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.

Figs and Rouge Coco Rose Lip Balm

Due to being a subscriber of Glossybox, I get a box of random beauty products through my door every month. As part of the June box, I received a tube of the Figs and Rouge Coco Rose Lip Balm. Figs and Rouge is a brand I had never heard of before but I am always willing to give something new a try, hence me subscribing to a thing such as Glossybox. Although mine came with my monthly subscription, a full size (12.5ml) tube of this product costs £5.

The lip balm comes in a very loud and colourful tube which definitely stood out in comparison to the other products I received. This product comes in an aluminium tube which is mostly covered in a bright pink colour with pictures of little storks. There are also hints of yellow, green and black which feature on the lid and the printed text. Wrapped around the Figs and Rouge logo are the statements that this is a 100% natural and 100% pure product as well as the fact that it is moisturising and soothing. These are great claims that I was hoping would stand up.

In order to use the lip balm, the bright green cap needs unscrewing. After this, it is possible to see the glittery pink balm inside the tube. As the name of this product is Coco Rose I wasn’t sure whether to expect pink or a chocolate looking product but I did like the colour that it was. The balm squeezes out with ease so care needs to be taken when doing this as you could end up with it everywhere if you squeeze too hard. The balm is also quite thick in consistency. Sometimes, thick creams and balms can be tough to rub in but not this one. With just a tiny amount on the end of my finger, I was easily able to rub this into my lips and it was absorbed really well. If you do use too much in one go, your lips can end up feeling quite greasy which isn’t a nice feeling.

Something I wasn’t expecting with this product for it to not really have a particular scent. However, it does have quite a strange taste to it which I can’t quite put my finger on. It neither tastes completely of rose nor coco but I would say it does lean closer to coco. This isn’t a taste that I like though so quite quickly I was put off this product. While I didn’t like the taste, I did like how it looked and felt on my lips. The balm gives a lovely pink, glittery sheen to my lips which is a nice look if you don’t want something as heavy as lipstick or lip gloss.

Even though I didn’t like the taste of this product, I did stick with it to see what the results would be like. The lip balm is extremely moisturising and after a couple of days, my lips were a lot softer and smoother than they normally are. However, this lip balm is more expensive than what I would normally pay for this kind of product and I don’t think it works much better than a cheaper alternative. That, plus the fact that I didn’t like how it tasted means that it just isn’t a product for me. 

Palmolive Soft & Gentle Extra Fresh Deodorant

I’m always up for trying a new deodorant, especially if it is cheap or on offer. Although I had tried other Palmolive Soft & Gentle deodorants in the past and wasn’t totally impressed, I was willing to give a different one a chance. I managed to get the Palmolive Soft & Gentle Extra Fresh Deodorant for £1 at the time of purchase.

The packaging for this product does look lovely and fresh, which matches the name really well. The aerosol can holds 250ml of product and is white and blue in colour. The scent of this product is lotus and watermelon and I think the colour choices reflect this really well. The can also has some pictures of these things which helps to emphasise what you are buying. I like that this can doesn’t come in the usual pink that a lot of deodorants for women do. However, it still manages to look quite feminine due to the pictures on the front. The can is very comfortable to hold although with a deodorant, how long do you ever actually have to hold it for. There is a slight curve in the middle of the can to make it easier to hold.

After popping off the blue lid, you will find a push button underneath which is where the deodorant comes out of. For the first use, you will need to press down quite hard to break the seal but after that, the button presses down very easily. When held down, the spray comes out in quite a powerful burst so be careful not to hold it down for too long. As the button works so easily, you can use quite short bursts which will make sure you haven’t used too much. Even with using quite a bit, there are no white marks left and it dries very quickly, meaning you can get dressed near enough immediately after use.

This deodorant is extremely gentle on the skin, which is a good thing considering the name of the product. It doesn’t sting and it doesn’t irritate the skin whatsoever. It also smells fantastic. The watermelon and lotus scent is very refreshing and different from the girly, floral deodorants I have been used to using. While there are still hints of floral scents, it is the watermelon that I can smell the most.

With another deodorant from this brand, I didn’t feel that it lasted very long at all. I can happily say that this one does last much longer. Working an 8 hour shift and being on my feet all day means that I do need a good deodorant that will last. With this one, I feel fresh throughout my whole shift and I feel that it deals very well with any sweat that may occur. However, I don’t think it is a strong enough product for people who would use this before going to the gym etc. or for using over the course of a longer day.

For £1, this is a good deodorant and thankfully better than others from Palmolive.

Sanctuary Intensive Rescue Heel Balm

I’m really prone to getting rough, hard skin on the heels of my feel and I have a hard time getting rid of it. As part of my Sanctuary gift set I was extremely pleased to see a bottle of the Sanctuary Intensive Rescue Heel Balm. Even though I have used all kinds of files etc, I hadn’t thought about using a cream or a balm to help with the hard skin. Sanctuary claims that this product is moisture-rich and tackles very dry skin.

As a Sanctuary product, you can find this at Boots or the Sanctuary Spa and it costs £7.50 for a 75ml bottle.

Unlike the majority of Sanctuary products, this one does not come in the usual orange packaging. Instead, the heel balm comes in a tube like bottle which has a light blue flip cap at the bottom and blue and black text printed on the front. It is only the Sanctuary logo that makes this look like a Sanctuary product and if it wasn’t for that, I would have thought this product to be from an extremely cheaper brand. It’s a shame this doesn’t have the same coloured packaging as other products from this brand as it means it doesn’t match other things in my bathroom.

The cream inside the tube is of a very thick consistency and is white in colour. As the flip cap is at the bottom, it only takes a little squeeze to get the cream out. On first use, I had no idea how much I was going to need in order for this product to start working and it turned out I used far too much. A little really does go quite a long way with this heel balm. You only need to use a small amount on each heel. The cream rubs in and soaks into even cracked heels extremely well and quickly. I ended up with cream being rubbed into the whole of my feet because I had used far too much the first time.

After using this for only a couple of days, I could instantly feel the different in the skin on the heels of my feet. At this point, my skin felt a hell of a lot softer and the cracks were not nearly as harsh as they had been before. When using this on a longer basis, it gives fantastic effects. After a couple of weeks, the skin had improved considerably and along with using a foot file, my heels were looking great. Within a couple of weeks, the cracks had nearly disappeared and the skin was really soft instead of hard and dry.

The only downfall that I can see with this product is the scent, or lack of. Instead of having the scent of regular Sanctuary products (which is one I love), the heel balm doesn’t really smell of anything. Although no one goes around smelling my feet, it would be nice to have a nice scent while using the product. For £7.50, this is an expensive foot product and while the small 75ml bottle does go a long way, it is quite basic for what it is.  

Palmolive Soft & Gentle Aroma Therapy Sensual Antiperspirant Deodorant

I have tried many deodorants in the past and I generally tend to buy them depending on the price, not the brand. At the time of purchase (which was a while ago now) the Palmolive Soft & Gentle Aroma Therapy Sensual Antiperspirant Deodorant cost only £1 and was on offer in Wilkos. The actual fragrance of this product is Wild Rose and Vanilla.

The deodorant comes in your average canister for this kind of product. The colours on the canister are mostly pink and white, with the bottom being a bright pink with white covering the top two thirds. The pop off lid matches the bright pink colour at the bottom of the canister. The words Soft & Gentle are printed on in large letting which makes the product stand out on a shelf. There are also pictures of flowers which makes it appear feminine.

Once the pink cap is off, it reveals a push down white spray nozzle. With a first, hard press, the nozzle releases the deodorant. It is advised that you spray this roughly 15-30cm away from the body. The deodorant comes out quickly once the nozzle is pressed in a white spray form. One thing I dislike about this deodorant is how thick the spray is. My flat is pretty small and the bathroom has no ventilation so if I use this product in there, the room fills up and makes it hard to breathe. Instantly though, you can smell vanilla with the hints of rose coming out slowly. The vanilla is by far the strongest of the two scents but I don’t mind this at all as I love the smell of vanilla.

Palmolive claim that this product is ‘specially formulated to battle unwanted wetness and unpleasant odours throughout the day.’ They also claim that it has a 24 hour formula which can keep you fresh and dry. I do find that this deodorant lasts for a good few hours, helping to keep away sweat and any unpleasant smells that this can cause. However, there is no way it lasts anywhere near 24 hours. I don’t even think it really lasts for 6. Maybe the whole 24 hour thing is for people who barely sweat at all and not normal people.

While this deodorant has a lovely scent, it just doesn’t last which is a shame. This is one of the few deodorants which doesn’t leave horrible white marks but it also doesn’t do what I need it to do. For £1 though, I guess I can’t complain too much. 

Veet Easy Wax Electrical Roll On Kit

What you get in the kit

I recently signed up to a site called Bzzagent, where you get to trial products and spread the word about them. My first campaign was for the Veet Easy Wax Electrical Roll On Kit. Inside my pack was the main roll on kit, which consisted of the heating device, a 50ml refill for legs and arms, 12 waxing strips, 4 wipes and instructions. I also got a refill pack for bikini lines and underarms. The retail price for the main, big kit is £29.99 and refills are roughly £9.99. (They are a lot cheaper on Amazon though)

I have never waxed before having always used razors so I was a little wary about what using this would be like. However, Veet claim that this product uses the same ingredients as salons and can give salon waxing finishes at home. I do get bored of shaving my legs at least once a week but have always been too scared of the pain of waxing. Before using this product, Veet recommend exfoliating the day before you intend to wax and for hair to be between 2 and 5mm long.

The device

So having exfoliated the day before, I got ready to be in some serious pain. The heating device is easy to assemble. All you need to do it plug it in to the mains, the other end plugged into the device and then pop it into the base stand. The refill pack slots into the device easily. Once the heating system is on, there is a little red light at the bottom which indicated it is heating. The heating device is quite plain as it is mostly white with a bright pink cap and pink sides which are made from rubber. This makes it easier to hold in the hand and less likely to slip.

On the top of the refill is a roller, which is what is used to put the wax on your legs.  

First use

The device with heated wax

Veet say that the device should take around 20 minutes to heat up properly. This can be tested by moving the roller on the top of the device. If the device is heated properly, the roller will move freely but if it doesn’t, just leave it to heat up for a bit longer. Mine took quite a bit longer than 20 minutes to heat up enough to be able to use the product though. After 20 minutes I couldn’t move the roller at all. After 30 it moved a little bit but it wasn’t until after 45 minutes that I could move it enough that wax showed.

At this point, I was getting bored of waiting and just wanted it to be over. I had my waxing strips all laid out on the table in front of me ready for use as well as the wipes to get rid of any excess wax. I must say at this point that this wax does not come off with water so the wipes provided must be used. So, once the device had heated up enough to use, I slowly rolled the wax on to the middle of my leg in the direction of my hair growth. With the right pressure, the peach/ pink coloured wax provides an even line on the skin. At this point, I immediately applied the waxing strip and got ready to rip it off.

The ripping of the strip was by far the scariest part of this whole process. Veet advise to hold the skin down taut before ripping it off for better results. The sound of the wax strip being ripped off was far worse sounding than it actually felt. While I cannot say that it didn’t hurt at all, it wasn’t nearly as painful as I had imagined it to be. Instead of actual pain, I would describe the feeling as slight discomfort more than anything but I think I would get used to this quickly if I were to keep on using the wax.

However, on one part of my leg I did end up using too much wax and removing this did hurt like hell. You only need to use one roll of the wax – do not go over it more than once and this is where I went wrong. The wax was too thick and the strip did not rip off easily. Instead, I had to do it slowly which is why it hurt so much. Lesson learned though.

How well does it work?

My leg after use

While the pain was minimal, I wasn’t completely impressed with this product. For the price, I wanted my legs to be completely hair free but this wasn’t what I got. Although I made sure to wax on lines right next to each other, covering everywhere with hair, I was left with small bits of hair on both of my legs. Considering the hair left on the waxing strips, I thought I had got it all but apparently not. The hair on my legs wasn’t too long, maybe only 2-3mm so it wasn’t too short nor too long compared to what Veet recommended.

After waxing, my legs were left feeling quite tingly and extremely sticky. Veet supply for wipes for use after waxing due to the wax not being able to be removed with water. The wipes come in small foil packets and are extremely oily to the touch. These removed the residue wax on my legs really well but my legs were left feeling very oily afterwards. Luckily I was having a shower after waxing so I didn’t mind this too much.

Due to the wax not removing all of the hair, I had to go over parts of my legs with a razor. This kind of defeats the point of waxing in my eyes but maybe as it was my first time, I didn’t do it as well as I should have. I also ended up using the whole 12 waxing strips so to use this again, I need to purchase some more.

Overall

Due to the price of the starting pack, I am not as impressed with this product as I could have been. Although I was left with random hair on my legs, that parts that were waxed properly were extremely smooth and felt wonderful. The refill pack has enough wax in it for 4 uses on legs so I will buy some more strips so that I can use it again. It seems silly to waste something so expensive. 

Sanctuary Body Lotion

For my birthday, I received a massive Sanctuary gift set which was filled with a whole range of goodies, all full sized too. One of the products was the Sanctuary Body Lotion. I’m not much of a body lotion kind of girl due to preferring body butters but I was willing to give this one a try.

Sanctuary products are available from Boots stores and online, with a 250ml bottle costing roughly £5.50.

Sanctuary describes the product as ‘a wonderfully fragrant, super-absorbent lotion which nourishes and stimulates the body, smoothing away dryness and revitalising tired skin.’

Packaging wise, this one is pretty typical for a Sanctuary product. The body lotion comes in a bottle which is shaped like a cylinder. The bottle is plastic and see through, which makes it possible to see the product inside. The lid is made from orange plastic. The bottle also has on it the Sanctuary name, product name and other information such as that it has not been tested on animals and that you can recycle the bottle. The Sanctuary packaging is a bit plain for my liking although the colours do go nicely together.

After popping off the orange lid, you will see the opening at the top of the bottle. This is obviously where the body lotion comes out of. I find this kind of bottle to be a bit of a pain. In order to get any lotion out, you need to squeeze the bottle and tip it upside down. The whole process would be much easier if the bottle had a pump dispenser on the top because once you get to the bottom, there are going to be problems getting any more lotion out. The lotion is also quite thick, which does make it more difficult to get out of the bottle.

Although the thickness of the lotion can be a little annoying because of the bottle, this is a good thing for my skin. The lotion itself is not exactly white but has a slight orange tint to it, more like a really light peach colour. It was nice to see a product that wasn’t boring white nor girly pink. Being quite thick means that the lotion takes a little more time to soak into the skin compared to a thinner body lotion. However, rubbing this into my skin feels wonderful and I could really feel it working and hydrating my skin quickly. Although the lotion can be quite cool to begin with, it does warm up and gives a wonderful feeling to the skin.

As well as feeling lovely on the skin, this lotion smells great too. Ingredients include ginger root and jojoba oil, which also help to soften the skin. I never need to use much of this in one go so while it may seem expensive for the size of the bottle, it does last a long time. One small blob of lotion is enough to cover both of my calves, which is where I need to moisturise the most.

Even though this is a lovely product, I do still prefer my body butters. However, if I were to get a gift set again, I would be more than happy to use this product – I just wouldn’t buy it myself.

The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter

In a sale a while back at The Body Shop, I splashed out and decided to stock up on a few items. One of my purchases was the Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter.

As this is a Body Shop product, it is only available online or in shops. For a 200ml tub of this body butter, you can expect to pay £13. However, as I bought mine in the sale, it only cost me £4.55 which is a complete bargain. I have paid full price before for body butters but it is just too expensive for me to pay now.

The body butter comes in a round plastic tub which is a dark pink colour. The tub has a screw top lid on which is pictures of raspberries as well as the name of the product and the body shop logo. I really like the tubs for these body butters are they are normally quite bright and they are easy to get in to. The tubs are large and are nearly full to the brim with the product. I think that these tubs also stand out and you know when you see one that it is a Body Shop body butter that is inside.

Upon opening the tub, you can see that there is a thick and creamy pink cream inside. The sweet scent of raspberries instantly hits you which is probably because this product includes real raspberry seed oil instead of being all manufactured ingredients. The cream inside the tub is so thick that if you were to tip it upside down, I think it would take a hell of a long time for anything to come out.

I generally use this on my legs as I tend to get quite dry skin, probably from wearing boots all the time without tights. So far, body butters have been the only things to really make my skin feel better. Although the cream is really thick, you do not need to use a lot to cover your skin. I only ever use a little bit on each leg and it goes a long way so buying a 200ml tub will last you ages as long as you don’t go mad with it.

What I love most about this product, along with how good it is at moisturising my skin, is the smell. Although I obviously don’t go around smelling my legs, the smell of this product lasts on my skin all day. I used this the morning of writing this review and it is now 7pm. I can still smell the raspberry scent on my hands which is wonderful.

Although this is an expensive product, I do think it is worth it. I will always try to get different body butters in the sale from now on but if I was desperate, I do think I would pay the full £13 just because these are fantastic products.

Boots Natural Collection Wild Strawberry Face Mask

My soon to be mother in law bought me a lovely gift box from Boots for the Christmas just passed. I love anything bath/ shower related so she did well to pick me a Boots Natural Collection strawberry set. One of the products inside the set was a Wild Strawberry Face Mask. These are also available to buy individually from either Boots stores or online. For a 10ml packet, it will cost £1.

The Natural Collection range has quite simple packaging and this product is no exception. The face mask comes in a thin, pink sachet. On the front of the sachet is the Boots logo, product name as well as a picture of a woman with the mask on her face (although her face also has actual strawberries on as well). The packet is nice looking and also very girly. Because of the way the packet looks, I think this will do well with younger girls and would be perfect for a sleepover.

The sachet opens easily, with a slight cut taken out one of the sides. This is where you can tear the sachet open to reveal the face mask. However, I would say that if you wanted to use this while in the bath, it would be a bit trickier to open the sachet with wet hands. Inside the sachet is a thick, light pink cream which is easily squeezed out. You can faintly smell strawberries as you open the sachet but the scent doesn’t hit you immediately and it isn’t too strong either.

Boots recommend that you apply the face mask to areas excluding the eyes and mouth and then leave it on for 20 minutes. After putting on the mask, covering near enough my whole face, I waited for it to set. However, unlike other face masks I have used in the past, this one didn’t dry up like I was expecting it to. Yes, my face got a little bit tight but nothing close to what I was expecting. Even after the 20 minutes, the face mask was still slightly wet. Removal is super easy and all you need to do is rinse off with a flannel then dry your face as normal.

While this face mask didn’t do amazing things for my skin, it did leave me feeling refreshed and smooth. I really liked the smell and it didn’t dry my skin out which was good. For £1, this is a good face mask but I dare say that there are better out there for the same price.

Dove Silk Dry Aerosol Deodorant

When it comes to buying deodorants, I never know where to start. With so much on offer, there is always too much choice especially when you can’t remember which ones are good and which ones are rubbish. So, generally I tend to go with whatever is on offer at the time, much the same as I do with most other products. Dove Silk Dry Aerosol Deodorant was on offer for £1 when I bought it from Wilkinson.

The packaging for this product is quite bland and definitely doesn’t stand out on the shelf. The canister is mostly white, with the Dove logo on in blue and the product name on in gold. The cap to the canister is also in gold which matches some of the other text. While it isn’t overly feminine, it isn’t a masculine canister either but I found it to be really boring looking. Nothing about it stands out for me and I wouldn’t even go as far as to say that it looks remotely nice. Again, I bought it because of the price.

Dove Silk Dry claims to give 48 hour protection while improving the look and feel of underarm skin while gently taking care of skin after shaving. All of this information can be found on the back of the canister. The canister also gives directions for use which are: shake well and hold can 15cm away from the body then spray. Use in short bursts in a well-ventilated area. Obviously, anyone who has ever used a can like this will already know what to do but I guess they have to put it anyway.

So on first use, I was expecting this to be a pretty good product due to it coming from Dove. I sprayed the deodorant in the air first to check out the smell which was actually very pleasant. There isn’t too much of a scent to this deodorant but it does smell clean and fresh. So far so good. When using on my underarms, this is where the product doesn’t do so well. The first couple of times, I didn’t notice anything wrong particularly apart from the 48 hour protection definitely not standing true to its claim. This doesn’t even last 24 hours let alone 48. Anyway, I used this on a normal day and went to uni then came home. Same thing the next day but with work. The third day though, I had on a black vest top while I sprayed this and then I noticed when I took it off that it was covered in white powder. If I had been wearing something nicer than a vest top, I would have been extremely annoyed.

Deodorants should not leave white marks and because of this, I won’t be using this one again.

The Body Shop Passion Fruit Body Butter

As a lover of body butters from the Body Shop, I couldn’t help myself when they had a sale. I bought two for myself and one for my fiancé. As well as buying raspberry scented body butter, I also bought the Body Shop Passion Fruit Body Butter. At regular price, a 200ml tub will set you back a whopping £13 although I bought mine for £4.55 which is a complete steal in comparison to the full price.

The body butter comes in a round plastic tub which is a rich, dark purple colour. The tub has a screw top lid on which is pictures of raspberries as well as the name of the product and the body shop logo. The tubs for these body butters are they are normally quite bright and they are easy to get in to, which makes me like them more than the packaging for most beauty products. The tubs are large and are nearly full to the brim with the product. I think that these tubs also stand out and you know when you see one that it is a Body Shop body butter that is inside.

After unscrewing the lid, you can see that the thick cream inside is a lovely light lilac colour. The colour goes really well with the colour of the packaging with them both being a shade or purple. The smell of this body butter is very sweet and in my opinion, not exactly a true replica of passion fruit. Most other body butters do smell exactly like the fruit they are supposed to smell like but not this one. However, I don’t mind that too much as the smell is still really nice. It is very sweet though so it may end up being a bit too sweet smelling for some.

What I really love about Body Shop body butters is how well they work. The cream is so thick and it soaks into skin easily. I only need to use a little bit to cover my calves, which I use this on mostly and it is easily absorbed. I don’t need to spend ages rubbing it into my skin which is nice. I don’t like wasting a lot of time on doing things like moisturising. The smell and soft feel of my skin lasts the whole day after using this product which is another thing I love about it. I don’t have to worry about my skin getting dry throughout the day and I also smell lovely at the same time.

I wouldn’t pay full price for this particular scent of body butter but it is still a great moisturiser.

You can buy this product here.