Soap and Glory The Yule Monty Gift Set

Hello lovelies! Today’s post features another bargain bundle I bought over the festive period, and this one is an absolute treasure trove of beauties. I had never tried Soap & Glory before (I was definitely late to that party!) but I’d read such brilliant reviews that I was sure I wouldn’t be disappointed. The Soap and Glory The Yule Monty gift set is definitely the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Here we are into September and I’ve only just finished the Righteous Butter and Butter Yourself body moisturisers, and I’ve used roughly two thirds of the Peaches & Clean cleanser but still have loads left in the other products. Admittedly, I used the body moisturisers more regularly than the others – that tells you which are my favourites in the set!

The body moisturisers have different and very distinctive scents which I absolutely adore, particularly the Righteous Butter…

The body moisturisers have different and very distinctive scents which I absolutely adore, particularly the Righteous Butter, which belongs to Soap and Glory’s Original Pink fragrance family. It has a lovely thick consistency which sinks into the skin, leaving it feeling soft and hydrated. The scent lingers all day, usually long after my perfume has worn off. The Butter Yourself body lotion has a slightly thinner consistency, but not thin enough to get it out of the pump dispenser very easily! When it got down to about half full I had to take the pump out and shake it out of the bottle. It really would be better in a tub or squeezy bottle. I wasn’t all that keen on the scent at first but after a while I came to really like it.

As a die-hard user of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish I’m always sceptical about any other cleansers, but I do love to try new products. The Peaches & Clean 3-in-1 Wash-off Deep Purifying Cleanser is a lotion consistency which smells of peaches (obviously) with a hint of what smells to me like menthol, but I’m guessing is the Quillaja Bark. It also contains something called Oxyginseng™ Technology, which claims to increase circulation and cell respiration.

The verdict: I liked it but I wasn’t completely bowled over by it. It just doesn’t leave my skin feeling as clean and fresh as Cleanse and Polish, which is probably an unfair comparison. It didn’t remove all traces of my mascara either, but then I prefer to use a separate eye makeup remover for that anyway. On the plus side it is good value at £8. It’s one of those products I’d happily keep in my gym bag, but maybe wouldn’t use anywhere else. Each to their own eh?

The great thing about Heel Genius is you can use it as an overnight mask or as a traditional foot cream.

The Heel Genius and Hand Food are very welcome additions to my bathroom cabinet, and as they smell so lovely it is encouraging me to bestow a little bit more tlc on my often neglected extremities. I said in a previous post that Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour hand cream is my favourite, but S&G’s Hand Food is a serious contender. What it lacks in the amazing long-lasting hydration of the Elizabeth Arden cream it definitely makes up for with the delightful scent.

The great thing about Heel Genius is you can use it as an overnight mask or as a traditional foot cream. I have to admit that I very rarely treat my trotters to an overnight mask, particularly in the warmer months. Let’s face it, who wants to wear socks in bed unless it’s freezing cold? That said, a thin layer applied after a shower does make my feet feel a lot smoother and softer. Another top product from S&G.

The Sugar Crush body wash has a gorgeous fresh and zingy fragrance which reminds me of Key Lime pie, and at £6.50 for a massive 500ml bottle I reckon this is pretty good value too. The Scrub of Your Life didn’t disappoint either. It’s just the right balance of grittiness, without any greasy residue that some other exfoliators leave behind (on me and the bath tub!) and it’s part of S&G’s Original Pink fragrance family, so is ideal to use before The Righteous Butter.

It did make my lashes thicker and fuller if I applied several coats, and I didn’t notice any clumping or flaking.

I was really excited to try the two makeup items in the set to see if they live up to their names! Thick and Fast mascara promises to create thicker, fuller lashes without clumping or flaking. So does it deliver? Well to an extent, yes. It did make my lashes thicker and fuller if I applied several coats, and I didn’t notice any clumping or flaking. My only real gripe about this mascara is the brush, it’s just too big and the bristles are too compact. Sometimes when you’re disappointed with a mascara it’s hard to tell whether it’s the actual mascara or the brush. I’ve been using Benefit’s They’re Real for almost a year now and I’m yet to find a better mascara or brush for lift and separation. There are two other versions of Thick and Fast – the brush with Thick and Fast HD Mascara (for doll-like lashes) looks like a better option for achieving fluttery lashes.

Alas, it didn’t make my lips discerningly plumper, just glossier which gave the appearance of slightly more volume.

The provocatively-named Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme Plump lip gloss contains the mysterious ingredients Lipswell™, Superfill™ and Visivolume™. Sounds impressive, but does it fulfil it’s bold claims? Well it certainly made my lips tingle, rather too much for my liking, in fact it was mildly unpleasant. Alas, it didn’t make my lips discerningly plumper, just glossier which gave the appearance of slightly more volume. Amusingly, there’s a video tutorial on S&G’s website showing how to achieve a plumper pout because according to scientists ” fuller lips attract more men”. Oh please! I do hope it’s meant to be ironic!

The three sachets of Make Yourself Youthful Serum were very useful to pop into my washbag for the gym and trips away. It has a refreshingly zingy scent and my skin did feel somehow perkier after using it, which was probably due to the guarana, ginseng, ginger and caffeine in the serum. In terms of value or money I was really impressed with this and would definetely purchase a full-sized bottle.

All of this was contained in a really useful special edition Jonathan Saunders bag, which I’m using to store makeup in.

Here’s what was included in the set and the RRP of each item:

The Righteous Butter £10.50 for 300ml

Butter Yourself £10 for 500ml

Sugar Crush Body Wash £6.50 for 500ml

Peaches & Clean 3-in-1 Wash-off Deep Purifying Cleanser £8 for 200ml

Heel Genius £5.50 for 125ml

Hand Food £5 for 125ml

The Scrub of Your Life  £7 for 200ml

Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme Plump lip gloss £10

Thick & Fast Mascara £10

3 sachets of Make Yourself Youthful Serum

Limited edition Jonathan Saunders bag

 This fabulous set was reduced from £60 to £27, so it was just too good to pass by! Did you buy one of these? Are you a Soap and Glory fan? I’d love to know which are your favourite products.