There is something decent about bodyscrubs: They remove the dead skincells but I personally wouldn't spend too much on stuff that will disappear into the drain.
Still, it needs some essence to qualify as a good scrub: good grains
(not to small nor large), nice scent (or nicely unscented) and a bit of
extra to keep scrubbing for more than 3 seconds:
I really like my latest find by fashionstore Stories...I have the Shinjuku Bloom version and it smells like a cocktail of fruits & flowers.
The best thing about it is that it lathers slightly, and stays scrubby for more than 20 seconds!
☼That's fantastic for prepping the body for some fun summertimes ☼
Before I became a beautyblogger I was an avid visitor or makeupalley.com. The different boards lured me into various excellent brands and ways of pampering.
One of my favourites for a while was the bath and body board, and from that board I came to enjoy one of my favourite brands: Coconut Hut Beauty.
Made in Hawaii by Lena they radiated the idea of tropical paradise. I first ordered from them in 2006 or 2007 and, even though there were lots of new etailers, I returned to them for their lovely formulas.
I hadn't ordered from them for a couple of years, but I really felt like ordering something tropical in some kind of escapism against the winter. I really like the bloggers fave of the moment, Haus of Gloi, too, but their scents really have been too wintery for me and I just wanted some plain Hawaiian zest that I used to love.
So do I still like the products?
Yeh, absolutely. Let me introduce their Hawaiian Icing Whipped Sugar Scrub first:
I talked about scrub last week. Actually, about Rituals Hot Hammam scrub (here).
This is something entirely different. Uh, not so different that it isn't scrub but the effect is different.
On Coconuthutbeauty's site:
A Coconut Hut Best Seller and Lena's Favorite Scrub! A luscious blend
of Organic Cane Sugar, Golden Brown Cane Sugar, Granulated Cane Sugar,
skin nourishing Cocoa Butter, and precious oils of Coconut and Jojoba. This scrub is truly unique in texture[...]When applied this amazing sugar scrub turns into a creamy lotion, rinsing clean without any greasy residue.
Indeed, it looks like a Whipped Icing blend:
So it is a smaller grain scrub made from SUGAR which turns milky when applied to moist skin. It really is wonderful for parts of the body that need a bit of exfoliation, but not the large (and somewhat scary) grains of seasalt that is present in the Rituals Hammam scrub.
So yeh, it is just for what aim you decided to put it for. I like the salty grains of Rituals Hammam on the 'wobbly bits' and the rest can be pampered with the TLC scrub or Hawaiian icing.
The scent is delightful: I love how the lemon is zesty enough to remind me of a warmer climate but the ginger is still wonderful for feeling warm and that bit of spice. Such a delicious combination.
Something new I missed on the last couple of years: their 100% Coconut Oil in liquid form.
I picked their travel-size in 1 oz, which was still rather big and economic in use.
Coconut everything has been really hyped lately, in beverages, cooking oils, ect. On the skin it is a real treat as well. I often use oils for nourishing my hair, but I really liked the thin-ness of this oil and the fact it rinsed out really good (unlike the pesky olive oil).
My hair looked sleeker and less frizz-prone afterwards.
It was also a real treat on the skin and thin enough to keep you from being a greaseball but nourishing enough against winter cold and central heating.
Love and a repurchase too (more info and the product itself over here)
I also got a little freebie in the form of a Cocoa Cabana Whipped Body Souffle. Yummm, I love mango and Mango Madness really whisked me away into a tropical vacation (for a couple of seconds). Their formula of body cream is still really good.
For today I thought it would be good to look at a 'spa-at-home' product.
Most of us are in that pre-christmas haze that we do not have that much time (and money) to spend in a real spa, but still do not want to resemble a lizard in that dreadful moment we have to present ourselves in our christmas dresses (or perhaps a cute Tux like Bianca Jagger ;D).
Overal, the combination of the body-showing event and the midst of winter is not the best combination, so time to look at some scrubbies...
Rituals Hammam Hot Scrub: Ginger & Eucalyptus & sea salt
Rituals has been a Dutch brand around since approximately a decade, and it is that good (and well marketed I believe) that they have been branching out their products outside the country as well.
Their main cities are displayed on the shopping bag, but I have them seeing mentioned in the British Glossy magazines as well, so I know they are available in the UK.
I picked the Hammam warming scrub because I didn't have any scrub available at my home (mostly from etailers from the US) and they were the weekly deal: €10 instead of € 14,90.
But most importantly, I have been interested in the Hammam scrub for some time because it smells really good and is incredibly grainy and warming.
And the instructions on the back mention that is is aimed to relieve fatigue and to lift the mood...yep, I need that!
Rituals Hammam scrub: instructions in various languages.
The Ritual stores are quite inviting to try out their product. They have these luxury water basements and most of their line ready to use at the side. Afterwards, they have these fresh hand-towelettes to dry your hands in a luxurious style and the interior of their shops is quite luxe. Some Dutch train-stations have these Ritual shops and they are so wonderful for waiting commuters who like to scrub their hands and try out some things.
The scrub is quite large and contains a hefty dose of 250 gr or 8.8 oz. But don't be too fooled because that black lid on top is like a high hat and it is not filled to the brim of that black hat.
It's still bigger than my BELOVED CoconutHut Beauty scrub, but I picked their 4 oz size and they have a 8 oz size as well, but I like to vary scent-wise so I picked their smaller one (ooops, that is another review that is up in the making)
Back to the Rituals:
Their scrub is based on SEASALT, so beware of little wounds on the body-parts or you will feel a different feeling of 'invigoration'.
Their other two main ingredients: Ginger and Eucalyptus, are really strong and remind me of those old-fashion spa's or perhaps those cough-rubbing balms.
But it sure wakes you up for a moment.
The large grains are perfect for that last-minute cellulite blasting, although I know I will never blast all of it, but it is all in the effort and the mind that it somewhat looks a bit less ;D.
So this combination makes me feel clean and has a semi-spa-like experience.
It never goes really spa-like, unless you have a willing partner with good hands and patience who likes to perform the 'therapist'-role for you (that is a different kind of role-play, think of it, the kind of role-play women would prefer, teeeheee)
It doesn't really get warming as some of these warming-scrubs do, but the ginger/eucalyptus and invigorate scrubbing of the large grains get the blood flowing, so I do not have to complain that often (see post yesterday) about the cold.
Rituals has an online shop over here and the Hammam Scrub is over here € 14,90
Oh, and for the people remembering the glorious 1990s, I wanna put up some other TLC (the fab girl-group) and their idea on scubs ;D
