Howdy, all you lovely Posse folks, and happy Monday! This weekend as I was sorting/cleaning out/streamlining some of my overflowing stuff, I came across a few bottles of shower gel that I’d forgotten I had. I squealed in delight and deposted them in the bathroom double-quick.
I used to NOT like shower gel; it struck me as a waste of money as it went down the drain, and rarely gave you a decent fragrance bang for your buck. But as the years have gone by, and I’ve accumulated little bottles of this and that over time, I am enjoying it more and more. If you’ve already got it, why not use it?
I’ve most recently been using Molton Brown’s Orange and Bergamot, Ylang-Ylang and Pink Pepperpod, and my DH really enjoys their Black Peppercorn body wash (got him one of those cute little ornament baubles during the holidays). I like several of the Neutragena ones, a couple from Jo Malone, and for the spring and summer have enjoyed Red Flower’s Spanish Gardenia.
I remember loving Prescriptives Calyx (now Clinique) shower gel in years past, but don’t think it is widely available anymore, more’s the pity. If I had known it was going to be going away, I would’ve considered buying a gallon or two of it. I know our dear Musette was quite fond of that one as well.
There are several more that I’d love to try, especially Armani Prive’s Bois d’ Encens one, which I stumbled onto online at Neiman Marcus recently and I think might be fairly new. But at $50 for a 6.7-ounce bottle, I can’t quite pull the trigger, although that’s not really off-the-charts outrageous. I do wish there was a way to sample it or buy a smaller size just to test it; I do love that scent and think the shower gel could be pretty heavenly, but also know it could be iffy.
So what about you? Do you swear by a certain shower gel (or three)? Or are you happiest without scent in your bath or shower?
Another vote for Yves Rocher. Not expensive in the first place they then have frequent sales to boot. I do have Bulgari black tea gel scooped up at winners.
Hey Ann,
I love Shalimar Shower Gel. A couple of very reasonable ones I use a lot are LUSH Rose Jam and B&BW Rainkissed Leaves.
Portia xx
One of my all-time favorite shower gels has unfortunately been discontinued: Body Shop’s Indian Gardenia: floral but with deep spicy notes. I’m a fan of Molton Brown’s Bushukan and Aesop’s Geranium Leaf.
Alba Botanica Midnight Tuberose (Whole Foods carries it, as does Target and Amazon). It’s a very potent tuberose-jasmine mix, is nicely moisturizing, and doesn’t bug my sensitive skin. And it’s a bargain, price-wise. I seriously want a perfume version of it.
Ditto! It’s my always in rotation favorite.
I love the smell of Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Rich Cleansing Gel. It is marketed as face and body, but I use it in the bath tub for shaving my legs to I can enjoy the scent. My legs like it too :^)
My escape from the world is my morning shower. My bathroom closet has an entire shelf dedicated to body washes. It is possible to find lovely scented products without paying a fortune, and that is my compromise. Ulta carries many brands to my liking, and I do occasionally splurge on L’Occitane shower gels.
I love shower gels – they elevate a plain shower into a luxurious experience. Clinique Aromatic Elixir, Le Labo Vetiver 46 and Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir shower oil are among my favorites. Also, any Amouage samples I can get. I got a sample of Frederic Malle’s Musc Ravageur shower creme and it was lovely.
I’m not fussy about cheap shower gel even though I usually use Dove.My favorite shower gels are the Amouage ones.
omgosh YES!
Hey, doll! You are right! My heart skipped a little beat when I saw that image and the scent memory? WOWZERS! I may still have a bit of Calyx SG somewhere..(reminder to hunt for it). I love shower gel because of the decadence of it – I’m on a cucumber kick right now and am loving Camille Lee’s http://www.soyphisticatedcandles.com/home.html take on cucumber (she made up a wonderful group of cucumbers for March’s holiday gift and yeah, I sniffed ’em! omg. GLORIOUS. SO fresh! So I had her make up some for me!)
I don’t buy expensive SGs but am happy whenever I have a gwp or one comes up on Surrender to Chance.
xoxoxoA
I love those Molton Browns and one of their tobacco ones also. Ormonde Jayne woman is my favorite but I use it for bubble bath only. For bubble baths and showers I use Lush skinny dip but I kind of hoard it. I agree about it going down the drain and would rather get a lotion if I had to choose one non perfume vector of scent.
Adore Lush Rose Jam, but that’s an Xmas only special; also like the Lush olive oil one and the oatmeal.
Lush and Neutrogena are the staples. As a special treat, I recently purchased the FM Portrait of a Lady shower cream and Costes shower gel. I love shower gels and have far too many.
Favorites shower gels are Antica Farmacista, l’Occitane, Hermes, and Bulgari. I hate the smell of Rainbath.
The Molton Brown sounds good, though I have an irrational aversion to the brand: a hotel I stayed at featured a super-potent patchouli shower gel of theirs that was too intense for me.
Not sure it exists anymore, but Fracas had a lovely shower cream–not only pleasantly scented but really nicely textured & luxurious.
My fave bargain shower gels are from Shikai, which I usually buy at Vitacost. They’re moisturizing, lather up really nicely and are free of some of the chemicals we’re supposed to worry about. Have tried Gardenia, Honeysuckle and Starfruit, and want to try Sandalwood.
One of these days I want to splurge on Shalimar shower gel…but as you say, $$ down the drain.
I use Shikai almost exclusively now. They are soap and paraben free, and they are very gentle on my skin, which dries out horribly from almost any shower gels or creams. My favorites are Starfruit (which smells just like passionfruit to me) and Sandalwood. They are quite fragrant in the shower, but leave just a soft trace of scent after a few hours, so they’re great for bed time, since they’re nearly gone by morning when I’m ready to put on the day’s perfume. Highly recommend them! Whole Foods sells the full line, and they’re very reasonably priced ($7.99).
Have you tried the Yuzu? It’s great; I’ve gone through several bottles of it.
I’m not a big shower gel person. I enjoy a couple of the Aveda ones I’ve received samples of — the “Energizing” one, and the rosemary-mint one. I’ve been curious about the Carnal Flower one, but like the Armani Privé one, it’s a bit pricey.
My current favorite shower gels are from Yves Rocher. Nicely scented and the price is right. I’m far too cheap to buy the shower gel version of an actual perfume!