HOT OFF THE PRESSES! Want to hear about some brand-new stuff from Ursa Major? Yeahhhh you do. Listen, you have a lot of choice when it comes to what takes up the valuable real estate in your shower. I’ll be honest: most of the spots in mine are revolving all the time because I love testing new stuff out. Yeah I know you’re shocked. Not.

But! I don’t test stuff that doesn’t meet my standards for ingredients and manufacturing. If it’s made well, with good ingredients and is healthy for me and the earth, I’m game. Though, I’m not ashamed to admit it: some of my favorite shower products are healthy and “green” themselves … but may not come from brand line-ups that are necessarily 100% squeaky-clean. It’s the truth – some brands just aren’t consistent when it comes to use of ingredients. Ursa Major isn’t one of those brands. When you see “URSA MAJOR” on the label, you know it’s good. Really good. They take good care of your face, so it’s not surprising that they’re moving into the body care market. These are not drugstore products so yeah, they’re not drugstore prices. But you get what you pay for, and in my experience these products last a while. While Ursa Major products are definitely geared towards the “bearded man”/”wish I was a bearded man” type of person, I’ve liked (or loved) everything I’ve tried from this brand. And I have zero desire to have a beard on my face. Plus they’re based in my home state of Vermont. I’ve been testing out a few of their top-secret-UNTIL NOW shiny new products for a while now … keep reading to see what I think!

Citrus Riot Body Wash*

I’m not a morning person. I’m not sure any body wash would change that. I also have a baby that isn’t always great at understanding that 6am (or, you know 4am) isn’t my favorite time to wake up. But the, yes, riot-ous (but not totally overpowering) smell and delicate foaming texture of this body wash just makes me smile. At least for a moment. Maybe even two moments. It gets me clean to boot! It’s 100% organic and full of delicious ingredients like aloe, lime peel, ginger and more. From the product page: “Highest-grade natural ingredients (100% organic), sourced wherever possible from family-owned, sustainable growers. Never any petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrance or color, glycols, silicones or PEGs.  This product is gluten-free, vegan & cruelty-free.” My husband liked it, too! He’s a bar soap guy and isn’t going to drop the habit easily, but I’ll definitely replace my sample with a full-sized version when it runs out (soon!) because I’m not sure I can live without this little delight.

Perfect Zen Body Lotion*

Now this is more complicated for me to talk about. Let’s start with the good. Make that GREAT. The texture of this body lotion is nothing short of silky. It glides on skin and soaks in quickly, but you still have some time to smoosh it around if that makes sense. That’s not even the best part. I’ve applied this right out of the shower on slightly damp skin as well as on dry skin. And it works gloriously either way. It’s not a cream but I’ve even thrown it on my feet before bed and woken up with softer toes. Others may not find it does the job there but it’s worth a try. Don’t let the lightweight texture fool you, this stuff is wonderfully moisturizing. I’ll continue to test this out in the dryer months ahead but I am so impressed with the texture of my skin after using this product. Again, the only word to use is silky. Siiillllky. What I’m not that big of a fan of is the scent. It’s definitely in the “woodsy” arena. I’m typically okay with those kind of smells and I tried hard to get on board. I’m kind of befuddled but I gotta be honest with you guys. Oh well, the scent doesn’t necessarily linger but I don’t enjoy it while it’s going on. I hope they come out with more scents but the same formulation some day!

These products will be fully launched by November 25th, so that’s something to be thankful for! Order directly from UrsaMajorVT.com (you get three samples with every order, so that’s cool) or from one of these other awesome retailers. It’s the season of giving and gift-ing so definitely keep Ursa Major in mind. Need other awesome gift ideas? Click here.

xo, Meredith

*I was sent products gratis to sample but the opinions outlined here are my own, yo.