The Best Body Washes for Men
Reviews by Thom Watson, qualified beauty therapist, testing men’s grooming since 2011. About Thom
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L’Occitane Verbena Shower Gel Review: The Smell of Summer
My honest review of L’Occitane’s Verbena Shower Gel: a gorgeous zesty scent, a genuinely unisex feel, and one long-standing catch in the formula.
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LUSH X Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
In Cinemas Wednesday 5th April, the Super Mario Bros. Movie is going to be huge. From the same animation company behind Minions and a great cast, it’s likely going to become the top-grossing animation of all time and allow Nintendo to forget their 1993 abomination starring the fabulous Bob Hoskins. With that being said, LUSH…
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Lush Posh Chocolate Body Wash Review: Birth of an Icon
Lush and I go way back, from using their products as a 15 year old in 2006; interviewing Jack Constantine in 2012; interviewing Simon Constantine in 2013; creating the first ever batch of Cup O’ Coffee at Lush Kitchen and interviewing Mark Constantine in 2014 and attending the launch of the brand’s flagship Oxford Street…
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Yves Rocher Summer Spree
Why aren’t there more Yves Rocher shops in the UK!? It drives me nuts there’s only one in the whole country in Marylebone, London Central. If you’re not familiar with the brand, they’re a very comfortable cross between The Body Shop and Avon. Their products are wildly underrated, providing excellent efficacy, with good formulations and…
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NEW Frederic Malle Hand Soaps
No sink is complete without hand soap and due to my grandmother’s obsession of ‘keeping soaps for best’ that sit there in a box for years, I always get them used and enjoy using them. So it was pretty exiting to get hold of two of the NEW Frederic Malle hand soaps in the post this week.…
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How to Get Rid of Spots on Your Back: An Easy Guide
Warning: This article does contain a few photos of acne and ingrown hairs If spots on your back, ‘backne’, back pimples or whatever you want to call them are your problem, I think I can help. It’s surprising how often I get asked “how do I get rid of spots on my back?” but it’s not something people will…
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LUSH Ltd Plum Rain Shower Gel
I love LUSH Ltd shower gels, however over the last few years, too much glitter has gone into them. However, launching last summer, Plum Rain is a great addition to their range and is 100% glitter free! With plum juice, osmanthus, petitgrain and mandarin; it’s fruity and refreshing. Plum Rain is a very thick and…
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The Body Shop targets sensitive skin with NEW Almond Milk & Honey Bodycare
Finding gentle and nourishing body care when your skin is easily irritated can be a pain; believe me I know. You’re either stuck with ‘sensitive’ products that really aren’t, i.e. Dove Men+ Care or go down the pharma rout such as E45, Aqueous creams and other drab, dull and joyless products. The range is composed of the…
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Below The Belt Grooming for the old Jackson Pollocks
There’s been so much incredible luxury on the blog over the last few weeks, I thought it was high-time to lower the tone! So no better place to start than a grooming range for keeping your man-area fresh and funk-free. There will be prolific use of the word balls here, so you have been warned. Instant…
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Welcoming BULY 1803 to the UK and Buly Huile de Savon Scottish Lichen
From wife and husband duo, Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami, Buly 1803 has been given new life from its famous and historical 19th century roots. Ramdane has had an illustrious career as an entrepreneur and art director with brands such as Le Bon Marché, Liberty, Cire Trudon. Victoire is an equal force majeure as a cosmetics expert and…
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NEW Pinita Colada Body Care from The Body Shop
This is my favourite cocktail of all time – well, the alcoholic version. The perfect balance of creamy sweetness and fruity tanginess. I could drink these all summer! In fact there’s an amazing beach bar in Xavia, Spain where I’ve gone for years with both friends and family. A photo posted by Thom Watson •…
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Acne, spots & blemishesBody WashesEnlarged & Blocked PoresFace MasksHair & Scalp TreatmentsHair StylingNormal-Combination SkinOily SkinPhotoageing & FirmnessShampooSomething For The Weekend aka The Friday Bullet with REN, O’Right and Phyto
The heat is killing me. I’ve never handled heat well, and on the coldest days in winter I can step out in jeans and a t-shirt. I’m just a hot person (although I’m sure many would beg to differ). I know this sounds ridiculous and “well, duh”, but please remember to drink more water than…
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Celebrating Easter April 5th with LUSH Ltd & Glitter Rant
Easter Sunday is only a week away and whether for you it’s a time of religious reflection or an excuse to stuff your face full of delicious chocolate (or both!) LUSH Ltd have you covered. But before I get onto the products… LUSH Ltd Lustre & Glitter I’ve been needing to get this off my…
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Aveda celebrates 25 years of Shampure with new products
My favourite haircare brand, Aveda, is excitedly celebrating 25 years of its iconic shampoo and conditioner, Shampure; featuring an intoxicating aroma of 25 pure flower extracts that have been winning awards since 1989. Manufactured with 100% wind energy in 100% post-consumer recycled packaging with ethically sourced ingredients; Aveda Shampure is the hallmark of ethically produced…
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L’Occitane Aromachologie: The Relaxing & Revitalizing Collection Reviewed
Before the current version, way back when, The Body Shop used to do a fabulous well being range with several sub-collections aimed at relaxation, energisation, detoxification and sleep in Kilner jar-style packaging, made with all-natural materials and essential oils. But, just like everything else they used to do, those products that were iconic offerings from…
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Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash Review: Salicylic Acid for Body Acne
When it comes to high street grooming and beauty, especially when looking at local supermarkets or Boots/Superdrug stores, Neutrogena has to be one of my favourite brands. Their formulations are tried and tested, most often excellently formulated and usually available at a hell of a bargain. Can you buy Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash in…
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Tom Ford Tobacco Oud Review
When I was moving to Manchester for University at 18, the second week in, my mum came to visit and we went shopping at Selfridges Exchange square (my first shopping trip in Manchester and my first ever trip to Selfridges). We came across the teeny-tiny Tom Ford Private Blend counter and we discovered a range…
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Murad Blemish Control Body Wash & Clarifying Body Spray Review
With no exaggeration here whatsoever, guys of the world, we have been saved. Legne, armne, bacne, assne – bodily acne is a real concern for guys. We don’t often talk about it but it’s something you, my lovely readers, have emailed me about on a few occasions and I’ll hold up my hands and say…
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Molton Brown Sport
I usually disregard most grooming and beauty products labelled ‘sport’ but this new collection from Molton Brown London really pricked my attention, plus in testing it’s a trio of excellent products. The Molton Brown Sport range has only 3 products but they’ve been designed in mind for the on-the-go, sporty gentleman with a muscle relief…
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The Body Shop Brazil Nut: It’s Back
Finally! This was the one discontinuation a few years ago by The Body Shop that truly broke my heart, but it’s back… Back with a vengeance. The range is bigger than ever and there’s still more to come. It’s like sugar, vanilla, nuts, caramel and toffee rolled into one but it’s certainly not at all…
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The Yorkshire Soap Company Orangery Scented Soap Slice
You might have caught my review of The Yorkshire Soap Company store in York last week? If not, you can check it out here, I think you’ll love it. The Orangery Scented Soap Slice is one of the fabulous products I bought that day. My favourite fragrance scent of all time is Orange Blossom, time…
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Ormonde Jayne Isfarkand Hair & Body Wash
I was lucky enough to meet and chat with Linda Jayne Pilkington for an hour or so last month (there’ll be a post about this in the near future) and one of the products she was keen for me to try was her Isfarkand Hair & Body Wash. This provides for a truly luxury bathing…
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The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel
I make no bones about the fact The Body Shop shower gels are my favourite. I’m yet to find another brand that matches up truly with the ridiculous abundance of lather, silky soft foam, and intense fragrance. They’re fun, uplifting and really reminiscent of my childhood. I don’t often affix a deep emotional connection to…
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Jack Black Turbo Body Bar
It seems that Jack Black is definitely the marque du jour in the male grooming world, with a strong, masculine brand presence and products that are packed with high quality ingredients boasting tremendous efficacy. Jack Black Turbo Body Bar is definitely no exception. I used to use a very similar product way back from The Body Shop, part…
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Abahna Mandarin & Sicilian Bergamot Bath Foam
Bathing should be an experience, with hot water, subdued lighting, gentle music and beautiful products. This is something Abahna is in full support of and so much so they wanted me to try out their Mandarin & Sicilian Bergamot Bath Foam, filled with organic wild flower honey, aloe vera, chamomile as well as essential mandarin…
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Lush Ltd Fun 洗隊レンジャー
洗隊レンジャー, plastered on the front of all Lush Ltd’s FUN packaging translates as ‘Ranger Squadron’, so there you have it, it’s nice to put my University education to some real use. Ranger actually transliterates into Japanese so is pronounced ‘RENJYAA’; they do a lot of this particularly with English, French and German words. The best…
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L’Occitane Bonne Mère
So you can obviously tell where I’ve been shopping lately, but I’ve been really desperate to try the L’Occitane Bonne Mère range. The range The range is marketed as Everyday Gentle Skincare, for even the most sensitive skin and completely paraben free. It has two variations: the first is the traditional soapy scent, and the…
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L’Occitane Sorbet Verbena
Containing lemon, mint essential oils and an organic verbena extract, this beautiful new summer edition of the L’Occitane classic – L’Occitane Sorbet Verbena The two products I test drove were the Sorbet Verbena Fresh Mist and the Sorbet Verbena Exfoliating Shower Gel. The fresh mist is light and delicate but as it’s the mist rather…