ProductWhores

A Zensational Shower Ritual

 

I have not used a body wash for years - I don't know if it's because they are drying, or that the fragrances are usually unkind to my skin, or the fact I'm too lazy to attempt a loofah... but whatever the reason I just gave up on them entirely.  That all said, the Zensation foaming shower gel by RITUALS, has totally changed my mind.  At first, I was skeptical at the whole foaming thing (sounds like drying to me), but I was intrigued by the fact the container looks like shave gel mixed with a mousse.  A small squirt makes a crazy lot of foam.  First time I had a hilarious overabundance of the delightfully sweet-smelling stuff so make a note that one bottle will last a really long time because you only need a bit.  I was also happily surprised at how moisturizing a foam can be (all those times I passed up the foam pit parties were a mistake, clearly!)  The wash makes my skin feel like silk and I especially love the scent - organic rice milk and cherry blossom.  It's slightly floral with a touch of sweet and even though the scent is quite faint you get a nice whiff every now and again when you move (it encourages twirling).  Who knew a shower gel could be something to look forward to when my kids wake me up at 6 am on a Saturday!

A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Rituals

Dessert In A Bottle

You guys!  It's been forever since Bath & Body Works had a 2-in-1 Body Wash and Bubble Bath.  It's been so long I can't even remember what the last one was and I consider myself like, a Bath & Body Works historian.  (I know I could google it, but that seems like cheating).  And now they have a new one AND it's in one of my favorite fall scents - Pumpkin Pecan Waffles.  (Side note that has nothing to do with makeup but that this scent made me think of - if you like waffles and haven't bought Williams-Sonoma's Maple Pecan Pancake & Waffle Mix run out and do so immediately.  It's amazing!  I'm obsessed).  The Pumpkin Pecan Waffles scent is sweet and delicious and lathers up nicely.  I haven't tried it as a bubble bath yet, mainly because baths always seem far more relaxing in theory than in reality to me.  (I swear, by the time I fill the tub, put in the bath salts/bomb/bubble bath, pick a magazine, pour the wine, put up my hair and choose the music I want playing, I'm so over it I usually just hop in the shower instead).  But trust me, if you at all like sweet or pumpkin-y scents in your shower or bath, this is one to pick up multiples of because I have a feeling it's only around for the season and I'm going to want to use this long into next summer.  Pumpkin for the win!

Freshly Picked

Damn you, Bath & Body Works!  I've been trying so hard to stay out of your store, but it's impossible when the window displays are so tempting.  Whoever does them is an evil genius! 

And of course, after I went in this week, I ended up buying stuff because their coupons make it impossible to walk out without doing that.  Evil geniuses, I tell you!  But I'm totally fine with the purchase because I'm completely in love with the Fresh Picked Tangerines Body Wash that I walked away with.  It's part of the Fresh Picked line that also includes Body Lotion, Hand & Body Cream, Hand Cream  and Sanitizing Hand Gel in various fresh scents, including Fresh Picked Apples, Fresh Picked Strawberries and Fresh Picked First Blooms.  So there are a lot of options floating around for you to choose from if you love fruity scents (and one floral, which is slightly odd.  Why only one?  Why not go all fruit or fruit and a few different florals?  Odd).

Fresh Picked Tangerines smells exactly like you've got your face in a bucket of ripe tangerines and are taking a deep, deep breath.  (I don't know why you would do that, I'm just saying, this is what that would smell like).  It's energizing and delicious and perfect for your morning shower when you're trying to wake up.  Also, it's only $8 for a 16 ounce container, so it's almost drugstore price, which is kind of crazy.  See?  Evil geniuses!     

Take A Walk Down Candy Cane Lane

This time of year, I get completely obsessed with peppermint scented products.  Which is kinda weird, because I don't even like candy canes that much, but show me any candy cane related products and I can't buy them fast enough.  It's a sickness, I tell you.  A sickness!  I've already picked up the Candy Cane Lane Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath and now I'm coveting the Candy Cane Lane Set, which comes with a small (4 ounce) bottle of the Shower Gel, a 6 ounce Candy Cane Salt Body Scrub and a Candy Cane Lip Shine.  It's like peppermint cubed!  It's seriously the best shower gel to use in the morning when it's dark and dreary and chilly out (even in L.A. right now!) because it wakes you up and just makes you happy.  It makes it slightly easier for me to get out of the shower and not immediately climb back into bed.  The set would also make a super cute gift for that co-worker you're pretty sure you have to buy a gift for, but aren't sure what exactly that gift should be.  It'll look like you gave so much more thought to her than you actually did! 

Home Before Twilight

Seeing as how I'm one of those people who usually takes a shower again at night before bed, I'm always looking for night-appropriate shower gels because as much as I love my fruity ones to get me going in the morning, they don't really say "relaxing" before bed.  So I am all over LUSH's new Halloween shower gel, Twilight.  It has a bunch of different essential oils in it, including lavender flower infusion, lavender oil and ylang ylang, and it smells sooo relaxing.  It reminds me of something you would find in a spa because the lavender is really strong in it, so it really is the perfect thing to use right before you put on pajamas and crawl into bed.  Plus, like all LUSH products, it totally makes your entire bathroom smell like it, so it's like a double bonus for your money.  And apparently, it also comes in a bath bomb, which I did not know until this very second, but which now means that I have to drive to Santa Monica this weekend to pick one up.  (Damn you, LUSH!)  The shower gel is a limited-edition and available for the holidays only though, so stock up while you have the chance.  So worth it. 

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with LUSH

Great Gifts (To Maybe Keep For Yourself)

So before I decided to get my mom a day out together instead of a gift, I did a lot of looking around for the perfect gift for her.  She's a hard one to buy for and I wanted to pick up something special for her.  One of my top choices was a gift set from Pacifica, mainly because I'm a huge Pacifica fan and I like to get my mom as excited about brands I love as I am.  I got a chance to try out two of the different gift sets in my favorite two scents and for those of you who still have time to shop before you see your mom in person, they're great choices.  

The Tuscan Wanderlust Gift Set is chock full of products in my all-time favorite Pacifica scent, Tuscan Blood Orange.  All fans of orange-scented products need to pick this one up immediately because the fragrance is so, so great.  It's so juicy and fresh and energizing - I love using it in the shower in the morning to get my day going.  The gift set is a great value at $28 because you get over twice that in products - a Color Quench Natural Moisture Lip Tint in Blood Orange, a Body Butter, a Body Wash and a bottle of Spray Perfume.  You can layer it all together to give yourself a scent that lasts all day.  My mom actually was with me when I was playing around with the products and she immediately claimed the Body Butter as her own.  (What could I say?  It was almost Mother's Day!)

The other gift set I got my hands on is the Indian Coconut Nectar Wanderlust Collection.  Indian Coconut Nectar is one Of Pacifica's newest scents and it's rapidly become one of my favorites.  Using coconut products always instantly transports me to a tropical vacation instead of, you know, my same old bathroom in Los Angeles and this one smells fabulous, all exotic and delicious.  It makes me seriously crave a big blended drink and a beach (and I don't even like the beach!)  For $34, you get a Body Butter, a huge 17 ounce Body Wash and a Perfume Roll-On, which is perfect to slip into your purse when you're on the go.  I particularly love them on days when I'm going straight from work to something fun and don't have time to stop home to respritz my earlier scent.  My mom also grabbed the Body Butter from this set and made off with it because she couldn't resist this one either and I'm a bad daughter and wouldn't hand over the Body Wash (I know, I know, but I love it too much).  Well, thanks to Pacifica, she'll definitely be well moisturized and smell fabulous.  You're welcome, Dad!       

Note:  Samples of these products were sent to me by a PR representative working with Pacifica  

It's Raining Men

When I packed for vacation, I took along a small bottle of LUSH's It's Raining Men shower gel mainly because it was the first one I encountered in my closet and it was a small enough size that I figured I could just leave it in Spain when I packed up again and I wouldn't care if I had to throw some out.  And then.... then!  I used it.  Oh my gosh, you guys, it was love at first squeeze.  It smells AMAZING, sweet like honey with just a kick of citrus in it (LUSH's official description is that is "smells like toffee-fudge, with refreshing sweet orange and bergamot oils to give it a little extra sweetness").  I can't even think of a better word than amazing, other than that it makes me want to drink it down in one gulp.  It's delightfully sudsy and moisturizing when you use it and it leaves the entire bathroom scented with its delicious fragrance.  (The other people on vacation with me were like, "What IS that?"  I love it when my product obsession is catchy!)  In fact, I liked it so much that when we were leaving, I noticed that I still had about half a bottle left and there was no way I was leaving that much behind, so I had to go and find another Ziploc bag to wrap it in for the journey home because I have very bad luck with liquids exploding all over my suitcase.  (This one, I am happy to report, did not).  Now when I get in my shower, it's like I brought the vacation home with me.  (Although it would've been nice if a few of the pitchers of sangria could've followed me as well!)  I'll definitely be heading to LUSH to pick up the large size of this one as soon as I'm out. It's raining men - hallelujah!         

Make Me Full Of Fortune

 

 

Fun!  I'm playing around with Typepad's new image editing software (you don't even want to hear my saga of how I've had Photoshop, then not had Photoshop, then refused to pay hundreds of dollars to have it again...)  I just sniffed Philosophy's Full of Fortune Cookie 3-in-1 this past weekend at Sephora and I've been thinking about it ever since.  It's an orange and almond scent that's desserty, but not overly sweet, and so, so delicious.  If I had ANY room left in my product closet, I would buy it, but I just cannot purchase one more shower gel until I've cleared out some space out because it's starting to approach epic levels of crowdedness.  Maybe this'll motivate me to give some stuff away... 

Truffle Goodness

The holidays are in full-swing and I am having the best time finding some awesome gifts to give friends and family.  One of the top ones I recently found is the Vanilla Truffle Indulgence Body Set by Carol's Daughter.  You get an 8 oz Vanilla Truffle Frappe Body Lotion and an 8 oz Vanilla Truffle Body Cleansing Cream - all within the pretty box, perfect for giving.  The scent is yummy - vanilla mixed with white chocolate and the formulas are amazing!  The lotion is actually much lighter than the moisturizers she has in the pots (which I am a huge fan of), but I adore that I can put the Frappe Body Lotion on and immediately get dressed (instead of the pots where you have to sit there naked for a bit until it dries).  Love, love this set - a definite holiday must-give!  Retails for $25.00 and is a holiday limited edition so better pick an extra up for yourself.

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Carol's Daughter.

Minty Goodness

You guys, every single year I forget how much I love Philosophy's Candy Cane Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath until I smell it again and then I get re-obsessed.  (Is re-obsessed a word?  If it's not, it should be.  Let's make that happen).  I already love 99% of Philosophy's Shower Gels, but there's just something about the Candy Cane scent in the crisp weather that's just perfect.  (Okay, fine, crisp doesn't exactly describe the 85 degrees it was today in Los Angeles, but eventually, it will get crisp...er).  It smells so minty and refreshing and it's just perfect to use both after a workout and in the morning to get yourself going.  (Plus, when you use it, you don't get sticky like you do when you hold real candy canes.  I hate sticky).  I just bought two bottles during Sephora's Friends & Family sale and I'll probably end up picking up one or two more just to keep myself stocked for awhile.  (If I had unlimited space, I would buy a few more, but you know, towels have to go somewhere...)  With a crazy amount of new holiday products out now from Philosophy, make sure you don't accidentally let this one get lost in the shuffle.  You'll regret it if you do.  (Oooh, that sounded threatening and I didn't mean it to.  But seriously.  Buy it.  Buy it now).