Review with Giveaway: South of France Gift Basket

Merci beaucoup South of France! Your products are absolutely divine, a spa like experience and so much more!  Using your products is like a momentary vacation to my wildest dreams and back home again! I adore your products, you are my new favorite discovery and your products are wonderfully decadent and exceptional beyond my expectations!  I am so proud to include them in my Spring Radiance 2010 Guide!  Let me introduce this exceptional company and their products to you:



{From the South of France Website}

The South of France Mission

South of France Natural Body Care is obsessed with the little guy. We’re so obsessed, in fact, that we’ll guarantee we have a product that’s perfect for you. All our products are crafted specifically to whisk you away from the ordinary — to break your routine and transform the time you spend in the shower into your daily luxurious getaway. An industry innovator and leader, South of France is dedicated to making natural body care options more accessible to individuals and families by emphasizing affordability and the idea that we can build safer, natural, better-for-you soaps, lotions and body washes.

Our Core Values

Something just for you

South of France offers an impressively wide variety of products & fragrances to ensure a perfect match for each customer — with over twenty unique fragrances, South of France covers the entire fragrance spectrum. Discover which scent will become the cherished disruption of your daily grind.

Proactive products

It’s difficult living in the age of science and technology, where information is abundant and scientists reveal daily how more and more of the products and substances we come into contact with are detrimental to our health. South of France has made a commitment to be diligent and proactive in seeking out this information, understanding how it applies to our products, and reassessing ways to make our products better for you. For example, South of France products don’t contain harmful chemicals such as EDTA, SLS, Parabens or Phthalates, even when many of our competitors continue to do so; another reason why the South of France experience is one that you can feel comfortable trusting.

Do no harm

The range of products under the South of France brand are Cruelty Free, which means they will never be tested on animals or contain animal by-products.



Pride in quality

South of France utilizes premium ingredients, such as Shea Butter, Pure Vegetable Glycerin, 100% natural Vegetable Oils, Mineral Pigments & Essential Oils, as well as the traditional Triple-French-Milled soap-making technique – all in an effort to provide customers a product with a measure of quality that is simply superior to the competition.

Sustainability

South of France searches for ingredients and packaging that decreases the impact on the natural environment. South of France also maintains East and West Coast divisions, which increases distribution efficiency and significantly reduces its carbon footprint.

MY REVIEW

I received several products from the wonderful folks at South of France and each product did indeed make bath time for everyone in our family feel that at home spa-like experience that we all so need as a break from our daily grind. Each product was able to deliver on whisking us away, if even for just a few moments to a dreamy, relaxing, peaceful, tranquil place and I am so excited to share with you all a little bit about each product!

These are the products I received:

SOUTH OF FRANCE ORGANICS - Menthe de Provence Hand and Body Soap
Price: $8.49 for 10 oz.



Kettle cooked in small batches using a traditional Marseille recipe, this luxurious hand and body soap is infused with organic essential oils of eucalyptus and peppermint. The all-natural soap, blended with organic herbs is both calming and relaxing.

ABOUT OUR ORGANIC LIQUID SOAPS:

The South of France® line of French Milled Organic Liquid Soaps are scented with Organic Essential Oils. While maintaining a special blend of Premium Vegetable Oils and All Natural Vegetable Glycerin, the three new fragrances capture the essence of Provence to satisfy your every mood.

MY THOUGHTS: This was my very favorite of all the amazing products I received. The scent is absolutely exhilarating, detoxifying to my senses and just filled the shower with such an alive and invigorating aroma. The entire upstairs smelled magical all morning once we used this product! It is rich and luxurious in texture, lathered up into a nice subtle soapy consistency, but not overly soapy which I like. It rinsed off easily and left no residue on my skin. This is the perfect wake me up and get my motor running soap to use every morning to jump start your day in the most pleasant of ways!

SOUTH OF FRANCE LIQUID SOAPS - Lavender Hand and Body Soap
Price: $10.29 for 10 oz.



Experience tranquility with the mellow, subtle sweetness of Lavender. A blend of Lavender blossom with hints of clary sage and floral notes form a classic, perfectly-balanced scent that will renew your senses and calm your body. Let Lavender be your reward after a difficult day.

ABOUT OUR LIQUID SOAPS:

These luxurious, soft liquid soaps are kettle cooked in small batches using a traditional Marseille recipe with all-natural vegetable ingredients. This results in a milled soap base which is then melted into a liquid soap. Afterward, we blend in our fragrances from the South of France which contain natural essential oils. The naturally-occuring vegetable glycerin makes skin soft and supple.

MY THOUGHTS: This is what I recommend for winding down at the end of the day. The kids are in bed, you have a few quite moments to spend on yourself, this is what you need in your shower to treat your body to a peaceful, relaxing, healing ritual before you turn in for the night. It will clear your mind of the day's events and prepare your body for a peaceful night's rest so you can get up and face the world again the next day. Rid your mind and body of the stress and anxiety of the day so you can start a new journey the next day. This is your ticket to achieving just that. A light, subtle fragrance that packs a powerful reaction to your stimulated senses, you will adore using this at the end of any given day!

SOUTH OF FRANCE - Body Lotion Lime Basil
Price: $5.99 for 8 oz.



Experience invigoration with this blend of Asian, Mediterranian and Central American spice. Sweet, pungent basil intertwines with hints of pure, fresh lime zest for a scent with the full flavor and richness of an old-world bazaar.

ABOUT OUR BODY LOTIONS:

Our specially formulated Body Lotions lets you naturally hydrate and condition your skin every day. Your senses will enjoy the subtle, lingering fragrance and the soothing, never-greasy feel.

MY THOUGHTS:  This is a creamy light-weight lotion that glides onto your skin and is absorbed immediately!  I love it when a moisturizer is rich and luxurious in texture, but doesn't sit on the top of my skin, rather it is absorbed quickly and completely.  After I applied the lotion it left no sticky or thick residue on my skin, which enabled me to immediately get dressed after applying without having to dance around waiting for it to dry and be absorbed!  A big thumbs up by me for this lovely body lotion!

The scent is equally light, a very refreshing, clean fragrance that makes you feel energized and rejuvenated with a healthy, subtle scent.  What makes this body lotion so appealing is that my husband won't mind using it either because it is a unisex type scent, and I can also use this lotion on my children and feel confident that the natural ingredients in it are going to be safe for their skin.  This won't last long in our home, I think it is fast becoming everyone's favorite body lotion!

SOUTH OF FRANCE - Body Wash Acai Pomegranate
Price: $5.99 for 8 oz.



Experience the exotic with entrancing and luxurious scents of acai berries and pomegranate. A blend of South American and Far Eastern flavors at the peak of ripeness lends our Acai Pomegranate body wash an unbridled, slightly acidic, fruitful quality that will invigorate & prepare you for whatever your day may have in store.

ABOUT OUR BODY WASHES:

Our luxurious, natural Body Washes are specially formulated to cleanse, nourish and revitalize your skin, creating a spa experience that leaves you feeling pampered, refreshed and decidedly beautiful.

MY THOUGHTS:  The very first thing I noticed about this body is wash is how sweet and delicious it smells!  It is a very light sweet scent, that does not overwhelm your senses, but has the softest, prettiest subtle scent.  Literally I wanted to taste it, but I refrained from that and just let the aroma make me smile in bliss!

The liquid is a nice consistency, not too thick, but not overly runny either.  When you rub it gently against your skin a white, somewhat foamy sudsy texture appears.  I like that it does not lather up too much into a soapy texture, just enough soapiness that you know it is a soap that is gently cleaning your skin, but easy to rinse off quickly and thoroughly without leaving any soapy residue on your skin.

This may be a little too sweet of a scent for my husband to use, Yay!  More for me to enjoy, but I think my kids would love the fresh, sweet fruity scent.  Again, another product that is going to go fast in our home and become a shower and bath favorite quickly!

FRENCH MILLED BAR SOAPS

Orange Ginger
Price: $5.39 for 8 oz.



Experience a sense of adventure born from the complexity of bright Tangerine & Mandarin Orange burst, enveloped in gently aromatic Petitgrain and White Floral Ylang-Ylang. The multifacated scent of Orange Ginger inspires introspection and may lead you to discover your own inner-complexity.

CITRUS MINT
Price: $5.39 for 8 oz.




Experience sweet confidence with the clean, invigorating scent of Citrus Mint. Luminous notes of Crushed Garden Mint infuse the earthy freshness of White Rosemary and complement hints of Brilliant Citrus Orange and Refreshing Grapefruit. Citrus Mint leaves you clean, fresh and feeling your best.



VERBENA
Price: $5.39 for 8 oz.



Experience positivity with the uplifting scent of Verbena. Breathe deeply as a bouquet of citrus and light floral notes unfold before your senses, raise your spirits and perk your mood. Ideal for use in early morning or late at night, Verbena is the scent of choice to clear your mind for a fresh, focused, energized perspective.


ABOUT OUR FRENCH MILLED BAR SOAPS:

Tantalize your senses and soothe your skin with our luxurious, moisturing, French Milled Bar Soaps. These rich-lathering bars are triple french milled to remove air for a denser, longer-lasting bar. Carefully crafted, using traditional French soap-making techniques, our French Milled Bar Soaps nourish and feed your skin.

MY THOUGHTS:  Okay, without exaggeration, these are the biggest, hugest bars of soap I can remember using!  They are gigantic and simply decadent!  It is going to take us forever to use them all, which is wonderful because they are so divine we are going to look forward to using them every time we bath and shower!  They are truly exceptional and totally indulgent soaps that will make you feel like a princess when you use them!

They do lather up beautifully, infusing moisture into your skin as you glide the soap along your skin.  You can add more water to the bar to really get the sudsy soap, which my kids love, or you can use less water for a thicker more moisturizing skin cleansing and treatment experience.  You can use these soaps in the way that best suits your needs, and you will enjoy the aromas that each one releases as you use them.  I don't think I can ever go back to using a traditional bar of soap again.  These soaps are definitely spoiling my family and I and I can't wait to give a gift basket of them away to one of my lucky readers!

GIVEAWAY

The very generous folks at South of France are going to let me giveaway An Assorted Soap Gift Basket to one very lucky reader of mine, and believe me this is a totally spa like pampering prize you will enjoy for months to come!

 I am going to make entering easy with several opportunities for you to earn some extra entries.

To Enter: (Open to Residents of the USA Only!!)

Main Entry: First, you must be Following my blog Publicly on Google Friend Connect, the widget is on the right hand sidebar. Make sure you are following my blog or your entry won't count.

Visit the South of France website by CLICKING HERE and browse around. Check out the wide range of products that they offer and pick out your favorite item (not items mentioned in this review) and come back and leave me a comment letting me know what that product(s) is. That's it. 

NOTE: DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!!

I am going to give you lots of extra chances for additional entries. Each one you do will count as one entry:

Extra Entries:

1. Become a Fan of South of France on Facebook by CLICKING HERE

2. Follow South of France on Twitter @SOFNaturalSoaps  by CLICKING HERE

3. Tweet the following text (You may tweet once a day):

Enter to win a Pampering Spa South of France Soap Gift Basket @ The Best of Everything For You http://tinyurl.com/y8oxdmh #giveaway #win

4. Follow me on Twitter @joannaonthelake by CLICKING HERE

5. Subscribe to my blog through Email, the link is on the right hand sidebar

6.  Become a friend of mine on Facebook, I love making new friends CLICK HERE

And that's it!

This giveaway begins on Friday, February 19, 2010 and will end at 11:59 pm on Friday, March 5, 2010. I will use the True Random Generator to select the winner on Saturday, March 6, 2010 and will email the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond back to me.

A very special THANK YOU to South of France  for providing me with the fabulous products for this review.

Disclosure: I received a variety of Bath and Body products listed in this review from South of France for the purposes of this Review. This has no bearing on my completely honest review above and was not influenced by any type of monetary compensation. The opinions and experiences I’ve shared with this product are my own and yours may differ.