Product Review - Kings & Queens Caspar Myrrh Body Butter

I had a tube of this in my bathroom up until recently. Originally I was in two minds to review it, but then one of my lovely readers, Amanda of A Fairy Cake Tale (check her blog out if you want the most awesome cooking recipes!) asked for some advice on body butters - how could I refuse?

Kings & Queens are a cosmetics company with a difference. They make very posh, swanky body butters, body milks, soaps, shower gels and even candles all with decadent ingredients that for hundreds of years have been celebrated as being fit for royalty - for kings and queens! Their collection is therefore designed, from their packaging all the way through to the smell and textures, to make you feel like a princess.

With this in mind, let's take a look at their product description for the body butter I chose - Caspar Myrrh and see if it's up to scratch:

A rich, luxurious body butter with intense fragrance enriched with a royal mix of pomegranate, blue Egyptian lotus and malachite extracts to maximize indulgence. The purple fruit of pomegranate ends in a crown-like top which is why it is shown on the coat of arms of many royal houses. The flower of the blue lotus was the most popular ancient Egyptian symbol of glory and eternal life for gods and mortals alike, while malachite was loved by princes across Europe. Kings & Queens products are free from mineral oil (synthetic oil from processed petroleum) and parabens (category of preservatives).

Rich and luxurious?

Definitely! This body butter is exactly that - buttery! But my only gripe, as is Amanda's and many others' is that some body butters take far, far too long to soak into the skin. If you're getting ready for a night out you don't want to be dancing around your room for 15 minutes waiting to get dressed because it won't soak in quickly enough!

Some body butters are so intense they're too heavy and concentrated for the skin to absorb quickly and effectively. This body butter is surprisingly good at soaking in quickly. It's nowhere near as fast as a lotion or a body milk but that's the price you pay for butters - the richer the moisturiser the more concentrated it is and the more time it requires to absorb. It needs a bit of work but if you put the effort in this body butter will have soaked in within about 3 minutes!

The reason why I wasn't going to review this product yet was because when I came to the end of the bottle I was unsure as to whether I'd try it again. I loved it but I'm impatient and sometimes I just want a body lotion that soaks in in 30 seconds. I thought I'd try something else and get back to it. Needless to say I want to buy more because despite the 3 minute wait it's still better than most body lotions and butters I've tried, doesn't leave the skin greasy and my skin felt baby soft after using it daily.

Intense fragrance?

Yes, most certainly! This moisturiser is obviously scented with myrrh - dried tree sap, used for its medicinal properties to this day and valued as much as gold during ancient times. The name Caspar is from the three 'Magi' or kings, who travelled to Bethlehem and gave Myrrh as a gift to baby Jesus.

It's a beautiful body butter perfect for the wintery months as the fragrance is heady and spicy. It may be too intense a smell for the summer months when you want something lighter, more citrussy or floral, but you can always try the other scents in the Kings & Queens collection such as 'Emperor Akbar Mango' or 'Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower'.

Pomegranate, blue Egyptian lotus and malachite extracts?

Yes (pomegranate's listed as Punica Granatum Fruit Extract), yes (blue Egyptian lotus is listed as Nymphaea Coerulea Flower Extract) and yes. This lotion also contains beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil - all known for their ultra moisturising properties, safflower seed oil and sweet almond oil. If you like your lotions to be synthetic ingredient-free then you may want to reconsider this product as it does contain a few artificial ingredients but...

Free from mineral oil and parabens?

... it doesn't contain a jot of parabens or mineral oil! I've counted three and sometimes as many as five individual parabens in some body butters on the market. Parabens are artificial preservatives that are now known to be carcenogenic. Mineral oil, as discussed in my article on lip balms and hand creams provides no benefits whatsoever and is a derivative of petroleum which is also bad for the body.

Overall...

This product is available online and in Superdrug stores, so as you can imagine it's not going to break the bank coming in at £4.50 on their website, but a few months ago I could have sworn I paid something in the region of £5 or £6. Some of their body butters do differ in price due to the ingredients used in each, but they're all very reasonable and suitable for all budgets.

The richness of this product means that a little goes a long way and you therefore get what you pay for. The seductive packaging, names, scents and ingredients do encourage you to try the entire range and I am contemplating trying out their other scented body butters and perhaps trying their shower gels at some stage.

I was really impressed with this body butter and as I said before, it soaks in really quickly compared to other body butters I've sampled. My skin became very soft after a week of using this and after three weeks it was beautifully silky and as I can get dry skin on my arms sometimes this was a complete treat for me. Since moving onto a body lotion from another brand I've noticed the deterioration in my skin once again so to be honest I'll be going straight back to this product once I'm through with my current one. What better testimony than that?

So if you're considering a body butter that doesn't take an age to sink in, give this a try and let me know how you get on - I always love to hear what you all think!

Product Review - Weleda Iris Cream

This has been my moisturiser of choice for the past month as I wanted to try a natural, light moisturiser ideal for combination skins that doesn't strain the purse strings! This Weleda cream has been formulated to moisturise but balance the oil production in your skin - i.e. help your skin produce more in drier areas and less in oilier areas all with the help of iris that like lavender helps to regulate the skin's moisture naturally.

I've really enjoyed using a moisturiser that I know won't be plugging my skin with anything other than what it needs and it's nice to go back to nature and rely on something like iris to help combat problematic combination skin. Beneath is Weleda's product description so let's see if it lives up to their hype:

A refreshingly light moisturiser that is quickly absorbed... Suitable for vegetarians. Organic Jojoba Oil, biodynamic Iris Root extract and other pure plant extracts help support the skin's natural functions, leaving it feeling healthy, refreshed and smooth. Natural essential oils provide a light, fine fragrance. Tip: Iris Moisture Cream is also recommended as a base for make-up.

Refreshingly light?

Definitely, despite appearances with it looking more like a heavy cream and maybe feeling so to the touch, it goes on like a very light gel, you need only enough for your skin to suitably absorb and no more! A one pence piece-sized amount or less is all that you need to sufficiently moisturise your entire face.

Quickly absorbed?

Absolutely! Once worked in the cream sinks in beautifully and fast, leaving no greasy residue or build-up so it really is perfect as a daytime moisturiser and it leaves no nasty sheen either.

Suitable for vegetarians?

Yes, there are absolutely no animal extracts or derivatives in the cream whatsoever, so it's not only friendly to your face it's friendly to the environment and animals. You'll also be pleased to hear that it comes in a recyclable aluminium tube and cardboard box.

Organic jojoba oil, iris root extract and other pure plant extracts?

Yes, yes and yes. The other pure plant extracts are: witch hazel (great for oily skins and combating bacteria that cause blemishes), beeswax and calendula flower extract. On top of that there are no artificial additives - Weleda pride themselves on making products without synthetic fragrances, preservatives or chemicals.

Healthy. refreshed and smooth?

Yes, surprisingly, as when you've applied it it does such an effective job of soaking in that it almost feels like it might not do the trick of nourishing enough. But it always leaves my skin velvet-soft, non-slippery but the scent and the natural extracts make it feel like it's doing a great job without the horrible, unnecessary excess of artificial ingredients!

Natural oils provide light, fine fragrance?

Yes, there is no artificial perfume or fragrance in the moisturiser whatsoever so what you smell is 100% natural which is lovely because it really smells nice!

Base for makeup?

I would definitely say so. I still use a primer underneath my foundation but because the moisturiser is light and easily absorbed leaving no traces it makes a great base for makeup unlike some moisturisers that create an oily barrier slip-sliding your makeup half way down your face by afternoon!

Overall...

Suitable for all budgets retailing online at £8.95 but I swear I bought mine at a local organic store for £7.95, this moisturiser really is worth a try. It won't be nourishing or intensive enough for drier skins but if you suffer from oily or combination skin then you should definitely give this a go. Bear in mind with its all-natural ingredients its shelf life is only nine months after opening.

Would I buy again? Yes but my only concern is how this moisturiser might fair in the summer months - on days where I've been busy on my feet and got a little hot indoors the oil isn't quite kept at bay as my Mary Kay moisturiser used to do. So I'd need to wait to see how it copes. Bear this in mind as you may have to combine it with a mattifier if you want to keep oil at bay all day.

Product Review - Aveda Botanicals Kinetics Hydrating Lotion

One of my friends used to work at an Aveda salon and as a result I've got a backlog of Aveda freebies stocked up in my cupboard. Today I'm reviewing their Botanicals Kinetics facial moisturiser - Hydrating Lotion.

I've been using it daily for over a month now but as my skin is combination I only use it as a night moisturiser as it's too rich for me in the day under my makeup. It's supposed to be one of their best sellers and I can see why: the product's very creamy and soothing as you put it on and the next morning my skin feels ultra nourished and velvet-soft, something I really appreciate with the sub-zero temperatures we've been having!

If you like your products to be gorgeously scented then this would be perfect for you as you can really smell the lavender and chamomile, it's quite strong, in fact I would go as far to say that this moisturiser has a fairly unisex scent - it's not too girly so you may find the other half borrowing it... However there is some synthetic fragrance in it so for those of you with sensitive skins I'm not sure how you'd get on with skin irritation! This product doesn't claim to be hypoallergenic so weigh this up if you're at all unsure...

So let's take their product breakdown as listed on their website and see if it does what is says on the bottle:

Nurturing your skin comes naturally with this quick-absorbing lotion—containing emollients derived from coconut, jojoba and other naturally-derived ingredients—that replenishes moisture with a gentle touch. Camomile and lavender blend helps promote a soft, supple skin texture.

• Leaves skin feeling resilient and moisture-refreshed
• Protects from dehydration
• For all skin types

Quick-absorbing?

Fairly, but in the summer months I'm not sure it is as quick-absorbing as when my skin is on the drier side. If your skin is oily bear in mind it may take some working in, you may not like the texture or sensation so much as it tends to leave a layer for a couple of minutes.

Coconut, jojoba and other naturally-derived ingredients?

Check, check and check! This blissful moisturiser also contains lavender extract, chamomile extract, rosemary leaf extract and rice bran oil so it's full of natural derivatives. However the basic premise of Aveda's products is that they use the 'science of nature' but they're not without some artificial ingredients. However you will find these fairly minimal and there are no parabens in this moisturiser.

Soft, supple skin?

Definitely! The next morning when I wake after using this, it sounds cheesy but my skin really does feel baby-soft and very nourished. I had a few flaky patches from the chilly weather but they've completely gone since using this every night.

Resilient and moisture-refreshed?

This moisturiser has been a total god-send for me this winter. There have been a few occasions before I started to use it when my face has ended up very weather-beaten and dry from a day in blustery winds, crying out for moisture. As soon as I put this on it relieved the tense, tight feeling immediately and nourished so well that by morning it felt as if I had a new face, ha!

Protects from dehydration?

Absolutely. This lotion really has made a difference as in the day my skin feels a lot more protected even when I'm wearing a much less creamy moisturiser during the daytime.

For all skin types?

I wouldn't be so sure. As I don't have sensitive skin I can't vouch for this but I would warn those of you with sensitive faces to approach with caution. Equally if your skin's quite oily you may find this only exacerbates the situation!

Overall...

The lotion is a little on the pricey side retailing at £32.00, so it's certainly not for all pockets and possibly not suitable for those with sensitive skin, but if you have dry or combination skin I can really recommend this, especially as a night moisturiser or one for the winter months as you do really feel the benefit. Would I buy now that I've sampled? Seeming as I can really feel the benefits and you get quite a lot of moisturiser for your money (it's rich too so a little goes very far) then yes!

To Tone or Not to Tone?

Today I'm going to be talking about the preparation side for makeup, or skincare, specifically toning the skin as part of the 'Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise' routine that most of us follow each day.

I personally don't use a toner, instead I always use water as a toner to rinse off excess cleanser and make the face ready for moisturising. I know a fair few women, and even celebs, who claim that water is as good a toner as one bought off the shelf! However I read an interesting article the other day that claimed that toning is important, because unlike water, it opens the pores after cleansing allowing any impurities such as pollutants and dirt resting in them to come out and be wiped away so that they don't sit in the pores instead creating the dreaded blackheads and comedones many of us are used to!

Confusingly, and this is what I previously thought, I read another source a few days later that claimed toning shrinks the pores so that they don't absorb horrible pollutants and toxins that cause comedones. Well it can't do both so which one is it?!

I used to use toners but the two that I tried in the past weren't very gentle on my skin and despite me having combination skin I found the toners to be too drying leaving it taut and uncomfortable mostly owing to the fact that a lot of toners have alcohol in them, which is reknowned for drying out the skin!

So the article got me thinking - if I try a toner that doesn't contain alcohol, which is these days, a lot easier to find considering the range of toners are so much more varied nowadays, will I find that I prefer using one to water? I've carried out a few makeup appointments in training and when prepping the skin quickly I always tone with an organic, gentle toner made with rosewater. I haven't actually tried it out on my skin yet, but I am tempted to now...

If you have a Holy Grail toner that you swear by please let me know. Right now I'm hearing great things about Nivea's toner and Lush's Tea Tree toner! Watch this space as I may try the Lush one out as I hear it's great for oily skins :-)

To be continued...

Image Source

Image courtesy of Bella Sugar www.bellasugar.com