body care

Franc Essential Cleanse and Body Melt {Product Review}

Swathy · June 23, 2011 · 4 Comments

I will be talking of two products today and I will be writing about the remaining two in the next post. I received a sample each of all the four (above pic) so this won’t exactly be a review. Instead, I would describe my limited experience with the samples. Lets start with the Cleanse and wrap up with Body Melt. Do visit their online store to check out their other products. They do have an interesting range of products and their ingredient lists are worth a look (almost natural).

Franc Essential Cleanse

Ingredients

My Experience

I have used this cleanser only two times. The first time I used I felt it to be a little drying for my skin but the feeling did not recur after the second use. It takes away all the impurities and cleanses well and I found that it need not be followed with a face wash like some cleansers do. But, I felt a very faint feeling that probably it leaves behind a film which I never like in my product so I always use a face wash to get rid of the effect. Otherwise, it left my skin supple and soft both the times and also did a little brightening job. It doesn’t feel heavy and it did suit my combination skin.

Franc Essential Body Melt

Ingredients

Full of Cocoa and Shea Butters

My Experience

I have used the body melt mainly for my hands and legs. I found it to be a bit hard to take out from the sample first of all. It is a thick cream and requires a lot of rubbing in the skin to get absorbed as opposed to its name. It didn’t definitely melt on my body but the amount was less so I can’t give a judgement on the product. It moisturized my skin well but it took a lot of time to get absorbed and later (around after half hour) my skin felt soft but till then the cream felt a little heavy for me on my hands but it was great for the legs. This product is mainly for dry skin as it is extremely creamy and moisturizing.

PS: Product provided by the brand for consideration.

The Body Shop Bath Gloves {Accessory Review}

Swathy · May 15, 2011 · 6 Comments

They are so famous among the blogosphere. So, I had to try them.

Price: 225 INR for a pair (I got at 15% discount!!)

My Experience

First of all, the biggest point of these gloves are that they are so easy to put on even when your hands are wet. I have extremely small hands and generally no size fits me. I have to wear kid gloves. These gloves are elastic fit and free size so one fits all. And, not only that, I have never been in my entire life able to wear gloves properly without taking them off at least once. But, this one is so easy to put on and I have never gone wrong with them till now. I have used these gloves like probably four-five times. In the starting, the gloves might feel a bit rough but they soften up in the consequent uses but it is very necessary to use the gloves with a light hand otherwise it can cause the skin to become sore due to over-exfoliation. It is very easy to go overboard with the gloves.

They make the soap or face wash or body wash lather well (I do use face wash as body wash too sometimes!!). And, they clean the skin really well. Squeaky clean. I guess they will remove the film which some products tend to leave but since I use no such product, I have no idea. Also, the gloves don’t entirely dry out the skin leaving it to feel stretchy or something. They are not that costly especially for a TBS product but they should be washed after every usage coz they get really dirty!!! I toss them into surf after every use (which I am really not sure is a great idea so next time I’ll see what to do). And, yes, the gloves leave the skin feeling extremely soft and supple and hydrated after the bath. That’s the reason why your skin doesn’t feel stretchy. But, I have no idea how long a pair would last!! Some change it in a year and some in six months so it depends mainly on how much you use them. Oh, and you can see the loops which are for hanging the gloves. And, it really makes the skin glow.

I tried to use this on the face but it made my face really dry afterwards. I used only a single finger very lightly for scrubbing the face so it wasn’t very harsh on the face. But, it is best to avoid it on the face and neck as they are sensitive regions and can get sore very quickly. The best part is that they are very portable and handy during travel.

My Recommendation

It is great for all kinds of skin but I am not very sure if it is a good idea for sensitive skin. So, sensitive skin gals should watch out!!! Otherwise, it is a must try at least once 🙂 and I am sure, you wouldn’t leave them ever. They can be used with exfoliators too but I guess that would be too harsh (I am not sure, though) but for me, it replaces the body scrubs. I don’t belive in over-doing things so if I am using this, I wouldn’t use anything else and if I use the body scrubs, I wouldn’t dream of using this.

The Body Shop Spiced Vanilla Body Scrub

Swathy · March 5, 2011 · 8 Comments

vanilla-chai-sugar-scrub — Image via thebodyshop.in

This is my first haul of The body shop and I got quite a few products in my stash now. For today, I shall be talking about the body shop spiced vanilla body scrub. So, let us start.

The Body Shop Spiced Vanilla Body Scrub Product Review

Price : Rs 875 for 200 ml (very expensive, though it seems normal now!!)

Let us start with smell. It just smells awesome – vanilla with a lot of hint of spice. The Body Shop Spiced Vanilla Body Scrub is creamy colored inclining towards brown due to cocoa butter and has a lot of spice and walnut shells. The walnut shells may feel harsh for the first time. I think sensitive skin should pass on. But, the second and third time were amazing with the scrub.

Using it after shower when the skin is thoroughly wet and warm, the butter gets absorbed well and moisturizes the skin from inside. And, the granules do not feel that harsh. The Body Shop Spiced Vanilla Body Scrub is extremely creamy and moderately thin in consistency so it keeps on sticking to the cap of the tub if it gets tilted or turned upside down.