Korres Shower Gel Minis Gift Set*

Let's face it, I'm a bit of a sucker for a good shower gel. I just think they can have such an impact on your day. It sounds silly, but one thing that I struggle with most with my mental health is getting out of bed in the morning and showering. Having a good shower gel that I'm excited to use can honestly make the difference between me evading the shower for the day or clambering right in. 
Having a whole little set of Korres minis* that I know do wonders for my skin made me feel fab in the morning. Out of the six scents (Basil Lemon, Guava, Bergamot Pear, Santorini Vine, Japanese Rose and Fig) I had tried three before, so I was most looking forward to the other three. Korres are a brand that are all about keeping things natural, and their shower gels tend to have around 92% natural ingredients. With no parabens, silicones or colouring, they pair perfectly with my sensitive and slightly dry skin. Now, although I did receive this gift set from the brand to write a post on, I haven't been asked to say anything in particular, I just really really love these products!
Out of all six scents I have to say that their Bergamot Pear* mini was my absolute favourite. I've tried their Bergamot Pear body milk before, and fell in love with the way it smelt, so I saved this mini until last as it was the one I was most excited about. This one is a delicately sweet scent; the kind of sweetness you get from juicy, ripe fresh fruits. This sounds odd, but it's a very hard one to describe. This is 100% going on my Christmas list, and I gave my boyfriend a very forward hint when we saw a set of the full sized shower gel and body milk in T K Maxx. 
This was such a great way for me to try out new scents that I wouldn't normally go for. Japanese rose* is something that I would always steer far clear of, as rose scents always seem to overpower me and be a little too musky, but this one was beautiful.
Have you tried out any of these shower gels?
*Although products in this post were gifted to me for the purpose of a review, all opinions are my own* Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook

Trying out a sensual scent: Korres Jasmine range* review

When it comes to beauty products, I'm a stickler for just going back to the same old scents time and time again, because I know I'll love them. Sweet, fruity scents are my jam, and if you've ever smelt Snow Fairy, well, that's basically my ideal scent. 
However, sometimes it's good to branch out of your comfort zone, but I usually need a little push to do it. So, when Korres offered to send me their mint tea* and jasmine* shower gel and body milk sets I knew I had to go for it. I've already written a lengthy review here, all about my experiences trying out a unisex scent with their mint range. 
Jasmine however isn't usually described, or represented as being a unisex scent, rather it's always spoken about as it it's going to make you a goddess of the shower scene. Oh, and men everywhere are going to fall down for you. Now, I can't say that that's happened to me since I've been using the Jasmine shower gel* and body milk*, but it has affected my confidence.
It's a much more musky scent than anything I would normally go for, and in that sense it made me feel much more sophisticated. When I sit and moisturise my legs after a shower I feel a bit more like a woman, rather than a girl trying to make her way to adulthood without getting dry skin. 
I feel a bit more sassy as I step out of the door, and more inclined to wear a musky perfume: something that will scream 'sophisticated lady'. Usually that is so not me, but it was nice to step into the shoes of someone else for a period, and see what it's like to go after a totally different scent.
I do have to say though, I think I'll be heading back to my normal sweet sweet goodness in the shower: florals just aren't really my thing.
What's your favourite kind of scent for the shower?
*Although products in this post were gifted to me for the purpose of a review, all opinions are my own*
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Trying out a unisex scent: Korres Mint Tea range review*

 Before we kick start this blog post I'm just going to say that I know there is no such thing as a unisex scent. Or a male scent, or a female scent. All scents are just there, irrespective of gendering. BUT, companies gender them for us. I can't remember the last time my shower gels promised to wake me up with a zesty start, or my boyfriend's promised to soothe him into a relaxing floral embrace. It's just something that has happened. And I know, I can go down the male toiletries aisle and buy a grapefruit scented shower gel that promises to startle my senses in the morning, but I like the idea of having a shower gel for women, and going for a male one has never really crossed my mind.

Anyhow, when Korres kindly sent me their Mint Tea shower gel*, body milk* and body scrub*, I had no idea that they would just smell so manly. When these arrived in the post, my first port of call was to give them a good ol' whiff and I was a little bowled over by the scent. You see, I'm not really a peppermint fan, and I know that these aren't strictly peppermint scented, but I still expected them to be. In reality the scent was a lot more delicate than traditional mint, and they had managed to capture the tea scent so well that you could almost smell the herby leaves. 

I actually found myself looking forward to showering. Showering is something that triggers my anxiety, and if I'm having a poor mental health day, then the idea of it can be insurmountable. But, each morning I woke up in my general haze of half asleep-ness with the thought that I would be 100% alert once I got out of the shower. Seriously, this stuff worked miracles on my senses. After a good cleanse, followed by moisturising with the body milk I felt more awake than I ever normally do in the morning. It actually made me feel like one of those people that can get up at the same time every day and not go back to bed straight after breakfast for a nap. 

This range, in short, has made me realise that maybe male scents are the way forward for me in the shower. Maybe changing my habits and going for that zesty wake-up scent rather than my usual picks is the way forward. Either way, next time shower gel is on my shopping list, I'm going to pick up a less feminine scent and see if it works!

*Although products in this post were gifted to me for the purpose of a review, all opinions are as always my own*

Have you tried a unisex scent before?

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The Body Shop's Moringa Range

If you've been following me for a while, you'll probably know that The Body Shop's Vineyard Peach range is my favourite scent of all time. However, their moringa stuff has now come pretty close, if not topping it. It has a really light, slightly floral scent (without smelling like someting your grandmother would wear). Also, in case you're wondering about the top picture, it's the Body Shop stuff I was lucky enough to receive from my generous, and very large family for Christmas!

The Moringa body butter was my go-to moisturiser when I headed to Spain in June. It was my first time abroad in a number of years and I knew I'd really be in need of something to keep my skin from drying out in the heat. Often body butters can be a bit intense to use every day, but this is exactly what I needed whilst in Malaga. It kept my skin soft and supple in the heat even through to the evening.

p.s. Reminiscing on the summer sun is a great cure for impatience at a very cold February!

What is your go-to holiday moisturiser?

Love and Light

Steph