Erin the soap guy lathers up with Olay Soothing Cucumber Massaging Body Bar!

When this soap came across my desk I wasn't the least bit sorry to unload it on Erin and make him review it seeing as it was fragranced with cucumber which is only my least favourite scent in the world. After smelling it on him though I think I was a little too hasty - it smells soft and fresh and not at all like the terrible way that cucumber usually smells in bath products (not to mention that if it can make Erin smell good it must be good)! Of course, once he had it, he refused to give it back so Erin will have to be the one tell you all about it:

"I have been loving my Soothing Cucumber Massaging Body Bar from Olay - it's as good as I remember from my last experience with this type of soap! The cucumber scent is amazing and I think I smell great after using it. I also still really enjoy the massage design (the nubs are supposed to be new and longer-lasting,  but I am still running out of nubs before I run out of soap) and the great lather. Unlike a lot of moisturizing products, this rinses off easily and leaves a very clean feeling. I suggested to my wife replacing her with the massage nubs to her but she seemed less then impressed...so what else is new?!"

Olay Soothing Cucumber Body Bar - $4.99 - has a subtle fruity fragrance with top notes of aloe, green leaves and melon; heart notes of African violets, marigolds, lily of the valley, jasmine and white heliotrope; and base notes of white musk, sandalwood and cedarwood. Seeing as there isn't even any cucumber in the list of notes, I'm not even sure where they are getting the name from!

If you aren't a soap person, the scent also comes with a Body Lotion, Cleansing Body Wash and Moisturizing Body Wash.

- Erin & Lisamarie -

Erin the soap guy lathers up with LUSH Sexy Peel!

LUSH Sexy Peel - 3.5oz - $5.95 - made with organic orange and lime oil which is responsible for the amazing smell with the orange juice having the added bonus of acidity which helps keep your skin clear - and organic orange, lime and lemon peel for the exfoliating and toning action.

Knowing what a citrus freak I am, you can imagine the tussle Erin and I had over who got this and sadly he won - actually he stripped all of his clothes off, covered himself in baby oil and offered to wrestle me for it - I conceded and let him be the tester for obvious reasons...

So let's hear all about it right from the soap-stealing horse's mouth -

Let me start by saying I have always been a fan of the Lush Bath Bombs! I am a regular purchaser of the heart-shaped rose petal bomb (I buy them for my wife and then use them all ). However, for some reason I have never used anything from their soap line (other than an unfortunate incident with a massage bar that I mistook for soap) which will now change because I am in love!!  I used the Sexy Peel this past weekend for the first time. I am a sucker for citrusy scents and absolutely love the orange and lime scent from this soap.  My beef with “essential oil” soaps is that they are usually oily and greasy. Not a problem with this one though, it left me feeling very clean and I really liked the exfoliating feel of the peels as well as the abundance of suds - a huge plus for me! For some reason I never listen to Lisamarie (ed. who is always right) and I used the soap on my face which can be a little risky for me but I thought it would work well for my oily skin and I had no issues. (Lisamarie does not recommend this though, you know how she feels about soap on your face)

Overall, Sexy Peel is a very invigorating and a great morning shower soap!  Move over Olay nubby bath bar, I have a new favorite!!!

- Erin & Lisamarie -

Erin the soap guy lathers up with Pretty Organics Lemony Fresh and Cinnamon Coffee Cake Shea Butter Soap!

I recently discovered the Pretty Organics line of products and since Erin gets really grumpy when he doesn't get included in stuff I had him try out a couple of the soaps - take it away Erin:

Pretty Lemony Fresh Creamy Shea Butter Soap - $6 - This was an interesting one. I am conflicted – which is odd as I am generally not conflicted about soap.  There is soooo much to like about this product. It smells lemony (love that scent), it is made without testing on animals (although that would be one very nice smelling sloth…Kristen Bell reference…), and it's made with 100% vegan, organic or sustainably wild-harvested ingredients (I must admit that I really don’t know what that means other than I can imagine a free range chicken running alongside all of the soap ingredients…). All of that said, the lemony scent coupled with the shea butter and essential oils wasn’t for me. The soap left me feeling quite dry and was not the most sensitive for my sensitive spots. I realize that most of my soap reviews include this “private parts” comment, however that is one area I like to ensure is clean and therefore needs soapy attention!!

While I was at it, I also tried the Pretty Cinnamon Coffee Cake Creamy Shea Butter Soap - $6 - This soap left a clean feeling without the same level of dryness as the Lemony Fresh. The odd part of the experience was the scent.  I am one who loves both Cinnamon and Coffee Cake, but the two scents in a bar of soap seemed a little odd. My feelings are affirmed every time I enter a coffee shop after using the product and heavyset customers look at me with “hungry eyes”. All kidding aside, the scent was a little too sweet for my liking. Now if they could just combine the Lemony scent with the feel of the Cinnamon and Coffee Cake soap we would have a total winner!

- Erin & Lisamarie -

Erin the soap guy lathers up with Avon Core Elements Ice Body Bar!

With all the time Erin spends in the shower, it's amazing that he has time to actually do any lawyering! Bad for his clients, good for us as he's back with another review this time for Avon Core Elements Ice Body Bar...

"I have completely used up this soap bar from Avon and here are my thoughts;  As I find with all of these massage type bars, the little pleasure nubs disappeared far too quickly for my liking, and I would have enjoyed a little more lather without having to work so hard for it - but those are my only complaints. I really, really liked the scent which was excellent - extremely refreshing! I also appreciated how it didn't leave my skin feeling overly tight but still very clean."

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that massage bars when used in the manner in which they are meant to be used probably don't normally dissolve so fast, but nobody wants to know what Erin has been doing with his to give them such an extensive workout. The less said, the better...

Avon Core Elements - come in 2 scents: Ice - an arctic blast of chilled greens and invigorating woods; and Wind - a rush of bold juniper, lush sage and dynamic musk. Along with the Body Bar - 141.8g - $8 that Erin so enjoyed, there is also Hair and Body Wash - 300ml - $10 and Deodorant Body Spray - 113g - $10

Available from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca

- Lisamarie & Erin -

Erin the soap guy lathers up with Smith Farms Beer Soap!

You had to know that our beloved Erin would not be able to resist the lure of soap + beer

I have been using the Smith Farms Beer Soap for a couple of weeks now and must say that I love it. I was concerned originally that I was simply loving it because it had “beer” on the label but that proved not to be the case. In fact I was a bit skeptical after my initial use because of the lack of discernible beer smell but as it turns out, this is an excellent (albeit non-alcoholic smelling) product. The soap left a very “clean” feel which made up for the fact that there is almost no scent associated with the soap (I generally prefer some fresh scent in my soaps). I was also happy to discover that the natural moisturizing ingredients solved some change of season dry skin issues. On a final note, being a beer product, you will be quite proud (and amazed) that I resisted the urge to taste it ;)

Smith Farms Beer Soap - 100g - $5.50 - made with 66% organic, all natural ingredients including cocoa and shea butter, beeswax,  and Bierbrier Ale.

A perfect stocking stuffer for your very own beer-loving Erin (or whatever you call him at home)!


Available on-line at www.smithfarmsproducts.com

- Erin & Lisamarie -

Erin the soap guy lathers up with mark. clean up time conditioning bath soap!

mark. clean up time conditioning bath soap -  96.4g each - set of 3 $15  - made with Fair Trade Cetified cocoa butter, shea butter and white tea extract that leave skin soft, clean and comforted with a refreshing scent of lemongrass, mandarin and ginger. A soap you can feel good about using or giving as the Fair Trade ingredients help promote a different kind of farming where fair labour conditions are mandated and farmers are not only empowered but are given the support to help lift themselves out of poverty.

But since Erin is the one to actually get down and dirty (in a manner of speaking we hope) we'll let him tell you what he thinks of it:

This is really a very nice soap. Seeing as I'm not a huge fan of Cocoa Butter products I was a little skeptical at first but I have been using the soap bar for a couple of weeks now and I like the balance between the feeling of being clean and the feeling of being moisturized. I find some cocoa butter products to be a little greasy but this rinses away cleanly. A big thumbs up to mark. clean up time conditioning bath soap!

Available until December from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca.

- Lisamarie & Erin -

Erin the Soap Guy lathers up with Fresh Seaberry Exfoliating Soap!

Fresh Seaberry Exfoliating Soap - 200g - $16.50 - gently buffs away dry, dull skin while cleansing the body to even skin tone and reveal a radiant glow. The nourishing formula is fortified with omega-rich seaberry oil and is triple-milled to last longer. It produces a lush, non-drying lather for a luxurious cleansing experience.

This is what Erin has  been getting naked with lately (among other things) and this is what he thought:

"Trying Fresh Exfoliating Soap was an experience!  I actually used the entire bar in the shower and really liked some elements of the product.  I usually “jumped” a little when I first applied the soap as the exfoliating elements felt a little sharp for my liking.  There wasn’t a ton of lather and so I would have to work fairly hard to achieve the desired coverage.  Once I dealt with these two management issues, I liked the subtle scent and also liked the clean feeling that it left me with.  The clean feeling reminded me of the gold standard for the clean tight feel, the historic white ivory soap bar of our childhood.  Rinsing carefully is a must with this bar as you don’t want to leave any of those little razor blades behind in sensitive areas…if you know what I mean..." We're going to pretend me have no idea what you mean Erin, for our own sanity...

Sephora has the Seaberry lotion, but doesn't seem to carry the soap so you'll have to go to the Fresh website if you want to be as clean (or dirty) as Erin - check it out at www.fresh.com.

- Lisamarie -

Erin the Soap Guy lathers up with Olay Body Rituals body bars!

You might find it disturbing to know that Erin the soap guy is more of a girl than Christelle - the prettier a product that I give him to test smells, the happier he is and let me tell you, there was much delight when I gave him Olay's Body Rituals body bars with massage action to try out!  Here's what Erin thought:

"I have now tried both the Luscious Embrace and Silk Whimsy massaging bar soaps from Olay and I absolutely love them! My preferred scent is the Silk Whimsy (Rose extract and almond oil) although both make the shower area (and me) smell delicious after use. I really enjoy the massage design  - even though it only lasts until the massage nubs disappear *making sad face*.  The Olay bars have a great consistency that allows for a wonderful lather. Unlike a lot of moisturizing products, this rinses off easily and leaves a very clean feeling.  Now if I could just get the massage nubs to last for the life of the bar, I wouldn’t have to stay married…just kidding…"

Erin did mention to me, but forgot to mention it in his blurb, that he likes the softness of the bars because they make for easy lathering but as they get small they tend to break apart  and leave soap pieces on your body - I didn't ask him where he found the soap pieces because there are some questions in life that you just prefer not to know the answers to! He has termed it "rich people soap" because rich people never use a bar until it's that small and becomes an issue, whereas he uses soap until it's small enough to go down the drain.  He also said that he would be happy for Olay to send him a lifetime supply which I guess is the highest compliment he can pay!

 

If you want to smell like Erin go pick up your own Body Rituals Body Bar and if need be, Erin will be happy to come over and soap up any parts you can't reach yourself!

- Lisamarie & Erin -

Erin the soap guy makes a startling discovery about LUSH Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar!

Erin is back and this time he was testing a LUSH product for me - I usually give him the super fruity stuff but I figured this time I would give his muscles a treat with the very spicy smelling -

Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar - $9.95 - it's made with warming cinnamon oil and cooling mint and helps make your aches and pains disappear.  I honestly thought that Erin understood what a massage bar was and what he should do with it - fortunately, as I often tell him, it's a good thing he's pretty.  Erin thought he should use it like soap so he did, as he described it to me, he got in the bath and rubbed this sucker generously all over his body and he meant EVERYWHERE.  While cinnamon oil might be a nice relaxing thing to apply to your muscles, there are parts of your body that it shouldn't be introduced to.  So remember kids, massage bars should not go on your, as Erin calls it, your wiener!

On the other hand, I had a lovely experience with Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt - $7.95 - which is a combo of walnut, tangerine, lavender, sandalwood, frankincense and rose.  You let the contents melt into the water and then use the muslin bag full of oats and flowers to exfoliate.  It sounds like a strange mix of scents but it actually smells amazing and was so relaxing that I didn't want to leave the bathtub!

So just remember kids, bath melts are for the bath, massage bars are not!

- Lisamarie -

Erin the soap guy lathers up with Olay Body Sheer Moisture Ribbons with Mandarin Oil Moisturizing Bar!

Sometimes we come across products that are just so girly that we have no one to test them out. Since Christelle is more like a guy and even I have my limits, I knew it was time to bring someone else on board to test out the really feminine stuff.  Please meet Erin the Bath Guy.  Erin is a lawyer, who likes sports, women, beer, women, stupid movies and women.  To talk to him you would think he was some manly dude all into sports and leering at women but in the privacy of his bathroom he turns into a big gooey girl who's greatest joys in life are bubble baths and smelly soaps!

His first testing mission was the Olay Body Sheer Moisture Ribbons with Mandarine Oil Moisturizing Bar - 4 x 120g - $6.49 - some of the ingredients it includes to soften his lizard like skin include: glycerin, mineral oil, mandarin orange peel oil, grape seed extract and babusa vulgaris shoot extract.

Here's what Erin thinks of it in his own words:

"I have been using the bar for a couple of weeks now and absolutely love it.  The scent is awesome and leaves a hint of this very clean smell on me all day.  The soap lathers up like crazy and rinses away without leaving any greasy feeling.  A perfect combination.  I would be happy to sample many more versions of this product for sure.  The most significant benefit is that since I have been using it, this hot EA in my office can’t keep her hands off me!!!"

From the last part you can tell that he obviously has serious delusions but I can attest to the fact that his general smell is much improved since he took up with this soap!

If you are more of a body wash girl (or guy), you can also find this scent in a wash - 295ml - $5.99. 

Please give Erin some love and you can look forward to another contribution from him in a couple of weeks!

- Lisamarie & Erin -