Philosophy, Amazing Grace Firming Body Lotion!

Philosophy's Amazing Grace Body Firming Lotion was sent to me just before my holiday and I’ve been using, and loving it ever since.

The lotion (that comes in a large, and very handy pump action bottle) has a fresh, clean scent – kind of like the smell of clean washing which is a lovely smell but not one I’d normally go for in a body lotion (although I definitely will in future), and it’s a scent that really lasts; I’m talking about when you put it on in the afternoon, go on a night out and then are still able to smell it (easily) the next day!! I love fragranced products so this is a real bonus for me. Not only does it smell lovely but it has made my skin buttery soft and smooth too!

It’s fairly thick for a lotion and as you can see in the last photograph, it holds its shape, a little bit like a stiff meringue (but without all the air) and a little goes a very long way. The small amount in the photograph above is actually more than ample to do my full arm, shoulder and part of my neck/chest area. It’s also very easily absorbed, almost instantly in fact yet is still deeply moisturising!

I sometimes suffer with those dry little lumps on the tops of my arms, but using this moisturiser has really sorted out the few I had at the time when I started using the it, and has kept any more coming back too.

On the bottle it warns that it’s ‘for external use only’ and whilst it amazes me that there probably are some people that actually need to be told this, I do hope that it’s not because somebody did actually try to drink it, in the hope that it would firm them from the inside – imagine that, ha!

This body lotion is beautiful, and I’m so glad I got given the chance to try it out, as honestly it’s stunning... and possibly not something that would have caught my eye otherwise. Available from QVC for £26.50 plus £4.45 postage, which isn’t exactly cheap but I think worth it (my motto is to spend where it makes a difference and save in other areas); and as a small amount goes a long way, it’s probably going to last a lot longer than a cheaper lotion too, so it’s probably a bit more economical than you’d think!

PR Sample: Views are my own!

Lush Limited Edition Creamy Candy Body Lotion!

Today I treated myself to 2 pots of Lush’s very limited edition ‘Creamy Candy’ body lotions and I have to say I am very pleased with them. Not only do they smell delightful but they are actually good moisturisers too – which isn’t always the case with heavily fragranced lotions.

The scent in the pot and when first applied is just like the Lush Creamy Candy bubble bar that it is based on. This may seem weird to mention as this is what you’d fully expect as standard but fragrance oils (especially the more natural ones) can change scent depending on what kind of product you put them into; for instance a bubble bar and a body lotion are 2 different chemical compositions so the fragrance, although the exact same fragrance can end up smelling totally different from product to product and this is why I thought it would be a good idea for me to mention this.

Application is easy and although the product has a pink hue to it, it does not make your skin pink in the process, thankfully. It’s also very quick to soak into my skin and did not make it feel tacky either, which I was very pleased to find out as although I like a good lounge around every now and then, I don’t like it forced upon me just because my moisturiser refuses to soak in so I was pleased to find that this lotion didn’t take half the day to do so.

The scent is quite strong and lasted for a good few hours on my skin, which I find to be fairly acceptable as I’ve not found that many lotions that smell strongly for the whole day, unfortunately. It didn't disappear completely, I should add.

After a while when the scent does mellow on the skin it still smells a lot like Creamy Candy as it did on application, but I do also detect a subtle hint of the Comforter lotion (based on the pink and white comforter bubble bar) which is still very lovely, sweet and slightly fruity. You may find this different on your own skin as scents are very personal things and are subject to change from person to person.

This is available at Lush stores throughout September (or until they run out, which I think is very likely so if you do want to purchase this then I would advise you to call your local store to make sure they have it in stock as it really is VERY limited edition) and is priced at £12 for a 225g pot.

As you can see from the picture below, this is suitable for vegans, but not for people who are allergic to parabens.

The Body Shop Strawberry Puree Body Lotion.

Advantages: Cooling, Nice smell

Disadvantages: Smell doesn't last long, Doesn't moisturise the skin much!

I'm always using new body creams, lotions and potions so when I saw this on offer online I couldn't resist! They were 2 for £8, 2 for the price of 1, or half price each - however you want to name it. I bought the strawberry and the cherry but for now I will be writing about the strawberry variety!

The packaging states that it is a lightweight cooling moisturisation with strawberry pulp and sumptuous strawberry seed oil and that it is for normal skin.

The smell of this when it's still in the bottle to me smells like that paracetamol medicine I had when I was a child, strawberry flavoured - was it Calpol? Anyway, whilst this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it did surprise me as I didn't expect it to smell like a medicine in any form!

The pump dispenser is easy to use and even more so if you have problems with your hands/fingers due to something like arthritis as this takes a lot of the usual effort out of using a normal bottle for that kind of thing. Upon application this lotion is very cooling, which is great for the summer at least on those days where the sun decides it will shine here in the UK, but also for summer holidays abroad where the weather is likely to me much nicer!

The lotion is of quite a thin consistency but this does mean that a little bit seems to go along way! It also means that it isn't instantly absorbed; it leaves a wet feeling on the skin for a little while after - unless of course you rub it in for a longer time. I kind of like this when it's warm as it feels cooler for a bit longer in this state but it is a little sticky.

The smell on the skin will vary from person to person, much like a perfume would but on my skin the medicine smell more or less disappears and I am left with a sweet strawberry smell which is actually quite nice, but doesn't seem to last long unfortunately - probably about an hour ish.

This lotion is meant to be instantly hydrating; but for me unless you count the wetness when you apply it, it doesn't really feel all that hydrating, or moisturising. It doesn't leave my skin really dry either though but I would suggest that if you have skin that is on the dry side that you may want to try the body butter instead. None the less I was quite surprised about this as I thought that the shea butter in that it would make it really quite moisturising.

I haven't noticed any long term benefits in using this lotion, but to the same degree I haven't noticed any massive deterioration in my skin since using it either. I probably wouldn't buy this again if I am honest though, and certainly not at full price.

Rather than not recommending it to anybody because of my experience of it on myself, I do recommend you get yourself into a body shop store to try this on your skin before purchasing it to make sure that it's going to work well on your skin type and that the scent is going to last a long enough time to make it worth you purchasing it.

Summary: Make sure this is worth purchasing for you personally before you go ahead and buy it.