Mila's Apothecary - Winter Gift Set

Mila's Apothecary - Winter Gift Set

I feel a bit cheeky showing this off as this gift set is no longer available. In fact, Mila's Apothecary currently have no products available. Mila herself is volunteering in Greece and is concentrating on this for the near future. 

In fact she has been using the proceeds from her sales to fund her volunteering trip at a Women's Refuge - another great reason to support this brand.

To be alerted to when Mila is making more products for sale, it's best to follow her on Instagram to keep up to date.

I first came across Mila's Apothecary on Instagram and it goes without saying that I was going to be drawn to her use of English Botanical ingredients from the hedgerows and fields.

And yes, the fact that her products were limited and not so simple to get a hold of, only drew me in further!

So when Mila announced a limited run of Christmas box sets, I knew I just had to get my hands on one.

The gift set I chose contained a pretty sun & moon design solid bath oil bar, a jar of Winter Butter and an aluminium pot of Rose & Frankincense Night Balm.

Rose & Frankincense Night Balm

A pretty pale, dusky pink creamy balm with a lighter consistency than most balms. I would say this feels more akin to a whipped, light, mousse-style butter than a dense and almost-solid balm.

In the pot, a delicate spicy rose scent is detectable (and delectable!). But once on the skin the gorgeous smoky, deep Frankincense comes through and lingers as a base scent. I'm wondering if it's because Frankincense gum was used in the ingredients rather than a Frankincense oil, but whatever the reason, I absolutely adore this hint of old church, smoke and wood.

Massage a pea sized amount in cleansed, slightly damp skin. A little bit goes a loooong way and by applying to damp skin it just helps to maybe dilute the balm on your skin slightly. Not that there is not a gorgeous slip when applying to dry skin. One of the reasons I'm preferring balms over creams these days is for their abilities to melt and glide like silk over the skin. It's a far superior tactile experience for me personally.

I've been using this as my last step at night in my skincare routine. It's the perfect balm for sealing in your evening facial oil. But I have to resist the urge to keep touching my face after application! This gives me such instantly smooth skin, I wish it would stay that way forever! Although, I am happy to report that my skin still feels as soft in the morning.

Ingredients

Magnifera Indica (mango) Seed Butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil*, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry Seed) Oil, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Flower Extract*, Boswellia Sacra (Frankincense) Gum Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Hibiscus) Flower Extract*, Pelargonium Graveolens Roseum (Rose Gernaium) Oil*, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Oil*

* Organic

Solid Bath Oil Bar

As soon as I unwrapped this solid bath oil bar from its protective paper wrapping the delicious scent of creamy peppermint wafted out. I kept this cool (not difficult to do in my house in the winter!) by keeping it in the lobby, and every time we walked into the house through the lobby, the comforting scent of peppermint cream greeted us.

I don't often take baths, preferring showers instead, but when I receive a pampering bath treat, I always want to test it out immediately.

I broke the bar in two and let one half sit under the running water. The scent from the oil melting into hot water was as glorious, but more intense, than the scent we've had lingering as we enter the house!

It's tempting for me to pour and add all sorts of products into my bath as I don't have them too regularly, but the solid bath oil is perfection on its own and I don't need to add anything else in order to enhance this pampering experience.

My skin feels completely nourished and silky when I step out of the bath and there is no need to apply any other product afterwards.

Winter Butter

A beautiful rich, luxurious butter with a silky, velvety texture. Scented with Rose, Vanilla, Cocoa and Cardamon. The scent is sweet and floral.

This butter can be used for the body and any areas of dry skin, can also be used on the lips and is great for sore noses during a cold!

It's an absolute joy to apply to my skin. The scent of rose and vanilla is both comforting and uplifting but also very sensual. The Winter Butter is incredibly velvety on my skin and gives a feeling of a silk cocoon when applied.

With similar butters I can still feel the product on my skin - I don't mean in a bad way - I like that a silky feel remains for a period of time. But the Winter Butter absorbs quite fully, and although my legs feel soft and cocooned, it definitely absorbs quicker than other butters.

Ingredients

Theobrome Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Prunus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla Bean) Extract*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil*, Pelargonium Graveolens Roseum (Rose Geranium) Oil*, Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamon) Seed Oil*

*Organic

What a fabulous introduction to this enigmatic little brand!

I loved every item in the gift set and would be hard-pushed to choose a favourite. But I do know that I will be eagerly awaiting further products released by Mila and can't wait to see which seasonal botanics she will use to create them.