Three of the Best: Body Scrubs

With my wedding rapidly approaching and my honeymoon soon after, I've been bordering on obsessed with body scrubs for the past week or so. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share three of my favourites with you. Whether you're setting off for a late summer holiday, or prepping your skin for applying fake tan to make everyone think you've just got back... body scrubs are essential for keeping your skin in tip-top condition, and enhancing the life of your tan (whether it's real OR fake!)

I'm going to be unconventional and start at the bottom with Elemis' 'Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow'. This is the most expensive of the bunch at an eye-watering £36.50 (but currently 20% off on feelunique if you like the look of it!). It is however, by far the most luxurious and most fabulous smelling. It contains monoi oil, frangipani flowers, mineral-rich salts and hibiscus; an utter treat for the skin. It's one of those products that I personally would never buy for myself but would love to receive as a gift! It leaves your skin feeling beautifully smooth and rejuvenated, and the scent lingers on your skin and in your bathroom all day. One criticism I have is that it takes a lot to exfoliate your full body - this 16oz pot probably has about 8 uses in it (for me, at least!)

Second up is probably my least favourite of the bunch, but more of my day to day go-to scrub. It's from one of my favourite bath and body brands, Rituals, and it's the 'Good Luck Scrub'. This smells nice and uplifting, and I would say it's the harshest of all three scrubs. It feels like it's really doing something, but is definitely the least luxurious. This is reflected in the price at £15. It does the job, but compared to the other two... it's really lagging behind on the pampering front.

Last but not least is the scrub that really took me by surprise this summer. I'm not normally a huge fan of Clinique body, skincare or makeup products (asides from the chubby sticks for eyes that I spoke about a couple of weeks ago, and the high lengths mascara) but they sent me this a few months ago. Initially I opened it, smelt it, pulled a face, put it down and left it there for a couple of weeks. With my wedding approaching, a few weeks ago I couldn't help but be drawn back in by it's name.. 'Sparkle Skin'. Enticing, no?!

It's the weirdest texture. Something about it is quite creamy, yet it's really solid and a little goes a long way (something seriously rare when it comes to scrubs!) This feels the most gentle on the skin, yet somehow, when it comes to results, I like this so much more than any other scrub I've tried. It doesn't feel abrasive on the skin at all. The particles feel much smaller than your average scrub, yet it leaves your skin smooth, fresh, baby soft, almost glowing.

For a product that smells pretty horrible in the pot (Clinique doesn't fragrance their products), it has a minty freshness about it when you're actually using it (I'm not sure how that happens, but I like it!) If  you are on the market for a new body scrub, I couldn't recommend this strongly enough. It's not cheap at £22.50 for 250ml, but it will last you considerably longer than any of it's counterparts and it's really a lovely product.

What's your favourite body scrub for the summer time?