Sisley Energising Foaming Exfoliant

I'm pretty picky about body scrubs, having tried a multitude over the years and having settled on a top two that I return to time and again (Ren Guerande Salt Exfoliating Body Balm and Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub). But during a recent Sisley GWP promotion I wanted to try something different by the brand, and the sales assistant cited this as one of her favourite Sisley products. The exfoliant costs £74.50 for a 200ml tube, but as I've come to expect from Sisley, it doesn't disappoint.

Upon first using the exfoliator I was a bit concerned that it wouldn't provide enough friction to effectively exfoliate -not that I'm a fan of harsh scrubs but I was surprised at how liquid it was in consistency (though it's not marketed as a scrub but as an exfoliant). My concerns dissipated though once it had had a chance to work its magic. The exfoliant is a pleasure to apply, feeling gentle on the skin, and with a soothing scent of lavender and rosemary. Massaging it in, you really feel as if you're doing something good for your skin. Crucially, my skin feels very soft afterwards, but also more toned and just somehow healthier.

I prefer to use this on skin that is just very slightly damp as I feel less is wasted and it works better. I'm not sure I'd buy it again unless it was on offer; personally I'd rather invest this sort of money in an anti-aging or other skincare product. I don't think the results are much more spectacular than the scrubs I mention above, which are around a third of the price. But I'm glad I tried it, and if I feel the need for a luxurious treat again in the future, I may well repurchase.

I purchased my scrub from Fenwicks of Bond Street, but it's widely available online. I've recently purchased Sisley's Botanical d-tox, so a review to follow once I've trialled it for a few weeks.

Aromatherapy Associates Enrich Body Scrub

I found this a decent scrub if not exactly life-changing. It made my skin feel soft and smooth, but the effects don’t seem to last as long as my other favourites (Ren Salt Scrub and Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub) and I didn't find it particularly luxurious to use - it look and smells quite earthy, though I was pleased it didn't leave any residue on the skin, a pet hate of mine!

I'm glad I tried it, but I won’t repurchase - still a huge fan of the Aromatherapy Associates range in general though. I recently purchased the Sisley Energising Foaming Exfoliant which seems to get excellent reviews, so looking forward to trying that next.

I can't see this particular scrub on the Aromatherapy Associates website at present, but it is available from Liberty and costs £35 for 200ml.

A tale of two (Ren) scrubs

For several months now I've been using Ren's 'body scrubs' once or twice weekly (though they aren't technically called body scrubs they are essentially both designed to exfoliate). I first tried (and then repurchased) the Guerande Salt Exfoliating Body Balm, and for the past couple of months I've been using the  Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on both.

Ren Guerande Salt Exfoliating Body Balm - £20, 330mml

I love this scrub - it's one of the best I've tried. It smells fresh, it has a lovely consistency - like a thick textured paste - and most importantly, it's super effective! My skin feels amazingly soft after this and the feeling seems to last for a few days. It's not cheap but as the effects are so lasting it does go a fairly long way. 

Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish - £33, 330ml

I'm actually less keen on this one. The consistency is divine - very thick again but bound together with a luscious thick rose-scented oil. It feels amazing when you apply it, and I like the smell too, but for me that's where the love ends. It doesn't seem to exfoliate my skin as well as the salt scrub (the immediate and long-term effects are both much less marked) and - pet hate and a characteristic of other sugar scrubs I've tried - it leaves an oily film on my skin that actually feels a bit uncomfortable and not at all moisturising. In fact, I sometimes think my skin feels a bit drier after I've used this. People who like sugar scrubs (and roses) might like this a lot more and indeed it does get quite a lot of love but I'm just not sure how effective it is for my skin. Also, it's significantly more expensive than the salt balm. 

As these are quite expensive I tend to wait for special offers before purchasing and I will definitely repurchase the salt scrub - it's better than my go-to L'Oreal Exfotonic (and I like the fact that it's contains more natural ingredients). It's definitely up there with my other favourite Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub. I also love the packaging of both.

You can purchase Ren from beautyexpert.co.uk or from renskincare.co.uk.

Ren Guerande Salt Exfoliating Body Balm

I first mentioned this scrub a few months ago on Amina's Bazaar, but was waiting to use up my considerable arsenal of other scrubs before I tried it. It was certainly worth the wait. Whilst perhaps not the most economical scrub I've ever bought, it's one of the most effective.

Although described as a body balm this is essentially a scrub, a thick, pasty, luxurious scrub with a lovely clean, fresh scent (it contains basil, peppermint and rosemary extracts).

I find you do have to use quite a lot of this to cover the whole body, hence my comment about it being less than economical. For example, I think I got about six or seven full body scrubs out of this (I like to do a thorough job!) plus a few touch ups here and there.

That said, the effects are definitely more long lasting than some other scrubs, like my Amina's Essentials listed L'Oreal Exfotonic. The Guerande scrub left my skin feeling equally smooth, but for longer - it's about three times the price of the L'Oreal, but about three times more long lasting. And the Ren is certainly more pleasurable to use.

In summary, a lovely, luxe scrub that gives great results. Would definitely repurchase, though perhaps when there's a special offer.

£22 / 300ml. Available from renskincare.com

Ren - Lipovector Smoothing Eye Contour Cream (and other nice things)

I purchased this eye cream recently when my previous eye cream, Kiehl's Abysinne (decent but not exactly earth shattering) was running out. I hadn't tried anything in the Ren line previously, despite having hankered after the Moroccan Rose Bath Oil for about the last decade, so thought I'd give this a try despite the lack of reviews online.

And I really like it! Whereas the Kiehl's felt nice but I didn't really notice any improvements to the eye area, I actually feel my undereye area looks better with this cream, which I've been using for about a month now.

Active ingredients are yeast collagen, which apparently increases moisture retention, vitamin A from rosehip oil, which apparently encourages collagen to fill wrinkles (well this is what the Ren website says anyway!) and wheat peptides which reduce the depth of expression lines and wrinkles. Although I don't normally pay much attention to these sorts of product claims, I have to say that I have definitely noticed effects in these areas. I don't have a lot of lines around my eyes yet but I do get dry looking creases under my eyes particularly when smiling and laughing, and I notice these are visibly lessened after i apply the cream.

It has a good consistency (not too runny or too thick), feels nice to apply and make up goes smoothly on top. The only thing I don't like is the packaging - the pump tends to squirt out more than you need unless you happen to have extreme control of your index finger, which I do not. It also tends to squirt anywhere except on to your finger tip, so I now pump it into the cupped palm of my hand where it can't do any damage to fabrics!

Packaging quibble aside, I'd definitely recommend giving this a go if you're on the search for a new eye cream, particularly one with natural ingredients.

If you place an order on the Ren website at the moment you will currently receive two winter skincare trial size products, and delivery is a reasonable £3. This week I also purchased (not from the Ren website but from the North Wood Clinic in South London) this gorgeous mini skincare set as a Christmas present for my friend, which contains four Moroccan Rose and Grapefruit and Neroli shower gels and moisturisers, and which cost a reasonable £15.


















(pic: Ren website)


Quite some time ago, I also purchased the Ren Guerande Salt Scrub from Beauty Expert. It looks amazing and gets great reviews, and I am super excited about using it but before I try it I first have to use up my old standby L'Oreal Exfotonic. Couldn't resist opening the lid to have a quick look though!

Ren Lipovector Smoothing Eye Contour Cream costs £25 for 15ml, and the Guerande Salt Scrub costs £19.50 for 330ml. Ren is available from Renskincare.com, Beauty Expert and some department stores including Liberty of London.

Champneys Aqua Therapy Detox Salt Scrub

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging for a while - unfortunately I have no laptop at the moment so I'm squeezing a quick post in to lunch hour and relying on Google images too I'm afraid. Once I can actually decide on a new laptop I have a tonne of things to review and a camera full of pics (maybe even a video!) to upload!

Just wanted to write about a scrub I bought a while ago and finished last night - Champneys Aqua Therapy Detox Salt Scrub. For those that don't know, Champneys is an old-school British spa, probably one of the the best known, with several 'resorts' in England and even abroad. It also has it's own range of spa products which are sold in supermarkets such as Sainsburies as well as on the Champneys website.

I bought a couple of Champney's products when they were on offer  recently - one was the Perfect Sleep Bath Milk, which is a quite pleasant lavender-scented bath product which I'd probably repurchase when it was on offer again. I also bought the scrub which I'm reviewing here, pictured below (pic: Google images).

First up, the good points. The scrub smells divine, sort of clean and marine-like, kind of hard to describe. The Champneys website describes this scrub as a "supercharged blend of marine minerals, sea salts and citrus essential oils", so that might give some idea as to the scent. Certainly very pleasant. The consistency is great; it feels pleasing to scoop a good heavy handful out of the tub and slap it on. I do find you need quite a lot to cover the whole body - I have actually just finished the tub and only used it about three times. It has a good balance of course grains and thick liquidy paste to hold it all together. And it does get the skin really soft.

Unfortunately, there is a big downside to this scrub for me. It leaves a horrible oily film on the skin - really uncomfortable - the kind of film that when you try and put a pair of pyjamas on afterwards makes them stick to your legs - and don't even think about skinny jeans the next day! I have also found this film issue with other salt scrubs, such as the Sanctuary, and perhaps its a feature of all salt scrubs, though I have to say I hope not as I've just splashed out on one by Ren....

Even today my hands and body still feel.... icky. Dry and uncomfortable. I did try and hose off the oily film but the shower had no effect on it - stuck fast! I do think this problem could be alleviated by using a sponge or flannel to wipe down the skin afterwards but really, kind of defeats the point of a scrub I think.

So despite the fact that my skin does feel smooth, it's just too messy for me - there are other scrubs such as L'Oreal Exfotonic that do a similar job without the sticky factor.

RRP £8.50.

Essential measures #3 L'Oreal Exfotonic Skin Revealing Exfoliator and Clarins Body Smoothing Scrub (joint honours)

Body scrub is an essential part of my routine. I hate the feeling of dry skin on my body and probably exfoliate every other day, either on dry skin if I'm in need of a real slough or when showering.

I've been using L'Oreal Exfotonic for several years now (and so, apparently, has Cheryl Cole, as I read recently!). It is hardcore! Not only does my body feel incredibly soft after I've used it but the tips of my fingers too where I've rubbed it in.

It comes in a green tube and comprises large-ish green granules in a gel-like suspension (my boyfriend likens it to frogspawn).

At around £8 a bottle I think it's pretty good value, and it can often be picked up on offer in Boots and Superdrug in the UK. I used to follow this with L'Oreal's Nutrilift body moisturiser which is a great partner... until I discovered Kiehl's more luxurious and natural-feeling body creams, which will feature as my next 'Essentials'...

So Exfotonic has served me well over the years and is a great budget-ish scrub, however I recent discovered Clarins Body Smoothing Scrub for a New Skin (catchy name!), and I have to say I'm seriously in love with this. The L'Oreal is now my quick 'n' dirty, standby scrub, but when I want to truly pamper myself, I reach for the Clarins. Just the look and smell alone, gorgeously creamy and peachy, is enough to send me in to raptures (apparently it contains bamboo powders). It takes me back to my early teens, when my beauty obsession began and when there was nothing more glamourous and grown up  than a tube of Clarin's something or other among the Avon and Rimmel on my dressing table. Aesthetic and olfactory properties aside though, this works beautifully - it feels gentle and soothing but my skin still feels baby soft and kind of peachy too afterwards, and although I'm not certain, I think the effects are more longer lasting than with the Exfotonic.

The Clarins scrub retails at around £25 so definitely more of a luxury - I'll probably buy two the next time Clarins are running a promotion.

So there we have it, I couldn't pick a favourite as each has their merits, so these are my joint top scrubs. I think I'll be repurchasing these for some time to come. Has anyone tried either or have any favourite scrubs of their own? I'm still on the lookout for an 'Essential' facial scrub - Sisley's Gentle Facial Buffing Cream is leading the way so far and I've also been impressed with Clinque's Seven Day scrub, but I suspect there's a HG for me out there somewhere....