L'Occitane Rose Petals Ultra Rich Body Cream (25% shea butter) review/ swatch

L'Occitane sometimes releases a whole bunch of new scents at once and they are often limited edition scents. Looks like this Rose Petals scent is still selling on the L'occitane website (however it is still labelled as limited edition). Retails for 22USD for 3.5oz, which is a really small size given most other body products typically start at 6 oz or more like 200g/200ml at least.

It's housed in a gorgeous tin:

It's sealed when opened:

You can see the cream sits inside a white plastic tub in the middle rather than the tin itself (which is a good thing as you won't have body cream getting that metal tin scent).

It's a wonderfully luscious body moisturiser- with 25% shea butter. I usually don't really specifically go for shea butter body moisturisers as they tend to be a bit thick and have that particular oil scent to it (and also leave a sticky residue on your sheets, like the Body Shop body butters at times!). 

However this one is just a spreadable, luscious consistency. It's not thin like a body lotion or emollient like a typical cream. Instead it has that semi melted body butter consistency that spreads and goes a long way easily. It has that wonderful feeling of just lightly coating your skin and nourishing it.

It leaves a slight white cast as you spread it out, but once massaged in it disappears.

It keeps my skin hydrated and not to mention the rose petals scent is divine- I think this is easily my favorite L'occitane body product lately. I prefer this over the rose neiges line as this one has a more 'real' rose petal scent. 

Hope they make it into a bigger size and better price though. If used daily this tin runs out before winter finishes here. 

Paul & Joe Body Protection Cream review/ swatch (SPF sunscreen)

I'm not generally too fussed about sunscreens on a daily basis for the body area (as I work in the office indoors and usually start early and finish work late so it's not like I get a lot of sun). However, I'm quite diligent with sunscreen application on the days I do go out and will be in direct sunlight for more than a hour or so. 

For the face however, I apply a SPF moisturiser or sunscreen on a daily basis religiously.

(The Australian sun is incredible- many tourists think they would just tan here like how it is when they go on a tropical vacation and not get burnt and do not realise we do have a huge hole in the ozone layer here and generally you can get seriously sunburnt within 30 minutes, not to mention the risk of skin cancer).

Anyway, due to different country's health authority's assessment of SPF factors, often something that is produced by Japanese brands with SPF30 may not be as sun protecting as an equivalent Australian sunscreen with a SPF30 rating. (Back a few years ago I think the max SPF allowed to be labelled on Australian sunscreen was actually SPF30, so as not to mislead people if they applied SPF50 or SPF100 they'd be able to skip reapplying sunscreen). This means back then a SPF30 sunscreen in Australia could be anything like a Japanese's brand's SPF30 to SPF50 or even SPF80 etc.

So when I use Asian brand sunscreens, if I'm actually going in the water or go to the beach with a lot of sun exposure, I only use something with SPF50 minimum.

Ok this is how the Paul & Joe body protection cream fit in. I'm trying to be more diligent about the days where I may just be out grocery shopping or quick stroll around the park but still want some SPF protection that doesn't make everything sticky or too drying on the skin. I'm happy to go with just SPF30 as well.

The Paul & Joe body protection cream comes in a tiny 80ml  (full retail size), and is SPF30 PA++. Retails for like 25-35USD as well depending on your country of purchase.  It's not the most economical sunscreen size for the body.

Ingredient list: (click to enlarge picture)

80ml bottle basically just fits the size of my palm. I don't really mind the small size , it means it's at least portable so I'd be happy to carry around a body sunscreen in my handbag.

Comes in a standard twist open cap and a squeeze tube applicator.

Directions: (click on picture to enlarge picture)

Here it is- a light emulsion/ cream. It has a rather pleasant light scent (that signature orange blossom scent to all Paul & Joe skincare).

Spreaded:

You can see it blends in really easily and nicely, leaves skin a little bit more moisturised but not sticky. It's not drying on the skin either. 

It also rinses off easily with soap and water.

Overall I think apart from the pricing, it makes a nice daily sunscreen. It probably wouldn't do great for the beach or water etc, but even as a sunscreen for just arms and legs it's pleasant enough to use.  The price tag however is a bit high especially for a body SPF product.

Rating is 4/5 for product, but overall once you take into account the price vs size it gets lowered to a 3.
There are a lot of Japanese drugstore brands (or even department store ones like Sofina ) producing high quality sunscreen with good sun protection and a light, non sticky consistency. If you are really picky about the consistency of the body sunscreens you can even buy face ones and just use them on the body (for like $15-20 a bottle if you are willing to pay for it...). (FYI I like Kanebo Allie sunscreen line and most of Sofina sunscreens, Shiseido Anessa offers very good sun protection but is such a pain to remove and quite drying on the skin).

Kiehl's Creme de Corp Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish with luffa fruit and jojoba butter review

What a long name, basically this is a body scrub from Kiehl's creme de corp line (which was my favorite body moisturiser for a while- it is probably the most nourishing and non-irritating body moisturiser for me for the last 8 years).

The soy & milk honey body polish contains luffa fruit and jojoba butter, which is actually rather evident from the product itself. It's in a plastic squeeze tube, 200ml size and retails for 30USD.

active ingredient:

Comes in a flip open cap- which is ok, but sometimes water do get trapped in the cap opening since I leave it in the shower.

It's a lightly creamy yellow product- not as buttery yellow as the creme de corp body moisturiser itself. 

Spreaded- as you can see a little goes a long way. In fact 2 pea size is probably enough for my whole arm (provided a tad of water is added while I massage it in).

 It doesn't foam, but it does maintain a nice consistency that is non scratchy as you massage it in with a few more drops of water. You can see there are smaller 'bead' looking granules and some longer looking strands (which is the luffa fruit fibre). The granule reminds me a lot of other hydrogenated jojoba bead type of scrubs (e.g. Peter thomas roth botanical scrubbing beads or the Ren face scrub). However this one has a bit more ommph for added exfoliation properties (never feels scratchy or jagged on the skin though).

Adding even more water- you can see it almost emulsify a little:

Rinsed off- left with supple , well exfoliated yet moisturised skin.

Of course you should always still moisturise after using a body scrub - however with this one I love it for summer- sometimes I find I can go with 2 days without moisturising the body and still have smooth skin, as it does seem to leave skin rather healthy and not overly exfoliated. 

Thumbs up for this product- I secretly hoped it smells like milk and honey, but it smells really like just maybe soy or oats with a tad of sweetness sort of comforting scent. Not complaining though because I'd rather a lightly scented product than something that smells really artificial.

I only need to use this about once a week and I'm good for rest of the week. A little goes a long way too so there's really nothing to complain about when it comes to the $30USD pricetag (because I know if I use a cheaper $10 scrub I might go through 2 or 3 bottles a year, but this tube alone probably last me 6 months minimum). It's not a miracle worker (like the initial sensation you might get from those microdermabrasion crystal type of scrubs), but it is a nice , solid staple item.

I have moderately dry and sensitive skin with a few localised patches of my skin such as behind the knee is prone to eczema (but have controlled it well and haven't really had major flare ups in a few years already).

rating 5/5.

L'Occitane Gel Douche Shower Gel Sweet Cherry (Cerise Gourmande) review

I took a few smaller L'occitane travel sized items with my on holidays lately, here's a belated post with review of the Sweet Cherry Shower gel.

While it has 'sweet cherry' as the scent name, it is entirely different to the Cherry Blossom line and the scents are different too.

I got a 75ml travel sized shower gel from last Christmas so the packaging is a bit different to full szied ones. 

Ingredients:

It says the shower gel is enriched with Luberon, cheery extract etc.

One thing I really don't like about L'occitane travel products is the bottle design. It has an extremely small bottle opening in a flip top design, which is really hard to snap open with either wet or dry hands in the shower and I've broke some nails whilst attempting to open it.

The shower gel is clearish yellow. It produces a soft foam after adding water and lathered up, but it's not like bubble bath sort of quality and the foams are mostly sparse.

In terms of its ability as a shower gel, it performs fine. Removes traces of my sunscreen on the body fine (but not super tough ones like Kanebo Allie waterproof sunscreens or the Shiseido Annesa waterproof ones (though these are truly crazily difficult to remove).

It doesn't really leave my skin moisturised, felt like as if I used a normal soap - skin feels softer but definitely still need a moisturiser to follow, if you have dry skin on the body.

The scent is a sweet fruity scent, I can't quite pinpoint a 'cherry' scent inside, it's quite a mild scent (as a shower gel anyway) and the scent doesn't really linger on after you rinsed off. Again, cherry blossom scent is different and a bit more feminine and lightly floral, personally I like the cherry blossom scents a lot more.

Rating is 3/5. Nice to try, not nice enough to repurchase.

Fancl FDR Body Milk review

A quick review of Fancl FDR body milk- they come in small bottles of 60ml (as Fancl's product direction is everything have no preservatives added and items should be used within 100 days of opening, the sizing for almost all products are quite small). Usually you can purchase multiple bottles at a discount in Fancl stores. (around $12-15USD per bottle and can go as low as $10 per bottle when purchased in bulk or with more discounts)- which still makes it a hefty pricetag compared to product size.

The FDR line is targeted for those with ultra sensitive skin and sort of the "clinical" directed line within the Fancl product lines.

It comes in a minimalistic semi clear green plastic bottle, with a flip open top.

The body milk is a runny lotion consistency.

When spreaded out- you can see skin has a light moisturised shine. 

The product has no scent to it.

Overall it's a 4/5 for me. I have really sensitive skin which is prone to random hives breakout or eczema particularly during season changes or times of stress. I've learnt to live with it and control it relatively well in the past few years and at most I get a few days of breakouts a year with eczema.

Keeping my skin moisturised has been the key in maintaining healthy skin. During season changes I always switch back to a soothing body moisturiser or something with minimal additives and Fancl is easily one of them. It does dry a bit tacky to touch but it doesn't rub off onto bed sheets or clothing (like the Body Shops Body Butters which have ruined some of my new sheets).

In terms of already irritated skin, this seems fine- it doesn't fix irritations but doesn't worsen it either.

For really bad skin days I do have to bring out my topical treatment creams (usually like 0.5% cortisone contents etc) and revert to using Aveeno body moisturiser with oatmeal (which really does soothe irritated skin).

If this was a bit cheaper and doesn't have such a short expiry date, I would probably use this more regularly. A 60ml bottle probably lasts me 2 months with once daily use. You don't need a whole lot each application.

Paul & Joe Body Lotion B (2012 collection) review

Here's some Paul & Joe 2012 collection with the new release of limited edition Body Lotion B. (B stands for what I'm not too sure, maybe Blue? lol).  There's also a few other body lotions from Paul & Joe floating around which are in more standard "milky moisturiser" consistency as opposed to this one which features a refreshing gel consistency. They are around 20-25USD depending on which country you are buying it from. (the bottle is 200ml).

The official blurb claims:

Paul & Joe Body Lotion B is a refreshing, limited edition blue body gel.

This water based lotion is enriched with ingredients such as cucumber extract and water soluble polymers for a refreshing, cooling sensation, whilst hydrating and conditioning skin. A marine floral fragrance, with notes of fresh citrus and rose creates a sense of an invigorating sea breeze and leaves skin lightly scented, smooth and beautiful.

I have to admit I only bought this because the bottle looked way too pretty. It's a translucent blue bottle with a silver cap with Paul & Joe designs along the rim. (the bottle could be clear- I can't quite tell whether it's the bottle that's blue or the gel that's blue).

Here's the instructions:

The bottle is actually a "hard" plastic bottle, which makes the design seem very silly (pretty but not practical), as you can't just "squeeze" the bottle, instead I have to tip it upside down and shake some gel out. 

Here it is, it's a clear gel- it's quite light. I do not see any blue tint in the gel. Feels even lighter than a lot of those facial gel moisturisers like Clinique Moisture Surge gel-creme as an example, in terms of consistency.

 

It spreads really easily and dries quickly. It does have that ever so slightly tacky feel you get after using a gel moisturiser but it's not really that much. I usually only apply body lotions at night so transferring on clothing isn't an issue. (and if I apply this 30min before bedtime it seems fine so far and no transfers). 

The scent is not at all what I imagined, most Paul & Joe skincare comes with their signature orange blossom scent, this one instead comes with a generic body lotion scent, slightly floral slightly green. It's not the most pleasant scent but I didn't mind it (and the scent disappears very quickly following application).

Here's the beautiful silver cap again since I like the design so much.

Overall 3.5/5. It's sort of a fun alternative to normal milky or cream type of body moisturisers. In terms of hydration it does just average, it would not work for me for winter for sure as I do get eczema at times when seasons change and I need a strong nourishing moisturiser with some soothing ingredients ( I usually still go to Aveeno body moisturisers).

L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter Honey Hand Cream (miel) 2012 review

The English name of this item is just Loccitane Honey hand cream.  I purchased the 30ml size I'm SOOO utterly excited that L'Occitane is bringing back their 'Miel" or Honey line of products (and hopefully a few more items). 

For years the Loccitane Miel Honey Gentle Water is my staple pick-me-up fragrance (it has no alcohol contents so not sure if I can characterise it as a standard perfume), it's light and refreshingly sweet with the real honey scent, without that sickening fake sweetness many honey scents tend to come with, or that slightly "alcohol" whiff that is contained in most fragrances. It's just so mild and comforting, when it was discontinued I actually bought three bottles. (And thankfully I'm still on 2 bottles of backup). Sometimes I'd spray some just before I go to bed to ensure a literally sweet dream.

Did I mention the honey hand cream comes with oh-so-cute bear and honey print on the bottom?. I just had to have this.

The re-introduced Miel line actually smells just about the same. Even in the hand cream it's such a mild light sweet scent, usually the scents in hand creams tend to be exaggerated once applied on hands since the body temperature warms the handcream up and all scents become stronger. However not this one.

Ingredient list: main contents are shea butter, glycerin and coconut oil. This particular hand cream has 20% shea butter content (L'occitane tend to emphasise how much shea butter % is in each product quite specifically) 

It comes in a soft plastic tube- I like this design more so than those toothpaste foil/ metal packaging which tends to break and leak easily.

The hand cream is a soft moisturiser consistency, still creamy. It's not runny or fluid. It feels nice and gentle on the hand. It dries like what I'd expect a shea butter hand cream to be, that feeling that your hand is gently coated in a light moisturiser. While it doesn't leave the skin oily and greasy, it's not exactly 100% dry to touch either. None that will affect whatever else I'm doing though.

Overall 5/5. I'm so glad the honey miel line is back (FYI L'Occitane actually replaced the original honey line with the honey& lemon line). I can't locate this product on the Loccitane US website, maybe it is yet to be released (I got mine from Asia). I also bought the solid miel shea butter and the mum & baby shea butter in honey scent, I'm not sure what the rest of the product line contains but certainly hope some sort of fragrance version is also back.

Definitely remember to try these if you are into light sweet scents or just love honey!

IPSA x Keiko Itakura Limited Edition 25 year anniversary Body Care Bouquet review (2011)

Here's one of my very few Christmas limited edition purchases from IPSA (I didn't really find too many Christmas LE items that excite me in 2011, but given I do go through body creams and bodywash regularly it seems like better purchase than yet another lipgloss or something). It retails for 5250Yen which is like 65USD but was meant to include a pair of rose indoor slippers (online seller I bought this from didn't include it anyway). I paid below RRP (no don't think I would have paid the full 65USD for it).

It features design in collaboration with keiko Itakura. It's a fuschia pink bottle/ tub with gold prints ( I think they are flowers), but honestly I didn't feel the design was all that special or pretty or cute. 

It comes in a 180g body cream and 350ml bodywash. Substantial amount.

Here's the body cream:

It's in a screw-top tub. The cream is a super super pale pink white. (It might just be white and is just showing a bit of the color reflection of the tub or something). It has a beautiful sort of creamy yet light consistency. It doesn't feel balmy or thick or greasy.

Swatch- a small amount

Spreaded out- leaves skin nicely moisturised , next morning I do feel softer skin and hydrated. It doesn't leave a greasy shine, yet doesn't just disappear like a lot of the runnier body lotions.  It has a very very light fruity scent with a touch of citrus (maybe like a grapefruit or something, not orange or lemon or lime).

I checked the Chinese website and it supposedly contains 25 scents! (in line with the 25 anniversary idea)


Including: yuzu, green apple, bitter orange, orange, 7 types of roses being Princess Rose, white rose, purple rose, Damascus rose, blue rose, tea, rose and rose wood, then jasmin, Freesia, Lily of the Valley, peony, sweet pea flowers, Rui flowers, lilac and iris
The base note is meant to be (light floral and fruity), also has White musk, musk, amber foolish, Vanilla and Sandalwood cloud.


Ok I'm truely amazed if it contains this many scents because it smells REALLY light (in a good way), refreshing and non-cloying, just the right touch of sweetness and citrus.




After application (left a part not fully blended in).

The body wash is of the same note / scent and lathers into a nice foam easily. It is pretty standard, doesn't leave my skin tight and dry but just a nice, easy to use bodywash.

If you can find this set for cheap online somewhere, do recommend it. I wouldn't pay an arm and a leg for it though.

Overall 4/5. I would repurchase the body cream if it was ever part of regular collection (and maybe at below 20USD RRP price or something, 180g isn't a whole lot). Body wash- not unless it was fairly cheap too.