a good antibacterial product. This, added with Oatmilk, makes for a good handwash as it combines antibacterial with moisturising ingredients. Due to working with money all day as well as making drinks, changing beer barrels etc. my hands do get quite dry and rough at times. I need a good handwash to help put the moisture back in and make my hands look nice again so this is what I was hoping this particular product would do.

In order to use the handwash you just need to give the pump dispenser a quick push down and out will come the liquid. One pump will dispense a really good amount of liquid so you only need to do this once. The handwash is a lovely, rich honey colour which feels silky and smooth in the hands. Once added to a bit of warm water, the handwash lathers up extremely well, which again, backs up the only needing to use one pump of the liquid. Although this has both Manuka Honey and Oatmilk, it does smell more like honey which is extremely sweet but a scent I like a lot.

After using this handwash, my hands feel smooth and in much better condition than they did before. Although not a miracle working in regards to dry and rough skin, continued use does make my hands better over time. For the £1 I paid for this product, I really can’t complain. It makes my hands feel great and it also smells really nice. 

Avon Seventh Heaven Senses Shower Gel

As my Nanna is an Avon lady, I tend to get a range of bath and shower products for my birthdays and Christmas. One of the newer things I have received is the Avon Senses Seventh Heaven Dreamy Shower Gel. This product can be found through an Avon representative or from the Avon website. For a 500ml bottle this will set you back £3 although it is often on offer for £1.50.

The shower gel comes in a pretty basic bottle which has slight curves to the edges. There is a large lid at the top in a bright pink colour. Although the lid is large, it only has a small flip top part right at the top which reveals the smallest of holes for the liquid to come out of. I think that the lid of this bottle could have been better designed for ease of use. As this shower gel is called Seventh Heaven, the bottle also has a picture of a really pretty pink sea that looks really calming and pretty.

The main ingredients that affect the scent of this product are Rose, Peony and Musk and this is stated on the front of the bottle. Inside the bottle you can see the soft pink coloured shower gel which matches the packaging really well. As soon as you flip up the lid and have a quick sniff, there is a lovely, fresh but feminine scent that comes out at you. I was looking forward to using this based off of the scent that comes out of the bottle before even using the shower gel.

However, once being used in the shower, I wasn’t as impressed. The shower gel doesn’t lather up too well and you need to use quite a lot on a fluff ball which means the bottle doesn’t last as long as it could. Also, the scent that I loved in the first place is quite non-existent once the gel gets warm. With other shower gels I own, the bathroom (and me) keep the scent for quite a while after a shower but I couldn’t even smell this one whilst I was using it which is a real shame. But, there are some going points too. The shower gel is really soft and does make my skin feel nice after using it. Even though I come out of the shower with my skin not smelling of much, my skin feels soft, smooth and moisturised.

I definitely wouldn’t pay full price for this shower gel but I wouldn’t mind getting it again as a gift or paying the reduced price.