Ellia C. Naturals - Review & Holiday Gift Ideas!

I took advantage of that great BOGO deal I was telling you about a couple of weeks ago and picked up some of Ellia C. Naturals' Autumn Harvest soap, and got the bonus of a bar of Festive soap as well. Both of these are limited edition seasonal soaps, so if you want to try them out, now's the time!

Jen was kind enough to send along with my order a few extras for me to try out and review for you! I am just going to come right out and say I love these products. Everything I have tried from her shop has been really great. I confess that when the box arrived in our mailbox, a tiny hole had been poked in it during shipping (not to worry, everything inside was well protected with bubble wrap and peanuts!) and my husband and I took turns sniffing at the hole on the walk home because it smelled so good. Yes, I'm sure we looked crazy.

I also love that it is indicated right on each product page if it contains ingredients that aren't safe for use during pregnancy. This is thoughtful (and timely, for me) and something that I really haven't seen on other product sites. I'm not talking about chemicals here, because all the ingredients are natural and often organic, but some essential oils are not recommended for use during pregnancy and if the soaps contain them, there's a warning. Love that.

Here are some of the goodies I got to try:

The Autumn Harvest soap. It's so pretty, and perfect for this time of year. A spice-coloured soap bar (generously sized!) with shavings of white soap on top - it looks good enough to eat! I pulled it out of the packaging so you could see how pretty it looks (and I love the simple packaging, wrapped with a ribbon). It is just about the same colour as our countertop in the bathroom so I put it on a towel so you can see it properly. It smells like fall. It's made with freshly ground spices, shea butter, coconut milk and pumpkin... doesn't that sound decadent? I'm busting this one out as soon as I'm finished my current soap... if I can wait that long.

The Festive Soap - again a very pretty double-layer bar with an adorable coordinating ribbon on the paper wrap. What's in it? "Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom pair nicely with sweet orange, tangerine, and lemon... with a splash of cranberry juice" Um, yum. This one I've been sniffing every time I pass anywhere near it. It smells like all the best things about Christmas and the holidays, without being overpowering. It has a very natural, spicy and fresh scent - hard to describe but it's SO good. I'm saving it for December (yes, I coordinate my soap smell with the season)!

This is an adorable soap pop - cute or what? I think this would be a great gift for kids (or the sweet-toothed adult)! This one is a Whipped Pumpkin Soap Pop, again perfect for the season. They also come in Peppermint Stick, Rainbow Splash (citrus) and Sassy Pants (bergamot and grapefruit). Yum. Cutest packaging ever! The Ellia C. Naturals line also has lollipop soaps (Lather Lollies) in the same fragrances, AND coming soon are cupcake soaps! These products are great for littles, because they contain only natural ingredients, get the cleaning job done, and also provide natural moisture for sensitive skin. Stocking stuffers, maybe? (Speaking of, you've also got to check out the Gingerbread Man soaps...)

Now it's clear that these are brand spankin' new products in the photos - so you may wonder, how can I review them if they're not used yet? Well, I have used Ellia C. Naturals soaps in the past (I've had the pleasure of trying many different bars) and have been 100% happy with them. They smell amazing through and through, last a long time (especially with the Natural Pine Soap Deck which I also have), have a lovely texture, and leave my skin feeling soft and lightly moisturized (but never greasy!). My husband even uses them. So I am full out confident that these will be the same quality (and I can definitely vouch for how awesome they smell!).

One product that I am saving for the (eeks!) near future is the Back in the Saddle Postpartum Sitz Tea. This sample is like a giant tea bag of organic, fair trade herbs and botanicals that are soothing to give a new mama a little relief. The full-size product comes loose in a jar with a reuseable muslin bag and holds enough for 4-5 baths. Awesome, thoughtful gift for an expecting mama, folks!

Here's another that would be a great mama gift - the Mama Meringue body whip. It comes in four different varieties (three scents and unscented), and I got to try out the Lemon Lavender version. Again, it smells amazing - fresh, clean and natural, but not chemically or overwhelming. The scent IS strong but it is not the heavy kind of smell that will give you a headache or anything (I've got it on now and I can smell it where I applied it on my arm if I sniff it, but it's not a constant smell surrounding me, if you know what I mean. This can be used as a belly balm (you know I love me some belly balm) or as a general moisturizer. It's a shea butter lotion made from natural oils and contains Vitamin E as well, great for the skin! The consistency is kind of stiff in the jar, but softens up easily with the warmth of your hands to scoop out a little and glides on. Love.

I'm going to put it out there that you should seriously consider these products for holiday gifts for your favourite person. The individual cold processed soaps are really pretty and luxurious for anyone; check out the holiday gift sets as well. If you don't find exactly what you want there, they also do custom gift sets and even party favours.

While you are looking at the Ellia C. Naturals line, you might notice that there's a lot more to the site than just natural bath and body care. Jennifer is the owner and founder of not just Ellia C. Naturals but also the Bullfrogs & Butterflies Boutique, which has loads of beautiful gifts for little ones and mamas, too.

And here's a tip for you: if you sign up for their newsletter, you will find that there is a great big Black Friday deal just for newsletter subscribers about to be announced! You can also like Ellia C. Naturals on Facebook and follow on Twitter for product updates and specials!

A big thank you to Jenn from Ellia C. Naturals for providing me with some of her gorgeous products to try out. I did receive samples for review, but was not paid for this post.