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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Full of Glee Naked Bodycare Star Flower body butter review

Naked Bodycare Star Flower body butter – this 300ml body butter is usually £3.99 but I found this in one of those bargain beauty shops for just £1 so, yes, I went ahead and bought three! It's not my favourite scent (I prefer the Coco de Mer), but this body butter is satisfyingly thick and just what my dry husk of a body needs in winter.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Glycerin, Butyrospermum parkii, Cocos nucifera oil, Glyceryl stearate, Cetearyl alcohol, Cera alba, Caprylic/capric triglceride, Cetearyl glucoside, Dicaprylyl ether, Tocopheryl acetate, Borago officinalis seed oil, Parfum, Lavandula hybrida oil, Pogostemon cablin oil, Citrus limonum oil, Citrus aurantium dulcis oil, Rosmarinus officinalis oil, Pelargonium graveolens oil, Cananga odorata oil, Sodium stearoyl glutamate, Sodium polyacrylate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Linalool, Geraniol, Limonene, Citronellol, Eugenol, Benzyl alcohol, Benzyl benzoate, Citral, Isoeugenol.

Soft Touch Naked Starflower body wash review

I've been using the Vegetarian and vegan friendly Soft Touch Naked Bodycare Starflower body wash for several years, along with the other fragrances from Naked Bodycare. I get these from Boots whenever they go on offer and use up my Advantage points. These are probably the best value sulphate free body wash available here in the UK.

The 250ml plastic bottle retails for around £3.99 and has a lid which is seperated in two so you press down one side and the other side pops up to release the gel. The scent is very aromatic and herbal with a definite note of patchouli. I prefer the Orange Blossom or Coco de Mer scents, but the Starflower is good for the cooler months. I'm currently going through the body butter as well. 

"Starflower is full of Gamma Linolenic Acid (an essential fatty acid) known to improve the skin's protective barrier and help prevent signs of ageing. This is also why Starflower extract, known as Borage oil, has long been used as a nutritional supplement to help counter "irritability" and general "women's problems"!"

Well, I can't vouch for that, though my colleagues at work might have a thing to say about that.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium cocoamphoacetate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, Lauryl glucoside, Glycerin, Coco glucoside, Glyceryl oleate, Capryl/capryl glucoside, Borago officinalis (starflower) seed oil, Lavandula hybrida grosso (lavandin) herb oil, Pelargonium graveolens (geranium) leaf oil, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) leaf oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citric acid.

 

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm review

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose beauty balm is a favourite of beauty bloggers and magazines. At £37 for 50g it's expensive and not being chock full of preservatives, it's recommended that it’s used up within three months of opening which could cause an issue if you like to rotate your products. The dominant scents here are rose and patchouli, it's very herbal and smells good for you.

This is an oil based cleanser which I'm mainly using as a pre-shave cleanser to massage my face and neck, leaving the oily balm on the skin before applying shaving soap or cream. The Wild Rose balm can be used in multiple ways, simply as a facial cleanser, as a body balm on elbows or feet etc, left on as a mask, an overnight treatment or even as a hair mask. 


Here are the ingredients:

Rosa canina (Wild rose) seed oil*, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil*, Cera alba (Beeswax)*, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter)*, Cannabis sativa (Hemp) seed oil*, Borago officinalis (Starflower) seed oil*, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) flower oil*, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf oil*, Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) oil, Cymbopogon martini (Palmarosa) herb oil*, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) leaf oil*, Ascorbyl palmitate, Tocopherol, Citral, Citronellol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Recommended.