Anyway, before I start rambling, I thought and thought about what I could do as my first beauty post, and I came to the conclusion Soap and Glory would be a good start. Christmas time is the best time for any Soap and Glory fans as this is when they make some amazing gift sets. They make small sets (ideal for people who would like to sample the products before purchasing full size or even someone who likes small products for traveling) and big sets for those who love their products.
Last year, Boots did an amazing deal before Christmas in which they took Soap and Glory's biggest £60 set and reduced it down to just under half price. Now I was all over that like a rash! I ran out of work on my break down to Boots and picked it up before they all sold out. The value for money was amazing. Anyway, this year they also didn't disappoint! I got wind of they fact they were doing it again this year on the biggest set and ran down to Boots. I did feel a bit silly though then they had a tower of them in the store and I didn't need to run down there in heels like a mad woman!
The set retailed for £60 with nine full sized products. I picked the set up for £27. Oh, I was indeed a happy girl. I will point out now that as Christmas is over, the sets aren't available in Boots any longer, however, as all the products are available individually all year round, I thought I would do a break down on the gift set and tell you what products I would happily buy again on their own.
Hand Food
This is probably my fourth tube of this. This hand cream smells amazing! I think this was the first product I ever tried by S&G after I heard a lot of hype about it on the internet. It has that sweet yummy S&G scent that as soon as you smell it, you know what it is. After using it for about a week, you can definitely feel the difference. He'd kill me if he knew I'd told you, but my dad has even started using it! He works in a garage and has really rough dry hands. He'd been using my hand pump version of this that I keep in the bathroom, and has now gone on to buy his tube of it for his work bag. See, it has to be good if he can see past the girly pink packaging!
Clean On Me
This is another product I've used before. This shower gel isn't my favourite product in all of the world, but it is still rather nice to use. This also has the scent you'd associate with S&G. It lathers up nicely and because it is a pump top, you can get the perfect amount (usually 2-3 pumps) without using more product than necessary. The last time I had a bottle of this it lasted me around 4 months, which I think makes it amazing value for money. The bottle also claims that is has a built in body lotion. Although it does make my skin feel rather soft after using it, I wouldn't substitute it for using a proper body lotion, as my skin tends to dry out during the day.
Smoothie Star Body Milk
I haven't had too much use out of this yet as I have set myself the challenge of using up all my older bottles of body lotions and oils before I start a new one. What I will say about this one though is how amazing it smells. The bottle says it smells like almonds, oats and brown sugar. All these together make it smell like biscuits, but not in a bad way! Id say is smells more the like the base of a cheesecake, smelling sweet and yummy rather than stale (hopefully that makes sense without me making it sound horrible smelling). It appears quite thick when you pump it out, but begins to melt as it warms to your skin. I shall definitely be making my way through this once my other lotions are empty.
Peaches and Clean
I couldn't be more pleased that this was in the set. I am already using a bottle of this and I'm just coming to the end of it, so having a back-up is ideal. I bought this a while back and I wasn't too keen at first so I stopped using it quite quickly. However, I ended up trying it again after seeing how much Miss Budget Beauty loved it. I now use this every morning in the shower to give my face a good cleanse before I do my daily make up routine. Although it does smell slightly of peaches, it also has another scent behind it that I can only explain as being slightly mentholy (is that a word??). The only thing I will warn is that you should be cautious if you have sensitive skin. It is rather active and can make your skin slightly tingley and red if left on too long. I wouldn't keep it on any longer than 5 minutes.
Heel Genius Foot Cream
I'm not too sure what to make of this product. I haven't started the tube from this years set as I am still using the one from last year. I am a bit fickle when it comes to foot cream and I never use them long enough consitantly to see if there is any results. The main thing that puts me off with this one is the smell. I can't put my finger on what it smells of but it reminds me slightly of some sort of ointment you'd get from a chemist or a doctor. It is a rather thick pale blue colour and I would advise wearing socks overnight to help lock in the moisture. I'll continue to use it but it is far from my favourite food product.
Sugar Crush Body Scrub
Oh wow. This smells so nice (it seems I'm all about the scent of things!). I'm just about to finish my S&G Breakfast Scrub so I really needed a new one. I haven't tested this yet but I keep having a cheeky sniff of it everytime I pick it up. It smells just like sweet lime and will certainly wake you up in the mornings!
The Righteous Butter
This again is a product I've used before. I really do like this body butter. I used it during winter as this is when my skin is at it's driest and needs that extra 'oomph'. It is a little bit rich as I found there was still a slight resedue left on my skin the next day. For this reason I only really wear it over night with my jarmas, rather than before I go to work. Lovely scent which my mom has said she can smell on my hours after I've put it on.
Thick and Fast Mascara
I'm not that keen on this mascara. I bought it in the past and ended up giving it to one of my friends. As you can see, the brush is rather large making it a lot harder to apply to your lashes without getting it also coating your eyelid. I will use it up, but I think there are much better drugstore mascaras out there.
Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss (in punchbowl)
When I saw the colour of this I thought I was going to love it. I was so so let down. Firstly, I will point out this is a lip plumping lip gloss, which I was already aware of after owning a different Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss before. I did forget how horrible the sensation was. I'm sure some women may not mind the mild burning feeling this lip gloss gives, so long is it gives them bigger, plumper lips. However, I already have rather full lips, so all this did for me what burn my lips and make me look slightly like a glossy trout. Also, the consistency of this was awful. It feels thick and drags across the lips when you are trying to apply it, and then goes on to remain sticky on your lips for the whole time you are wearing it. (Having your hair stuck to your huge fat lips isn't a nice look!)
So there we are! Quite a big post for my first one but it has to be done! Overall I love S&G as a brand and think they are perfect for everyone. Their signature S&G scent is loved by so many people, but now they are also releasing a lot more citrus scented and fresher scents that may be more suitable for people who aren't so keen on the original pink scent. I do feel their make up needs a little more attention as it can be a little hit and miss. Their lipglosses do nothing for me at all, but I've tried their lip Gloss Sticks which go on amazingly! It's all a case of trial and error with their make up and finding what works for you. I'd suggest reading some reviews before splashing out on their make up as it can be a little pricey.
I'd love to know what your favourite products are from S&G as I love trying new things!
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Rachel.
