Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Island Spa Body Products

Bath and Body Works has had the Island Spa line of products out since I was in college, in fact I remember when I was working as an associate there and then line first released in the dead of winter.  I remember freaking out over the collection products and the line quickly became one of my favorites in the store.  And it remains so all the way up until today.  The True Blue Spa line has been out for as long as I can remember and has always contained some of the best products in the store for hydration and exfoliation.  I was a bit upset last winter when this line was repackaged and I didn't see the Island line immediately but they came back a bit later and now I have the full collection available to use again. 

This line originated as one of the only of of the few on the market to use monoi oil, both for its hydration and fragrance properties.  I imagine that many other companies have caught onto this ingredient by now so I don't really feel that it is as unique as it was when it was first released.  That being said, it doesn't lower the product in my estimation, all three of the products still perform very well and leave my shower full of a wonderful tropical fragrance.  This line currently offers three body products (it was much larger when it first came out); a body scrub, lotion, and matching shower gel.  The body scrub is still one of the best products that I have ever used and I continue to repurchase it as soon as I finish up a jar of it.

The body scrub used to be called Need a Margarita? and now has been renamed Citrus Body Scrub.  Having the word "margarita" in the title of the product was the perfect way to let you know what it smelled like, it is one of the best margarita scents that I have ever smelled.  "This tropical citrus scrub is the vacation that your skin needs from looking and feeling landlocked.  Sugar exfoliates to sweeten your spa experience balanced with just a little salt (the way you like it), while an exotic oil blend (Coconut, Almond, Avocado, Jojoba, and more) moisturizes and transports you to the tropical island of your choice every time you shower or bathe.  Sugar crystals provide exfoliation, resulting in smooth, glowing skin.  Effervescent margarita fragrance to transport you to the tropics."  This scrub is a sugar and salt base with oils that sit on the top of the product.  For best results, you must mix the oils in with the base before you use it.  If you don't, your first few applications of it will be all oil and the rest will be dry sugar and salt.  This is gritty scrub, perfect for getting all of the dead skin off your body and the oil in the formula leaves your skin soft and hydrated after your get out of the shower.  And the fact that it makes my shower smell like Margaritaville is just the icing on the already fantastic cake!

The body wash in this line is defined as a "shower cream", it is thicker and more hydrating than traditional shower gel but it still foams up, cleanses, and is made to be rinsed off.  This product was originally called Be More Pacific and wasn't included with the original release (though I do not remember quite when it came out, it was when I was still in college but my memory of when is a bit hazy).  It is now called the Nourishing Shower Cream.  "Give yourself the exotic vacation you deserve everyday.  The secret of this gentle cleansing, tropical shower cream is Tahitian Monoi Oil.  Tahitian Monoi Oil is an ingredient used by the best island spas for its deeply moisturizing, supremely soothing effects.  Tropical fruit fragrance transports you to an island getaway.  Silky lightweight formula."  This product comes out looking like a cream but foams up well when used with a puff.  It rinses relatively clean but I feel like I have a bit of residue on my skin after using this, it doesn't bother me but it is a different feeling than I get with using traditional shower gel formulas.  This is another product that I run out and rebuy as soon as I use one up, this is a favorite of mine to use all year round.

The last piece of this collection is the body lotion, a product that I believe was my first purchase from it when I was in college.  This is the product that turned me into a believer of both this collection and of the power of Monoi Oil.  This lotion is now called the Nourishing Body Lotion, but used to be called Tahiti Sweetie (such a cute name!).  "Need an escape but can't get away?  Your best remedy is Nourishing Body Lotion with Tahitian Monoi.  This exotic blend combines Coconut Oil and the Tiare Flower to give dry, tired skin a daily vacation.  Tahitian Monoi Oil is an ingredient used by the best island spas for its deeply moisturizing, supremely soothing benefits.  Lightweight lotion formula.  Tropcial fruit fragrance transports you to an island getaway."  This lotion is lightweight, silky, and is easily absorbed into the skin with no residue.  It is best used by someone with normal to slighty dry skin, this one doesn't hydrate well enough for me in the winter and I mostly use it in the spring and summer months.  This is yet another product that I buy every single time that I run out, I guess that I made the same statement for every single product in this collection but I just love all three of them so much.

I wish that this line was as large as it used to be, I remember some type of bath milk, a margarita shower gel, a foot scrub, and some type of oil (and that is just what I remember, I bet I am forgetting some of the products).  I love these products and have been buying and using them for years, I love the formula and the tropical fragrance. 

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works