Tub Thumping: Best Shower Curtain Hooks EVER + Bath-Time Gifts
Colin Firth looks just as good in an outdoor bubble bath as Mr. Darcy does arising from the Pemberley estate's pond. *suddenly googles meaning of "tub thumping"*
I'm pretty sure he'd look just as good in my shower, but at the moment I'm not sure I'd notice. I'm crushing large on my new double-hook shower-curtain hooks, which are surely the best shower curtain hooks ever. As Colin would, I'm sure, they've changed my life.
I have a terrycloth shower curtain from Restoration Hardware (thank you again to my friend Sara R, who gave it to me when she moved to the US) with which I use a plastic liner. Changing the liner or laundering the curtain was a major pain; until a short while ago, I had them hung on pinch-open hooks that pinched me every time I opened or closed them. (Doesn't sound like a big thing, but at the time it was one more challenge in a challenging apartment.)
Now I have these genius double-hook curtain hangers that give me a little thrill whenever I see them. I got them at a recent dash into a Target in Raleigh, NC, and was so excited about them that I showed them to the customs officer when we got back to Canada. (She thought they were great, too.)
Curtain changing in a nip-free flash. A stupidly simple thing, I know. But in a complex life, simple is genius.
Cue simple pleasures: bath and body care gifts that help the recipients (which should include you) press a mental pause button while he or she simply appreciates the scent, texture, or resulting delightfully comfortable skin.
Valentino Valentina Body Scrub and Body Cream ($78 and $85, The Bay and Holt Renfrew). Made with jasmine, orange flower and tuberose extracts, this creamy scrub and luxurious body cream make bath-time special even on a Monday, and leave skin scented but in an appropriate-even-for-the-office way. I confess, the lush floral fragrance, while lovely, isn't so much me. But I'd keep these jars forever.
Darphin Nourishing Satin Oil with Red Ginger Essential Oil and (Nourishing and Firming Velvet Cream ($56 and $70, murale.ca). This swoony fragrant oil makes usually parched, just-showered skin feel deliciously pampered and soft; a layer of this gorgeous velvet cream is an alternate skin savior, or, layered over the oil, delivers added conditioning and protection from winter dryness.
Korres Showergel and Body Butter in Guava ($22 and $33, Sephora.ca and Shoppers Drug Mart). This tropical-fruit scented moisturizing shower gel and creamy body butter (formulated with shea butter plus sunflower, almond, and avocado oils) turn the bathroom into a 10-minute oasis of cold-weather denial and make skin feel happy, too.
Victoria's Secret Indulge Me Body Oil in White Tea & Sage and Nearly Nude Body Wash in Grapefruit and Basil Body Wash ($12 each, victoriassecret.com). I needed a reminder that Victoria's Secret can also do light and fresh when it comes to scented body treats like this lovely lightweight oil and gentle cleanser. These are delightful; other fresh scents include Orchid & Bamboo and Jasmine & Water Lily.
Crabtree & Evelyn Avocado Olive and Basil Revitalizing Bath & Shower Gel and Skin Revitalizing Body Lotion ($20 and $22, Crabtree & Evelyn). You can't really go wrong with a gift from Crabtree & Evelyn, whether it's a duo like this or hand-treatment kits or tea and cookies. This particular scent stirs a sleepy brain with invigorating lemon and cypress, and fresh notes of avocado and olive blossoms.
Sisley Eau de Campagne Gentle Bath and Shower Gel and Sisleya Anti-Aging Concentrate Firming Body Care ($95 and $490, Holt Renfrew). Listen, I know most budgets don't stretch to a body wash that hits the $100-mark after taxes, never mind a $500 body cream. But if yours did, the recipient of either or both of these (hey, why not you?) would love the forest-fresh fragrance of the gentle shower gel (I vote bubble bath -- and men's shampoo) and the sinful texture of the cream, which promises firmer, more toned skin via tightening ingredients and shea butter, spirulina, caffeine, red-vine extract, vegetable glycerin and more.
Live Clean Spa Therapy Dead Sea Salts, Body Wash and Body Butter ($9.97 each, Walmart; live-clean.com). This collection smells amazing -- it's a blend of eucalyptus, lavender, lemon and ginger essential oils -- and, at that price point, is as light on the wallet as it is on the environment via its 98% plant-based formulation. Bonus: your gift recipient won't hate you for getting her addicted.
The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Shower Gel and Body Lotion ($12 each,thebodyshop.ca). Vineyard Peach is a limited-edition bath-treats scent from The Body Shop, and it's so good -- you can practically smell the fuzz on the peaches. 'Nuff said.
Biotherm Oil Therapy Precious Oil Concentrate and Nutri-Replenishing Body Treatment balm ($42 and $29, biotherm.ca). With a scent that is all uplifting citrussy goodness and silky textures that leave skin purring, these two are going to get me through winter. I fell in love with them as I cut through The Bay at Bloor and Yonge one day in early Fall, and actually went back to visit them a couple of times (with friends!) just to inhale. Love, love, love -- would squeal with delight if you bought them for me. Truth.
What bath-and-body treats have caught your eye this season, as gifts for others or for yourself?
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