The Bubble & Butters Company - Mango Body Butter

This was a pure impulse buy, I was looking for a gift for my sister in law's birthday and one of these was on the side, open. I put my nose to it (as you do) and fell in love. As my friend so mildly put it, it smells like hubba bubba. Everything from the packaging to the smell will easily put you in a sweet coma and instantly transport you to the mid 90s where big was better and hubba bubba bubbles were your life.

Even though it is a very sweet smell and a tat overpowering, I wanted it and hey at £3 for a tub it wasn't exactly breaking the bank. When you first stick your fingers in and spread it over your skin it does feel a little greasy, but it rubs in very easily and is dry within a few minutes. It soaks into the skin and leaves it feeling smoother and softer. I will say that its not the best body butter I have ever used but for only £3 and as a rather citrus sweet treat it does what is said on the tub. The smell slowly dissipates and after 2 hours i could no longer smell it anymore, but my skin is still soft and smooth.

I picked mine up in Tesco and a little treat, I am happy with my impulsive choice.

My Week

What have I been doing this week? Mostly working, however I had a lovely Easter with plenty of junk to eat. My husband and I went to his parents for Easter dinner, which for me was ruined as they made lamb and I hate lamb, this wasn't really the problem as they cooked a piece of chicken for me,  the problem was that they made the gravy with the lamb juice and Me, not thinking, poured it all over the nice dinner and ruined it and made myself sick when I forced myself to eat it because I didn't want to complain.

On Wednesday I had went to the theatre with Laura to see Witches of Eastwick in Newport, It was a pretty funny play and I enjoyed it, my only criticism was that the harmonies were off, but it was opening night and its not the west end! It is something that we are craving to do again, maybe in Swansea and we both want to go and watch blood brothers!

Until yesterday I was running very low on funds so I didn't really go anywhere or do anything else, I have now picked up a few bits and pieces to try, and a dress for a wedding in July!

DIY Sugar Lip Scrub

• I found a site with the recipe for a DIY Lip Scrub here and I felt compelled to do it myself. I'm not really one for making things myself, I tend to leave it to the people that know best, but as this was so simple and easy I felt that I had to try it. The original turorial link above is much more indepth of properties of ingredients and better photos, but I felt I needed to give it a go to show just how easy it was to make!
• 

  all you need is
  
  2 tablespoons of pure coconut oil
  2 tablespoons of honey
  2 teaspoons of brown sugar
  a mixing bowl
  some small pots to put your finished scrub into.

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• Put the two tablespoons of pure coconut oil in your mixing bowl and add the two tablespoons of honey, mix them together until they form a paste. If the mixture is a little too gooey add a little bit more coconut oil into it. Make sure you get out all the lumps out of the coconut oil and that it is covered in the honey completely, this is the longest part of the whole process and does give your arm a work out too!

• 

  once it has got to the right paste like consistency add the two teaspoons of brown sugar and mix well, if you have any oil from the coconut oil in the bottom of your jar you could add a teaspoon to your mixture to smooth it out more and too give added moisturisation to your scrub.
  
  Once all the brown sugar is mixed into the mixture and covered well, its time to put it into the pots that your have ready and waiting. you can use anything, I had some small jars around but you can use baby food jars or herb pots, whatever you have around.

  
  

  

  Once finished store in fridge and it should keep for 2 weeks.
  
  I have used it and it really is moisturising and makes your lips soft.It feels strange after you have used it as if you have been kissing someone for ages, lips feel slightly numb and tender, but not painful at all, after 20 mins the feeling goes and your left with soft lips that feel well moisturied.
  
  I make a pot for my friend Laura as well as myself. I will be making this more often as its a damn site cheaper than any other scrub i've seen!

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My Daily Items

This Is my daily life, I wash my hair with herbal essences and use Aussie 3 min hair conditioner, The Aussie hair conditioner is amazing. I would thoroughly recommend buying some if you have never used it before, It really does do what it says. I have a choice of body washes depending on my mood.

When I get out of the shower I tone my face and use a body butter to moisturise and then moisturise my face, when I'm all done I feel clean and soft. The body butter that I am currently using smells like fudge and is lovely. I got it for Christmas in a set and I have no idea where from.

What do you use for your daily life?

Elementary Skincare Salt Scrub, Showe Wash and Body Lotion Review

Elementary smooth and replenish salt scrub RRP £19
Elementary delicatlely elegant body lotion RRP £13
Elementary gentle Hydrating shower wash RRP £11
Now available in sets here for £35, currently on offer at £17.50 as of 24/01/2013

When I bought these items they were on offer and I paid £29 for all 3. I'm not a big fan of the smell that these product give, they kind of remind me of earth. but It's a pleasant enough smell, just not my cup of tea.

So the salt, best used as an exfoliator on skin, just a teaspoon goes a long way and it takes maybe 3 to do your whole body. It feels really oily after you have rubbed it all over but the effect once you are dried is amazing and a oily body for a while is not the worst thing for soft skin. The other use is to get your circulation going in your hands and feet, this makes your hand look 10 years younger and it really does work. Just get a bowl with warm water and rub half a teaspoon all over each hand for 3 to 4 mins (4 to 5 for feet) messaging as you go, once massaged and rubbed soak your hands/feet in the water for a further few minutes. hands look better and feet feel rejuvenated.

The shower wash is OK, not as good as the salt, same smell and I think for me that is the main problem as to why I'm not a fan of it, I feel that shower wash should make you feel and smell great and this is as good as any other with the feel, but I just can't get on with the smell, I only really use it when I do the whole package, as the lotion makes me smell the same so there's no point in wasting good smelling wash.

Finally the body lotion, this works well too, it really does moisturise your skin and a little goes a long way, it is a little gloopy and takes quite a while to dry and settle into the skin, but once it has it is lovely, making he skin soft and smooth.

I do like these products, however I won't be repurchasing the shower wash unless its in a set. I will most certainly be buying the salt and possibly lotion but only if its on offer. I think its very overpriced for what it is and is only really worth it while it is on offer.

Philosophy Face Clenser and Moisturiser

I have been using the purity clenser and hope moisturiser for over a week now and I have to say that they are lovely to use. Once again they are sample from my John Lewis event, where I think I shall have to save up to go to, because I have found far too many good products that I lived without before it!

They each have lovely smells and have made my skin clearer and softer in the time I have used them. Even though the Hope in a Jar is such a small sample I have used it 4 times so far and still have at least another 2 if not 3 uses left. I love it when I find a product that epitomises the saying 'a little goes a long way' as with both of these product I find that to be very true.

As stated before I do not do my routines on a daily basis as my strange-ass skin would just break out, but I haven't had a break out as of yet and feel that these product are very good for me. I do have other samples and moisurisers to use up before I even think of purchasing any more but unless I find a better one in the next few month I have to say that these Items will be re-purchased by myself.

Origins grapefruit body Souffle Review

Origins'Gloomaway' - Grapefruit body souffle
Origins is all about finding new and different answers to age old problems, taking control of how you treat your body, and enhancing the way you look and feel, inside and out. To this end, we use aromatic essential oils and botanical extracts in our collections.

This was yet another free product from the John Lewis event, and it was nice for me as I have never heard of Origins, so to be able to sample them without having to spend ages looking at reviews, or looking for little tester, has been a small godsend.

I have very strange skin, to be frank, not many things work for me and when it gets to my face, I'm even harder to please as most skin care products just bring me out in spots. I have been this way for years and I actually normally only moisturise once a week. This is simply because more than that and my skin, esp on face tends, to react to whatever I use, and trust me I have pretty much tried it all.

The best thing about this is the smell, It is gorgeous and fresh, The citrus of the grapefruit hangs around for a while and every time I moved I got a blast of that heavenly smell. I have not really noticed much of a difference in my skin since using it, but as I said there are not many skin products that work for me, that's not to say that anyone else who tries this may find it to be a miracle product, for me, my skin feels a little softer and smells really nice.

I have used it after every shower. Its not hard to work into the skin, but does take a fair amount of time to dry off properly. Its a nice consistency and it isn't to watery. For me though it is something that I can use more than once a week, as so far I have had no bad reactions to it. So if you have sensitive, unusual or downright weird skin (like me) this may be a good option to consider. For those of you that are lucky enough to use whatever you want I would recommend this, but more for the smell than anything else.