Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Puree

RRP: £9 for 250ml

--What does the promo say?--
"A lightweight moisturiser that softens, smoothes and hydrates the skin. Leaves skin delicately scented with the decadent Japanese cherry blossom fragrance."

--Packaging--
Pump-action pink bottle with a black pump, decorated with beautiful pink blossom illustrations and with the product information written in white. The only thing I could think of for improvement would be to make the pinkness of the bottle translucent rather than solid so that you could see how much was left. All very nice to look at :) Having tested this product on a sample basis, I can't comment on how easy it is to use, but there's only so difficult a pump-action bottle can be ;)

--Application--
Simple really - pump out the amount desired and rub into places on your body where people will be able to smell it: arms, decolletage etc. Note that this is not a facial moisturiser, so don't get too carried away (this is a disclaimer so that people don't whinge at me for indirectly ruining their previously perfect complexions, mmkay?).

--Texture/consistency--
Not stiff like the body butters that the Body Shop is famous for; rather, the 'body puree' is more watery, but still of a good consistency that absorbs nicely and doesn't run off your fingers while you're still trying to rub it in. Good if you are after something more delicate and everyday than the intensive rescue of the body butters.

--Appearance--
A pink, translucent, slightly runny cream/gel type substance. No residue is left on the skin.

--Scent--
Just gorgeous: deep, fruity and yet still musky, sophisticated and light. I smelt it walking past the Brighton branch of Body Shop and just had to go in because my first thought was 'my God, what IS that?' [Thanks to the staff in the Brighton branch, by the way, you were so lovely and helpful :) ] On the skin it smells just as intense and distinctive without being overpowering.

--Longevity--
You will only need to apply this once to make it last all day. It is an absolute joy to smell this on your skin right up until you go to bed.

--Value for money--
I was somewhat doubtful as I couldn't seem to justify spending £9 on a bottle of that size, which is why I got a sample. However, I would definitely go back and buy it now. A lot of brands have jumped on the Japanese plants bandwagon recently (Avon and SKII come to mind, though SKII is if you like the 'original' brand to cotton on to this) and I think the Body Shop is very wise to follow. I don't suffer with dry skin myself, but this product is lovely even if you don't: already my skin feels smoother after just one application. Because the gel is so thin, it spreads very well, so you don't need to use much on an application-by-application basis. A bottle would therefore last quite a long time and the fact that the smell lasts so long too makes a bottle of this a worthy investment - especially given its limited edition status along with all its other Japanese Cherry Blossom cousins.

perfect partners
Japanese Cherry Blossom Reed Diffuser, £12 for 80ml
Japanese Cherry Blossom Eau de Toilette, £14 for 50ml
Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Butter, £14 for 200ml
Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel, £8 for 250ml