Molton Brown Black Peppercorn Body Wash

Back in June I wrote about a male beauty box from Selfridges&Co - I was really excited when it arrived with a range of products for me to try. A few impressed me (winking in your direction Scaramouche & Fandango), a few left me feeling cheated (I’m glaring at you Commes des Garcons 2). One that sat around for an absolute age without me trying it was a 100ml bottle of Molton Brown Black Peppercorn Body Wash.

In fact, it sat in the bathroom for two months until it was packed away (size over dedication to the body wash was the deciding factor) for my holidays. I tanned nicely, a bit too nicely around my shoulder and tattoo which meant using harsh or abrasive body washes would have been agony. 



As a little background, I’m not committed to the brand, I’ve tried and written about their Seamoss Stress-relieving Hydrosoak in the past so was intrigued as to how this would react. My initial thoughts where why the hell would I want to smell like a peppercorn! 

So how do I rate this?

A 300ml bottle of the body wash is available here from the Molton Brown website for £18. This is what the site has to say about the body wash:

‘A luxurious bath and shower gel with Madagascan Black Peppercorn oil.

The fragrance
Top note: Refreshing coriander.
Middle note: Black peppercorns.
Base note: Aromatic vetiver. 

Formerly known as Re-charge Black Pepper.’

Not much waffle is there and what is this? Notes, for a body wash. Have I fallen into a different dimension? This is the first body wash or scrub I’ve seen that has notes!

On holiday I found this body wash a godsend. After spending all day in the sun fishing lets just say I smelt, erm,…..ripe. As soon as I unscrewed the lid the most masculine, deep warm amber smell hit me. You can detect hints of coriander but the base notes of vetiver punched straight through to the fore. This has a powerful fragrance, and it matches this in the washing stakes too.

After pouring a little onto my hand I found that it lathered up really well making washing very easy. The rich lather maintained its strong aroma and after a good scrub it worked its magic. Despite being a little tender the body wash seemed to soothe it slightly and didn’t irritate my skin.

The strong aroma dies down really quickly, within around 10 minutes of drying off but it lingers ever so subtly on the skin. Not only did the face leave me feeling refreshed I loved the earthy fragrance notes and the warmth that it produced while showering. Only a small amount was needed and even now with regular use (amongst the other many products I have to try) I have half a bottle left.

Personally I really like this and wish I hadn’t waited for so long to try it. 

As an aside, in the lead up to Christmas 2014, Molton Brown have a bauble of the body wash available as a limited edition gift here.

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What is your favourite body wash?

Finally, a random picture of Dexter the cat....he is like a sniffer dog....

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Uomo by Valentino

Uomo by Valentino is the final purchase made on holiday this year and was a fragrance I had been dying to get my hands on since receiving a small tester earlier in the year. 

While the tester was quite bland from a visual perspective the same cannot be said of the fragrance that to me comes across as completely unique - both in terms of the fragrance but also the blingtastic look of the bottle that is soooo cool.

At £91 for 100ml and £46 for a 50ml bottle this has to be put into the luxury aftershave category in my book. Had I seen the price before becoming completely hooked on the fragrance I probably would have backed away from it in the shop. Instead I just had to pick up a 50ml bottle and I haven't regretted it since.

My only previous experience of Valentino was forking out £200 for a shirt back in 1996 - yes, that long ago, wearing it once, loving it and then proceeding to spill kebab juice down it after a night out thoroughly ruining it forevermore.

Everything about the bottle oozes class, in fact put it in sunlight and you can marvel as it’s glass ridges reflect and refract light making it shine like some form of heavenly gift. OK, ok, a bit over the top but it is probably the best description you are going to get out of me!

Valentino market this with the stylish waffle you would expect from a leading fashion house, a sophisticated fragrance that is suppose to evoke thoughts of family lunch (what no beef and Yorkshire pudding notes) on the terrace of a Roman Palazzo with a series of notes that come from the dishes on the table. Hmmmm…..

The official notes to Uomo are:

• Head: Bergamot, Myrtle Liquor
• Heart: Crema Di Gianduia, Coffee
• Dry-down: White Leather, Cedar Wood

After removing the atomiser protector and giving this a few squirts the strength and sweetness are unleashed with aplomb. After a squirt there is no hiding from the fragrance and for me this is a good thing as it is instantly addictive.

While you can detect hints of bergamot, the liquor makes this incredibly sweet on the nose. The sweetness stays around for about 30 minutes steadily getting warmer and heavier as it starts to dry down. It actually becomes a little bit floral I find until it settles. I’d be lying if I said I knew what Crema Di Gianduia is or should smell like but it is obvious to my nose that this blended with the coffee provides depth to what could be a rival for Joop in the sweetness stakes.

It takes around an hour for the fragrance to really settle on the skin to a point where it doesn’t alter any further and boy you will be surprised by the results. It retains some sweetness but it stays subtle, the warmth really comes to the fore and the leather and cedar wood provide an earthy body and base to this wonderful fragrance that you will catch as you go about your day to day business.

While Uomo has a price tag to make you weep a little goes a long way and the strength makes this a fragrance where only a few squirts are needed to leave you smelling awesome all day long. I’ve had my bottle for two months and after fairly frequent use I am yet to have used a third of the bottle.

Perfect for daywear thanks to the hardwearing nature of the fragrance this is one that ticks every possible occasion be it special occasions, romantic nights out, nights down the pub or office wear. You can’t go wrong if you like strong yet sweet fragrances. Still being evident after 10 hours you would be foolish to dismiss Uomo and negligent not to give it at least a good solid sniff at the aftershave counter.

Try it, you will like it.

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Scaramouche & Fandago ‘FS’ Face Scrub

Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango……well, erm yes I will as I’m going to be taking Scaramouche & Fandago ‘FS’ Face Scrub through its paces.

I’ve been meaning to write this up for a loooooooong time……so long in fact that this tube came in the male beauty box from Selfridges&Co back before Fathers Day in June.



I’ve already reviewed the Scaramouche & Fandago ‘Hy’ Hydrator and to be frank I loved it, but this baby had the unenviable task of coming on holiday with me to Majorca and being my exfoliator not just after spending my entire days in the sun with little sun protection, but also while immersed in salt water as I fished in the river to the side of our hotel.

Normally I take a very gentle exfoliator on holiday with me to ensure I don’t aggravate any potential burn after first day overexposure or indeed rub any tan off (yes, I do still believe what my parents told me as a kid).

In this case it was a toss up between Ted Baker and Scaramouche & Fandago. Scaramouche & Fandago ‘FS’ Face Scrub  won.

Needless to say I baked, and baked and baked (mainly out of tan envy with my beautiful sisters) and was a touch sore.

Scaramouche & Fandago ‘FS’ Face Scrub while it has the texture of sandpaper, looks, erm……white-ish in colour and to be blunt did the trick as part of a wider facial regime.

After three days of baking and moisturising at least three times I day my skin was becoming slightly flaky around the top of my forehead. As everything else browned and tanned, this bit stubbornly kept peeling for the few week. 

The aroma is so fresh and clean, and as soon as it is applied to the fingers you can feel the micro-beads and boy they are abrasive. It’s like miniature there are tiny little rough balls that scrub away at your skin. 

While the beads are abrasive, they are also so very much and isn’t irritate my face even though I was doing my best to impersonate a lobster. After rubbing it around my face it spread brilliantly and on rinsing I was slightly appalled by the dark residue in the bowl. Either it was removing lots of muck, grime and general filth from my face or it was rubbing off my tan - panic.

The panic was unfounded - this complimented by facial regime over my holidays and has become a firm favourite in my books when it comes to a cost effective exfoliator.

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Holiday T-Shirt Wishlist

As my holiday approaches I’ve been trawling around trying to find the perfect t-shirts to take away.

After finding and bookmarking about 30 websites and about £2,000 worth of t-shirts I managed to get around 10-15 new ones to take away and thought what the hell, I might as well show off the ones I didn’t get around to buying as a kind of wishlist post. 

So here they are, the top five I didn’t get around to buying.

It’s Bullseye time again and in true Jim Bowen style…….innnnnnnnnnnnn one:

I really like the tattoo vibe and plain white background. More recently I've moved back towards white and grey t-shirts, probably to mirror my darker and more warped mood.

Innnnnnnnnnn two......

At £26, this is probably one of the cheapest I found when searching around. I love the lettering ans skull and crossbones.

Innnnnnnnnnn three.........

Available from Sinstar Clothing for £30, this one gives something of a motivational speech in the shape of a cross. A bit religious, but would confirm that I'm no saint! 

Innnnnnnnnnn four......

Again from Sinstar, if you had shown me this t-shirt about 6 months ago and said I would like it I would have laughed in your face. My tastes have changed (it must be the pills) so much and I just can't help liking this design.

I'm not keen on the £35 pricetag, but I still say it's worth it.

Innnnnnnnnnn five.....

Available again from Sinstar Clothing at £35 I just really like the snakepit design. It is different, has skulls and is completely different to anything else I currently own.

I hope you like my choices, yes they are a bit dark but that sums me up beautifully lol. 

Here are some of the t-shirts I did manage to pick up, what do you think?

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