Lush, Rub Rub Rub

I think by now we can all safely agree that Lush is a way of life for me. I'm not in love with all things Lush, so when I bang on about something and say its just as good as sliced bread, its worth giving it a sniff/poke/slathering on yourself next time you pass by a shop. Today its all about Rub Rub Rub, or Rub as he likes to be called for short (little sexy devil that he is!). This is a shower scrub that can be used for body and hair. Its a bright blue salty goo in a tub of love. 

Theres nothing I don't think is just great about this, even the fact that its a total dupe for Lush's more pricey Big Shampoo. I am a long time fan of Big, but at €15 I can't be shalping it all over my hair daily and have been paying close attention to Rub for the past few months, intrigued to see if it might be as good as the shampoo, while being a little easier on the purse! Normally when I go to Lush its to pick up another bath melt or a face mask, so branching out to something else can take a bit of building up to. I'm sorry that I waited so long though, as Rub is just as lovely as Big shampoo with the added bonus of it being a multi use product.

Rub is mainly marketed as a shower scrub, and what a wonder it is to have in the shower with you. This is stuffed with mineral rich sea salt - a great antiseptic as well as an exfoliater. It has lemon juice and that will add shine to your hair and has jasmine and orange flower that will leave you smelling divine. I think this is the perfect all in one product to have during the cold months as it not only scrubs away all the nasty dry skin and goo while being oh-so-gentle, but I feel it also moisturises in the process. I'm not saying that its better then putting on a cream if you have very dry skin, but you can get away with it when your skin only needs a touch of hydration. In short, it means no freezing your arse off when you get out of a warm shower and have to rub in cold moisturiser, then wait for it to soak into your skin. All the bonus points in the world, right!? Its saved me from many cold naked dances. 

And if you fancy a little bit more of a good aul hard scrub, don't wet your skin before using it and when your done wash it off in the shower. I find that I rotate the wet and dry skin routine depending on if I have been using thick creams. I would say this would be a great one for taking off fake tans as well, while keeping your skin lovely and soft. So if your in the market for a unisex multi tasking product that lasts surprisingly well, then Rub is the guy for you at €10.50 for a 330g tub.

Emma's Candles

This isn't the first time I've blogged about Emma's candles, nor I doubt will it be the last. The first time I banged on about it was back in June and my love for these hasn't dwindled. Have a look at my first thoughts over here. In case your new to this brand, Emma and her husband are the two lovelies behind these beauts of candles. They are an Irish company to be proud of - as the loving Irish brands have been a little lacking in my last few posts, so it makes a really good change! 

I've been slowly but surely making my way through all of the scents they have on offer. A month or two ago I ordered a gorgeous candle of theirs in lemongrass that was made in a tea cup with a saucer. These are hard to come by and only pop up every so often. I was really delighted to get one but I haven't been able to bring myself to burn it yet. However every time I pass this I get the lovely scent of lemongrass so I guess I'm not really wasting the candle too much. I think this in particular would make an amazing Christmas present for a mammy or granny. I know both of mine are always commenting about how nice my room smells or how beautiful the cup candle is. Make sure to follow them on Twitter for updates on the next batch, you might get lucky!

Recently for my birthday I asked for one of their Christmas scents that they have just come out with, a candle in Masala Chia and also a regular wax melt in Neroli Fusion. They kindly gave me another Christmas scent wax melt in Mint Crisp as well. I've been using all of them, I can never decide which one I'm going to use! Each tin candle is €9.95 while the bigger glass candle is €18.50 and a wax melt is €4.95. They also do great multi buy special offers that all come packaged up with ribbons. Not that they need it really, as the packaging is all designed by Emma herself. Each design is suited to the candle can be really detailed, its a lovely touch.

The tin candle in Masala Chia is proper scent that reminds me of Christmas and one of my favourite drinks, chai lattes. This has ginger, cinnamon, clove and cardamon spices blends to make you feel warm and excited for the cold season thats starting to appear.

The Neroli Fusion wax melt is something totally different then I've ever had. I think any wax melts give off a much stronger scent that fills more of a room then most candles. It has orange oil, lavender and neroli oil. I think this would be an either love it or hate it scent, but so far everyone whose had a sniff loves it. I also really like the little white flowers that are on the packaging for this. 

Lastly is the *mint crisp that has to be my favourite out of the lot. This is another Christmas scent thats only out for the season. I had a dreadful head cold when I first used this, and at the time nothing was properly clearing up my head at night so breathing was hard and sleeping half upright wasn't ideal. I started to melt this as a little pick me up while sulking away in bed and found that my head started to clear up! Its like Vicks but one that you can melt and feel Christmasy while you sniff it. I really recommend stocking up on this if you have a cold. I can't use Vicks so this is the perfect substitute. Total love at first.. Sniff!

Emma's has recently updated their site to include a brand new look and easier to navigate. Make sure and have a goo at it over here.

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here. 

Bia Beauty Lemon Myrtle Hand Cream

If theres something I love, its a product that not only works, but one that you can physically see the results of in just a few days. Its not often you find a product like that, trust me I have a house full of potions and lotions to prove it! When this lovely little heavy 60ml pot of *Bia Beauty cream landed on my door step, I was hesitant to use it. Lemon Myrtle was not my idea of a nice sent, but I was so wrong. Its a lemony and pleasantly sweet fragrance with an all natural ingredients list of 'rich shea butter, soothing calendula and protective beeswax'. I can't begin to tell you how thick and rich this little pot of cream is! Honestly, I was so surprised when I poked a finger in to test it the first time. Of course its all down to the beeswax and the shea butter, but oh my you really have to try it in person to understand how satisfying it is. This hand cream is for all skin types.

Now I have to tell you a dirty little secret. After a few days of going from less then silky hands (hard skin on the sides of my fingers, damaged from bleach, too much time in chlorine filled swimming pools and general abuse) to a noticeably changed softer and more loved little paws it gave me an idea. I used it on my feet. Yup, I used hand cream on my feet! (But like, no need to gossip about it, thanks.) If theres one part of my body that I hate the most and ignore totally its my feet. I have a fear of them and occasionally make myself ill from remembering I own a pair means that foot products are never high on my must have list. And because of that I have sandpaper feet. I mean holy god, I'd jump out of bed in fright if I rubbed up against my feet in bed at night (ughhh, mental image.) So I tried a few different moisturisers in the hopes that they would resemble feet once again with no luck. That was until I decided to slap a bit of Bia Beauty hand cream on them. Seriously, I'm on my 4th day of using it and its worked a treat. Now both sets of the end of my limbs are silky. I tell ya, I'm a fancy girl, me!

Since receiving this over two weeks ago, I've been using it daily and barely made a dent in the pot. I think this is well worth getting, if not for the lack of dent making you will make (what?! Ah you know what I mean) then for the fact that you will have silky bits in a few days, whatever bits of you you choose to cream up! For those of you that are subscribed to Chic Treat Club you will already have gotten your mitts on this pot of wonder in last months box. But for those of you who have yet to try it out you can find it over here. 

Another reason to love Bia Beauty is that its supporting an Irish business all the way from Co. Cork. Tracey started this as a project while in college and sold the products she made locally at farmers markets. The response was so positive that she created more and more products and so Bia Beauty was born. Now theres your little bit of inspiration for the day as well as soft hands. 

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here. 

The Power Of Salt

No, now don't give me that look. I'm fully aware salt is bad for you and you should avoid it on your dinner but what about in the bath? I have been a fan of sprinkling some salt into my bath water every time I go for a soak for many years now. What sparked this mad habit off in the first place? A lady in a health shop in the deep South of Kerry, thats where. I was on the hunt for some dried banana chips (heaven in a bag) when I saw a lady carrying several bags of salt to the counter. She dropped one and as I helped pick it up I asked (because I'm nosy like that) why she needed so many bags. She told me about the power of salt and taking salt baths. Ever since then, I was hooked.

Salt, when used in the bath is cleansing, it stimulates circulation, detoxifies and hydrates the skin, helps cellular regeneration, helps to sooth dry skin and if thats not enough it reduces muscle inflammation and relaxes them to relieve pain. The stuff is packed with minerals,sodium and potassium which your blood needs after exercise. It can relieve water tension (getting skinnier in the bath you say?!) and can strengthen bones, teeth and nails. Some research has even claimed that salt water helps to clear up acne.

'The Father of Medicine' Hippocrates (BC) encouraged his patients to bath in sea water after he studied fishermen who put their hands in the water when they had cuts and sores. And if you want to get fancy about it, which I always do, the treatment is called thalassotherapy - sea therapy in Greek. 

So next time you come across some sea salt or even a bag of table salt in the shops, why not pick it up and add a little to your bath? Might just be the trick.