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.

Saaf Skincare Ultimate Moisture Face Serum review

Saaf Skincare Ultimate Moisture Face Serum – I love a facial oil and I've been using more and more this year. This 30ml facial oil serum has a recommended six month use by date once opened and comes in a glass bottle with a pump dispenser. As you can see, the box is a bit bashed from where I pulled off the price label.

My face is dry, always has been, and needs hydrating throughout the year. I can use this in summer in the evenings instead of a night moisturiser or use it underneath face creams in cool weather to add extra hydration instead of relying on thicker creams. I've enjoyed using this oil and I've already repurchased. Saaf is a UK based company.

Ultimate Moisture Face Serum is extremely nourishing and healing and helps boost normal to dry or mature skin. 

This ultra-rich serum is extremely nourishing and healing. It’s light and satisfying to use, leaving skin feeling fresh and velvety smooth. The unique blend combines ultra-effective natural ingredients to promote skin regeneration and help boost levels of collagen and elastin, making the skin appear smoother and firmer, while balancing impurities and soothing any irritations. Used frequently, Ultimate Moisture Face Serum will help restore skin suppleness and even out skin tone.

Ideal for:

• Use day or night as a skin rejuvenation treatment
• Dry skin
• Prematurely ageing, mature or sagging skin
• Sun damaged skin
• Rosacea (redness or uneven skin tone) and hyper pigmentation

Here's the list of ingredients:

Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Carthamus Tinctorious Seed OIl, Tocopherol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Cironellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

The Body Shop Sensual Massage Oil review

The Body Shop Sensual Massage oil 150ml £10 – I've been looking for an oil to use at the gym after showering instead of carrying around a body butter. This one looked promising, but it smells too much of ginger. Frankly, that’s all I can detect. It might as well be called Ginger massage oil.

This massage oil blend is inspired by traditional Polynesian massage rituals. It has a warm and sensual aroma.

• Suitable for all skin types
• Conditioning
• Ideal for couples

The oil has a flip lid which prevents any oil from spilling out when stored in a bag. It works alright as a hydrating oil, but the scent is too one note for me and dominated with the ginger. I wouldn't repurchase this one but The Body Shop has other oils to try.

Here's the list of ingredients:

Glycine Soja Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Zea Mays Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Olea Europaea Oil, Limonene, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aleurites moluccana, Sclerocarya birrea, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Cananga Odorata Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum Oil, Linalool, Canarium commune, Pelargonium odoratissimum, Vetiveria Zizanoides Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Extract, Zingiber Officinale Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Amyris Balsamifera Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Oil, Citrus reticulata, Geraniol, Tocopherol, Myroxylon pereirae, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Acacia Decurrens Extract, Cymbopogon Nardus Oil, Illicium verum, Farnesol, Benzyl Cinnamate, Elettaria cardamomum, Eugenol, Isoeugenol, Rosa damascena, Santalum Album Oil.

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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.

Neal's Yard Remedies Aromatic Foaming Soak review

Neal's Yard Remedies aromatic foaming soak. I'm usually a fan of Neal's Yard's products but unfortunately I'm not a fan of this. You see, it's the scent of pelargonium here which I find often overpowers other scents for me and this bath oil was no exception. I don't smell any lavender or marjoram, just a lot of pelargonium. 

That said, it is hydrating and calming but don't expect masses of bubbles from this sulphate free bath oil. Available from Neal's Yard Remedies for £15 for 200ml.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Lauryl glucoside, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Polysorbate 20, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) extract*, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) oil*, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) oil*, Thymus mastichina (Marjoram) oil*, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.