A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

New York Cheesecake with an Edge, Vermont Va Va Voom, Toast to the Coast and Southern Belle promise scintilating flavours that leave me unsure whether I should be slathering them on my body or on my crumpets in the morning!

I’m gonna go with ‘body’… but only ‘cos I’m on a diet.

The Body America range of products has been notoriously hard to track down until House of Fraser scooped them up as part of their new Apothecary setup.  The range claims 72% organics which are enriched with Aloe Vera juice to soothe and soften the skin.

That’s all great in theory… but how does the range really perform?

Vermont Va Va Voom Foaming Bath & Shower Wash (£7.00)

Green Apple, Maple and Blueberry… but particularly heavy on the apple.  Thankfully, although heady in combination, the scent that’s left behind on the skin is quite light and pleasantly fresh.

I’m not usually a fan of products that foam before I get them close to my body as I find I have to use a ton to get the same kind of luxurious lather as with normal soapy formulas.  This one gets a thumbs up for managing to go the distance before losing it’s fluff!

I should also note that I didn’t find this drying on my skin.

Toast to the Coast Lip Butter 8.5gms (£4.00)

All style and no substance.  It smells delicious (Ocean and Grapeseed), tastes incredible but does nothing to moisturise my lips.  It’s thin and spreads lightly which makes it a nice butter to apply under a drying lipstick but that’s about as far as my praise for this one can stretch.

New York Cheesecake Body & Face Scrub 100gms (£7.00)

My pick of the bunch and I will definitely be picking this up in the Toast to the Coast flavour.  It’s a milky thin fluid that spreads for miles and contains minute particles of ‘scrub’.  Touted as a light exfoliation, I’d say that on my skin it felt pretty full on and in my opinion, too harsh for the face.  But it’s perfect for bodycare and leaves a positively edible scent behind!

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I haven’t tried any of the body butters but they’re reportedly made by the people behind The Body Shop body butters and only £7/£8 each.  All products are available instore and online.

Have you tried the Body America range yet?

Finally!  The House of Fraser Apothecary has launched online which means that poor souls like myself (who’s nearest HoF is an hours drive away) can finally take advantage of some of the new and exclusive brands available to the department store.

I previously wrote about the Lippmann Collection of nail polishes that I’m still salivating over.  I’m finding it damn near impossible to pick a preferred choice though!

I’m also curious about the Body America range of skincare… potentially good, affordable products that have enough about them (New York Cheesecake Body Butter anyone?) to raise real interest in how they feel, work and smell.

Other highlights include colostrum-based skincare brand Electric Body who hail from New Zealand and promise anti-aging delights (albeit at a price!), Aussie brand MOR – yes, they of the exquisite packaging and French pharmacie skincare brand Filorga who’s origins (in mesotherapy and injectible forms of anti-aging) promise the same results but without the needles.

I spent an indecent amount of time in the Guildford store just after Christmas… there *may* have been Guerlain purchases, I will neither confirm nor deny those rumours.

Have you stopped by the new House of Fraser Apothecary yet?

From Lip Butters to Body Butters, Body Scrubs to Shower Foams… Body America’s range of bathroom goodies will be hitting the mainstream when they land in the new House of Fraser Apothecary from the middle of this month onwards.

A little birdy also told me that the Body America Body Butters come from the same creator as the much-loved Body Shop Body Butters… interesting…

But this becomes even more interesting when I tell you that a 200ml jar of Body America Body Butter will set you back a trifling £8 compared to £12.50 for The Body Shop equivalent.  Now you’re talking!

The entire range is described as 72% organic and comes enriched with certified organic Aloe Vera juice to naurally soothe and protect the skin.  The lineup is available in four flavours:

~ Vermont Va Va Voom: Green Apple, Maple and Blueberry
~ New York Cheesecake with an Edge: Vanilla and Strawberry
~ Toast to the Coast: Ocean and Grapeseed
~ Southern Belle: Peach and Mango

I fully intend to make a beeline for the Vermont Va Va Voom range…. Maple?  Oh god yes.  Now if only it came with pancakes too…