Coconut Body Butter 200ml (£7.95)
I received these products in an Extracts gift set at Christmas. All the products I will be reviewing can be bought exclusively at Boots stores anytime during the year.
Although I’ve been fond of Extracts products for ages this is the first time I’ve got my hands on any of the coconut products by the brand.
I found this body butter soft and velvety to the touch. Unlike the mango body butter the coconut is less thick therefore easier to apply.
After using it in the shower it soaked into the skin quickly, was a joy to use and left a beautiful lasting scent throughout the day.
Coconut Body Lotion 200ml (lotions £5.25 for 250ml)
I didn’t notice an obvious difference between the lotion and the body butter. The body butter was a little thicker but did the same kind of thing.
I found because the two were in a set I could conveniently switch between the two for example if I was in a rush I could apply the lotion and be good to go.
Coconut Body Wash 200ml (£4.25)
Again I’ve never tried any of the coconut range before in this brand. I have favoured the mango or brazil nut body wash for a good while and have been delighted with the quality of these.
I did find the coconut body wash to be a nice product however I still prefer other scents in the range. The coconut wasn’t as strongly fragranced in my opinion. Despite this it was a joy to use alongside the other coconut items in the range.
Mango Body Butter 200ml (£7.95)
I’ve used this product many times before and I just keep going back. I love to stock up on the extracts in the boots Christmas gift range.
The mango scent is utterly divine and my skin just soaks up the butter. It works best on the skin after having a shower or a bath. It isn’t the quickest to sink in so if you’re in a rush you might like to use less or swap with the body lotion version.
The 200ml is a good size and lasts a fair amount of time. It’s also fair-trade which I like. I like using it alongside the body wash. The prices are a little more expensive but the quality you receive is excellent.
Mango Body Lotion 200ml (lotions £5.25 for 250ml)
This is an excellent product. It sinks into the skin very quickly and leaves a beautiful mango fragrance on the skin. It’s less thick than the body butter making it perfect to use if you are in a rush.
Mango Body Wash 200ml (£4.25)
I can’t say enough good things about this particular product. The quality is fantastic; I found the authentic mango scent heavenly. They use fair-trade ingredients and the packaging is lovely and simple.
Extracts Eco Bag
I wasn’t overly in love with the bag that the set came with. I think maybe the style was a little too old for my liking. Others may like the design – I wasn’t amazed.
I cannot say enough positive things about Boots extracts products. They have been my go to brand for many years.
Click here for the extracts brazil nut body wash review.
Click here for the extracts cranberry products review.
Have you tried Extracts products before? What is your go to brand in bath products?
Ted Baker Butterfly Body Lotion 200ml
I was fairly pleased with this product. The packaging is really pretty and eye-catching. I found the 200ml to be a generous amount and will last me a good while.
The actual formula was buttery and delightfully scented. It was just a white colour and I did find it a while for it to sink into the skin and left a bit of residue on the surface.
Ted Baker Butterfly body Spray 150ml
This is the butterfly version which I found much sweeter than the overpowering origami Ted Baker range reviewed here. The butterfly scent is elegant, with hints of red fruit.
The bottle is a good size and I found the packaging attractive. The spray function was well made and I found it easy to use.
Ted Baker Butterfly Hand Cream 50ml
A perfect size to take away, this little tub was lovely to use. The formula was light and refreshing on the skin. My hands were left soft and nourished. A great buy!
Ted Baker Buttefly Body Wash 250ml
There was a generous amount included in the 250ml bottle. It lasted me ages but I did find the dispenser was hard to use in the shower.
Only a very small amount came out at once and although the packaging was lovely I found it unpractical.
Ted Baker Buttefly Body Scrub 50ml
The scrub was a lovely little treat and great for taking on holiday. I found there was the signature scent was there.
The scrub was very grainy and great for extra dry skin. It was moisturising too however it left a residue which wasn’t convenient if you’re in a hurry.
Ted Baker Wash Cloth
I thought including a wash cloth was a fab idea. It has the signature ted baker logo on and it’s pink. It’s fairly small but I didn’t mind as its great for travel.
I found one side to be soft and then the other side was more rough. This is great when your washing your face and quite handy. Thumbs up!
These products can be bought together as a set at Christmas or more conveniently individually throughout the year. Boots stock items.
Have you tried Ted Baker Products? Do you prefer there origami or butterfly range? Xx
Beautiful Skin Night Cream Normal/Dry
I was highly impressed by the top quality product. After trying many different moisturisers in the past, this has to be one of my all time favourites.
I like the fact it is hypo-allergic making the cream super gentle and soothing on the skin. I found the normal/dry formula suited my skin type. Although other skin type products can be bought in the range.
Applying it on an evening is best, leaving it to soak in through the night. In the morning I found my skin was gloriously smooth and soft.
No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream Normal/Dry SPF15
This product has comparable quality’s to the night cream. This is great to apply in the morning as a makeup base. The day cream includes A SPF15 which is great to protect your skin from the sun.
Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator
I had high hopes for the exfoliator and unfortunately I was indifferent after using it. The formula includes a super gentle cream with pink grains to smooth out the skin.
I found it to be very mild which is great for super sensitive skin but I felt it didn’t do a great deal. I didn’t feel a vast improvement immediately but maybe using it more long term may work.
My favourite face scrub of all time is the St Ives invigorating scrub; this can be used once a week for fabulous effects. I highly recommend St Ives for facial scrubs. St Ives scrub review here.
Completely Quenched Moisturising Body Lotion
As stated on the tube ‘Wrap your skin in head-to-toe luxury with the velvety soft lotion. Light airy and quickly absorbed. It vanishes into thirsty skin to quench and care all day long. Softens smoothes and evens out texture to leave skin looking healthy and radiant.’
I found all of the above to be true. The lotion was super velvety and light. I think many people trying this will enjoy using the product. My only criticism is the fragrance was quite soapy. I would have liked a musky, oriental etc fragrance.
Blissful Body Wash
I’ve tried out this product previously, click here for the review.
No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes
I was delighted with the quality of this product and will most definitely be repurchasing. These wipes are hypo-allergenic and remove any makeup including mascara very well.
I’ve found in the past some facial wipes can be too oily or too drying on the skin. I found a happy medium with these and my skin really benefitted from this luxury.
Not only this but the packaging really impressed me. The plastic top made life a lot easier. The lid could be flipped open and shut which was a great idea to keep the wipes air tight.
I recommend this product to anyone; it suits all skin types and is lovely if you want to treat yourself.
Have you tried any of the No7 skin Products, what were your thoughts? Do you have any recommendations? xx
Body Spritzer
The information given on the packaging says it is ‘A powdery musk aroma, enhanced by creamy vanilla tones and a heart of soft muguet.’
I would say this describes the scent extremely well. I found the fragrance to be very strong almost like a perfume rather than a spritzer.
I wasn’t amazed by this product; the scent wasn’t a keen favourite of mine. The Fearne cotton range would probably be more suited to young girls or teens. Take note for next Christmas :)
Body Wash
Like the other products in the hat box, the scent was very strong. But the scent didn’t linger on the skin afterwards therefore if you want staying power, I would team it with the spritzer.
I really liked the packaging; the illustrations on the front are absolutely lovely. However, I found the bottle unpractical as the shower gel was very hard to get out while in the shower. I would have preferred a similar design to the body lotion.
Body Lotion
I found the body lotion to be super refreshing and calming on the skin. The tube packaging made getting the lotion out very easy. The scent remained on the skin for some time.
Body Polish
This product worked wonderfully to smooth and exfoliate dry skin. The grains were very corse and left skin feeling invigorated. The musky scent was present in the tub but didn’t hang around after use.
Shower Puff
I love receiving new shower puffs in these kinds of sets as I always use them in the shower. The Fearne cotton shower puff was satisfactory but not as good as the famous soap and glory one or other ones I have used in the past.
Have you tried any of the Christmas Boots Fearne Cotton range products? How did you find them? Will you be looking out for the sets next Christmas? xx
Distant Shores Body Butter
The distant shores fragrance is a mixture of passion fruit, mango extracts and citrus oils. The fragrance is absolutely beautiful and because of this I had high hopes for this range of products.
I found the body butter left a distinctive and sweet scent on this skin which I loved. The overall appearance of the packaging was lovely and luxurious looking.
Despite these key factors I wasn’t overall impressed because the texture was slightly odd. It felt slightly clumpy and uneven. Applying the body butter to the skin was more difficult and left me feeling disappointed in the product.
Distant Shores Body Scrub
My impression of the product was extremely positive and I felt the quality was very high. I was over the moon with this body scrub. As previously stated I adore the scent of the range.
The grains were very fine, making the scrub easy to apply. Despite this, the scrub left my skin feeling super smooth and silky.
Distant Shores Shower Mousse
This was the first shower mousse I have used with a pumping dispenser so I didn’t really know what to expect. I found that the pump wasn’t that powerful and didn’t lather up as much I thought it would.
I wasn’t too sure what benefit the mouse would have but I discovered it to be more moisturising than a general shower gel.
Distant Shores Bubble Heaven
This was probably my favourite product from the range alongside the body scrub. There’s not a great deal to say about bubble bath but I found the aroma divine.
Lots of bubbles were created in the bath and a small amount went along way. It’s a very luxurious product and I would most defiantly repurchase this item on its own.
Gingerbread body wash
I enjoyed using the body washes over the Christmas period because of their seasonal fragrance. They most definitely had a gingerbread aroma and was very sweet smelling. The two bottles included in the set were identical despite being different colours.
Caramel fudge soap
I don’t use soap very often I much prefer shower gel. I had a whiff but didn’t feel it smelt much of the fudge caramel stated. The fragrance was kind of odd and off-putting and I didn’t like at all. In all honesty it was a bit of a dud. The shower gels included were much nicer.
House of Holland is a new brand to the Boots Christmas range. Unfortunately this and other related items can only be bought at Christmas.
I thought I would reflect on how I found the items in this hatbox in hope I would help others decide on the brand if it comes back to Boots at the end of this year.
I was first attracted to the bright and contemporary box and the packaging of each individual product. The bright tones add colour to any bathroom or vanity table.
After using the products I felt the quality of the actual product wasn’t as good and my feelings were that the hatbox was aimed at a younger audience.
The fragrance spray was quite a mild scent and didn’t come across very strong at all. I wasn’t overly impressed with the way it smelled.
The shower gel was in a blue bottle and the liquid was actually blue also. I found it hard to dispense the gel and not enough came out at once...making it a little tricky to use in the shower or bath.
The soufflé was a ghastly orange colour and quite runny. This was my least favourite item in the hatbox. It also turned my hands orange when using it.
My favourite item in the hatbox was the scrub. This was a yellow colour but the yellow tint did not transfer to the skin. I enjoyed using the scrub; it was nice and grainy to get rid of any dead skin cells.
Also I found the shower puff great quality, particular compared to other hatbox shower puffs. I don’t think I will opt for this brand next Christmas but I had fun trying out each item :) x
Have you had any bad experiences with products? Which brands have disappointed you? x
Here is another Gok Wan gift set which I thought post about and share my thoughts. I love to find a hand trio in my stocking at Christmas.
This year I got the Gok Wan version. The gift set included a hand wash and body lotion with argan oil. The scent was divine and I loved the classy packaging.
Despite this I kept comparing it to the soap and glory hand trio which I had received in previous years and unfortunately the Gok Wan did not live up to this in my opinion.
The main issue I had with the Gok Wan trio was the dispenser wasn’t as robust and unfortunately too much liquid came out in one go. I found this a little disappointing.
If you want to get a hand trio set for yourself or others while the Christmas Boots gift range is in stock I would advise to get the soap and glory one because it’s a top product. The packaging is much sturdier and the dispenser is better made. I also prefer the fragrance too.
Have you received this or similar products at boots? What did you think?
I thought I would review this item for present ideas next Christmas. Unfortunately the Gok Wan range is only normally stocked at Boots over the seasonal period.
Gok has been retailing his beauty gift range for a number of years and each time I have received a gift from brand I have been really delighted with the items I have used.
I bought this set in the sale and was attracted to the particular set because of the beautiful and glamorous makeup bag included. I thought I could really get some use out it at home and when I go away on holiday.
The hand balm included in the set is made with rose oil. I found this unusual and had a pretty scent. The 50ml bottle is handy for travel and I found it to be soothing and very nice to use on the hands.
Also included was a hand and nail oil which came in a 10ml bottle. The oil was very nourishing and left my hands and nails unbelievably soft.
Other accessories were included such as a study nail file and wooden tools for pushing back cuticles. Both of these things I found handy to use also.
Have you received any Gok Wan gifts in previous years? How have you found the products?
Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream
The scent of this was just to die for. The product was lovely and kind on the skin. A little goes along way and it left me with beautifully soft and fragranced skin. Must buy full size!
Hand Salve
This item was very effective and really felt lovely to use on the hands. It was a little too oily though and the scent was way too overpowering.
Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion
I liked the fragrance of this body lotion but unfortunately it didn’t sink into the skin very quickly. It kind of left a residue also.
Beeswax Lip Balm
I was really impressed with this lip balm. It tingled on the lips so I could tell it was really working. It reminded me of Blistex, in that way and it was quite strong.
The only downfall to this product was the fragrance wasn’t my cup of tea. I might repurchase though because it worked wonders on my lips.
Coconut Foot Crème
This item was very similar to the hand salve with only minor differences. As mentioned with the hand salve, it was a little too oily but felt lovely and soothing on the skin.
The coconut fragrance was quite nice, not overpowering. I thought this product was ok but probably not worth repurchasing.
Overall review
In my opinion some of the products were a bit of a hit and miss. I’m really glad I tried this gift set because there were a few stand out products which I probably will repurchase. My favs were the cleansing cream and lip balm.
I would recommend buying this set to try out the different items as miniatures. The ones I was not as keen on were only my personal preference; maybe others would like different products to me.
The packaging was nice and the way the products looked made them quite appealing to use. Overall I give this a thumbs up!
Click here to buy on Boots.
I went into The Body Shop to buy body butter and at the till I was persuaded into buying this gift pack. I parted for my money because some of the proceeds go straight to charity.
The sales assistant gave me a whiff of the lip balm and I really liked it. When I got home I wasn’t as keen because it reminded me slightly of hubba bubba bubblegum. This may be a plus if thats your thing but it was a bit OTT for me.
Despite this I had fun trying out the free samples and overall find using the lip butter pleasant to use.
