Lush Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion Review

I have a general fear of stretch marks. When I was in high school, I ran cross country, and somehow wound up with stretch marks on my legs. Luckily none have sprung up since, but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry, so I've been on a hunt for moisturizers with cocoa butter, which is supposed to be one of the best stretch mark preventatives. I've purchased straight cocoa butter before from Whole Foods (the Now brand), but for those not familiar with it, straight cocoa butter is rock hard until you melt it down on your skin. With my busy routine, I just didn't have time to sit and massage it in for several minutes everyday all over, so was looking for a natural body lotion that already included it.

Enter the Lush Charity Pot lotion, which while not cheap, is a terrific product AND supports charitable causes. 

The product is buttery smooth and moist, plus it contains a boatload of skin beneficial ingredients aside from just cocoa butter - there's moringa oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, and more. All of these have skin firming and /or stretch mark preventing properties, so I'm willing to invest in this single product. It also smells delicious, a light rich scent that isn't cloying.

I don't use it all over my body (I use a cheaper shea butter moisturizer from Whole Foods for that), but I do use it over areas that are particularly sensitive, e.g., the chest, neck, and my existing stretch marks. It's not a miracle worker and probably won't do much to diminish the look of existing stretch marks (nothing really can), but I'm hoping it does do its job as a preventative.

The other aspect that drew me to this product versus some of the other Lush body lotions is the fact that there's no preservatives. It is "self preserving", which is Lush's new designation for products that are made with naturally preserving / long-lasting ingredients such as shea butter, cocoa butter, etc. Look out for methylparaben and other nasties in some of their other body lotions, which I make sure to stay as far away from as possible. This one, luckily, is free of them and I highly recommend it if you're on the lookout for a skin beneficial lotion. 

Cle de Peau Beaute Radiantly Perfect Eyes Collection

I'm constantly on the lookout for a nice eye cream, as my undereye wrinkles are one of my sticking points. I've heard great things about Cle de Peau (which is a higher-end offshoot of Shiseido), so was immediately drawn when I spotted the Radiantly Perfect Eyes set. This set retails at $140, which is the same price as the eye cream alone. Still very pricey, but potentially a better deal together.

Below are all the items in the kit. Note, the sunscreen and body lotion are not included, these were items I received as a sample from the sales associate (always ask for samples!)

In total, the kit includes the eye cream, a mascara, a lash curler, makeup remover, cotton pads, and a cute blue bag.

I like the texture of the eye cream, as it's light yet moisturizing. I'll report back once I use it a bit longer to see how effective it is.

The thing I surprisingly do love is the eyelash curler. I have fairly flat eyes, so it's hard to find curlers that are able to fit against my lashes. I've used the Tweezerman curlers for the past few years, but when I tried this one out it really was a noticeable improvement. The curler features a very thin pad, which allows you to better scoop and squeeze your lashes, thus giving a firmer curl that lasts longer. I'm impressed.

The body lotion isn't anything to write home about, in case any of you are thinking about it separately. It smells nice and does the job, but as with all body lotions, nothing amazing here.

The bag is one of the cuter freebie bags I've received yet. This has gained a permanent place in my handbag. Nicely sized but not too bulky, and looks quite a bit better than the freebie Sephora bags.

This was definitely a pricey product, but I figure when it comes to skincare, and especially eye cream, they last so long for me that it's worth the one time investment. Let me know if you have any experience with this brand!

The Body Shop: Body Butters Review

I couldn't resist picking up a few mini body butters during their most recent buy 2 get 2 sale. With winter now upon us, I've been looking at hydrating, lovely scented lotions. Unfortunately the coconut body milk I purchased last time from The Body Shop just wasn't cutting it (my skin would be dry and flaky again just hours after use), so I opted for some of the richer body butters in three fantastic scents: Honeymania (got 2 of these), Grapefruit, and Mango. They also sent a sample of the Chocomania body butter, which honestly is fantastic, and makes me wish I'd purchased that as well.

Honeymania

This one has the same powerful floral honey scent as everything else in the line, which I personally love. It's also the thickest texture of the three I purchased - if you'll notice, the lotion inside retained its shape in the container, while the others clearly slid over to the side during transit. It's definitely a harder consistency and requires a bit more rubbing to absorb, but the scent lingers for ages and I love it. Nice and moisturizing.

Grapefruit

This one is a true, citrusy and strong grapefruit smell, with a more watery texture than the honeymania. I'm a major fan of citrus scents and like that this isn't very sweet. However, it probably is my least favorite of the three.

Mango

At one point this was my favorite scent in the line, and smelling it now certainly reminds me of why. Its a bit thicker than the grapefruit but not as hard as Honeymania. Its a very sweet, fruity scent that can be a bit cloying after you put it on. But again, effective and lovely.


I'm happy with these items, but probably would not have spent full price on them as there are just so many lotion alternatives on the market. But for a portable travel cream, these are perfect and have left my skin nicely hydrated. As mentioned, do check out Chocomania too, especially if you're a fan of chocolate (it's to-die-for good).