Kneipp Devil's Claw Back Comfort

Everyone gets a sore back sometimes, I think.  Mine has been distinctly better since I got a standing desk and stopped hunching over a keyboard every day, but years of bad posture and slouching means that I still ache in my shoulders, particularly when I'm stressed.

Kneipp's range of herbal bath products recently expanded to offer relief for these very symptoms - and the results are good, if a little aesthetically odd.  Devil's Claw Herbal Bath is a thick, syrupy blood red liquid - you chuck a capful into a running bath and swish around.  This is where it gets a bit weird - the water goes a deep red colour, not unlike a bath full of blood (if you're macabre) or Ribena (if you're childish).

Weird looking water aside, Devil's Claw Herbal Bath proves itself to be very effective in a topical manner - the rich, warming aroma encourages relaxation, and the anti-inflammatory properties of the Devil's Claw plant help soothe the back (as well as any other tired muscles).  I've not tried the massage oil, for lack of a compliant other half to do the massaging, but I'd thoroughly recommend the Herbal Bath as a relaxing, soothing way to ease achey backs.  Particularly at the price of £10, which gets you 10 baths.  Bargain.

Disclosure:  PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Introducing Peculiar People Bath & Body

Peculiar People Bath & Body is a new indie brand created by the lovely Deborah, who used to blog at Dvora Divine.  Its products are pretty standard for an indie brand - whipped body butter, whipped scrub, bath oil, soap, bath salts, and face masks - and I was expecting a similarly standard indie brand experience.  You know, nice enough, products a little bit basic in formulation, albeit with interesting scents.

Well, I was wrong.  Unlike other indie bath oils I've tried, Peculiar People's bath oils emulsify in the water, leaving the tub less perilously slippery, and feeling generally more luxurious than plain oils which sit atop the water.  And as for the two scents I tried - Honey Fig and Saffron and Black Orchid - they're both intense enough to leave the bathroom fragrant, but not so intense they linger on the skin.  Black Orchid has a lovely smoky note to it, which blends well with the vanilla and amber base - right up my oriental/woody-loving street.

As for the Whipped Sugar Scrub, I'm in love.  The Good Samaritan scrub contains Colombian coffee and wafts of vanilla, making for a scent that's almost edible.  The texture is a little hard and gritty to scoop out of the tub easily, and you will get some stuck under your nails, but it's worth it - the scrubby particles are big enough for a comprehensive sloughing, and the base is creamy enough to leave the skin feeling velvety soft rather than thoroughly scrubbed.

Evidently the scents are appealling to felines as well as humans - my cat Yoshi couldn't resist a sniff as I tried to photograph the products!

At a mere £4.50 per bath oil, and £5 per scrub, Peculiar People is a lovely range which offers handmade products which really work.  I'll definitely be repurchasing The Good Samaritan when my tub runs out.

Disclosure: PR samples


This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Review: Maddi Alexander Frivolous Bath & Body Oil

I love a good bath oil.  Some of my favourites are by Penhaligon's and Aromatherapy Associates - so I'll quite happily spend a wodge of cash on a high quality bath oil with a glorious scent.  So I was fully expecting to be impressed by Maddi Alexander's Frivolous bath and body oil - it's described as a "sumptuous" fragrance, making use of a variety of uplifting citrus notes such as lemon, bergamot and sweet orange.

And indeed, the scent is rather lovely, albeit nothing particularly unusual - it's a fairly generic, slightly sweet citrus.  As a bath oil, it's nothing special - it's the kind of oil blend that sits atop the bathwater, coating the skin as you bathe, rather than the kind that emulsifies into the water.

So, all in all, a nice enough product.  However, a 100ml bottle costs £30, where a Penhaligon's oil, for comparison, costs £39 for 200ml.  I just don't feel that the price reflects the quality of the product - yes, it has a nice enough scent, but it has a simple oil base and it just doesn't seem special enough to justify the cost.

If you're keen to try it for yourself, you'll find it at the Urban Retreat Beautique.

Disclosure: PR sample