March 2022 Haul!

 

 

 

Wow, I can't believe March is already here. I feel like it has flew by so quickly! February was over in a blink. Well, on to the goodies!

I got a few bath salts from Bathorium that look exciting. I love taking baths and these look like they would be so soul soothing and hydrating to use. They were a bit more expensive than I would normally buy for a single use sachet though. My friend is obsessed with SunAroma soaps and I usually love trying new soaps so, I decided to pick up an eucalyptus and a lavender soap to try. The soaps smells so fragrant before I even open the packaging. 

I got a new lip butter mask from Seraphine Botanical that I am excited to try. I usually try to use a lip mask before bed otherwise I wake up with dry and cracked lips. Speaking of dry skin, I am excited to try the Josie Maran body cream. I have tried her other products and other than the nail wipes, I found them to be of quality. I also subscribe to Ipsy and recently they introduced their own line of products. One of the items I got from their "refreshment" line is their lavender deodorant. The packaging is cute and it smells nice. I am hoping it works well too!

Is there anything you got this month that you are excited to try?

Book Review - The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

Photo Credit - Amazon

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England. She is shy but, has an adventurous and imaginative streak. After her beloved father passed away, Aggie hasn't been able to do much. Until she crosses path with a young twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant named Hector Perot. When a dead body was discovered in her dance studio, Aggie and Hector join forces to help solve the crime. The pool of suspects is growing larger and the murder is threatening to tear the town apart. The duo will need to use their deductive skills and their curiosity to help solve the crime before Aggie's beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime Aggie believes she didn't commit.

The book was a cute read for children who love mystery and suspenseful novels. The plot twists and secrets were all very predictable and I was able to guess all of them before they happened. However, I am a grown adult and children would probably enjoy putting clues together to solve the mystery on their own. This novel is perfect for young readers who enjoy mystery novels.

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Noto Agender Oil Hair + Body Multi Use All Natural

No matter what season it is, my skin is always desperately in need of moisture. I have used creams, lotions, and balms but, I never really used body oil. I am not a fan of the greasy slick feeling and sometimes, it stains my sheets. After a particularly harsh winter week, I noticed my skin was cracking and becoming more painful. I decided to try a body oil since it seems to be loved by a lot of people.

The oil is suitable for usage on both hair and body and has a gender-neutral scent so, it can be used by anyone. The oil is composed of organic hemp seed oil, lavender, and vetiver. I am not a fan of the scent but, it did grow on me. The scent is strong but does dissipate after an hour or so. I used the oil mostly on my skin and it did go on a bit heavy and stayed slick on the surface. My skin was softer the next day but, not hydrated enough that I can skip an application. A word of warning, this did stain my bedsheets with oil stains. I might have to look into dark sheets since I am jumping on the body oil bandwagon.

Julep Rethink Your Shower Hydrating Body Cleansing Oil

I usually use a  combination of shower gels and bar soaps for showering purposes. I feel like some shower gels are not moisturizing enough and well, some bar soaps are dull. Especially on days where I need to something "extra" to make my mornings more bearable. 

The lightweight body cleansing oil is packed with grape seed oil, coconut oil, kukui nut oil, grapefruit peel oil, and glycerin. It promises to leave skin hydrated and moisturized. The cleansing oil provided a generous lather and did leave my skin feeling soft. However, I still had to follow up with lotion.  It's not a bad shower cleanser but, it's definitely pricer than the brands available at the drugstore.

Mayfair Soap Foundry Body Crème in Sea Lily Jasmine

The rich body cream is enriched with shea butter, cocoa seed butter, safflower oil, and sunflower oil. The sweet-scented lotion had scents of white lily, jasmine, and rose. The luxurious body cream left my skin feeling soft and delicately scent. A definite treat for anyone who loves the floral scent.

Aerie Mandarin Blossom Softening Body Wash

Ah, I came across this body wash when I was organizing one of my many makeup/skincare/bath stashes. I think I bought this is a few years old as I don't see it available online anymore but, only through third-party retailers. The fruit scented body wash had scents of apple, mandarin, and freesia. It is enriched with aloe to leave skin soft. The body wash left my skin softly scented but, I found I had to use a lot of product to get a rich lather. Overall, it's a decent body wash but, I think I prefer BBW body washes or a drugstore body wash because it does a better job for around the same price or less.

Burt's Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Body Butter

Photo Credit - Amazon

I am a huge fan of pomegranate. I tried Burt’s Bees Cranberry and pomegranate body scrub and I loved it.  The body butter is packed with cranberry seed and pomegranate oils and cocoa and jojoba butter. The potent cocktail promises to replenish, moisture and hydrate dry and itchy skin. The thick fragrant body butter absorbs easy and doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy. Overall, I like this body butter as made my skin really soft and left my skin with a soft fragrance on my skin.

Nivea Extended Moisture Body Lotion

The creamy lotion is enriched with provitamin B5 and patent Hydra IQ technology (all hail, Hydra!). The non-greasy lotion is free of artificial colors and animal ingredients.  The lotion was absorbed quickly and left my skin velvety but I noticed my dry skin come back the next day.

Philosophy Sweet Creamy Frosting Body Lotion

I love Philosophy’s products during the holiday time. Unfortunately, I have a tendency of purchasing more products that I can possible use in a two month span. While going through my stash, I came across this body lotion and thought it was the perfect time.  The sweet vanilla scented body lotion is enriched with macadamia seed, olive fruit oil, and shea butter to leave skin buttery soft. The lightweight formula goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly. However, I did find myself reapplying the lotion throughout the day.

Balanced Guru Balm Me Up Body Balm

The hydrating body balm is packed with cocoa butter, babassu oil, shea butter, sweet orange essential oil, lime essential oil, and mandarin essential oil. It promises to smooth and soften skin while invigorating the senses. The body balm goes on thick like petroleum jelly but has a more pleasant scent. A little goes a long way because if you put too much it doesn’t absorb very well into the skin and leaves skin greasy. Overall, a great thick hydrating balm especially for dry areas like elbows, knees and hands or for the entire body for the winter.

The Body Shop - Pink Grapefruit Body Gel

The soap free shower gel provides a rich lather in a sweet and refreshing grapefruit scent. The body wash is packed with pink grapefruit seed oil that energizes and lifts spirits. The sweet scented body wash was a treat to use in mornings when I couldn’t get up. The citrus perked me up almost instantly.  I didn’t notice any hydrating or moisturizing properties in the body gel so be sure to follow up with a moisturizer.

Esthenique Essential Honey Lift Massage Cream

I finally got around to using one of the products from Memebox Honey box. Although, lately I been ordering a lot from Memebox even if it's just one off products. Sad part is, most of it I can’t read and it’s a bit difficult to find instructions online or even ingredients (so bare with me if my reviews seems a bit sparse at times!) The massage cream is composed of 20% honey which can explain its semi-sticky and tacky consistency. The creamy cream goes on smoothly and melts into your skin. It can be a bit sticky and it does have a bit of a gooey/stretchy texture but it’s probably from the honey and collagen. It is recommended for women who are pregnant but I used it over pre-existing stretch marks (it didn’t help). My skin did feel soft and smooth when I used the cream. I am not sure if I would get it again, it didn’t wow me enough to pay  the full retail of $14 for it.

Marlowe Extra Moisturizing Body Lotion

The hydrating moisturizer is  enriched with passion flower fruit, green tea, willow bark and deep sea algae. The lotion promised to nourish, smooth, and revitalize skin. The Marlowe had a gender neutral pleasant scent but a fellow coworker told me it smelled faintly like dish soap. The lotion left my hand soft and smooth but unfortunately, it didn’t last after washing my hands.