Crabtree & Evelyn - Ulta-moisturising hand therapy: LILY [Review]

Welcome back to my blog Beauty Lovers!

The product that I am reviewing today is my current favourite hand cream. It is Crabtree & Evelyn's Lily hand therapy. Crabtree & Evelyn describes this product as:

"Our award-winning hand cream takes moisturisation to a new level with shea butter and ceramides 3 and 6II to reduce moisture loss while promoting your skin’s hydration level. Moisturising macadamia nut oil and conditioning English flower extracts also support this extraordinary cream, delivering beautiful hand benefits".

What makes this hand cream nice to me is outlined below:

1. It gives "light" moisturising/hydration level to the hands and nails leaving a non-greasy finish. 
2. Smells AMAZING! The scent is described as: "A heart of lily of the valley blended with dewy greens, woodland mosses, musk, and ylang ylang". Yes... I suppose is smells like that... but not over-powering at all which I like. I tend to go for a nice subtle scent as opposed to FULL-ON-HARDCORE-IN-YOUR-FACE type scents.
3. I can't stop smelling my hands like a crazy person >.<

Disadvantages

Yes... I know I love this - there shouldn't be any disadvantages right? But well.. there is ONE! 

If you had notice I described the moisturising/hydration level as "light". I feel like my hands start to feel 'dry' after all the product absorbs into the skin - but they don't look dry - hard to explain... but the cream does the job overall.. maybe I'm just to picky. I guess coming from thick hand cream consistencies to a light one is somewhat of a shock.

I tried out the 50g/1.8oz tube which was on sale for $14 Australian dollars.

Here's the official site for any extra queries you may have: http://www.crabtree-evelyn.com.au/p-1468-lily-hand-therapy-50g.aspx

This is my second Crabtree & Evelyn product. The first one is a lotion pump which I will give my thoughts in the next post.

Do you guys have any recommendations for hand creams? I would love to know in the comments section below :)

<3 J

Smith's Menthol and Eucalyptus Balm [Review]

Hey Beauty Lovers!

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on the new Smith's Menthol and Eucalyptus Balm! My previous post was also on other Smith's lip products and the Minted Rose was my favourite! So when I heard that Smith's came out with a Menthol AND Eucalyptus balm... I just HAD to have it! :D 

Thank god for Ebay as us Australian's are so behind on everything beauty!

I bought this on Ebay for around $8-9 Australian including shipping - BARGAIN!

It is 22g/ 0.8oz.

From Smith's official website it describes the product as:

"A Soothing, Cooling Salve! Dr. G. F. Smith considered this salve to be his very best formulation for the relief of cold sores, razorburn, psoriasis, allergies, insect bites and abrasions. It is aromatic and exhilarating. Not intended for use around the eyes"

My thoughts:

1. The product smells very menthol and eucalyptus-y which =  LOVE!
2. Clear - Vaseline-esque consistency.
2. Gives a tingling/cooling/menthol-y sensation when applied to areas such as lips.
3. Good for those dry, chapped winter lips and areas described by Smith's. 

Concerns:

Initially, I was concerned as one of the ingredients in this balm is Methyl Salicylate, which is commonly used in over-the-counter creams for sprains, strains and muscle spasms etc. I wasn't sure if it was 'safe' for the lips and you could ingest it when eating something. I just got paranoid even though Smith's did indicate that they are good for cold sores...

SO I private messaged Smith's on their official facebook page and they replied with:

"Hello! Yes it is great for your lips! Thank you!"

Yay paranoia solved! Better to be safe than sorry right? :)

Have you guys tried any of Smith's products? Let me know!

<3 J

Smith's Rosebud Salve, Minted Rose & Strawberry Lip Balm [Review]

Hey beauty lovers!

Today I'm here to share with you my thoughts on the very popular Smith's Rosebud Salve along with the Smith's Minted Rose and Strawberry Lip Balm.

I bought the trio tin set which included all 3 products from Urban Outfitters. Each tin is 22g/0.8 oz in net weight. Each product has a distinct difference which is summarised as follows:

Rosebud Salve

The Rosebud Salve is the most popular of them all. Many people don't like the scent and think that it is strong. However, I don't mind the rose scent - it doesn't linger on the lips for long once applied. The base is a special petrolatum base hence it's feels just like Vasaline on the lips (but a bit 'lighter') with a bunch of essential oils: Aromol and Cottonseed oil.

It does moisturise the lips a lot but the staying power isn't too long - I'd say around 1 hour max for my lips: it may vary from person to person...I guess I just drink a lot of water and eat snacks every now and then so it just wears off.

Minted Rose Lip Balm

The Minted Rose Lip Balm is just like the Rosebud Salve but with a mix of peppermint oil in it and some trade secret perfume mix. I actually do prefer this scent over the first one as it gives a mild minty tingly sensation when applied on the lips (well more me anyway). Plus I love anything minty.

Strawberry Lip Balm

I actually thought that I would like the Strawberry Lip balm the best. However, that's not the case. I think because it has white beeswax in it which gives the texture of the product a more 'solid' consistency. To me it doesn't seem like the product moisturises as much as the other 2 and seems to wear off the lips much faster as well. The strawberry scent is quite nice - reminds me of frozen strawberry yoghurt. However, I do understand if there are people that find this scent too 'artificial' as it does get a bit overwhelming at times. 

Overall, I do like these products as do recommend the Minted Rose and Rosebud Salve. The Strawberry is 'eh'. 

Here's a link to Smith's official website: http://www.rosebudperfume.com/products-list

I think I got my tin for around $16 USD on Urban Outfitters. However, the product doesn't seem to be on their site any longer - perhaps try Ebay if you can't get your hands on it at a local store.

Let me know if you guys have tried these and your favourites in the comments section below.

<3 J

The Body Shop Strawberry Beautifying Oil [Review]

Hey beauty lovers!

Here are my thoughts in regards to The Body Shop's Beautifying Oil in Strawberry.

Firstly the specifications are as follows:
- Bottle Size: 100 mL / 3.3 fl.oz
- Bottle material: Plastic (PETE)
- Bottle lid: flippy lid
- Consistency of product: 'gold'-colour liquid
- Scent: Strawberry 
- Australian RRP: $25.95
- Product link: http://www.thebodyshop.com.au/Product.aspx?Id=1160

The company claims that the beautifying oil is made with a lightweight blend of nut oils which gives instant hydration and a shimmering finish. In addition, it can be used on the body, face or hair. 

Personally, I only use this for the ends of my hair and I would say it DOES hydrate and moisturize the ends. However, not as much as say Argan oil would. The scent lasting power is around 24 hours for my hair. 

Is it worth it? For me: YES because I pretty much bought it for the scent!

But for YOU guys? I say if you have some money to spare and would like your hair to smell like strawberry, shea, moringa, olive, mango, coconut, brazil nut or even chocomania with average hydration power - then go for it! If not and you guys already have Argan oil at home then just stick to it.

If you have tried these out let me know in the comments section below your thoughts. I would love to know them.

<3 J