Mandara Spa Oriental Retreat Collection

The latest bathing collection from Mandara Spa puts the treat into retreat. Called Oriental Retreat , it's the most delicious smelling range - with Cedarwood and Sweet Orange, it really is the most perfect blend of sweet and spice. Personally I find it to be quite a unisex scent and the husband happily agrees with me.

Mandara Spa are renowned for bringing the spa experience into your home and this new collection does not disappoint, it feels and smells far more luxurious than the price tag suggests. Oriental Retreat transports your mind and body to exotic Eastern Climes, a gorgeously sensual experience, the scent is warming, sweet and calming. All the range has been created to pamper, relax and unwind.

The Shower Gel £4 200ml  

is gentle and leaves skin feeling soft and smelling of the delicious scent inside the tube. Containing soothing aloe vera, indulgent Oriental orchid extract, and fragrant cedarwood oil, sweet orange and cumin.

The Honey Bath £10 500ml

smells slightly sweeter than the shower gel thanks to the inclusion of the honey, is really conditioning on the skin and imparts the scent across the bathroom so giving your senses the Oriental experience too. You won't want to leave the bath once you have immersed yourself in the warm, bubble filled water! Contains Moisturising acacia honey, softening rice oil, indulgent Oriental orchid extract, and fragrant cedarwood oil, sweet orange and cumin.

The Beauty Oil £7.50ml

is a multi-purpose body oil with the same delicious scent, the scent is long lasting, the oil fast drying. Can be used as a moisturiser, massage oil or bath oil for silky smooth skin. For nourished, shiny hair apply to ends of hair overnight, shampoo and rinse. I haven't yet tried to use it on my hair, but I will be.
Contains wonderful ingredients of moisturising sweet almond oil, softening macadamia nut oil, indulgent Oriental orchid extract, nourishing rosehip oil and fragrant cedarwood oil, sweet orange and cumin.

A lovely way to end a day.

Mandara Spa products are available to purchase in Sainsbury's stores.

*PR Samples

LUSH Easter Treats

I have been enjoying a LUSH Easter this past week with these LUSH skincare goodies... Part of the limited edition Easter Collection I have been trying out a few of the range.

First up is the Hoppity Poppity Bath Bomb £2.50 each

This fizzy bunny boasts fresh violet leaf and lavender, the scent is refreshing and leaves the bathroom smelling all herbal. It fizzed around the bath but there were no bubbles.

Golden Egg Bath Bomb Melt £3.75 each 

I loved this golden egg, be careful though as it is messy and leaves everything it touches with a molten golden lustre...that said once in contact with water it rolls around the bath imparting an abundance of bubbles and turning the water yellow! It smells toffee sweet and delicious and leaves skin feeling incredibly soft. Big thumbs up from me. Packed with cocoa butter, olive oil, bergamot and orange oil, a soak in the bath with this is a real treat. Big thumbs up from me.

Finally - Pot O'Gold Shower Jelly £3.50 

Lush say - 

At the end of every rainbow lies sweet, decadently-scented jelly. Lather up with this caramel-scented solid shower gel, made with orange peel decoction and fresh pineapple juice to brighten your skin and your mood. Just in case that wasn't enough, we've added some shimmer to the rich carrageenan seaweed base for an extra touch of magic. You've really struck gold with this one.
My thoughts 

I have never tried a shower jelly before so I was a little baffled as to how to use this product... I should have hit the Lush website where all is revealed. Anyway the correct thing to do is take out all the jelly and just roll it over your wet body, mixing it with water creates the creamy lather. I had tried to dig out a bit which was a massive fail!
This is a lot of fun as it is is so slippery and I spent a fair amount of time trying to prevent it from slipping out of my hands or picking it up when I had failed to keep hold of it. Amusing.
The scent is unusual but gorgeously addictive and the jelly is golden pretty.

*PR Samples

Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath Review

Whilst I don't really suffer from dry skin on my body I do suffer in the winter months from itchy skin which I put down to being irritated by the change from being out in the cold to being in warm, central heated environments. Sometimes it can get really itchy, irritated and bothersome, in my despair I was looking around my beauty stash for something to help and came across an Elemis Sp@ Home product that I thought I would give a whirl.

Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath 

Elemis say

The Elemis Sp@Home Body Soothing range is about slowing down the pace at the end of the day, taking time to nourish the body and de-stress the mind. Relaxation is key.

Highly acclaimed, this Luxury Milk Bath has a unique formula that captures the essence of Cleopatra’s ancient bathing ritual. Its milk protein base is rich in nourishing vitamins, amino acids and minerals. Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath contains natural plant collagen from Oat Extract and Japanese Camellia Oil to feed the skin whilst keeping it soft and supple. Skin Nourishing Milk Bath is excellent for irritated, sensitive and excessively dry skin conditions.

My thoughts 

From the description I thought this was just what I was looking for. I added a good splash of the product to a warm, running bath and watched the water turn milky. Scent wise this had a gentle, creamy scent that was pleasant and relaxing. I did find that this did the trick, soothing my itchy skin and the results lasted pretty much till my next bath. I have been using this product each time I have taken my bath and it has really, really helped. To be honest I wasn't really surprised as I have yet to be disappointed by Elemis products, it is one of my favourite skincare brands.

My only disappointment is that this was a sample size of 125ml from a gift set and I have now finished the bottle!

Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath costs £42 for 400ml

Kneipp Pure Bliss Mineral Bath Salt

Kneipp say

Kneipp Pure Bliss Mineral Bath Salt is made with natural oils of Red Poppy and Hemp. It promotes an overwhelming sense of well-being and relaxation from the stress of everyday life.

My thoughts 

The bath salts spill into the bath in hues of pretty blues and reds but once all melted the water turns red which was a little off putting if I am honest. However the lovely scent that was oozing from my bathroom more than made up for it and soon tempted me inside.

The scent is soapy and intensely calming which I was delighted with and the salts left my skin feeling lovely and soft. I can see the appeal of bath salts and I would be tempted to purchase a jar to pop some in my bath for some super relaxation.

Kneipp Pure Bliss Mineral Salt Travel Sachet contains enough product for one use - £1.95

Available from Graftonsbeauty.co.uk

*PR Sample

Pinks Boutique Try Me Set Rose Body

I do love a sample sized product and this little Try Me Set from luxury organic skincare brand Pinks Boutique is up there with the best of them and is quite simply an ideal way for trying before buying. There are seven sets to choose from, being the Rose fiend that I am I had to try the Rose Body version.

The set contains the following items which I found to be suitable for one use.

Rose Crystal Bath Soak - My favourite from within this little box of goodies. I popped the crystals into my bath and soon the bathroom smelt incredible and inviting. A lovely way to relax and kick off the pampering.

Contains Himalayan mineral crystal, Epsom salts and is infused with an organic blend of rose essential oils.

Rose Crystal Bath Soak 500g costs £39

Rosehip Face and Body Scrub - A gorgeous smelling, smooth and gentle yet effective scrub, I used it on my body for super soft skin. 

Rosehip Face and Body Scrub 60g £31.50

Rose & Geranium Body Wash - This body wash comes out as a gel, is delicately scented and is gentle on the skin and soothing.

Rose & Geranium Body Wash 250ml £23

Rose Face & Body Balm - The balm is almost solid in form but warmed up in your hands turns into a delightful oil that would be so good as a massage oil, as it was I had to massage into my own skin and it was just beautiful. Smelt wonderful and left skin feeling super soft for hours. I used it on my body as part of my pampering experience.

Rose Face & Body Balm 50g £30 

Final thoughts - I loved this little set and it provided a fantastic introduction to the Pinks Boutique products. I absolutely loved the Face & Body Balm and Bath Soak. 

Pinks Boutique Try Met Set - Rose Body costs £20 

*PR Sample