Bath and Body Works Paris Amour Shower Gel

RRP: £9.75/295ml

--What does the promo say?--

"Bath and Body Works Shower Gel Paris Amour Shower Gel. A luxurious shower gel with moisturizing Aloe Vera and nourishing Vitamin E that gently clean, soften and fragrance your skin with Paris Amour of French tulips, apple blossoms and sparkling pink champagne."

--Packaging--

The brand's characteristic ergonomically designed curved bottle is complemented this time around by a pink bow and pastel colour design, complete with an Eiffel Tower in the background. Definitely feminine! The push-down lid is practical and easy to use, and labelling is thankfully kept to a minimum - I can't stand it when products are labelled to within an inch of their lives, leaving you without any way of seeing how much of the product is left.

--Application--

Under the shower, lather over your body, keeping away from eyes, mouth, and all other obvious places. Rinse off at leisure.

--Appearance--

The gel is pale pink and lathers into a pale white foam; no visible residue is left on the body after use.

--Scent--

It never ceases to amaze me at how companies manage to achieve the effect they want without using the actual ingredients concerned. Even though this gel does not, of course, contain pink champagne, tulips, or apple, that is strangely exactly what is detected by our noses. (Although who knows whether that's because it's what we've been TOLD to expect?) The shower gel smells fruity and floral with a slight 'fizziness'. Bizarrely, the aloe vera is not at all detectable.

--Texture and consistency--

The gel itself is perhaps a little too viscous for my liking, but it lathers nicely into a foam that's satisfyingly thick (although not absurdly so).

--Longevity--

Sadly, the smell does not linger. While the gel makes body skin feel soft, I'd say the effect of this is no more and no less than any other gel, in spite of the presence of aloe vera and vitamin E.

--Value for money--

While Bath and Body Works products always make great gifts thanks to their tantalising and unusual scent combinations and concepts, and offer a practical purpose combined with a luxurious experience, I can see how some people may begin to find this a bit on the expensive side, especially considering that so few natural ingredients go towards making up the scent itself. Some may consider Ecosoapia's hand and body wash products to offer a more viable alternative - they're £5 for the same amount of product, and are organic, meaning that the origins of the scent are probably more easily traceable. However, Ecosoapia's offerings are fairly standard (peppermint, almond, rose geranium...), whereas Bath and Body Works inject truly new and different fragrances into today's market. What tradeoff/s are you willing to accept? Only you can decide.

perfect partners

Paris Amour Body Mist, £10.45

Paris Amour Body Lotion, £10.15

Paris Amour Body Cream, £10.50

Paris Amour Body Butter, £11.50