i wrote an entry about visiting the pure fiji factory and mentioned how they have a sale event every saturday morning.
here’s the loot we scored from one morning spree:
5 bottles of hydrating body lotion (for gifts), 2 kits of reniu bath products, 8 bars of spa soap, 1 bottle face & body foam cleanser, and 1 jar sugar rub. all for just fjd150.00.
spa soap
we bought the spa soap at only fjd1.00 each, though obviously they are not packaged in the same attractive way the retail soaps are. we got the mango and the white gingerlily infusions.
first off, i was surprised that the soap lathers quickly and more thickly than most commercial soaps since i have always found oil-based bath products to lack luxurious bubble power. the soap is creamy on the skin and glides easily, much like vco soaps, though this one is not at all slippery. like most soft soaps, the bottom tends to get mushy on the dish if left inadvertently with puddles of water.
if you are not fond of shower fragrances, you might find the scent quite overpowering. while i am a fragrance junkie, i try to minimize the use of this soap on my face for the simple reason that i am allergic to strong bath smells. but if you don’t have allergic rhinitis like me, the scent should not pose any problem to you.
another surprising feature of this product is the way it dries my skin, though in the first place i do have dry, scaly skin by nature. nevertheless, other coconut cream and vco soaps i’ve tried before actually leave my skin soft and hydrated, thus my surprise. in any case, such a property should prove advantageous to oily or even normal skin types, as this provides a taut sensation especially on the face, as if you got a face-lift or something.
overall, it gives me the feeling of being invigorated. it’s one of the soaps that make me feel extra clean after shower (note: some soaps don’t make me feel too clean at all. either i can sense residue or as if not all the gunk were removed). i love using the soap especially after work-out or when i need some waking up in the morning.
face and body foam cleanser
this cleanser is one of the newest products in their bath and body line. it comes in a pump bottle and dispenses into foam (duh).
like the spa soap, the first disadvantage for me is the strong scent. other than that, the foam is just fine. i have used it on my face a few times, i find it gentle enough on the skin, though, again, my rhinitis gets the best of me and i sneeze in a matter of seconds. for the rest of the body, i’m really enjoying it; it’s like slathering shaving cream all over yourself, only less thick. i do notice some drying effects, but that might just be me (like i said, my skin is overdry under normal circumstances).
all in all, also very refreshing and, if you like heady scents, quite energizing. we bought the passionflower infusion, and this fragrance lasts, giving you that bagong ligo sensation well into the day.
sugar rub
i was right all along. i just knew i would adore the sugar rub. especially the coconut milk and honey one. it’s made with raw honey, fresh sugar cane crystals and exotic oils. if merely reading the ingredients makes you feel indulgent, wait ’til you try it.
it comes in a jar and has a nifty little scoop is provided.
combining raw honey and fresh sugar crystals would make you think this would smell sickeningly sweet, but this does not at all smell anything like either. it smells coconut-milky and soapy at the same time, with various oils i can hardly recognize behind it. the liquid is slick, not thick like your breakfast-table honey. the granules are fine, definitely finer than the more popular salt scrubs. one heaping scoop of it should be enough to rub all over your body, but i usually apply two scoops. because i’m wastefully indulgent like that.
like all scrubs, it is meant to polish your skin, buff away dead surface cells and unclog your pores. it should provide a deep-clean feel, like your skin is renewed and rejuvenated. it certainly delivers its promise.
unlike many salt, mineral or natural fruit scrubs which i find quite abrasive (i have had minor injuries with those), this one is finer thus less scratchy upon application. and unlike many commercial exfoliating scrubs which i find too fine on the other hand, these crystals are just the right amount of coarse to give you that “smoothening” feel. the sensation is comparable to rubbing creamy sand on your skin, like getting into the sea then rubbing yourself with sand in panglao or maybe boracay (i write maybe because i haven’t been to boracay, so i can only surmise. people do say the sand there is as fine as sugar… sugar rub, sugar sand… i’m just establishing a connection). as you keep rubbing the product onto your skin, the crystals dissolve and the product starts to feel less silty. by this time, you can swear your skin is absorbing all those anti-oxidant properties.
after bath, you instantly feel as if your skin is much smoother and much softer, even on your elbows and knees. the first few times i used it, i can’t keep myself from stroking my hands and elbows, they were so supple. it leaves a fantastic scent that is noticeably clean, but it won’t take over your favorite cologne or perfume. in addition, your skin may feel intensely moisturized but not greasy. so even when i used this for a foot scrub, my feet neither slipped nor slid in my sandals (which is one of the things that annoy me most when i get a foot spa).
overall, one of my most favorite bath products today. they say one jar is good for 15-18 treatments. at the rate i use it, i’m going to run out of it very soon. which means i have to go back to the factory one of these saturdays and get a whole bunch of them.
