Before I had kids I used to have a bath just about every night of the week. There was so much less to do in my life that I had the time. These days, 5.00-7.30pm is my peak hour when the kids need to be bathed, fed, bed then our dinner made and eaten and if I am not completely shattered then I will pack away each of the 500 trains The Crazy Kid has gotten out to play with (though more often than not they remain where he left them!). Once peak hour is over, all I want to do is crash on the couch and play on my computer. Unfortunately, it's a rare occasional that I have a bath these days. The thing is, I haven't lost my love of gorgeous, smelly bath products. So I need gorgeous products that are both bath and shower friendly. Enter the Elemis Duchess of Spa gift pack - a selection of utterly divine products that can be used in both the shower and the bath.
The Elemis Duchess of Spa pack includes:
- Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (100mL)
- Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream (200mL)
- Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash (300mL)
- Tranquil Touch Body Polish (150mL)
All of these products are full sized and very generous sized at that.
This gift pack is fantastic value at only $115 as the total value of the products is $204 (Frangipani Body Oil $69, Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream $47, Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash $42, Tranquil Touch Body Polish $46).
What I thought of the products:
Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil
What they say: Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil leaves the skin soft with a
nourishing sheen. With an exotic blend of coconut coprah oil and sweet scented
frangipani flowers, the treatment oil has long lasting hydration properties to
seal in moisture and leave the skin soft. Frangipani Monoi Body Oil can be used
as an intensive conditioning treatment for the hair and nails.
What I say: I had actually been busting to try this product for years - I think I first read about it in New Woman magazine and that mag was discontinued back in the mid 2000's. It just sounded so divine. Well, I finally got to try it and I wasn't let down. It is coconut oil infused with the scent of frangipani flowers, so at room temperature it solidifies meaning that before use you need to place the bottle in some warm water. Coconut oil is incredibly nourishing for the skin and hair. The scent is amazing - a very true and natural frangipani fragrance. If you love the scent of fresh frangipanis I guarantee that you will adore this oil.
I use the oil three different ways:
- The day I got it I massaged it into my skin, after my shower, like a moisturiser. Although it is an oil, it rapidly absorbed into my skin and didn't leave my skin feeling greasy but soft with a lovely sheen. The frangipani fragrance lingered on my skin for hours afterwards, giving me tropical bursts throughout the day.
- I used a few drops in the bath as a bath oil. I used this in combination with Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream and was left with a highly fragrant bath. Again, this left my skin feeling soft and moisturised afterwards.
- I have also used this as a hair mask. I haven't cut my hair in about a year now so the ends are starting to feel quite dry. I used a generous amount of this and rubbed it through the ends of my hair (avoiding the roots), then put my hair up in a bun and left it there for 30 minutes whilst I has a bath. I then shampooed it out then conditioned as normal. I probably needed to shampoo my hair twice as it was still greasy after I got out; however, I wasn't too concerned as I was going to a wedding the next day so knew I would be shampooing again in the morning. The next day (after the second shampoo) I had the most amazingly well defined curls. My hair looked spectacular! I wore it down to the wedding and didn't need to put any product in it and my curls stayed defined all day. I honestly haven't seen my curls looking that good in ages.
The Frangipani Monoi Body Oil is my favourite product in the pack and I am going to make a really effort to give myself a hair mask with it at least once a fortnight as it has done more for my hair than any other product that I have tried, plus it smells amazing!
Elemis Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream
What they say: Elemis Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream is enriched with
Tahitian monoi and frangipani flower infused shower cream to leave the skin
scented, soft and supple.
What I say: This shower cream gives me the spa experience I have been missing by not having baths, in the shower. It is so lovely. It also smells strongly of frangipanis, so very tropical, and this scent lingers very subtly on the skin for a good couple of hours afterwards (or the rest of the day if I use the oil as well).
The shower cream is super thick and luscious - it is almost the consistency of honey, without the stickiness. It smells divine and is also very gentle and moisturising for my skin. I have been using this daily since I got it and it is like my little tropical escape each morning before I face the day. This is hands down one of the most delightful shower products I have used.
Elemis Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash
What they say: Elemis Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash is rich and creamy,
infused with patchouli, cedarwood and vetiver to promote wellbeing and
serenity.
What I say: This wash is more your typical shower gel consistency, as opposed to the honey like consistency of the Shower Cream. This one has one of those scents that when you breath it in you then exhale everything that you have been carrying inside you. It is not as strongly scented as the frangipani products but has more of a subtle sweet woody fragrance. The fragrance is definitely unisex, which can be a good thing if you like your man to look after himself, but not if you don't like him using up all of your lovely products (we all know that men use WAY too much product!).
I have been using this as both a body wash and as a shampoo. It is non drying for both uses and, as an added bonus, when I use it as a shampoo my hair smells amazing for the rest of the day - especially when I start sweating I sweat a delightful sweet woody fragrance!
What they say: Elemis Tranquil Touch Body Polish is a rice exfoliator that
gently buffs the skin, while cupuacu butter infused with patchouli, madarin and
ginger nourished and enhances your mood. Skin is left soft, glowing and radiant
What I say: This is a super gentle exfoliator that left my skin feeling amazing after I used it. It feel so smooth and soft and it completely got rid of the scaly looking skin on my legs, even without moisturising afterwards.
No surprises, the smell is amazing. Again, not as intense as the frangipani products but instead it was a fruity herbally scent - a very spa like fragrance. The cream is lovely and thick and it has an excellent scrub particle ratio ie there are plenty of scrub particles to give your skin a lovely exfoliation (scrubs that do not contain enough scrub particles to do anything are a real pet hate of mine).
This gift pack is absolutely perfect for anyone who loves the spa experience but is too time poor to actually sit back and take a bath. The products are all very high quality and amazingly fragranced so even if you only have 5 minutes to spare to have a shower you still step out feeling pampered and relaxed. If you know of someone who has recently become a mum or who has a whole bunch of rug rats racing around I can absolutely guarantee that they would LOVE this pack. One thing I found, since becoming a mum, is that I get just about no time to myself. This pack allows me to bliss out, even if just for the briefest time, and it truly is pure luxury.
Available from 1st November 2012 from Elemis spas and salons
nationally while stocks last. For a full list of stockists phone 1300 820 430.
Have you ever lusted after a product for years and years? When you got it did it live up to your expectations? Would you buy this pack as a gift or keep it for yourself? I'd keep it!!
All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This pack was provided for consideration.