I love scented shower gels, and since I do use up every bottle I buy, I have way less guilt about buying plenty of them than I do about buying more perfume — I don't even need Donatella's absolution. Here are quick reviews of 4 current favorites (Roger & Gallet Rose, Weleda Sea Buckthorn, Lush Happy Hippy, EO Grapefruit & Mint) along with a quick poll.
Roger & Gallet Rose Gentle Shower Cream
I love cream-formula shower gels in winter: they may or may not be less drying, but they certainly feel less drying on my parched winter skin. A kind person gave me a tube of Roger & Gallet's Green Tea Gentle Shower Cream, and I liked the gentle but decently-sudsing formula. The fragrance, however, was too aggressively clean for my taste. I figured I'd give the Rose a shot to see if it could be a decent winter alternative to Lush Rose Jam, which as we all know has chronic availability issues, and is not exactly a bargain. As it turns out, no. The rose fragrance is as gentle as the cream formula. I would call it rosewater-ish, so probably plenty enough rose for most people, but not nearly enough for a Rose Jam addict looking for a fix. My solution: use a nice dollop of the Roger & Gallet and add a little tiny pump of the Rose Jam to give it some verve. Perfect.
Roger & Gallet Rose Gentle Shower Cream is available in 200 ml tubes, and can also be found in Roger & Gallet's Shiso, Green Tea, Fleur de Figuier and Amande Persane fragrances (they make "regular" / non-cream shower gels for all the rest of the fragrances). I think the retail price in the US is $23, but I paid around $15 for mine.
Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash
Another gentle cream formula that's perfect for cold weather, and I have always loved Weleda's Sea Buckthorn fragrance, which is a lively (much livelier than the Roger & Gallet) sweet citrus creamsicle (I mentioned it in the creamsicle post) with slight herbal undertones. The matching hand cream was my staple until I got tired of the metal tubes splitting in my purse (does anyone know if they've switched to plastic?) and I can also vouch for the Body Oil, which is lovely to have if your skin is dry, but do use it up before it spoils: I stopped buying the oils because I used them so rarely that I never managed to finish a bottle before it went off. (If you like oils, do give the Wild Rose a sniff too. It also comes in the Creamy Body Wash, and that might be my next purchase.)
Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash retails for $10 for a 200 ml tube, but like the Roger & Gallet, can be found at discount. I paid about $7 for mine. The Creamy Body Wash is also sold in Pomegranate, Wild Rose and Citrus.
Lush Happy Hippy Shower Gel
The last time I went to a Lush store, my aim was to try the Don't Rain on My Parade Shower Gel after Jessica reviewed it; sadly, I was not a fan. But on a whim I tried Happy Hippy again, and I was immediately hooked. I don't know if they've reformulated it (I swear I tried it before and didn't fall for it) but unless I'm mistaken the color does seem different: I think it's less bright yellow than it used to be? Anyway, it's advertised as a pink grapefruit, but it's more of a citrus blend with grapefruit and bergamot, so that it's bright and cheerful but not really all that tart or tangy. The bonus, which I don't really notice until I'm using it under hot water, is just enough frankincense to give it what Lush calls "some grrr". Sometimes I amp up the incense by putting a little Nesti Dante Villages & Monasteries soap on my sponge under the Happy Hippy, and sometimes I mix it with a little Rose Jam. It's not a "big" scent — it does not really last on skin, nor does the sillage fill the bathroom and float into the hall like Rose Jam — but it lives up to its name.
Lush Happy Hippy is $9.95 for 100 ml, $19.95 for 200 ml or $29.95 for 500 ml.
EO Grapefruit & Mint Revitalizing Shower Gel
I've been using EO products for a long time. Then (eons ago) Luca Turin wrote something about EO's Rose & Chamomile shampoo, and I, along with many others, ordered a bottle, and while I was at it I got the conditioner too. I've never been fond of EO's haircare products, and these turned out to be no exception, but I liked the herbal, just-shy-of-medicinal fragrance with a hint of rose (rose fiends be warned: it is not the other way around) so I repurposed the conditioner as shave cream (and still order it for that purpose) and bought some of the shower gel instead. It was a staple in my shower for years, until I finally got sick of it and bought the Grapefruit & Mint instead. And it's likewise now a staple. It's a quieter scent than it sounds: the grapefruit, as in the Happy Hippy, is mild and blended with orange so it's not that tart, and the mint adds a bit of an herbal zing without being at all overpowering. The scent does not last on skin, which is fine with me, and all of the EO shower gels are reasonably non-drying and reasonably priced. It's my shower gel version of a "go to" perfume.
EO Grapefruit & Mint Revitalizing Shower Gel retails for $12.99 for 473 ml, but you can easily find it for less. I paid under $8.
And the quick poll: how many scented shower gels and/or bar soaps are in your shower right now? (I've got 1 bar soap and 6 scented gels.) And do share the names of any favorites!
I am a huge fan of rituals shower foams. I just finished Hammam : eucalyptus and Rosemary. Now on to Oriental Nights: creamy cacao and almond milk. The scrubs are also good
Oh, those sound nice — is the eucalyptus pretty true to the tree? I do love that smell.
Yes, but if you are sensitive it can clear out your sinuses.
The Hammam line is my favorite and since its unisex you can share if you want
I don’t share 😉
Just two: Lush Beautiful and the last of a bar of No 5 soap. Beautiful is a citrus/floral blend, not as bright and aggressive as citrus shower gels can be, but very, very good. Lush is coy about the actual notes in it. It’s a staple for me now.
I need to try the Beautiful, and the new Cocoa Yuzu.
The Yuzu and Cocoa gel is DELICIOUS smelling, and I’m not even a particularly ardent fan of citrus.
Good to know, thanks!
I really like Beautiful too. I wish the scent lingered longer but it is still very nice.
I have an absurd number of shower gels on hand, but like you I go through them at a fast rate, so they are a completely guilt-free indulgence 🙂 I’m a bath person so I want my “shower gel” to get properly bubbly. I find that I’m a lot less demanding about perfection in the scent — I don’t expect or want the scent to last long — so often I’m happy with the shower gel even if I’m not happy with the perfume version of the same scent.
Perpetual favorites include The Body Shop Olive and Whole Foods 365 Lavender, which actually doesn’t bubble well, but it’s wicked cheap so I just dump a bunch in. Currently I also have The Body Shop Smoky Poppy, L’Occitane’s Ambre & Santal, Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood, Donna Karan Black Cashmere, and Providence Perfume Co Sandalwood (guess there’s kindof a sandalwood theme here, huh). Other winter favorites include Lady Primrose Pinon Eucalyptus and typically something seasonal from The Body Shop or BBW. In the summer I shift to lighter scents, citruses and so on — sounds like I should try Happy Hippy.
Oh, you have quite a collection! I envy your Black Cashmere, I looked around for that lotion for ages and then finally gave up. How are the PPC shower gels?
Beauty Encounter still has DK Black Cashmere shower gel.
I really like the PPC shower gels, actually more than I like their perfumes. My favorites are the Sandalwood and Gin & Tonic. They’re a bit pricey though.
Wow, enabler pin to you!
Haha, not for long based on how much folks here love BC! 🙂 Headed over there now myself.
Waterdragon sent me a bottle of Chanel 19 shower/ bathgel and for a few wonderful minutes every day i forget I’m standing in a plastic ‘shub’ with a nylon curtain, and hot water that goes cold when another tap is turned on and imagine myself in a world of luxury. Wonderful.
Lovely!
Aha! This catches me at a good moment because I can honestly say I’ve only got two at present. Lush Snowcake bar soap and Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay hand/body wash gel. The hand wash backups I’ve got don’t count because they are in a closet NOT the shower 🙂 One caveat here is that Snowcake got moved to shower duty because using it at the sink dried out my hands rather terribly, redness, the whole bit. Seems ok used sparingly in the shower tho, and the scent is an HG for me.
A thing I’ve liked previously: Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte bar soap. Smells great in the shower, but washes off thoroughly–good for those of us who enjoy scented bath products but don’t want to be committed to that scent for the whole day. (That said, mine were scavenged by thoughtful acquaintances staying in what I can only imagine were very fine hotel accommodations–!!–and facing the retail price on the Hermes soaps might make this a very different story for me, particularly on whether I was happy the scent faded away so quickly.)
Ha, and I did not count the other shower gels currently in the closet, for that matter. But at the moment that only adds 2 or 3.
I have been sorely tempted by the Hermes body products, and adore the Jardin Sur Le Nil body milk which I found at discount, but so far that’s all I’ve bought.
Pretty much the whole line would work great as bath products, to my way of thinking. Whereas something like Amouage–I mean I’m sure all the bath products they make are incredible but that is really more than I can face in the shower in the AM. JCE more my style at that hour!
(All that said, I have also tried the Orange Verte shampoo, and while I like the smell of course, I thought it was a somewhat subpar hair product. Not as bad as the Godiva shampoo bar I got from Lush, which dried out my hair terribly, but still, the Hermes left my hair a little dry and a lot tangled. Would stick to Hermes body stuff rather than hair.)
Interesting. Orange Verte would smell great in the hair, that’s too bad. I’d love to have a Terre d’Hermes shower gel, and a Monsieur Li body milk. But would have to get a serious discount.
From your lips to the online discounters’ ears 🙂
I’m a quick learner, I’ve got multiple of the largest sized Rose Jams available to last me at least into the summer months if not longer.
I have not tired of this one in the least and look forward to its wonderful rosy/citrus/vanilla deliciousness for shower time.
Coincidentally, I received a Lush email today announcing a new shower cream wash called Yuzu + Cocoa, a chocolate orange scent – yum! Once again the color is just awful, big bird yellow, but I’m curious enough to give it a try. I also really like the lather on the Lush products.
For a while I was using Prada’s L’eau Ambree shower gel which is fantastic. Just a softer version of the perfume and good lather too!
Looking forward to creating a list of other great options everyone is using!
I got that email too…it is on my list for next time I drag myself to the mall. And love L’Eau Ambree, I will have to look for that one!
I’ve tried that fragrance in their bubbleroon and found it weirdly synthetic, which was surprising. Here’s hoping it works better as a shower gel.
Oh, and obligatory with everything I post about Lush… Bring back Flying Fox! I did manage to score a decent size bottle, but have not found anything to replace it. Even tried Korres and while it’s nice, it’s no Flying Fox. So my lone bottle stays tucked away in my Sexy Bath Items corner, cherished, adored and afraid of going extinct.
Oh, and for those of us who hate washing Rose Jam down the drain, Lush has a Rose Argan Body Conditioner and a Pearl massage bar that smell just like it. You’re supposed to use the body conditioner like one of those wash off shower lotions, but forget that. I apply it like one of the heavier body creams I have–with a light and thorough hand–and it works beautifully. It also helps keep the Rose Jam fix going all year and layers really well with Montale Sweet Oriental Dream. 🙂
Just a dissenting view, I know a lot of people find Ro’s Argan a good dupe for Rose Jam, but to my nose they are very different! (Rose Jam is not my thing, but it smelled very distinctive to me, whereas I thought Ro’s Argan was a more standard rose.)
Agree about Flying Fox. And the Korres.
Have you tried the Godiva shampoo bar from Lush? I use it as soap in the shower since Flying Foz is no-longer.
In the shower, I currently have Rose Jam, a giant bottle of Live Clean Monoi shower cream, the ever-lasting bar of Lush Yognog soap (which I quite liked originally, but am almost thoroughly sick of by now) and Belgian Egg White soap, a Victoria F suggestion. I keep meaning to get some Lush Olive Branch, which I’ve heard is more impressive in the shower than used for your hand soap, but I’ve never gotten around to it.
I have never heard of Live Clean Monoi but will look it up, it sounds like something I might need. Belgian Egg White soap sounds less tempting but will go see what V says about it since she is always right 🙂
The Lush I got seriously sick of was It’s Raining Men. Nice once in a blue moon, but too sweet most of the time. I had a hard time using up the whole (small) bottle.
The Live Clean is just a drug store cheapie I thought I’d try, but it’s pretty nice.
The Yognog, like many Lush products, has a room-filling fragrance when you get it wet and I loved the sweet, creamy nutmeg scent at first, but it’s become very unseasonable. That’s the problem, I think.
Oh now I have to try Happy Hippy Shower Gel. There is a LUSH store right by my office, I walk right past it every time I go to my car. Dangerous!
Favorites (in my shower now): Cumming Shower Gel (rare stuff, I eeek it out slowly), Shalimar Shower Creme; L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil (this stuff is like crack!); L’Occitane Bonne Mere Honey Shower Gel (disco’d – wth!!) and bar soaps: Dr Bronners Lavender and Mysore Sandalwood soap
Favorites (not in my shower): LUSH Lord of Misrule & Rose Jam Shower Gel; Bandit Shower Gel (OMG – the BEST scented shower gel I’ve ever smelled!!!!); Neutrogena Rainbath Shower Gel (a classic no!?); Guerlain Habit Rouge and Vetiver Shower Gel (just as addictive as the Shalimar); Shikai Sandalwood Shower Gel (love!)
Crikes, I could not work next to Lush! And you have two shower gels that I did not know even existed — Bandit and Cumming. And now I want both!
Had totally forgotten ShiKai, their Yuzu was a staple here for ages. I should see what else they’re making now.
I absolutely need these two as well.
I just got the Bandit too – cheap on Fragrance Net.
I forgot my L’Occitane honey shower gel! Good stuff. Rose Jam has completely monopolized my shower, everything else is tucked away for a later date.
I think it probably crosses a line of etiquette to say that I want to use your shower, but that selection is just too tempting.
I have three shower gels (AG Duel, Nubian Heritage Goatsmilk & Chai, and Juniper Ridge Mojave Trail Crew Soap) and a bar of Zum Bar Charcoal soap. Onboard for when the Duel runs out, which will be soon, is some Roger et Galet Bois d’Orange.
Duel shower gel, how lovely!
What a lovely selection. I want everything.
wow, I have a lot of perfumes but compared to most here I’m so stingy about shower gel. About 90% of the time and for several decades I’ve had Neutrogena Rainbath in my shower. This winter, due to dryness, I got Nivea Coconut creamy shower gel and it’s been really gentle and helps fend off dryness. Smells decent, too.
I had Lush Rose Jam a few times. Love it. Just seems expensive for washing down the drain….
I used to be stingy about bath products but I’ve reversed course. I’ll die with tons of unused / spoiled perfume, but I’ll probably use up all the shower gel. Agree Rose Jam is expensive though!
You’re not alone–my JM came from gifts and once when I had a $20 credit at Neiman’s about to expire. Even then, I dithered on whether to buy it at $25 for 250ml or just let the credit go.
Re: the fragrance of Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn range: I got my bottles of Weleda’s Jardin de Vie Eaux Naturelles Parfumées Rose & Agrume from European store (Ecco Verde) that ships to US and they are lovely, if very fleeting. The one based on Sea Buckthorn, Agrume, has great drydown notes that end up lasting a little longer. I am not sure if any US retailers carry them yet.
Oh, very good to know. They are at my Whole Foods, but they did not have testers.
I have a bunch of Rose Jam (thoroughly enabled here), a smidge of Lush Grass that I save since it is dc’d (boo!) and l’Occitane Almond Oil which is great for when my skin gets dried out from the pool.
Also a Sea Salt bar soap (brand unknown) that is my everyday thing.
I am the only one that does not love Lush Grass. I should have sent you mine; had a hard time making myself use it up.
I usually have two shower gels on the go. At the moment they are Waitrose’s Black Pepper and Cardamom, and Kiehl’s Pour Homme. Now I’m really tempted by all the gels listed in this thread!
Black Pepper & Cardamom sounds great!
Yes, it’s good. I like the Kiehl’s, too, because it reminds me of a man I used to know. That’s as good a reason as any for buying…
I love Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn and Pomegranate line. There was a sample set of like six or eight of their oils at Target on clearance after the holidays last year and I had to buy it so I could give the brand a try. Those two were definitely my favorite, though their wild rose is nice, too.
We have really hard water so I don’t use bar soap if I can help it, but I have several shower gels in use in my bathroom as well as lots more on my bath/shower shelf in my closet. In the bathroom I have June Jacobs Cucumber Green Tea (which I love in the summer) and Citrus which I bought on sale because they’re horribly overpriced otherwise, TBS Smoky Poppy and Musk Libertine which I totally love, Molton Brown Pink Pepper and Orange & Bergamot, Johnson’s Body Wash since I just love the smell of that line, Lush’s Rose Jam, It’s Raining Men and Prince Charming and one of my absolute fave drugstore washes which is Caress’s Silk Blossom and White Peach. I often use shower gels or body washes as shaving cream, so like ones with a good foamy lather or lots of bubbles, and thickness is a plus.
My other weakness is body scrubs, particularly oil based scrubs. I quite like the Smoky Poppy scrub as well as a coffee scrub from Pacifica, but the Lexus of scrubs that I go back to again and again has to be the Pure Fiji Sugar Rub. It’s spendy but I can use one scoop for my entire body, the fragrances are heavenly and of the dozens of scrubs I’ve tried, it is the best at what it does and one container will last forever. So why do I have like four or five? Because they’re that wonderful! 🙂
All their other products are really good, but their scrubs are my favorite. Though shout out to their coconut milk bath in guava. It’s been my go-to for relaxation twice this week and much like my perfumes, if I use anything besides face/hair products twice in one week, it’s got to be good.
Oh, will have to see if they still make a Musk Libertine shower gel, that sounds nice. I’ve gotten out of the habit of picking up bath & body things at TBS and should spend more time in there. Used to love all the body butters.
If you can find them, the Smoky Poppy and Musk Libertine body butters are fantastic!
Robin, i have seen a good number of TBS products af Marshalls/TJMaxx. Home Goods also has them but they somehow kept getting relocated or split up all over the sales floor.
I keep meaning to run over to Home Goods…maybe this weekend!
I almost always buy something from TBS when I hit TJ Maxx. Last time I was there I got one of the giant size body butters in the Argan oil scent, which is actually kind of jasmine-y.
I have one bar soap (Dr. Bronner Lavender) and three LUSH shower gels (Rose Jam, Lord of Misrule, and Don’t Rain on My Parade).
Ha…and here I pictured you with 20 or 30 shower gels! Half of them rose, of course.
Fracas silkening shower creme is fab, though I only splurge occasionally. Great texture, just wish it was a pump instead of a pour.
I pour nearly anything that isn’t pump into a pump bottle…mostly old Alaffia lotion bottles that I’ve cleaned out. I really hate the Lush pour bottles. And gosh, would adore Fracas shower gel.
I’m almost out of my Fracas shower cream. It really is fab!
I buy shower gels obsessively, but at least they do all get used up. I have less of them at the moment than is my norm and I’m sure I’m missing something, but the ones I can remember on the top of my head: Diptyque L’Ombre dans l’Eau, Dr Hauschka Lavender and Sandalwood (super creamy!!!), Lush Lords of Misrule, a couple of Korres ones (I almost always have their fig one, but jasmine and guava are also good), L’Occitane Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc and Yves Rocher Monoi de Tahiti and &Other Stories mimosa shower gel.
I’ve finished all my Hermes ones, but in a way that’s great, because I want to try the new Rhubarbe Ecarlate. And another one I’ll definitely get for Spring is Byredo Pulp, one of my all-time favourites.
Oh, forgot about the soaps. I have many, but only two in the shower: a bar of Syrian Aleppo soap and Jaboneira Marianella Violet Fields – it’s expensive, but I love it (Desert Gardenia is next on my list).
That rhubarb would make a great shower gel. I keep waiting for L’Occitane to mark down their Pamplemousse Rhubarb shower gel, but so far no such luck.
I’m slowly using up a box of six Claus Porto bath soaps that I found on sale after Christmas a few years ago. I think the current one is rose. I actually don’t use soap on most of my skin, which is very dry and sometimes sensitive. I also have Cetaphil gentle cleanser for my face and feet.
I never use scented shower gels, but if I did, I’d definitely get Diptyque L’Ombre dans l’Eau, which I had a sample of once. I’m planning to try SNM Patchouli soap someday. I find the concept of an almost “dirty” scented soap intriguing.
Rose 31 makes a nice dirty cleanser too! (I’ve got the hair stuff.)
Cosign on Cetaphil endorsement!
(Should say, in interests of completeness, I find Rose 31 only so-so as hair products, but the trade-off is that the scent lasts really well; I use them when I feel like wearing R31 as my fragrance that day.)
Diptyque makes fantastic soaps. I’ve never tried the shower gels. And am always lusting after the Claus Porto soaps — are they lovely?
I keep finding Claus Porto soaps at Winners for super cheap. I almost picked up a 350g bar of Chypre the other day but I wasn’t too keen on the smell (it reminded me of AC Silver Iris). 350g is a lot of soap to get through.
They have nice scents and last forever. Of course, it’s really the art deco wrappers that are outstanding. They are a light cardboard, so I tape the end closed after I remove the soap and put them on my bathroom shelves for decoration.
In use right now: one bar Nesti Dante Borghi e Monsasteri, one bar Pacifica Mediterranean Fig, one bottle Lush Lord of Misrule. I’ve gotten pretty sick of the Lord of Misrule so I’ve taken to using it as a bath milk with a few drops of Vetiver EO added to round out the scent. I just cracked open the fig bar yesterday. We’ve been having spring like weather this week and it just felt right. Borghi and Monasteri is still my favourite soap of all time.
As an aside, I don’t keep any of these in the shower. I don’t want the soaps to get mushy and I don’t like when scale and grime builds up on my shower gel bottles, a bit neurotic I’ll admit.
Also want to add, I really want to try these soaps from Monsillage.
http://monsillage.com/collections/savon-soap
I especially want to try Benzaldehyde and Geranium Bourbon.
That Nesti Dante is so perfect. I need to try more of their soaps.
As do I. The place I order from carries so many but they don’t carry three of the ones I want to try most: Macchia Odorosa (maquis scent), Sardegna (mastic, myrtle, immortelle, and lentiscus), and Iris.
Kevin says the broom one is fantastic, that’s what I keep looking for.
I picked up a bar of that one with my last order but I ended up demoting it to sink side duty. I just didn’t find it that interesting. I much prefer their tomato soap which is similarly green and fresh but a little more out of the ordinary.
Ah, good to know, thanks!
I’m using my husband’s shower (the master bath is “mine” but it’s too cold and drafty right now), so have fewer than I usually would. The only favorite in the current lineup is a big bottle of Naive body wash because it’s the best thing for shaving. Other than that, I have the dregs of a Diptyque shower gel, a spice scented goats-milk soap from a local company, and some coal tar soap. I do also have some of the Pacifica coconut shower gel, but I don’t like it much and am using it out of a sense of thrift. Not an impressive showing. I’m thinking I may need to step up my bathing luxuries game.
When I hate a shower gel, I do use it up but it starts being rotated into the closet with the other unloved products so I don’t have to use it very often. Ha. I’ve got a couple in there right now, waiting their turn 🙂
When I hate a shower gel, I use it to clean the toilet. I had a ghastly melon-scented thing that worked out quite nicely.
LOL!!
What a great idea. I’m currently employing the coconut horror on my feet, but the toilet sounds like a better use. Don’t know what it is about this particular mild and theoretically inoffensive coconut that just makes me cringe.
Awesome! I get annoyed with the shower gel/bath products i don’t like and use them up in a hurry. Will use 3-4 times the normal amount to get through it asap.
I like your toilet application, jotting that down in the ol’ brain files for later use!
I use them to wash dog or dog blankets and stuff like that. Perfect for dirty car mats.
LOL!
Great post! Love Weleda, I am using their almost scentless Malva Baby bodylotion daily. I have 1 bar of soap, no 19 lovely but it doesn’t really keep that well in the shower, and 2 showergels, Yves Rocher’s Un Moment du Bonheur, a fresh green rose, and OJ’s Woman, I think I received it as a compensation once for a very late order. Lovely, captures Woman very well. Then I have 3 shower mousses. I don’t know if these are available in the US, they are shaving cream like in that they transform from gel into lovely lather immediately. I have a wonderful Frangipani one, Mandipur by Rituals, a figgy one by Kneipp and a rose sandalwood one from a Dutch supermarket chain, but actually it is very nice (and cheap). Lastly I have a showermilk, Hamman something by Yves Rocher, as neroli as it gets, very good. Great to read everyone’s choices!
I have been thinking about that OJ shower gel for a while… And Rituals does some pretty nice things.
OJ is having a sale right now on bath and body products…just sayin’
Oh really? Do tell more please! I love their Frangipani and Champaka fragrances. *bank account shakes its head, packs up small flimsy suitcase and storms out* But it’s my birthday next week and it never hurts to ask, right? 😉
I haven’t had a shower gel since stupid BBW discontinued Velvet Tuberose. I’m more of a soap guy anyway. Stupid Lush discontinued my favorite soap too, though. Hard life.
It is a real pain when they discontinue the shower items you love. And at Lush, it’s to be expected.
I haven’t found a soap from Lush that even comes close. I haven’t been in a long time.
I haven’t gone in Lush in a long time because that place is such a danger to my bank account…lol. I didn’t even get any Rose Jam this year! And I haven’t even tried Lord of Misrule!
Right now I’m being cheap about my body wash, so I have some Dove stuff that I got on clearance at Walgreen’s.. the scent is something like Pistachio Cream and Magnolia, and it seemed just an odd enough combination that I figured it could come home with me for $4.99 or whatever I paid for it. The scent isn’t odd at all, as you might figure.. kind of a creamy, slightly almondy scent. It’s nice enough.
The one I had before that was Shea Moisture.. the name was something about Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil or something.. it was good stuff and moisturized well, but the texture was kind of weird, like the ingredients separated. It was better if I shook it before squeezing the bottle.
I also have some Penhaligon’s Elixir scrub that I picked up on clearance at TJ Maxx.. I’ve had it for a while and don’t use it much.
I did not love Lord of Misrule. Luckily, I guess, I only usually like one or two of the shower gels they’ve got in production at any one time, and I won’t buy the bar soaps. I would love to have some Elixir shower gel but doubt I’d use a scrub.
Why no bar soaps? Personal preference?
I don’t buy bar soaps any more unless I can’t get the scent any other way (like the Nesti Dante incense bar soap). Our shower has a nice ledge that will hold any number of bottles, but there’s only 1 good place for a bar of soap and my husband is using it 🙂
So scented soaps mostly end up in the hand soap dish by the sink.
My favorite shower gel is L’Occitane’s Roses et Reines. It smells great, like a huge bouquet of pink roses, and lathers well. I also have a bottle of Yves Rocher Oriental Shower Oil, which is very moisturizing and smells like orange blossoms and vanilla. And there’s a bar of Climbing Wild Rose soap by South of France that I buy at Fairway when it’s on sale. And a Lush shampoo bar (basically soap for the hair), Jason and the Argan Oil, which smells like Rose Jam.
That Yves Rocher sounds lovely! I have not done well buying shower gels unsniffed there at all.
I join the chorus with Rose Jam in the shower, and I also have that Ro’s Argan body conditioner that came in the rose xmas gift which I got 2 of during the Lush BOGO sale. Also have Bandit “shower creme” and Tresor shower gel. Soap of the moment is Bee & Flower Sandalwood, though I’m anxious to get through it because I have several lovely soaps lined up after it!
Oh and I want to add that Korres Fig is my favorite shower gel of all time, though I don’t have any right now.
I need to try the fig! And need to get some Bandit.
I’ve got the remains of one African black soap bar and 3 scented gels: BBW Moonlight Path, Shea Moisture African Black Soap (sandalwood and honeysuckle scents), and Pacifica Persian Rose. (There’s also a hoard of scented bars under the sink.) The Pacifica Persian Rose gel is slightly sweeter/jammier than the perfume, so it’s my sulfate-free near-substitute for Lush Rose Jam. Because I can’t get enough of Rose Jam–it’s olfactory crack to me.
Ok, adding the Pacifica to my list of “to smell”, hopefully they’ll have it at Sephora or Whole Foods.
Over the summer, they had tons of Pacifica at TJ Maxx…
Yep, that’s where I snagged my bottles.
It’s not an exact dupe, but it’s close enough to make me happy. I once added some into the last bit of my Rose Jam to make it last longer! I’ve also considered mixing some of Pacifica’s Malibu Lemon Blossom into the Persian Rose to see if I can imitate it…
If it’s of any interest, Persian Rose just happens to be the frag of the month set over at the Pacifica site (for a few more days).
I have Atelier Orange Sanguine, DK Black Cashmere, Neutrogena Rainbath, TBS Smoky Poppy, and Molton Brown Ylang-Ylang. I have enough bar soap to last several lifetimes, as I used to make it and it’s difficult to get the lye/water ratio correct if you make less than a pound (4 bars). It’s great hearing what other use, and I’m writing down the ones I haven’t heard of before.
What fun to make your own soap! Why did you stop?
I had soooo much! I was making soap every week, and pretty soon every friend and relative had soap, and I had soap, and although I stopped making it six years ago, I still have shoeboxes full.
LOL — ok, I can imagine!
I have a big Rose Jam bottle which I adore, Yves Rocher Secrets du Hamman, an apricot smelling foaming oil which contains argan and is good for drier skin days and L’Occitane’s Pamplemousse Rhubarbe, which is not as delicious as it should be, I think. Curious about that Yuzu Cocoa!
Oh, do tell why the L’Occitane is not as delicious as it should be, and I’ll stop haunting their website for a sale. I love the hand cream in that scent.
Their hand creams are great, I haven’t tried this, but I got the Jasmin-mimosa-something from this collection and like it a lot. As for the shower gel, it’s transparent and quite runny, weak smelling and a bit drying on my skin. Some days it makes me think of dish washer, but in the end it’s just boring. Both the Weleda and The Body Shop citrus options are fuller smelling, more hydrating and satisfying. (Wow, I’m used to enable, this feels odd.)
Just showered with it, and after reading your reviews I realize that the problem is that even though I won’t expect it to scent half the house the ways Rose Jam does, I still want to have that refreshing citrus blast while it lasts, and it simply does not deliver in this camp. Crazy to try those Hermès cologne shower gels!
Gotcha. I don’t think I’d like it if the formula is very thin. It’s pretty expensive (not Lush expensive, but still) so I will forget about it and enjoy my hand cream.
You get the money-saved pin for the day!
Not the pin I usually sport, but thank’s. 😉
I have the biggest size of Lush Rose Jam they make (I learned the hard way when all I could get one year was one small size – I made that thing last forever). I’m addicted to it, so my Lush Flying Fox and Pacifica Lotus Garden are being sadly neglected.
Ha, I could take that FF off your hands 😉
I would be the one with 30 shower gels, most of them rose! In the shower at the moment are C&E Rosewater, C&E Evelyn, 2 honking bottles of Rose Jam, Pacifica Persian Rose, Bvlgari Rose Essentielle, the L’Occitane Rose de Whatchamacallit mentioned above and the truly gigantic bottle of Dr Bonners Rose.
I would love a source for cheap Claus Porto soaps, because I love using the wrappings for pages in my journals
I got mine at either Neiman Marcus or Saks 5th Avenue after Christmas one year. They had holiday gift boxes of six baths soaps on sale at half price. It’s probably too late for this year, but worth making a note to check next year.
Oh, thank you so much, I will definitely make that note!
Nice!
There has been lots of Claus Porto soaps at my local TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. I even found a bar of Cypress Dante Nesti there. I have at least 14 shower gels in a rack in my bathroom and I am sitting on the free world supply of soap. My shower gels run from the ridiculous to the sublime. I have Yves Rocher, Method, Bliss and Body Shop. I love the Bliss Bergamot and Vanilla. It does smell like Shalimar. I have the EO Lemon Verbena shower gel and always something jasmine, be it gel or soap. Kiss My Face Peaceful Patchouli is a winter favorite.
Thank you, I will check our TJ Maxx for sure!
Caress Passionate Spell (passionfruit and rose), sadly discontinued. I had been using their Love Forever red rose/dark berry scent (goes great with Portrait of a Lady!), but unfortunately, it was so strongly scented it irritated my eyes! I grab every rose-scented shower gel I see at Walgreens, and use them as treats in between my regular Olay Age-Defying (although I continue to get older in spite of its defiant qualities). Currently I also have rose-scented ones from Nivea, Herbal Menace-I-mean-Essence, and Tone.
Ok, so of the rose scented gels you’ve tried at Walgreens, which was the absolute best?
Best scent was the Love Forever, but Caress Passionate Spell smells almost as good and doesn’t bother my eyes. Naturally, it’s now discontinued.
Great post. A warm bath with a favourite shower gel/soap can do a lot to dispel the gloom of mid-winter. I love any body product by Weleda and the Sea Buckthorn is a lovely buttery fragrance. I stock up on Rose Jam large size when it comes out at Christmas. Why, why, why won’t Lush make a shower gel of Karma. I have tried Dr. Bronner’s and would like to love them but they are just too drying. I just bought a very large size of Trader Joe’s body wash and shampoo and it is a lovely fresh scent and great value. For special occasions I have a small bottle of Youth Dew bath oil. A vintage scent and a best kept secret.
Seconding that Karma shower gel!
Agree, I’ve been through several bottles of Dr Bronners and stopped buying it.
Dr Bronners and baking soda best smelling cleaner for sinks, potties and showers!
I use this mixture to clean the tub too. Dr. Bronner’s almond is also my go-to for handwashing “underthings” and makeup brushes.
I love smelly bath products! I have Lush Don’t Rain on My Parade, It’s Raining Men and the Godiva shampoo bar. Fracas shower cream is my current favorite. I also got Amouage Honour shower gel which I like as a soap, but not as much as a perfume.
My old cheap standbys are Mysore Sandal soap and C. Booth’s Mimosa and Honeysuckle body wash.
I’m going to need to get that Fracas.
I also have Lush Rose Jam, Don’t Rain on my Parade and Lord of Misrule. I keep a basket of other ones that I rotate in occasionally: YR Monoi, R&G Extra Vielle, AG Encens Flamboyant, Pink Sugar, Costes, Monyette Paris, L’Occitane Almond Oil and Bottega Veneta.
I wonder what percentage of NST readers own Rose Jam?
I love scented shower gels! Currently in the shower or on rotation: Yves Rocher Candied Orange and Cinnamon, Chanel No.19, Le Labo Iris 39, Lush Rose Jam, Lush Lord of Misrule, Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine, Frederic Malle Carnal Flower, Juniper Ridge Christmas Fir Trail Crew Soap, Juniper Ridge Siskiyou Trail Crew Soap. I have quite a few in the closet that will hopefully see the light of day in the next few….ummm….years. I only have one soap and it’s Roger & Gallet Carnation which a wonderful NSTer gifted me. I’m enjoying reading everyone else’s favorites but I will resist from buying and just live vicariously through y’all.
Holy cow, how is Carnal Flower shower gel??
Very luxurious and true to the scent. I have Eau de Magnolia waiting in the wings. Too bad Iris Poudre doesn’t come in shower gel!
Good to know, because I’m sure I’ll never have any LOL…but it’s tempting.
Shower favorite at the moment? The Ginger Honey collection from Caledrea. Of course, it’s discontinued but true to form, I made sure I have enough of the shower gel, sugar scrub and body oil to get me through a couple of winters. Smells of fresh cut ginger, spicy nutmeg and a touch of honey. And happens to compliment Jo Malone’s Nutmeg and Ginger Cologne quite nicely!
They sound wonderful! Just my luck they’re discontinued 🙁
I did not even know Caldrea made body stuff. Or I forgot.
and that’s Caldrea 🙂 (fat fingers)
What fun! I am sad because I had an itchy reaction to some bath product and am stuck with unscented Dove for a while. ????
Ugh, sorry!
Geez, although I’m a sucker for bath/shower gels, I didn’t realize how many I have! Let’s see, there’s
Bath Cream with Honey from the Amalfi Coast (Perlier)*
Rosewater (Crabtree & Evelyn) nice!
Spring Meadows (Ulta)
Snow Angel (Philosophy)
Escentric 01 (Escentric Molecules) a favorite–happy V-day to me!
Pure Grace (Philosophy) (just a little left)
Sea Island Cotton (BBW) for warmer months
*I always keep some Honey Cream Bath as it’s very mild, but an excellent cleanser when skin allergies occasionally occur. It’s like an Ivory soap upgrade!
After reading the comments here, I tried Rose Jam, and just wasn’t thrilled.
Kevin HATED rose jam, so you are not alone.
I didn’t like Rose Jam at all when I first got it; I know this sounds bizarre, but I had to disassociate it as a rose scent in my mind before I came around to it. It just doesn’t smell like my type of rose.
I decided to call it a gourmand, and then I loved it. Which is also bizarre, because I can’t stand gourmands, but there ya go.
I used to love Kneipp products when i lived in Wurzburg, Germany…they were made there. A great naturopathic range.
I love their herbal bath, is that what they’re called? Have a whole drawer full of them from years ago when the BBW flagship cleared out all their luxury stuff and became just another store like all the others. I should probably quit hoarding and start using them.
I can’t remember any useful details. Can’t get them in NZ anyway. I envy anyone with a bath.
I have never tried them, although I know you can get them in the US.
Kneipp is going strong in the Netherlands. A dear friend just gifted me the newest orangeblossom shower foam. They make great shampoos too, and bathoils.
I am late to the party but here goes…
Lush’s Baked Alaska soap which I adore…I am always looking for a perfume that smells similar if anyone has recommendations…?
Rose Jam, Beautiful, Flying Fox and So White…all Lush…
I seem to be a bit of a Lush whore right now…I suppose I’ve been called worse… 😉
I’m currently using liquid Dial even though I have some Amouage bath products (Lyric, Dia, Memoir). Just like the perfumes, Amouage bath stuff has the lasting power of plutonium, so they are not often used. I will get some no 5 (bar soap) and no 19 bath stuff and give that a go.
I don’t even know if Amouage made a shower gel for Jubilation XXV, but that would be lovely to have!
I love bath products. I currently have two shower gels. Rose Jam and NR Narciso. I have two soaps from my grocery store, one in jasmine and one in olive oil. they don’t have a brand name, only made in Australia on the label. I love these soaps, they come in about ten different scents, and i am working my way through them. I just ordered Josie Maran sugar scrub, looking forward to trying it.
How is the Narciso shower gel?
It does not lather as much as i would like, but it smells wonderful. stays very true to the perfume scent.
I love shower gels, so I experiment with different ones. Right now in my shower I have FM Carnal flower shower gel, to die for, Annick Goutal Petite Cherie, Indian Sandalwood soap that I adore and SMN Rose soap. I think these are my favorites right now.
Lovely collection!
I have a feeling that we all constitute the majority of the market for Rose Jam! I, too, have a bottle in my shower (just got a little one this year, so trying to make it last), along with a bottle of Philosophy Cinnamon Buns shower gel, which is the most comforting thing ever, and a bar of French linden soap that makes the whole house smell good. I’ve been trying to keep the number of shower products from proliferating too much, lately, but I also have Lush Figs & Leaves soap waiting in the wings, and Korres jasmine shower gel makes appearances at intervals.
I love nice French soaps — who makes your linden?
Very late post but I’ve been reading what everyone has in the shower with interest. Thanks to a trip to lush with my thirteen year old daughter as she loves rose jam, I’m alternating between beautiful, the comforter, karma soap and yuzu and cocoa!! Oh and the oat scrub bar thing!! A bit of a lush theme going on!
Sounds like a nice mix!
You guys are AWFUL. I’d never had more than one shower gel/soap in my bathroom at a time until a couple months ago. Right now I have three (Lush Rose Jam, a bar of l’Occitane Pamplemousse Rhubarbe, and an unscented l’Occitane beurre de karité), and I’ve been feeling like such a nutjob for having so badly cluttered my shower. You are all making me feel so reasonable!!
Whatever you hoard, someone else is hoarding it more 🙂
I once had a bottle of the EO grapefruit and mint body oil and it was sooo nice. However like you I rarely use up a body oil before it goes rancid so I usually stick to lotions/creams these days.
I’ve got two bar soaps in the shower (one is patchouli coffee and the other is mandarin) and three shower gels: Pacifica Waikiki Pakiki, Aveeno White Peach & Ginger, and Dr. Bronner Lemongrass Lime. #YOLO