Tuesday 18 December 2012

Limited Edition Christmas products from The Body Shop

The Body Shop have a gorgeous range of limited edition scents this Christmas: Cranberry Joy, Vanilla Bliss and Ginger Sparkle.


Vanilla Bliss



I have reviewed Vanilla Bliss in a huge amount of detail, here. I just have to say, again, how friggin' amazing it is. It is the most delicious, gorgeous, drool worthy vanilla fragrance that I have ever tried. I am not a huge vanilla fan yet I am beyond obsessed with this. It is such a shame that this is a limited edition fragrance as it is is WAY better than The Body Shop's regular vanilla fragrance. I tried it in their famous body butter ($27.95) and that was a perfect combination. However, the Vanilla Bliss fragrance is also available in:

Shower gel - $20.95
Shimering Body Lotion - $22.95
Body Polish - $20.95
Hand Cream - $9.95
Home Fragrance Oil - $10.95
Heart Soap - $7.95


Cranberry Joy



Next up is Cranberry Joy. This scent is so deliciously fruity. It really is mouth watering. It is very juicy - smells just like real cranberry juice. I tried it in the body polish. You can see above that the polish is packed with tiny particles and a few large kiwi seeds. This provides a gentle, yet effective scrub. It is gentle enough to use every day. The Cranberry Joy scent is available in the following products:

Shower gel - $20.95
Shimmering Body Lotion - $22.95
Body Polish - $20.95
Hand Cream - $9.95
Home Fragrance Oil - $10.95
Heart Soap - $7.95
Room and Linen Spray - $23.95


Ginger Sparkle





The final limited edition scent in The Body Shop's Christmas range is Ginger Sparkle. This is a very true ginger scent - not sweet but instead warm and spicy. The range has pictures of ginger bread men on it. I didn't find that it smelt like ginger bread - definitely more like real ginger. However, if you layer it with the Vanilla Bliss that brings out a ginger bread like fragrance. I tried it in the Body Polish and, like the Cranberry Joy Body Polish, it was a gentle yet effective body scrub.

Of the three scents, Ginger Sparkle is the one that would be most unisex. I found Vanilla Bliss and Cranberry Joy to be more feminine, due to their sweetness but Ginger Sparkle is more dry and spicy so would work well for both males and females. Ginger Sparkle is available in:

 Shower gel - $20.95
Shimmering Body Lotion - $22.95
Body Polish - $20.95
Hand Cream - $9.95
Home Fragrance Oil - $10.95
Heart Soap - $7.95


The limited edition Christmas products are on sale online or at The Body Shop from 7th November until sold out.


Do you go a bit crazy for limited edition Christmas products or do you just stick to ones available year round?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. These products were provided for consideration.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Don't forget Baby when you do your Christmas shopping

I first encountered Milk Baby at my baby shower when pregnant with The Crazy Kid. I received the Snotty Grotty Room Spray. It came from a childless friend who, I am almost certain, only bought it because she thought the name was funny! Little did either of us realise that this would go on to become one of my most used baby products.

Christmas Gift packs

The Milk Baby range would make an excellent Christmas gift for any new parent, baby or expectant mother. I know from experience that receiving beautiful products to use on the baby is a gift that is always appreciated. The Milk Baby Gifts are especially good value.


My Favourites RRP$34.95 (valued at $47.90)



Contains:
  • Snotty Grotty Room Spray 150ml
  • Bath Time Wash 375ml
Snotty Grotty Room Spray: 84% certified organic. Contains certified organic chamomile extract, certified organic rose hip oil, certified organic lavender oil, certified organic ylang ylang oil. This smells divine. Each time the Crazy Kid or Kiki get sick I spray their room with it - I spray it all over their cot/bed, it the air, and on their sleeping bags. I have found that it really helps them sleep when they are all blocked up, and the more sleep they can get the faster they feel better. A bottle lasts forever as well. The Crazy Kid is just about to turn 3 and I am still on my first bottle. I will even bust it out to freshen their room after potent nappy changes!

Bath Time Wash: Bath Time Wash is 82% certified organic. Contains certified organic lavender oil, certified organic chamomile extract, certified organic neroli 3% in jojoba oil, certified organic calendula. This is another amazingly scented product. I have been using it on Crazy and Kiki as a bubble bath, body wash and shampoo and it has done wonders for their skin - especially Kiki's. When The Crazy Kid was a fresh new thing I only used natural products on him but as time went on, and his skin proved to be non sensitive, I got lazy and just used the body washes I didn't want anymore for his bubble bath. Now Crazy and Kiki have a bath together. The problem is, Kiki has sensitive skin with a bit of eczema. I was in the habit of using any old products in the bath and it really caused her skin to flair up. Since I have switched to this (along with the Spotty Tots miracle cream which I will review in a separate post), Kiki's skin has really settled down and cleared up. 


Small Gift Pack RRP $39.95 (valued at $47.90)



Contains:
  • Nighty Night Room Spray  150ml
  • Bath Time Wash 375ml
I haven't tried the Nighty Night Room spray but if it works as well as the Snotty Grotty Room Spray then it is likely to be a real winner. The Crazy Kid was always an awesome sleeper - he spoilt us! Whereas, Kiki is a shocker. She is 7 months and is still waking every 2 hours. It's mostly our fault as we have been so worried about her waking Crazy that we rush to her side the second she makes a peep so she hasn't developed self settling skills. We have just about reached rock bottom in the tired stakes so I am now thinking that this might be just what we need to help her on her sleepy journey. I'll keep you posted on how we go. In the meantime, here is a little more info:


MILK Nighty Night Room Spray relaxes and calms your baby, preparing them for a snug and happy sleep. Nighty Night Room spray can be used around the room, including the sleeping area. 
Nighty Night room spray is 78% certified organic. Contains certified organic lavender oil, certified organic neroli 3% in jojoba oil, certified organic chamomile extract, certified organic ylang ylang oil.


Large Gift Pack RRP $89.95 (values at $101.80)



 Contains: 

  • Bath Time Wash 375mL, 
  • Nighty Night Room Spray 150mL, 
  • Sleepy Bubs Massage Oil 150mL 
  • Snotty Grotty Room Spray 150mL.
Sleepy Bubs Massage Oil: Massage is fantastic for bonding with your baby. They absolutely love it and it is the perfect calming technique before bed. This one has the added bonus of lots of sleepy ingredients to send your little one to the land of the nods (I think I also need this in my sleep arsenal for Kiki!). Here is a little more on the product: Sleepy Bubs massage oil helps you take your baby away in moments to dream of hugs, milk and teddy bears. Certified organic lavender oil, certified organic chamomile 3% in jojoba oil, certified organic sunflower oil, certified organic calendula oil.


One last gift that you need to get your little one is a tube of the Milk Toothy Pegs tooth paste. At $5.99 it makes the perfect stocking stuffer and your little one will feel all grown up having their very own toothpaste just like Mummy and Daddy. And, if yours are anything like The Crazy Kid then they will need that toothpaste on Christmas Day. Last year, thanks to the bloody lovely grandparents, Crazy ate his body weight in M&Ms (and I anticipate this year will be worse!) so the Milk Toothy Pegs would serve well to counterbalance the sugar overload! Crazy flips out if he sees me putting this (or any toothpaste) on his toothbrush; however, if I can sneakily get it on before he notices it then he loves the flavour. I tried it and it is not minty like normal toothpaste (which can be a bit burny for little kids) but has more of an orangey flavour, which they should love. My trick is to put a little on then rub it onto the brush so Crazy can't see it!

According to Lindy Klim, the Milk Toothy Pegs tooth paste contains:

  • Aloe Vera juice which is shown to kill more bacteria than at least two leading toothpastes;
  • Coconut oil which is a powerful, natural antibacterial and antifungal. It is proven to be excellent for your gums, the oil kills the bacteria that are responsible for gingivitis;
  • Organic olive oil which is shown to limit plaque formation and strengthen teeth
  • Organic stevia is known as a natural plaque inhibitor.




Since becoming a mum I spend far less time on my beauty routine than I used to. However, every day I am bathing my kids, putting ointment on the skin, de-stinking their room so I love to be able to use high quality, gorgeously fragranced products on them. I can absolutely guarantee that if you know someone who is a beauty nut who also has little ones they would adore receiving one of these gift packs for Christmas.


What beautiful baby products do you like to use on your little ones?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. The Bath Time Wash and the Spotty Tots Miracle Cream were provided for consideration. All other products reviewed were purchased by myself or given to me as gifts.

Monday 10 December 2012

Introducing the I Am Natural Store with 20% off

I was recently invited to trial the ILA-Spa Body Scrub for Blissful Experience (which I briefly reviewed here and will review in full below) and in the process I discovered the I Am Natural Store. The I Am Natural store has a huge range of organic and natural brands, all in one convenient location. Below is a list of brands stocked by the I Am Natural Store.


Absolution
Alima Pure
Amazonia Viva
Aroma M
Aromatherapy Personals
Babybearshop
Elemento Mineral
Florisens
Hortense
ILA-Spa
ILIA Beauty
Kutuu
Lotus Wei
Madara
Pai skincare
Patyka
Priti NYC
Rahua
Sejaa
Steamcream
Studio 78
Suti
Tallulah Jane
The Goddess Line
Vapour

Now is the perfect time to check out the I Am Natural Store as they have 20% off store-wide until 11.00am on 11th December 2012. You jst need to enter the code 24HOUR20 when you check out.




Now to my review of the ILA-Spa Body Scrub for Blissful Experience. I mentioned previously that I first tried this scrub after getting covered in vomit thanks to The Crazy Kid. I think I promised to review it fully in a non-vomit containing post. Well, I lied. Two days after The Crazy Kid's vomit frenzy, I also came down with gastro. Thankfully (in a way), I got it a hell of a lot worse than The Crazy Kid and it really knocked me about. Kiki ended up getting a touch of it, though got the mildest version (my antibodies must have offered her some protection), then finally Hubby succumbed to the bugs and was also struck down. Unfortunately, he got it when I was only just on the mend so instead of resting up I had to go back to being a mum so the whole process has left me rather shattered (hence the lack of posts for the last fortnight).

In the midst of all of this, the ILA-Spa Body Scrub for Blissful Experience left me feeling (somewhat!) human once more. The divine fragrance soothed my soul and rejuvenated me.



What they say: This sensual Body Scrub is ideal for occasions when your body needs special treatment. The essential oils of Jasmine and Rose restore and relax the nervous system, leaving skin glowing and resulting in a sensation of enhanced well-being for both body and mind. Massage Body Scrub over damp skin as a healing exfoliant, then bathe in hot water and let the uplifting, strengthening essential oils pervade every essence of your being.

KEY INGREDIENTS
Himalayan Salt Crystals
Damascena Rose Otto
Jasmine and Rosehip Seed Oil




What I say: As you know, I just love the scent of a rose. It genuinely makes me feel happy and calm. Jasmine is a widely used essential oil that is known to have a powerful uplifting effect on the mood (source). So, you can see how the combination of these oils aided in restoring me.

The scent is very strong, which I absolutely loved, though some may find it over powering. To use the scrub, I massaged generous handfuls all over my body, whilst standing up in bath, then once I had finished I soaked in the bath for about 30 minutes. The scent from the scrub I used was enough to beautifully fragrance the bath water and made for a highly relaxing soak.

After the bath my skin was coated in a highly moisturising oil. It felt soft and was gorgeously scented. I could still smell the heady aroma of rose on jasmine on my skin the following morning, so the scent lasts hours and hours. This is, hands down, the most luxurious scrub that I have ever used. It is heavenly. I have decided that it is my special occasional scrub - to be used before special occasions to beautifully fragrance my skin; or when I need some serious TLC. 

The ILA-Spa Body Scrub for Blissful Experience can be purchased from the I Am Natural Store for $95 (less 20% if you order before 11.00am tomorrow!).


What products do you turn to when your soul really needs soothing?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This product was provided for consideration.