Cosmetics & Beauty News August 2010

Purple is coming back!
With such luminaries as Kim Karadashian and Salma Hayek all having been seen recently in purple, you can be sure that the colour is making a comeback. Which is good news for me, since it's my favourite colour! It's also the colour of Givenchy's new version of fragrance Rewind Play FFWD for Her Intense, which comes with a lovely glittery edge. The pink version is a lighter version or the normal version of the intense scent, both containing amyris wood, sandalwood, and tiare flower. The intense version adds pink peppercorns, orange flower, orchid, tonka bean and patchouli, while the normal version uses white peach, bergamot, sweet pea, magnolia and musks instead. Both are available now to help you spread the purple love from £34.50.
The colours also feature in No7's new limited edition autumn tribal range, which is only available until October 5th. Thunder and Peacock, both mono eyeshadows priced at £8 each, use rich blues and purples, while the £13 Limited Edition Eye Palette marries purple with orange, green and blue.
To cap it all, Lush's new TucaTuca fragrance, which starts at £5.50, contains violets and jasmine, so that you really can be purple all over. 

Have your cake and eat it
So it seems that good things really do come in small packages. Cake Beauty's 11-piece sample set sounds positively delicious, containing travel/gift sizes that include everything you could possibly want: shampoo, conditioner, refreshing mist, bath and shower gel, body mousse, body lotion, hand creme, and a hand and cuticle buffer. The set also offers an array of to-die-for flavours, including satin sugar and milk made. Available from a range of hidden independent boutiques around the world as well as around the web (see here for more info), it's a snip at around £30.

Arrivederci le vacanze...
So the holidays may be over with the prospect of returning to work or school looming on the horizon. However, Mama Mio has a solution to save your hardworking legs. Lucky Legs Cooling Serum not only brings relief to exhausted and swollen limbs but also makes your legs shimmer and sparkle with a touch of glitter. At £15.50, it should put a spring in your step, Italian style.

Back to school
If work doesn't appeal, there's always school. The Makeup School, recently set up by Jacqui McElroy in East London, offers courses to even complete beginners, and will give you all necessary theoretical and practical knowledge and advice to make up yourself and others. Check out www.themakeupschool.co.uk for more.

There's an app for that
The passion for mineral and natural cosmetics is now also increasingly combining with the new craze for smartphone apps. In their iPhone app, Pür Minerals offers you a commitment-free way to try out a new look. Add a photo of yourself to the app, click a product, select a shade, and experiment with products. You can then share the photo if you want, or start again, or click directly through to Pür Minerals' retail partners to purchase the products you've selected. Now that sounds convenient.

Under pressure
Plenty of us can feel under pressure at work, but many of us ladies also put our bodies under pressure by wearing high heels day in day out. The elegant-sounding Foot Petals offers products that claim to transform "even the most uncomfortable of shoes into walking-on-cloud experiences". Although the products themselves sound a bit 90s - Killer Kushionz, Heavenly Heelz and Sole Stopperz to name but a few - they look like they are easy to slip into your shoes and conceal as well as protect your feet with. Available from http://tszuji.co.uk for UK buyers.
Miss Oops is also another good brand to help keep you as cool as a cucumber: the new Rescue Sponge helps you to get rid of makeup stains and deodorant stains from your clothing fast for £8 and Mishap Tape covers all manner of sins for just £5.50. Available at Space NK now!


Gucci Guilty
Among the myriad new perfumes coming out this autumn is Gucci Guilty, which stars in its very own film noir style clip created by the author of Sin City. To celebrate the fragrance's release, they are also running a competition whose first prize is tickets to the MTV Awards this September. Good luck!






Super Summer Saver
Don't tell anyone, but Waitrose are giving you the chance to save your hair and your money from now until September 21, with there being 25% of all Tommyguns hair products.
Melvita is also bringing out a new organic hair care range, so there should be no struggle in getting your hair back into shape.

Ecoluxury from the Emerald Isle

Irish brand Max Benjamin reminds us of the importance of eco-friendliness all around the home with his Eco-Lux candles, which, as the weather gets colder, will be a welcome addition in helping us all to cosy up in a fully sustainable way. Made from 100% soy wax, the £18 candles are slow-burning and last longer than paraffin equivalents. The 15 seasonal fragrances, such as Dodici (rosemary, lemon, lavender, and marjoram), are all made from fine holistic oils, and are available from Selfridges London and Manchester as well as at www.maxbenjamin.ie.

There's something in the air
There's something very exciting in the air at The Fragrance Shop from today: any customer who spends over £10, in store or online, will receive a 'golden ticket' scratch card that gives the chance to win big prizes, including exclusive 'money can't buy' city breaks. There are also thousands of runner-up prizes and money-off vouchers up for grabs, but the big guns include Marc Jacobs bags, luxury perfumes, and trips to New York and Milan. You have until the end of September to try and win - see here for more info: www.TheFragranceShop.co.uk/goldenticket

Equazen eye q Omega-3 Capsules

RRP: £8.03/60 capsules from www.chemistdirect.co.uk

--What does the promo say?--

"Equazen eye q is a great way to get your Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids. They are called essential because your body can’t produce them so they have to come from your diet – it’s essential! These essential fatty acids play a vital role in almost every part of our bodies, including the brain. So taking Equazen eye q as part of your regular diet may help to maintain certain aspects of brain function such as learning ability."

--Packaging--

An attractive design on the box and bottle that uses silver, yellow, white and blue. However, my problem with the packaging - box and bottle - is that it does not explain enough to the consumer about what it is or what it will do. On the front, we are told that the eye q capsules are "a high-EPA fish oil formula", but we are never told what this means or what it will do for us. On the up side, the main benefits of taking the capsules (maintain concentration levels and help healthy brain development) and the directions for use are clearly and concisely listed.

--Use--

You are supposed to take 6 capsules a day - i.e., two with each meal - for the first twelve weeks of taking them, which decreases to two per day thereafter. This is relatively easy to adhere to, but there are always occasions when you will forget to take them, such as when you are in a rush in the morning or when you are eating a meal outside the home. Should be swallowed whole with water or juice.

--Scent and taste--

None, which is always good. I had never taken fish oil prior to being sent these, but I have heard that some fish oils can cause an unfortunate "fishy burp" style reflux. Nice. None of that with this, thankfully.

--Appearance--

Pretty normal fish oil style capsules: they are not too big and have a shiny, golden appearance.

--Effects on the body--

The effects stated on the box are fairly difficult to quantify or measure. My medic sister backed up the claims, saying that they should help to maintain the health of brain and eyes. I can't say I've noticed any increase in concentration or mental quickness, however (if we're looking for things that we can measure and report on easily), and I've even arguably experienced drier eyes in the period of use. The press release that accompanied the delivery of these capsules told an extended story: as well as boosting the health of joints, heart, brain and the eyes, it also alleges that the capsules should "moisturise hair, skin and nails from the inside out and even help boost general well-being[...]boosting nail growth and strength [and] giving a gloss and added volume to hair." My sister was more sceptical about these cosmetic claims. The main difference I noticed was that my eyes, while perhaps drier towards the end of the course (c. 4 weeks), did seem brighter. Hair may have been marginally more voluminous, but it certainly wasn't made any smoother or shinier: I visited my hairdresser about a week into the course and he was horrified at how dry and damaged my hair still was. I have seen no improvement in my skin and my nails are just as brittle as they usually are. Wellbeing = no change.

In short, effects are minimal to non-existent.

--Value for money--

£8 for 60 capsules may seem reasonable at first, but this quantity only lasts 10 days. I was sent two bottles (so £16 worth) and as previously stated, this, although meant to only last 20 days, lasted me a bit longer due to occasionally forgetting to take the capsules. I therefore estimate the overall course to have lasted around four weeks. I don't think that taking them religiously would have increased the effects much, and £16-£20 a month seems quite a lot to pay for something that doesn't do very much. Equally, this link proved interesting reading as to the value of this product, and leaves me wondering why Equazen have not removed their previously slammed claims from their packaging (it is still there on the bottle and box in black and white three years later).  My advice? Spend the money on Vitamin C instead, or if you're really concerned about getting Omega 3 and Omega 6 specifically, just eat lots of yummy mackerel, sardines and tuna :)

perfect partners

Cardiozen (30 capsules), £9.93

Equavision (30 capsules), £12.04

Eye Q Baby (30 capsules), £9.73

Eye Q Chews Strawberry (30), £4.35

Eye Q Liquid Citrus (200ml), £9.73

Eye Q Smooth (240ml), £11.29

Mumomega Capsules (30), £9.93

A Fresh Start

SPONSORED CONTENT

In previous months I've worked around the fragrance wheel, showing you how to recognise oriental, woody, and floral fragrances. There are just two areas still left to cover: fresh and fruity fragrances and fougère fragrances.

The 'fresh' category of the fragrance wheel (used to categorise all fragrances) incorporates water, green, and citrus-style smells. Not as commonly found as the other categories on the wheel, this does not mean that they are any less appealing. Hermès goes out on a limb with its unisex, fruity and fresh scents, such as Jardin Après Le Mousson, and another brand to make use of the fruitier side of life is Ralph Lauren, with perfumes such as Safari. While it also incorporates spices and woody notes, it uses lemon and juniper to create a unique citrus fragrance. And if it doesn't quite go far enough for you, you could also turn to other Ralph Lauren perfumes such as Ralph Rocks. The bright orange bottle is undoubtedly lurid, but it packs a positively tropical punch with its blend of kiwi, passion fruit and citrus fruits. 

For a fresher option, Issey Miyake's perfume for women presents L'Eau D'Issey, which promises to "bring together the benefits of earth and water". It uses cyclamen, which although it is a flower, is grown from tubers, which also produce potatoes and truffles. 

 Plenty of other ladies' perfumes allow outdoor girls to pick the fragrance that's just right for them. Examples of fruity fragrances can be found at DKNY (Be Delicious), Yves St Laurent (Champagne), Moschino (Cheap and Chic), Calvin Klein (CK One Summer), and Cartier (Eau de Cartier). For fresh or green perfumes, you can plump for Bond No 9, Charlie by Revlon, Versace Metal Jeans Women, or Diorissimo by Christian Dior. By looking beyond the obvious floral or oriental scents, you should be able to find a perfume that's right for you - a task often easier said than done, I grant you.

But what do you do when all of the areas on the fragrance wheel appeal to you, and you want something that mixes them all?

This is where the fougère fragrances come in. They sit in the middle of the fragrance wheel, and their name is French for fern, which might imply that they belong more to the fresh and fruity family, but in fact they contain elements from all four of the main categories: "the freshness of from the Citrus family, floral notes of lavender, the spicy-sweetness of a Floral Oriental, the ambery depth of an Oriental and the Mossy Woods warmth of sandalwood and oakmoss." (Thanks, Wikipedia!) Another notable feature of the fougère family is its unisex quality: while often worn by men, there's nothing to stop women from wearing them too. Davidoff's Cool Water is a famous example for men, while Guerlain's Jicky is an example that is mostly worn by women. Often containing elements such as lavender and oakmoss, they offer that touch of je ne sais quoi on your skin. 

Finding fougère perfumes for women can be tricky; even in this age of equality, and in spite of the fact that the fougère family does incorporate aspects of all four fragrance families, the fougère scents are more often than not associated with men. But it's not impossible:  Eau d'Elide (Diptyque), English Fern (Penhaligon's), and De Bachmakov (The Different Company) are touted as unisex fougère options. Ben Sherman's 2Tone can be worn by women, as can Luciano Soprani's 2, O Boticario's Acqua de Colonia, and Yardley's English Lavender. But these just scratch the surface; Fragrantica offers a full and detailed list of fougères on offer. But ultimately when perfume shopping the important thing is to find a fragrance that you like - not one that necessarily conforms to the label - man or woman, fougère or non - that someone else has given it.

Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum

RRP: from £41/30ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Calms. Soothes. Makes skin more resilient. The result: visible ageing is slowed. Now that’s a relief. Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum is formulated with scientifically proven, newly discovered anti-irritant ingredients of Chaga Mushroom, Pleurotus Mushroom, Certified Organic Sea Buckthorn, Spike Moss and Mangifera Leaf Extract. This upgraded, more-potent formula works faster on skin and builds on the clinically proven success of the original ingredients in the current Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Collection: Hypsizygus ulmarius, Cordyceps and Reishi Mushrooms, Turmeric, Ginger and Holy Basil. According to The National Center for Biotechnology Information, “the Chaga Mushroom is claimed to have beneficial properties for human health.” Pleurotus Mushrooms have been used by a variety of cultures for their beneficial properties. Sea Buckthorn, valued for its golden-orange fruits, provides Vitamins C and E, Folic Acid, Carotenoids, healthy Fatty Acids and Flavonoids. Spike Moss delivers rapid relief to the look of sensitive, red skin. Mangifera Leaf Extract offers Anti-Glycation benefits, helping to reduce the appearance of sensitivity.

PROVEN BY SCIENCE
Recent clinical and sensory studies were performed on hundreds of women from both the United States and Japan. Participants ranged from having normal skin to being dermatologist-diagnosed rosacea patients. After testing was conducted, Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum was clinically proven to:
√ Soothe Skin’s appearance
√ Reduce the appearance of Redness
√ Strengthen Skin’s moisture Barrier
√ Boost a look of Clarity

After just 1 month of continuous use:
96% said their skin felt soothed
94% said their skin appeared healthier
94% said the redness in their skin looked reduced
88% said their skin looked calmed and felt less reactive or sensitive
84% said their skin felt stronger and more resilient."

--Packaging--
The box is a calming, natural, unisex and unusual combination of dark green and white. Kept simple, it explains everything you need to know in concise and understandable terms. The dark green pump action bottle is mysterious and translucent as well as functional.

--Application--
Serums are traditionally applied after toning, but before moisturising. Apply directly to the skin or mix with moisturiser morning and night. No problems here.

--Appearance--
An unattractive runny beige lotion which thankfully blends into skin invisibly.

--Scent--
As you would expect, it has the clean earthy smell of fresh mushrooms, but it's in no way overpowering. It's perhaps a bit of a shame that the other ingredients, such as ginger and basil, don't get more of a look-in.

--Texture and consistency--
A smooth lotion that easily absorbs into the skin, whether on its own or mixed with your usual moisturiser.

--Effects on the skin--
Skin felt instantly smoother, and within a week seemed calmer and less red, as well as showing a demonstrable improvement in the number and severity of spots. I had previously read online that while mainly targeted at rosacea sufferers, those with acneic skin also saw a positive difference, and thankfully for me, the internet wasn't wrong. Huzzah! As for any anti-ageing claims, I'm not sure I'm convinced, but then again, I don't really espouse anti-ageing products anyway: just a normal moisturiser or even a sunscreen will do, surely?

--Value for money--
For something that really does provide relief and an improvement in skin appearance and health to sufferers of acne and rosacea, it's worth paying up - and if you can't quite stretch to the £40-£50 required, you can still test the technology in the smaller and more affordable £29 Skin Relief Collection. Additionally, Dr Andrew Weil, who has worked with Origins to make this products, donates all after-tax royalties and profits from this product range to the Weil Foundation, which supports the advancement of integrative medicine and the training of doctors, so there's an extra feel-good factor too.

perfect partners
Mega-Mushroom Face Cleanser, £23
Mega-Mushroom Treatment Lotion, £23
Mega-Mushroom Face Lotion, £46
Mega-Mushroom Face Cream, £46
Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Collection, £29
Mega-Mushroom Eye Makeup Remover Pads, £21
Mega-Mushroom Eye Serum, £36
Mega-Mushroom Skin-Calming Face Mask, £31
Mega-Mushroom Body Cream, £36

Liz Earle Foot Spritzer

RRP: £7/75ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Spritz your feet, legs and ankles with a cooling and invigorating burst of 9 essential oils including rosemary, spearmint and peppermint. This fast-drying spray fights odour-causing bacteria to help keep skin fresh. Available from 18th May to 5th September 2010, while stocks last."

--Packaging--
Fits in very well not only with the Liz Earle brand as a whole but also with the rest of the footcare range, with its simple blue styling. The spray is easy to use and does not jam.

--Application--
Spray onto legs, feet and ankles whenever they are feeling hot or tired.

--Appearance--
A clear spray which is invisible on the feet, which is quite a feat given how many foot sprays leave a powdery residue behind.

--Scent--
The predominant scents are the mint and rosemary, although it's nice to know that there are so many other good things in the spray too (the other oils help to soften skin, soothe aches and pains, calm stress, and tone the skin).

--Texture and consistency--
The spray is non-irritating in spite of the strong mint smell and the high content of essential oils. Incidentally, the spray does not feel oily at all.

--Effects on the skin--
The downside of the spray not being oily at all, despite it being composed primarily of essential oils, is that it is no substitute for other foot treatments: if your feet are dry, you will still need to use creams and scrubs. The spray is intended as a complementary product to these rather than as a replacement.

--Value for money--
The majority of foot sprays on the market are medicinal, with the prices of many of them approaching or even exceeding the price of the Liz Earle product. Very few foot sprays are intended as a pure luxury, and this product is perhaps unique in that it does both. Affordable, luxurious and high quality, it's definitely worth having for the summer months - but it's also limited edition, so get your mitts on it while stocks last.

perfect partners
Foot Scrub, from £4.50
Foot Repair Moisturiser, from £4.50
Cotton Rich Socks, £4.50

AmorePacific Moisture Bound Refreshing Essentials

RRP: $50

contains: 1.0 oz Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel, 1.0 oz Treatment Toner, 0.25 oz Treatment Enzyme Peel, 1.0 oz Treatment Cleansing Foam

available at: Sephora US

--What does the promo say?--
"AmorePacific Moisture Bound Introductory Collection Refreshing Essentials for Combination and Oily Skin is a limited-edition ensemble of handy skincare must-haves. These luxurious products are all you need to make your oily skin healthy, resilient, and age-resistant. Keep your complexion youthful and glowing—at home and on-the-go!"

--Packaging--
Very plain and bland, and not in a "wow, this looks really expensive and sophisticated" way (even though it is certainly the former). The whole design just looks like it has had little to no effort and time spent on it, and the bottles themselves look like something you'd find in a hotel room. Even just looking at it, you don't feel like this is going to be worth $50, especially since the sizes of the products are very small (when I was sent this, I thought this was just the sample size, but nope - they do actually want you to pay $50 for these tiny things [they are the size of what you get in a hotel room, too]).

--Application and usage--
No problems here. The cleanser lathers up well with a little bit of water and you only need a pea-sized amount. Rub onto damp face and then rinse off. The toner, again, just needs a little dabbed onto a cotton pad and you're away - sweep over face and neck and then wait for it to dry off a little before applying the moisturiser.
The enzyme peel is a little more unusual: tip a little into your hands, perhaps at the same time as the cleanser, mix with a little bit of water, rub over your face, and then rinse off.

--Appearance--
The cleanser is a stiff, slightly opaque white cream/gel containing tiny blue exfoliating particles, and makes a white lather when mixed with water. The toner is an unusual rose pink colour, and the moisturiser is an equally unusual duck-egg blue, slightly opaque gel. None of these leave any visible residue on the skin after use. The unorthodox enzyme peel consists of a creamy yellowish powder, which washes off clear.

--Scents--
The cleanser, enzyme peel and moisturiser just smell slightly soapy - a surprise given all the good stuff they contain, such as ginseng, green tea, and bamboo, which you'd think would give the products a more distinctive smell. The toner comes up to expectations, smelling as it looks (slightly rosy).

--Texture and consistency--
All of the products are really nice to use, with the cleanser being smooth and luxurious, the enzyme peel being satisfyingly scrubby, and the toner and moisturiser proving cooling.

--Effects on the skin--
Sadly, despite all of the botanical stuff this line contains, my skin just did not like this range. I suffered breakouts and my skin has been worse while using this than it has been for a long time. In the more detailed press release I was sent, I was promised "healthy, radiant, vibrant skin" and that pores would be unclogged, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles would be reduced, and that undamaged skin would be revealed to me thanks to the enzyme peel. Unfortunately I saw none of this and was gagging to get off this and back to my usual products.

--Value for money--
As already implied in the packaging section, you do not get very much for your money in terms of product volume, although saying that, the pack will easily see you through a holiday and beyond. I do not think that the brand image correlates well with the price of the products and certainly, for me at least, the results do not either. For better value travel products, American buyers would be better off steering clear of this and going for travel sizes from Liz Earle, Clinique, or Molton Brown. If, however, you do decide that any of these products might be for you, US buyer or not, the larger sizes of the individual products are likely to provide better value for money, as well as being more widely available.

perfect partners
Intensive Vitalizing Eye Complex, $125
Lip Treatment, $35
Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System, $35
Natural Protector SPF30, $65

Liz Earle Foot Repair Moisturiser

RRP: from £4.50/15ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Our refreshing peppermint-scented Foot Repair Moisturiser uses a blend of shea butter, skin-softening wheatgerm oil and avocado oil to intensively moisturise the driest of skins. Best of all, it sinks in fast so won't leave feet feeling greasy."

--Packaging--
The cool blue is lovely and, as usual, in terms of information on the tube, the company keeps it simple while still telling you everything that you need to know. However, the positive comments stop there: the company was probably trying to be clever and innovative with the incorporated pump action thing at the end of the tube, but it's totally nonsensical. The pump action seems to lead to a lot of air being trapped inside it, meaning that you can be going swimmingly one minute only to be pumping futilely the next, waiting for more lotion to struggle its way out.
[A spokesperson from Liz Earle, Laura Allard, adds the following advice, which I have not yet tried, but will do: "We would recommend that the pump is stored upright, on its lid, to ensure that the product is dispensed smoothly, and that the product is also dispensed in an upright position. If these measures do not work and you still continue to experience problems with the pump then please do let me know, and we will pass your concerns on to our product development team." So if you have problems with the pump too, feel free to comment about it here!]

--Application--
When the pump action is behaving itself, pump/squeeze out some lotion onto your feet (8-10 pumps for really dry feet; about half this if you're just maintaining already smooth feet) and then either rub your feet together or use your hands to massage the lotion in.

--Appearance--
A white, quite stiff lotion that doesn't leave any visible residue on skin.

--Scent--
The peppermint smell is the most obvious in this conglomerate of scents, and it's lovely and refreshing.

--Texture and consistency--
Sinks in quickly as promised and is not at all lumpy. Easy to rub in and does not leave hands or feet feeling greasy.

--Effects on the skin--
Improvement is almost certain, although perhaps don't expect perfection.

--Value for money--
As usual, Liz Earle has done well to provide an affordable travel size. The 100ml full size is £12.25, which isn't so bad for a luxurious and natural product. However, for a real miracle, spend a few pence more on the company's Superbalm, which will leave you scraping your jaw off the floor.

perfect partners
Foot Scrub, £4.50-£10.25
Cotton-rich socks, £4.50
Foot Spritzer, £7.00

Lush Stepping Stone Foot Scrub

RRP: £2.75/65 grams

--What does the promo say?--
"Everyone needs a Stepping Stone after an arduous day with your foot to the pedal. The green foot has the zesty You’ve Been Mangoed fragrance and punishing pumice to scrub away the rigours of life. Jojoba oil will moisturise dry skin without leaving them greasy and sea salt will treat them to plentiful minerals."

--Packaging--
As with many Lush products, this comes with minimal packaging - this time, a recyclable plastic wrap. The bad news is that this doesn't protect the product at all, so if you order online, chances are it will arrive broken into a few pieces. This also means that storing it is pretty tricky: I'd recommend buying one of Lush's larger tins (e.g. the one recommended for Buffy) so that you can easily store and access it in the shower.

--Application and usage--
Wet the feet, scrub on a little of this, massage into the feet and then rinse off. Turns the water a cool green colour :) Is easy to rinse and does not leave your hands with any sort of Shrek-like tinge.

--Appearance--
Formed into the shape of a foot, this might be worn down or battered a little by the time you receive it if using Lush's online ordering service. A nice natural-looking (not luminous) green, and the pumice particles are clearly visible.

--Scent--
The dominant smell here does come from the citrus elements and the lemongrass that's included; makes for a zesty and enlivening shower.

--Texture and consistency--
This has got to be just about the tamest exfoliator I have ever used (short of Avène's poor efforts) - it is extremely gentle and so could be good for those of you with sensitive skin or for those of you looking to just maintain smooth feet. However, it is also extremely crumbly and does melt and fizz under the shower water quite quickly, so perhaps it is better to break off the amount you wish to use so that the entirety of the product doesn't just disintegrate in your hand.

--Effects on the skin--
As was perhaps implied in the above remarks, as a treatment for dry hard skin this is too gentle to be effective. Probably better as a general maintenance product for those of you who already have smooth feet.

--Value for money--
At £2.75 this is one of Lush's cheaper products, and is probably an efficacious day-to-day maintenance product. However, if you are looking for a treatment, you will need something more heavy-duty, such as Lush's Ocean Salt, which is more expensive but also gives far more positive results.

perfect partners
Sugar Scrub, £2.60/100 grams
You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt, £2.80/30 grams
Avobath Bath Ballistic, £2.90/180 grams