The Body Shop: Japanese Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower Gel Review

What a BEAUTIFUL day today! Bright, hot and breezy- just perfect! It's been like this all week luckily, and if you're not from the UK, I'm sure you know how excited we Brits get when the sun comes out! I love it! People are happy and cheerful, and its out with the maxi dresses, flip-flops and lots of ice-cream! Everyone's rocking sunglasses, sunbathing on the beach or even the local park, and splurging on sun-creams...and of course, praying the weather doesn't decide to have a change of heart and suddenly start pouring down or something (which wouldn't be surprising, really).

Anyway, so with the sun out and all, you want to smell lovey and fresh when you go out. I had run out of body wash so picked up this Japanese Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower gel from The Body Shop.

This is a soap-free bath and shower gel, costing £8 for a 250ml bottle (I bought it for £6 on a special offer), containing real cherry blossom extract.

So, what had drawn me towards this product? Firstly, I was looking for a soap-free shower gel that wasn't going to dry out my skin, and one that would smell lovely in the shower after a work out at the gym. And secondly, well, it was pink and had cherry blossom extract. I'm drawn to anything and everything that is pink! And I love blooming cherry blossoms, especially in the Spring season, when the ground below becomes a blanket of pink, creating an aura of magic and sheer pink delight! I love watching the pink petals being blown away in the wind, floating and mingling around in the air in such harmony- I feel like I'm in a fairy tale land of some sort!

Yupp, that's right, I even have cherry blossom lights in my bedroom. But enough about my obsession with the colour pink and cherry blossoms. Moving on to my review of this shower gel from The Body Shop.

What I like about this product is that it lathers up very well, so only a small amount of this gel is required thus the bottle would last for a long time, making it good value for money. It is also non-drying, leaving my skin feeling soft and moisturised. If you do not have dry skin, you may not have to moisturise afterwards, but I religiously moisturise with a body oil after showering or bathing. I also like that it washes off easily, leaving behind no sticky or greasy residue, making the skin feel well cleansed and refreshed.

However, I found the smell a little disappointing. It does has a subtle sweet and floral scent to it, but the smell doesn't last very long after the shower, which is probably a plus point for someone who prefers light, non-overpowering scents. But I was looking for a shower gel which has a scent with a lot more oomph! I wanted  the fragrance to stay on my skin longer, enough that a perfume wouldn't be required after a shower. I do like that the scent is very feminine but the lasting power is too weak for my liking.

I also hate the design of the cap! My cap broke the very first time I used it as I struggled to open it, almost breaking my nails along with the cap! Grrrrr...

Overall, I think this is a very average shower gel (I haven't used it as a bath gel yet, but I don't expect the results to be any different) and does what a shower gel is meant to do, but nothing more and nothing less. It is moisturing but the scent is very blahhh! It is good value for money as a little of this product goes a long way, but there are shower gels out there that are cheaper and have the same, or even better qualities. I would not repurchase this again.

RATING: 5/10