bodycare

Nivea‘s My Silhouette! Gel-Cream claims to be a body-slimming product that, with the combination of white tea and anise extracts, “slims and reshapes your silhouette”.

Most of us know that externally applied products will not alter the internal makeup of your body. (Even if you lose inches during the use of this product, it will be down to other factors.) So how does this product create the impression?

This product has several ingredients that might be able to create a feel and an appearance of tightness and smoothness. Firstly, it features more than a fair amount of alcohol, which is third on the ingredient list, after water and glycerine. This is typical of many body-slimming and anti-cellulite products, as alcohol can make the skin feel tauter.

Next to alcohol on the ingredient list is cyclomethicone, a kind of silicone. Its main purpose in this product, I think, is to create a feel of smothness for the skin. (The product also contains dimethiconol, another kind of silicone.)

At best, this product will create a toned appearance and feel. The anise and white tea extracts will not change the shape of your body.

Overall, this is a lightweight gel-cream body moisturizer that dries quickly, leaves the skin smooth, and has a pleasant aroma. But it would be a much better body moisturizer for everyday use without the alcohol.

Related Posts:

Can’t Live Without – Dove Body Silk

Johnson’s Baby Lightoil Spray

E45 Endless Moisture Range

{ 0 comments }

(E45 Endless Moisture

Since E45 products are not available in many countries outside the UK, most of my readers might not be familiar with this line. E45 is a major and reputable British drugstore skincare and bodycare line. Widely available here, the line mainly caters to people with sensitive skin or skin conditions like eczema.

The new Endless Moisture bodycare range includes the two products I am reviewing below. The range focuses on bringing long-lasting moisture to the skin. (Both products have fragrance-free and lightly-fragranced options. The ones reviewed below are fragrance-free.)

– E45 Endless Moisture Light Caring Body Milk
(for normal to dry skin, seen above)

Free from silicone derivatives, this body lotion leaves an unexpected smooth and silky feel to the skin. With glycerin and paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil) as the main ingredients, this straightforward moisturizer (without an absurdly long ingredient list) should be relatively ideal for people with sensitive skin.

It has a very light and milky consistency, and it is easy to apply and absorbs well. The moisture does seem very long-lasting and the skin feels soft and supple throughout the day. My only issue is that I need something more emollient for drier areas like the heels.

(E45 Endless Moisture

– E45 Endless Moisture Replenishing Care Body Cream
(for dry to very dry skin)

This body cream has almost all the assets of the body milk reviewed above, but it has a much creamier consistency partly thanks to shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii butter) as the main emollient. The body cream also leaves a touch of healthy sheen to the skin.

It tackles my drier areas really well. When I use it as an all-over body cream, it does take a few minutes for everything to sink in. But it is worth the wait, as the skin is optimally moisturized.

I mainly use the Body Milk and resort to the Body Cream to care for drier areas. In the warmer months to come, I can probably just do with the Body Milk. Overall they both work very well to keep my skin properly moisturized and conditioned.

[Check E45’s Links page for authorized on-line retailers that deliver internationally.]

Related Bodycare Posts:

Can’t Live Without: Dove Body Silk

Neutrogena Everyday Repair Body Lotion

Principessa Dolce Dream Whipped Body Lotion

{ 8 comments }

Today I bring you reviews of products from Neutrogena. Their body products are usually noted for heavy-duty moisture. How would these two fair?

At first, when I tested it on the back of my hand, I thought the consistency might be a little too dense for the whole body and that it might be better suited for particularly dry patches. But it turns out that, for me, it is a good all-over body lotion without making the skin feel greasy or sticky.

It has a rich and densely creamy texture and feels very moisturizing when it goes on. But it spreads easily and absorbs relatively well.

On the whole, this is a competent body lotion with minimal fragrance. Compared with my favorite Dove Body Silk, it feels creamier and more emollient. However, I think the moisture from Dove Body Silk lasts a little longer.

A lot of Neutrogena’s hand creams that I’ve tried have quite a greasy finish. (It seems to be a trade-off regarding some heavy-duty hand creams, and I don’t mind it that much most of the time.) Also, it sometimes seems that most of the emolliency sits on top of the hands and doesn’t sink in any further, and, as soon as it wears off, the hands feel and look dry again.

The Fast Absorbing Hand Cream seems to attempt an improvement. It feels slightly lighter than the other Neutrogena hand creams I’ve tried. While I wouldn’t describe it as “fast absorbing”, it does feel that the emolliency is absorbed a little better. (I always check my cuticle area to see how well the emolliency penetrates.)

However, compared with some of my favorite hand creams (particularly Garnier Hand Cocoon), it is still very similar to other Neutrogena hand creams and is not substantially better. I would probably be more tempted to layer this on top of my usual hand cream before bedtime to help seal the moisture. It would be an extra step that is not really vital.

[By March 31st, with any purchase of Neutrogena product, you can claim a free activity at the Neutrogena website. Promotion is open to UK residents only.]

Related Posts:

My Beauty Weekness: Cute Cuticle Oil

Principessa Bodycare Review

Cake Beauty Plane Friendly Travel Kit Review

{ 0 comments }

The review of Green by Nature Starter Kit has been updated, with details regarding the issue of paraben.

{ 0 comments }

(SpaSensials Hand & Foot Treatment)
(image from www.spasensials.com)

We are moving into the colder months in many countries. I talked about my favorite body moisturizer earlier this week. Today I am moving to hands and feet.

I always wanted to try moisturizing gloves and wondered what they could actually do. The SpaSensials Hand & Feet Treatment offers the moisturizing gloves I wanted to test out.

They are made with a paper-like material and are designed to be disposable. The gloves are basically dry on the outside (but slightly moist if I squeeze the fabric) and they feel moist and slightly wet (but not sticky) on the inside.

(SpaSensials Moisturizing Gloves)

I wore the gloves and socks for about 20 minutes, as instructed (15 minutes for longer). They did leave the skin lightly moisturized and the moisturizer had a pleasing smell, but I feel that my problem areas, like cuticles and heels, were not effectively tackled by the treatment.

I think these would be good to use before you actually moisture you hands and feet, as they do soften and lightly moisturize the skin, which helps your heavy-duty hand and foot creams absorb better. But, for this purpose, I would simply use a moisturizing masque as a treatment and it would work much better on my problem areas.

But I can see the potential in this type of product. It is fuss-free and I can still, say, flip through magazines during the treatment, whereas I can’t if I have my face moisturizing masque on my hands. I think the key would be to make the gloves and socks fit and adhere to the skin better so the moisturizing ingredients can really get to all the surfaces of the skin. Then we’ll potentially have an all-rounder.

Related Posts:

Two body products I can’t live without:

Garnier Hand Cocoon & Dove Body Silk

{ 0 comments }