I like a little luxury in my life so was very pleased to receive a tub of Neal's Yard Remedies Orange and Geranium Body Scrub last Christmas.

Neal's Yard Remedies are based in London's Covent Garden and are an extremely good option for those who care about what goes into their cosmetics. In a way they are a more traditional, middle class version of Lush, as they both produce natural, ethical products. Neal's Yard believe in using entirely (natural and organic where possible) ingredients that have not been tested on animals. The label on my pot of body scrub has a list of what is not in the product from silicone to synthetic fragrances and colours a mile long. Natural beauty does come at a price, as according to the Neal's Yard website this 200 gram tub of body scrub is £16.35 so for me a real luxury product.

The body scrub is meant to refresh and smooth dull and dry skin. It is made from Dead Sea Salt and ground rice for exfolliating purposes, shea butter for moisturising purposes and of course geranium and orange oils. The geranium oil seems to be key here, as it has antiseptic healing properties to help prevent blemishes on the skin whilst the orange oil has an uplifting effect.

The product is presented fairly simply and traditionally in a dark blue plastic pot with a screw top which is very easy to remove even in a shower. Inside the pot is a dark cream, light peach coloured light paste with darker brown flecks, which I assume are the ground rice. The smell is slightly floral. I can't really detect the orange at all. This is a real negative point for me, as I am far more a fan of citrus and fruity scents than the floral one of the geranium that dominates.

Using the scrub is fairly easy. I tend to scoop a small dollop out of the tub and rub in damp skin. I tend to concentrate on the rougher areas of my body such as elbows, knees and sometimes do my back. You just need to massage it in using circular movements to really make the scrub work. It is a pretty firm paste that warms up and loosens on contact with the skin. It's got quite a gritty texture from the dead sea salt and the ground rice and I really feel that it works sloughing away the dead skin. Once its rubbed in, the skin has an almost waxy feel to it, which I attribute to the moisturising properties of the shea butter. My skin feels pretty smooth and soft. The one thing that I really do not like about the scrub is the gritty residue it leaves at the bottom of the shower once I have rinsed it off.

I have been using this scrub on and off about once a fortnight for the past ten months and sill have a thin layer of it at the bottom of the tub. Although it does seem expensive it is extremely long lasting thus is not bad value for money. . I am really pleased I got this scrub as a present, as it does work but I'm not keen on he smell and it can make a mess of the bottom of your shower or bath.