What They Say: “Nature’s soothing chamomile flowers, lavender buds and melissa leaves packaged in a large tea bag create a perfect combination for relaxation. Fragranced with lavender, chamomile and citrusy essential oils, this bath time treat will provide a tubful of aromatic enjoyment! After it’s lent its fragrant infusion, use the tea bag as a bath sponge for cleansing your skin.”

How To Use: Place in a tub under running water and “steep” to extract the flower fragrances and skin softening benefits. The warmth of the water releases the flower oils and their aromas.

Toya’s Take: I was really excited about this, as I am a lover of all things bath-related. I am also a lover of all things lavender-scented, so, after a particularly long day, I dropped one of these huge tea bags into the tub and let it “steep” for a few minutes before getting in.

Thud. Yeah, no matter how long I let it steep – I didn’t smell anything. No relaxing lavender. No soothing chamomile. No lovely floral aroma of any kind. And, when I attempted to use the tea bag as a bath sponge, as recommended, the bag split and I wound up with leaves in the water. Gross. I had to clean the tub out after and pick all the little leaves off my wet skin. Not happy.

Retail Price: $3.50 for 1 bag, $10 for 3 (at essenciaonline.com)

DeLush Rating: – it didn’t live up to its advertising and it made me have to clean! Argggh!!!

What They Say: "The fragrance of chocolate subtly permeates our White Chocolate with Almonds soap bar. This creamy bar, rich in cocoa butter, also includes crushed almonds for natural exfoliation. A delicious bathing treat for the chocoholics among us!

Best for skin types: Normal, dry, combination and mature

All of our bar soaps are hand crafted from the purist botanical ingredients to provide mild, gentle cleansing. The three week curing time produces a hard, long lasting bar.

Packaging: Available in a 5.0 oz. and a 1.0 oz. bar, beautifully wrapped and tied with ribbon."

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: Try as I might, I can not smell anything chocolate-like about this bar. Granted, it's got a pleasant and fresh scent (if anything the almonds dominate), but it's not chocolate. That was disappointing.

Scent aside, the bar itself is really soft and conditioning. I have a large one (5 oz) and I can see that it will last enough time to make the special purchase feel worthwhile. It's also got very gentle exfoliating properties because of the small flecks of almond inside.

You might like this as an everyday bath bar or pretty soap for the sink (the smaller size) that would last a while and feel a little more indulgent than regular soap. I think of it as a nice treat for the upcoming dry skin of winter. It's very good in quality, but a chocolate-lovers treat, it is not.

Retail Price: $3.00 (1oz) or $8.00 (5oz) at essenciaonline.com)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: “Packed with botanical butters … both shea and mango. Your dry heels (and feet) will benefit greatly from a daily application of this balm rich in nourishing ingredients. Our exclusive Essential Oil blend includes oils highly regarded for their anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties … perfect for natural foot care.”

How To Use: Most beneficial when used after exfoliating your feet (use a natural pumice stone or our Rosemary Mint Foot Scrub) at the end of a bath or shower. Pat feet dry and apply a dime-sized portion to each foot or heel. Best results are obtained if you slip into a pair of comfortable socks for a few minutes to give the Heel Butter an opportunity to work its benefit. Used regularly for a week, you’ll see amazing results!

Toya’s Take: I used a pumice stone on my feet before applying, as directed, then applied the Heel Butter and slipped on a pair of white cotton socks. The Heel Butter has a pleasant, if strong, herbal scent and the texture is soft, with tiny granules like a smoother sugar scrub. It sank nicely into my skin and, the next morning, my feet were beautifully soft and smooth. I think this Heel Butter would work well on any part of your body that’s extra dry or cracked. This will be a good product to get you through the winter months, if you don’t mind the strong scent.

Retail Price: $19.00 for 1.5 oz. (at essenciaonline.com or go here to find retail locations near you)

DeLush Rating: - taking off a bit for the strong scent and the price. I think you can find an equally effective product at a better price point.

What They Say: "This silky, syrupy formulation is loaded with rich emollients and essential oils to lubricate even the toughest hair follicles and prepare all skin types for clean, close, comfortable shaves.

Calming and skin-relaxing Lavender Essential Oil helps reduce razor burn on sensitive skin, while Spearmint Essential Oil’s invigorating properties cool and refresh just-shaved skin.

How to use: Essencia"s Shaving Syrup can be simply smoothed onto the skin for a "close as this" soft shave, or lathered into a light foam for an alternative application.

Best for skin type: All"

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: The most fabulous thing about this shaving syrup? THE SMELL. It's kind of like sweet minty gum, but very fresh. This definitely makes it feel like a treat. I think applying it straight onto your skin instead of lathering it first is the best way to use it. While the shave was for the most part comfortable, I didn't feel like it was quite as close as my normal shaving cream. This may be best as a gift or special treat rather than an everyday shaving essential.

Retail Price: $5.50 - 19.00 for different sizes (at essenciaonline.com)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: "This silky, syrupy formulation is loaded with rich emollients and essential oils to lubricate even the toughest hair follicles and prepare all skin types for clean, close, comfortable shaves.

Calming and skin-relaxing Lavender Essential Oil helps reduce razor burn on sensitive skin, while Spearmint Essential Oil’s invigorating properties cool and refresh just-shaved skin.

How to use: Essencia"s Shaving Syrup can be simply smoothed onto the skin for a "close as this" soft shave, or lathered into a light foam for an alternative application.

Best for skin type: All"

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: The most fabulous thing about this shaving syrup? THE SMELL. It's kind of like sweet minty gum, but very fresh. This definitely makes it feel like a treat. I think applying it straight onto your skin instead of lathering it first is the best way to use it. While the shave was for the most part comfortable, I didn't feel like it was quite as close as my normal shaving cream. This may be best as a gift or special treat rather than an everyday shaving essential.

Retail Price: $5.50 - 19.00 for different sizes (at essenciaonline.com)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: "This silky, syrupy formulation is loaded with rich emollients and essential oils to lubricate even the toughest hair follicles and prepare all skin types for clean, close, comfortable shaves.

Calming and skin-relaxing Lavender Essential Oil helps reduce razor burn on sensitive skin, while Spearmint Essential Oil’s invigorating properties cool and refresh just-shaved skin.

How to use: Essencia"s Shaving Syrup can be simply smoothed onto the skin for a "close as this" soft shave, or lathered into a light foam for an alternative application.

Best for skin type: All"

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: The most fabulous thing about this shaving syrup? THE SMELL. It's kind of like sweet minty gum, but very fresh. This definitely makes it feel like a treat. I think applying it straight onto your skin instead of lathering it first is the best way to use it. While the shave was for the most part comfortable, I didn't feel like it was quite as close as my normal shaving cream. This may be best as a gift or special treat rather than an everyday shaving essential.

Retail Price: $5.50 - 19.00 for different sizes (at essenciaonline.com)

DeLush Rating: