Posts Tagged ‘scrub’

Review: Bodyshop Nutmeg & Vanilla body scrub

March 29th, 2010

Amy and I always strive to make it really clear when we’ve been given products to review and when we’ve paid for them, because that always effects our reviews, even if we try to not let it. Another ethical dilemma that I’ve come up against recently is what happens when the product I want to review is a gift? So, full disclosure, for Xmas the lovely Lisa gave me this body scrub. It was an excellent present – she knows I like body products, and she also knows that I love the smell of vanilla and spices. So, absolute props to Lisa for the thoughtful gift. But she’s not under review here, the scrub is. Does it do what it says it does?

Get smooth, radiant skin this season with a luxurious creamy exfoliating scrub with nutmeg and natural exfoliants to leave skin feeling soft,smooth and delicately fragranced with the comforting scent of toasted nutmeg and vanilla.

Well, it smells lovely in the shower, although the scent doesn’t carry much further afterwards. And it does feel luxurious and creamy. But it doesn’t feel like a scrub! I know that I have strict scrub requirements (I like it to feel really really rough) which both products I’ve disliked (Celebration Banana Cream Pie scrub) and products I love (Nature’s essence) fail at, compared to my awesome homemade sugar scrub. This Bodyshop scrub contains crushed walnut shells and petunia seeds for exfoliation, so it feels a little gritty, but not very. Plus, the petunia seeds look kind of like bugs, and so they’re not very much fun to have all over you – although it’d be hilarious to give to someone who’s been smoking P and is already freaking out about insects anyway. It’s a bit messy in the shower floor and walls, but washes away pretty easy with a direct stream of water. If you just want a very very gentle scrub, it could suit you, or you could use it with a scrubbing mitt for a real good go. It was a present so I don’t know how much it cost, but Bodyshop stuff in general isn’t very cheap. You can feel virtuous that the honey in it is fair-trade, but for an every day thorough scrub, I’d recommend you invest in some almond oil and a nice essential oil and make your own instead.

Review: Celebration Banana Cream Pie Body Polish

August 10th, 2009

I have googled and googled and googled, but I can’t find any webpages related to this product by HoneyC, except for a couple of ebay listings. That’s probably a bad sign, right?

So both the name and the font used on this tub of scrub look like make it look like a Philosophy rip-off, and that’s probably intentional. I got the polish for my birthday, so I’m not supposed to know how much it cost, but my mother left the price sticker on the bottom so I know it was $11.90. Was it worth it? Probably not. I’m never a fan of fake banana smell, and while the polish glitters all pretty, much like Linden Leaves Gold, it’s like scooping up a handful of gritty snot. You don’t really feel exfoliated at all after using it, and the grit tends to cling to your body in the shower rather than washing easily away. Do yourself a favour and mix olive oil and sugar together for a proper scrub instead.

Review: MK Lip Mask

April 11th, 2009

mk-lip-thingChapped lips are a pain. And with the southerlies a blowin’ in the captial this time of year, you’d better get used to dry, cracked lips. A good slathering of balm (especially before you go to bed) can soften you up. But if you’re beyond the point when balm can help, and you really want that ruby red lipstick to look its best, then this product will save you. It’s a gentle scrub for your lips that instantly and gently buffs away all the roughness.

I’ve been using the Mary Kay Lip Mask for a while, usually for special occasions (you need to leave it on for a mintue or so, so not an everyday kind of thing, I mean who has a minute to spare every day?). But today my boyfriend was complaining of chapped lips, so I made him try the Lip Mask. He’s not very receptive to me dousing his face in products (ever since a false eyelash incident where I accidentally glued his eyelids shut.) He was pleasantly surprised that the Mask was harmless, and even worked a treat. He is currently sporting satin-smooth lips without the stickiness and shininess of using a balm.

The scrub can take a bit of getting used to. It does feel a bit weird but well worth the results. And it is pricey – NZ$36.50. That’s more than I’d pay for a lip balm, and even a lipstick. But if you’re a lipstick junkie maybe it’s worth it to ensure your fave lippie looks its best on smooth lips.

Review: Workout Zone skincare

March 14th, 2009

Kiwi GP, Dr Rosy Fenwicke, takes multi-tasking to the next level with her world-first skin care system. Her idea is to make your skin care routine part of your fitness routine, which apparently has many benefits to your face.

You can read about Dr Rosy, and the science behind her products at your own leisure.  I’m here to review, based on samples I got from Kirk’s recently.

Step 1 of the system is a cleanser, which you apply before you work out. It’s a fine, gentle facial scrub that’s also easy to rinse off.

Step 2 of the system is a clay-based moisturiser that you apply after the scrub and before you work up a sweat.  This a thick cream that takes a bit of time to work into the skin properly. After you’ve finished your work out, you rinse your face, shower with Step 3′s body wash (which i didn’t try), and then apply Step 4 – a facial cream with SPF20 to take you through the rest of your day. Step 4 leaves a glittery effect on the skin, and not particularly good under make-up.

As someone who doesn’t work out that often, this product was never gonna be great for me. But I do have some irks about these products which would put me off if I was a gym-bunny.

Firstly, if I were exercising outside, I’d want an SPF moisturiser, but Step 2 doesn’t have an SPF rating. So it’s only good for inside the gym, not for jogging and so on.

Secondly, the system adds a lot of fuss to your exercise routine. You have to scrub and rinse your face pre-workout, then massage the clay stuff into your face (and this step does take some time), and then rinse off again. Which means you probably have to shower at the gym which isn’t something all of us like to do. As well as having to carry all these products around with you.

Dr Fenwicke has come up with an interesting point about skin, moisture and sweat though. And if the routine actually works it may be worth the effort. I only had 3-day samples to go on. She also offers some good advice not to wipe off sweat with a towel during a workout, but rather massage the moisture back into the skin.

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“Sweat is made up of minerals and 99 percent water so you are not wiping off toxins as some people think, just losing minerals and moisture.”