[Review] - THEBODYSHOP MANGO SHOWER, SCRUB & LUXURY GIFT SET

Okay everyone it's time for a good ol' review before I bombard you with Korea posts!

Today's review will be on the MANGO SHOWER, SCRUB & LUXURY GIFT set from THE BODY SHOP!

This set includes these 5 items that I will be writing more about below: Mango Body Scrub, Mango Body Butter, Mango Shower Gel, Mango Soap, and a loofah.

I would have liked to post this picture first but the other one was more eye-catching. This is what the gift set looks like closed.

And here it is when opened. Do you like the snow in the background? I thought it made a great contrast to the orange colours ∩(︶ᵕ︶)∩

Okay! Moving on to the first item - the

Mango Body Scrub (200 ml)

"This fruity body scrub contains real mango seed oil. It effectively exfoliates, leaving skin soft and smooth."

The consistency of this scrub is grainy yet very fine as there are no larger seeds as in the Cranberry Joy Body Polish from the Cranberry Joy Shower Scrub And Moisture Collection that I reviewed HERE. It's very greasy to the touch but will be absorbed into your skin faster than THE BODY SHOP's lemon scented scrub - which is a plus for me!

According to THE BODY SHOP, this scrub removes dead skin cells, stimulates microcirculation, and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. To start off, I'm nowhere near being a biologist or whoever deals with microcirculation and I won't pretend to know more about it than I do so I can't really comment on this part. It does however leave my skin nice and smooth so I'll agree with them on that and the point that it removed the dead skin cells. Right after coming out of the shower (and also while in the shower), my skin felt greasy from the oil but now ten minutes after, as my skin has absorbed it, it just feels soft. According to my mom it left a mild scent of mango - I couldn't tell it myself.

〜How to use〜
"Apply to damp skin in a circular motion, then rinse thoroughly. Use two to three times a week."

〜Ingredients〜
Octyl Palmitate (Emollient), Sucrose (Depilatory Agent), Sodium Chloride (Salt) (Viscosity Modifier), Helianthus annuus (Sunflower Seed Oil) (Emollient), Silica (Absorbent), Mangifera indica (Mango Seed Oil) (Emollient), Glycine soja (Soybean Oil) (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Ricinus communis (Castor Oil) (Emollient), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Prunus dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil) (Emollient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone) (Sunscreen), Amyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Capsicum frutescens (Capsicum Extract) (Natural Additive), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Eugenol (Fragrance Ingredient), Amylcinnamyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary Extract) (Natural Additive), Methyl 2-Octynoate (Fragrance Ingredient), Propylparaben (Preservative), Anisyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient), Farnesol (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 77891 (Colour), CI 19140 (Colour).

Next up is the

Mango Body Butter (200 ml)

"Our super-rich and creamy Body Butter is a feast for the skin. It melts straight in to leave skin feeling soft and smooth. It contains Community Fair Trade cocoa butter and has an exotic mango scent."

This body butter is my favorite item of them all! It has a veeeeery soft consistency - like actual half melted butter but without the buttery smell or greasiness. It easily spreads across the skin and you won't need too much to cover your entire body.

I used this body butter on only one side of my body so that I could compare to the effect of the scrub. This product promises 24-hour hydration, that it's great for dry skin, and that it has an exotic mango scent. Sounds great, right? But does it live up to it? - The answer is yes, yes it does.

On the side of my body that I used the body butter on, my skins feels both smooth from the scrub AND hydrated. The mango scent is stronger than in the scrub and feels just slightly more perfumery although it's nothing noteworthy. As for the promise about being great for not just dry skin but very dry skin, I have to agree as well. For many, dry skin becomes the enemy #1 during winter and I always happen to be a victim of this - especially when applying BB cream. Yesternight I put some of the body butter on my face (don't apply too much or your face will get sticky) and 12 hours later my skin still felt hydrated.

〜How to use〜
"Massage into skin. Be generous! It works even better straight after a bath or shower."

〜Ingredients〜
Aqua (Water) (Solvent/Diluent), Mangifera indica (Mango Seed Oil) (Emollient), Prunus dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil) (Emollient), Theobroma cacao (Cocoa Butter) (Emollient), Glycerin (Humectant), Cyclomethicone (Emollient), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifier), PEG-100 Stearate (Surfactant), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Lanolin Alcohol (Stabiliser/Emollient), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Parfum (Fragrance), Methylparaben (Preservative), Propylparaben (Preservative), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Amyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Potassium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Eugenol (Fragrance Ingredient), Farnesol (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 75120 (Colour).

Mango Shower Gel (250 ml)

"This soap-free shower gel contains real mango seed oil and has a deliciously exotic scent."

The shower gel has a thin, liquid consistency like most of the shower gels from THE BODY SHOP but is thinner than their Chocomania Shower Cream.

This product should be soap-free, lather-rich, and contain an exotic mango scent. I was a little unsure what soap-free meant as shower gel is just.. liquid soap to me so I contacted THE BODY SHOP and asked them to clarify this. This was the response I got:
"A soap is a defined chemical material that is described as the salt of a fatty acid. Soaps tend to have a high pH and, with water, leaves soap foam in bathrooms and the skin may feel dry and taut. Soap is not a generic term for a cleaning / cleansing product, it is a specific chemical description of an ingredient type.

SLES or Sodium Laureth Sulphate, is not chemically pure soap, it is a sulfate surfactant. SLES cleanses the skin at a much lower pH and therefore leaves no soap foam in bathrooms when mixed with water, but more importantly, it is also considerably more gentle on the skin than soap without SLES.

The cosmetic and toiletries industry would classify a cleaning product as "soap-free" if it does not contains salt of a fatty acid, ie, a "soap" in chemical terms. SLES and soap are often confused because they essentially have the same purpose - they are being used to clean the skin. But they have very different properties with respect to how the skin feels, gentleness, pH, use and chemical composition, therefore the terminological difference is relevant. Being "soap free" is relevant to the people who think soap or other products based on products, which cause dryness, are unpleasant to use, but might find products made with other surfactants less annoying."

It's definitely lather-rich and the mango scent is very strong - stronger than in the body butter and also much sweeter in comparison. I fear that, without using the body butter afterwards, this gel would add to the dryness of my skin since my hands felt rather dry after washing my hands using it.

〜How to use〜

"Lather up in the bath or shower using hands or a bath lily. Rinse thoroughly."

〜Ingredients〜

Aqua (Water) (Solvent/Diluent), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Surfactant), Glycerin (Humectant), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Surfactant), Cocamide DEA (Surfactant), Coco-Glucoside (Surfactant), PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Emulsifier), Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower Oil) (Emollient), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate (Surfactant), Propylene Glycol (Humectant), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzophenone-4 (Sunscreen), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Mangifera indica (Mango (Mangifera Indica) Extract) (Natural Additive), Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 19140 (Colour), CI 15985 (Colour), CI 17200 (Colour).

Mango Soap (100g)

"This mango-scented soap gives a rich lather and leaves skin cleansed and refreshed."

I'm not a fan of hand soap, like I also mentioned last time I reviewed one, because I don't like the feeling it leaves my hands with - so this time I made my dad use it first! Muahahah! But then again.. reviewing a product without having tried it myself felt too dishonest so I sacrificed my hands and gave it a try.
This too should give a rich lather and have an exotic mango scent. Well, the lather was nowhere that of the shower gel and the smell was not mango but more of a citrus. As soon as the soap was washed off, all I could smell was a generic bar soap smell - no mango, no citrus whatsoever. BUUUUT my hands are softer now so that's a plus.

〜How to use〜
"Lather up in the bath or shower. Rinse thoroughly."

〜Ingredients〜
Sodium Palmate (Surfactant), Sodium Palm Kernelate (Surfactant), Aqua (Water) (Solvent/Diluent), Glycerin (Humectant), Sorbitol (Humectant), Palm Kernel Acid (Surfactant), Mangifera indica (Mango Seed Oil) (Emollient), Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Fragrance Ingredient), Tetrasodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Tetrasodium Etidronate (Chelating Agent), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 19140 (Colour), CI 17200 (Colour).


Then comes the last thing:

a bath lily

Aaaah, truly a majestic loofah! (I know bath lily is probably a more specific name but I like this word).
It's... made of plastic and doesn't have the slightest scent of mango. Not that it was supposed to, but it'd be cool, right? It has a cute colour though and fits perfectly into a hand and is thus very travel friendly - if you absolutely need a loofah when traveling, that is. I won't be bringing mine with me on my next trip though.


And that was is for my review! Thanks for reading! ｡＾ヮ＾｡
Have you tried this set? Would you buy it?

[Review] - Cranberry Joy Shower Scrub And Moisture Collection

Hello everybodiiiiiiiiies! ^o^

Merry Christmas! Feliz navidad! Frohe Weihnachten! Glædelig Jul! สุขสันต์วันคริสมาสต์!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and families (or perhaps you went on adventures in foreign countries like several of my friends did) :O

This year I mostly got money because I had told my family that I preferred experiences over materialistic gifts. I did get a few things however, and one of them was from my little brother Frederik (Thanks again!).
He had bought me the Cranberry Joy Shower Scrub And Moisture Collection from THE BODY SHOP.

I thought the set was super cute and I really wanted to share with you my experience of it, so here you go. My review!

Description:

Enjoy the fruity, limited-edition scent of cranberry from top to toe with this pampering box set

Cleanse your skin with the shower gel or soap. Exfoliate with the body scrub and help seal the moisture with the body butter.

Inside are four wonderful limited edition items:

• The Cranberry Joy Shower Gel
• The Cranberry Joy Heart Soap
• The Cranberry Joy Body Scrub
• The Cranberry Joy Body Butter

Cranberry Joy Shower Gel 

"This gentle, soap-free shower gel has a festive cranberry fragrance. It’s a limited edition, created just for Christmas."

I followed their advice and started out with the gel. It had a very strong and fruity smell. I can't tell if it really did smell like cranberry since I've never smelled those, but it was nice indeed. They say that for a more foamy result, you can use a loofah to apply it. I didn't know this before I used it but using your hands will work just fine as well.
My skin was left clean and soft.

Cranberry Joy Heart Soap

"This limited-edition heart soap makes a great stocking filler. It has a fruity cranberry fragrance and contains ground walnut shell."

I'm not a big fan of hand soap, if I may call it that, and have never been; therefore, I can't say much about this one. Instead of using it in my shower, I used it to wash my left hand a little earlier today. It is softer than my right hand and also smoother. Once again I'm not sure about the exfoliating part, I'll leave that to the body butter. 

The scent from this is not as strong as from the other items and when washed off, it leaves more of a clean scent than of cranberries (or perhaps my nose has just gone finally numb).

Cranberry Joy Body Polish

"This limited-edition festive body exfoliator is gentle enough to use every day. It removes dead skin cells, leaving skin feeling softer and smoother, and has a fruity cranberry fragrance. It leaves a natural Christmas glow."

Like the gel, the polish also had a very liquid consistency. It contained what looks like little seeds.

After using the gel, it said to apply the body polish. I believe a body polish is different from a body scrub because it is so gentle. It left my skin super smooth and very soft. I'm not so sure about the exfoliation part though...

The minor red grains didn't scrape like they would in a body scrub. The smell was a little more sour than the gel, which didn't impress me. I did, however, like how it didn't leave my skin greasy-like like my lemon body scrub does. 

Cranberry Joy Body Butter

"Our iconic Body Butter in a limited-edition festive fragrance. It melts straight in to leave skin feeling softer and smoother."

Last step was the body butter. 

Since the consistency was so thick, I had to apply a bit to cover my whole body. It probable won't last long if I have to use that much every time.

It says to seal the moisture within your skin and leave it moisturized up to 24 hours. My plan was to write this review yesterday as that was the day I used these products but here, 24 hours and 45 minutes later, my skin still feels super soft and moisturized. THAT sure was a surprise!
My skin feels soft and smooth and my mom constantly tells me how nice I smell (my pyjamas that I wore all day after showering yesterday also has a strong scent). Even though you might not smell it after half an hour, everybody else will.
It smells better on than in the little container so don't let that fool you. A big plus is also how this does NOT feel greasy and sticky on the skin after application, I guess because it really does "melt" into your skin. 

~~~

Overall I really liked the set and I think it's pretty cool how it's limited to only be sold around Christmas time. I do like the scent but I think it'd be a little too strong for my every day life. Maybe others will be able to pull it off but it wouldn't fit me that well. For Christmas and big events I think it's great! It adds that one extra little thing to make your appearance complete~
If you think this sound like something you'd like to try, don't hesitate to go get it!

I also reviewed the Cranberry Joy Lip Balm if you are interested in more products from the series. You can find the post about it HERE

[Review] - Bodyshop's Chocolate Heart

As promised I'm back with yet a review!
My review will be on the Chocolate Heart gift box from Bodyshop!

Have you ever walked into one of their stores and, after going through the entire collection of fruity-smelling lotions and soaps, stopped right in front of one of these and thought to yourself:

"I wonder if I should try one of these once"

I have! 

To be fair, Bodyshop isn't exactly the cheapest store, but the clean look and promises about natural ingredients makes me come back almost every time I'm downtown.

I always take a look at these boxes but walk away when I see the price (poor student here hahah).

"Is it worth it? What if I don't like it? Will I have wasted half my money on stuff I will never use?"

But we all have to take chances once in a while!

Let's get to the pictures~

The package is a thin metal box and with a brown bow wrapped around it (sorry, I took that off)

It measures about 5.5*18* 20.5 cm

The heart contains 4 different items that I will all try to describe as well as possible :)

To make sure that the little containers would stay neatly in place, they put in a big piece of hard plastic

The first thing I was to show you is the smallest one: the Lip Butter (aka lip balm)

(No this is not low picture quality, that is just how the lid looks)

So the lip butter was the first thing I tried. 

The smell wasn't as chocolatey as I had expected, actually it smelled more like nutella with extra extra hazelnuts! 

Don't you just love the look of unused lipbalms?

It has a rather "hard" consistence and you have to warm it up a little with your finger before you can actually apply it to your lips.

You won't be able to apply much at a time so it will definitely last for long.

When applied to my lips, it left a kind of pearly shimmery effect (Nothing too bad! Usually I don't like that stuff but this looked really nice). Other than that it was completely transparent but it transformed my lips after just a few seconds of being on. My lips looked MUCH healthier.. as in.. I have never seen them look so soft before.. ever.. so that's for sure a plus!

Even though it smells like hazelnut, DO NOT EAT IT! It might smell good but the taste is a mix of perfume and caramel (weird since it's chocolate).

Also, it doesn't last THAT long on so if you use this, make sure to bring it with you if you go somewhere.

Next thing up is the Chocolate Body Scrub!

This one too has a strange design... the picture on the lid looks as if it was taken by a low quality camera.

When I first grabbed the container with it, I realized that it had leaked a little. This is completely normal as the body scrub sometimes "parts" into the harder part and the oily part.

This is what it looked like when I first opened it. I took my finger and mixed it up a little and soon it was as good as new!

It looks like porridge! hahah

So the body scrub is also really nice, however, it doesn't smell that much like chocolate. The scent isn't very "strong" if you can say so... but it has a certain "freshness" about it. For some reason it made me think of lemons. When you rub it on (I did it on my leg) it feels like a softer version of sandpaper or... imagine going to the beach and drying your body with  a towel that has just been laying in the sand. 

When you have rubbed it in, your will be able to see the tiny little grains of whatever was in it. 

After use, my leg felt MUCH smoother and super soft! (In the beginning it also gave me a rather oily look as if I had just applied lotion). I think this is perfect for (rather) newly shaved legs as it will give them that finish touch! (Just don't do it right after shaving, I think it'll hurt!)

+ even after you've washed it off, there will still be a slight smell of chocolate (Yes, NOW it actually smells a little bit of chocolate)

Third item is the Body Butter!

This one had a much nicer lid!

This did not smell like chocolate AT ALL! Instead it had a smell like a typical fresh soap.

As you can see, it's thicker than normal lotion.. more like butter, hence the name.

There are no clumps at all and it spreads out very very easily on the skin. Like melting butter on bread!

It made my skin look a LOT more hydrated + it made it slightly more soft :)

My skin was left healthy looking without the least feeling of being sticky or greasy.

The last item is the Chocomania Shower Cream!

I would say that this smells more of caramel than of chocolate.. like the caramel sauce you put on ice cream!

It is runny like normal body- and hand soap and has a cute pearly shimmer to it :)

Nothing much to say about this one. Even after being washed off, it will leave your skin with a very nice scent of caramel.

These were my thoughts on the Chocolate Heart gift box from Bodyshop!

I probably wouldn't buy it again but how about you? Have you ever tried it yourself?

If not, would you consider buying it? Why/why not?

Leave a comment! :)