April empties - Origins, L'Occitane, Saaf, Korres, The Bath House, The Body Shop

Body Shop massage oil – I wanted to like this, but I was disappointed. It sounded promising and exotic, but it smells too much of ginger. It might as well be called Ginger massage oil. I would not repurchase as there are other oils in the range.

Saaf face oil serum – love a facial oil. My face is dry and needs hydrating throughout the year. Have already repurchased. I’m very interested in this range of products. 

L’Occitane Jasmine and Green Tea soap 100g – love this and I’ve already repurchased, it looks like it’s discontinued but it sometimes crops up during sales so I stock up whenever I see it.

Origins Night-A-Mins 30ml sample – I've been using silicone-free products lately so this feels way too silicone-y for me and I didn’t really notice much difference after regular use either. I wouldn't repurchase. 

L’Occitane Verbena shower gel 500ml – this massive body wash came as part of a gift set of Verbena products from L’Occitane. I love the authentic fresh fragrance of this body wash, but don’t love the drying sulfates, would repurchase only if L’Occitane ever decide to reformulate to remove the SLES.

L’Occitane Mango flower hand cream 30ml – this is one of the really thick formulations that I prefer to use in cooler weather (the summer ones have more of a gel consistency). I’m not crazy about the fragrance. I have other hand creams in the stash.

Korres Guava Lip Butter – I really like this. I don’t wear this during the day as this guava one turns your lips white, but I use it each night as an overnight treatment. I used to wake up with parched lips each morning and the first thing I’d reach for would be a lip balm, but this works at keeping the lips hydrated. I’m not keen on the ingredients though, looks like there’s nothing but a bunch of plastic in there. I have the Pomegranate one to try next.

Pretty Perfect Orange Blossom shower gel – a sulfate-free body wash bought on clearance from TKMaxx. Great scent, quite unisex with sandalwood. Would repurchase, but I believe this is discontinued. The Bath House offer several other fragrances.

L’Occitane Mango Flower hand cream review

L’Occitane Mango flower hand cream 30ml – this is one of the really thick formulations that I prefer to use in cooler weather (the summer ones have more of a gel consistency). It has a screw cap which can be fiddly when you've just used some, but that's ok. The only thing I don't like about this is the scent. I’m not crazy about this mango fragrance as it’s very strong and fruity, even for me.

Here's a list of the ingredients taken from the back of the tube as the ingredients aren't listed on their website:

Aqua, Butyrospermum Parkii, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloydimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Brasica Campestris Sterols, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Ceteareth-33, Polysorbate 60, PEG-100 Stearate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ethylhexlglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Parfum, Limonene.

L'Occitane Verbena shower gel review

L’Occitane Verbena shower gel 500ml – this massive body wash came as part of a gift set of Verbena products from L’Occitane which also included the shampoo, body lotion, the shea butter and bonne mere soaps and a hand cream. The usual 250ml size offered is £13 and a 500ml eco refill pouch is £19.50. 

I grow lemon verbena plants outside in the garden in pots each year (it's tender so I have to bring the pots in for winter) and I love the authentic fresh fragrance of this body wash, but what I don’t love is the presence of drying sulphates and I would repurchase only if L’Occitane ever decide to reformulate to remove the SLES.

Here's a list of the ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, Lippia Citriodora Flower Extract, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Parfum, Magnesium Nitrate, Magnesium Chloride, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Propylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Cotronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Cl 42090/Blue 1, Cl 19140/Yellow 5, Cl 14700/Red 4.

L'Occitane Jasmine and Green Tea soap review

L’Occitane Green Tea and Jasmine soap 100g – this is one of my favourites and I’ve already repurchased as it looks like it’s discontinued. It sometimes crops up during sales so I stock up whenever I see it. 

Jasmine is naturally uplifting and traditionally used to help relax and clear your mind. The green tea stops this soap from being too sweet and floral. This soap isn't drying and lasts me about two weeks of daily use in the shower.

Here's the list of ingredients:
Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Parfum, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Cera, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Palm Acid, Sodium Chloride, Palm Kernel Acid, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Citral, Eugenol, Cl 77492 Iron Oxides.

March empties - Neal's Yard Remedies, Renu, i Coloniali, L'Occitane, La Roche-Posay Serozinc, Naked Bodycare, Duchy Collection

  

Duchy Bergamot Lime conditioner – I picked this up at TKMaxx in clearance for £1! I enjoyed using this and the fragrance was stunning. I’d repurchase again but I’m not sure this is still produced or where you’d buy it as I haven’t seen it since. 

I Coloniali shower gel – I wouldn’t purchase again unless it was reformulated, but the signature i Coloniali fragrance they have in their soaps and body products keeps pulling me back. I wish they bottled it and sold it as an EDT, I’d wear nothing else.

Neals Yard Remedies Rose daily moisturiser – I always like to see a bottle cut in two so you can scrape out every last blob. Love Neal's Yard's moisturisers. Would repurchase, but in a different scent.

Neals Yard Remedies Rose facial cleanser 50ml – Product worked well as a cleanser but would not buy again only because prefer cream or oil cleanser.

Neals Yard Remedies eye gel – my favourite eye gel ever.I’ve already repurchased and intend to keep on repurchasing until a better one comes along. Highly recommended.

L’Occitane rose hand cream – I didn’t like this shimmery hand cream at all and this was regulated to night time use only and I burned through it as quickly as I could. Would not repurchase and I must remember to read labels in future!

Naked Bodycare Take Care Orange Blossom body wash 250ml - this sulfate-free body wash is one of my favourites, plenty more left in the stash!

Renu face mask – bought on the cheap from the TKMaxx clearance shelf, around £5 or so. It felt pleasant to use, but I didn't see amazing results and I would not repurchase at full price as this retails for £32!

La Roche Posay Serozinc – a product I suspect was introducted to most people through Caroline Hirons’ wonderful blog This is a definite repurchase and I’d recommend to anyone who suffers with razor burn to at least try this product.

L'Occitane Rose des Neiges hand cream review

L’Occitane Rose des Neiges 30ml hand cream – I didn’t like this at all. This must’ve been a gift with purchase as L'Occitane are often giving away their famous hand creams so I doubt I bought it. Let me explain, the thing I didn’t like was that this has a glittery shimmer. Like, I'd dipped my hand in glittery silicone. I couldn’t believe it, I put it on and my hands looked all sparkly like an emo vampire in the sunshine. Not the effect I’m looking for! 

Anyway, this was regulated to night time use only and I burned through it as quickly as I could. Glittery hand cream, what earth…? Someone please explain. I thought I was a man of the world, but I’m clearly unsophisticated in these matters.

Here's the list of ingredients:

February empties - L'Occitane, Weleda, Neal's Yard Remedies, Origins, Naked Bodycare

Take Care Naked Sensitive Skin Bodycare Orange Blossom 250ml body wash – I have a ton of these. This has always been my favourite frangrance of all the Naked body washes, it has not “parfum” or artificial fragrance, just the natural fragrance of neroli essential oil which is one of the most uplifting fragrances and has long been a favourite for both men and women. I guess means that they’ll probably pop up each month in my empties for the rest of the year. And maybe the next…

Weleda Rosemary and Ginger conditioner 250ml– I really liked this, a good silicone free conditioner which I'd buy again but I think Weleda have reformulated and no longer make this.

Phytorelax Lavander Body Lotion 500ml – I picked this up at the TKMaxx clearance shelf for £1. It’s not the most natural product (you can’t see the ingredients on the back label as they’ve been rubbed off with oily hands) but at least it doesn’t have any silicone. I really liked using this at night time as the lavender helps lull me to sleep.

Naked Bodycare Star Flower 250ml body wash – I don’t like it as much as the Orange Blossom, but this is still a good sulphate free body wash which doesn’t dry me out. Plus, I have the body butter to match. I think it’s the patchouli essential oil in here which I’m not a fan of. I have a couple more in the stash as I pick these up whenever they go on offer at Boots and I want to use up my points.

Neal’s Yard Remedies Almond Moisturiser 50ml – this was a good basic day cream, a silicone-free basic moisturiser This is one of NYR’s least expensive creams at £18.75 for 50ml.

Naked Bodycare Star Flower body butter 300ml– found this in one of those bargain beauty shops you can find in shopping centres, it was £1 so I bought three. Not my favourite scent, but satisfyingly thick and just what my dry husk of a body needs in winter.

Origins Checks and Balances face wash – this is a GWP 30ml sample.  Already repurchased as I’ve bought the full size.

Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight mask – another GWP 30ml sample from Origins. Already repurchased. Twice. They had a great GWP offer that week. Don’t judge.

L’Occitane Almond shower oil 2 x 35ml. Love this, but don't love the ingredients. I've purchased the full size 250ml bottle as well as the 500ml refill. I had a voucher. Again, don't judge.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil review

L’Occitane Almond shower oil - I received these diddy 35ml travel size plastic bottles in a couple of gift with purchase bags from L'Occitane but didn't use them for months as I was a bit wary of using a shower oil. I remember my sister using bath/shower oils when we were teenagers and getting killed (not literally) by my parents for making the bath slippery.

I ended up taking them away with me one weekend when I was visiting a friend and really enjoyed using them. The fragrance is astonishing and fills the bathroom, so fresh and comforting at the same time, a blend of apple blossom and vanilla. This doesn't have the most natural ingredients (see below) but since it's a rinse off product, I'll turn a blind eye for now. 

The 250ml full size retails for £17.50 and the 500ml eco refill is £26.50. I had a 20% voucher so bought a full size and a refill so that'll last me a while.

Here are the ingredients:

Vitis Vinifera seed oil, Tipa-Laureth Sulfate, Laureth-3, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Parfum, Cocamide MEA, Sorbitan Oleate, Propylene Glycol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis, Tocopherol, Aqua, Helianthus Annus seed oil, Rosmarius Officinali leaf extract, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool.