Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Scrub

RRP: £21.50 for 150g
 
 --What does the promo say?--
"A professional treatment used in Caudalie’s Vinothérapie® Spas in Bordeaux, France, this natural, grape-rich body scrub made with exfoliating grape-seeds, rich honey, softening brown sugar and 6 essential oils, leaves the skin smooth, ultra soft and silky. For anyone looking for deep exfoliation combined with slimming action. 99% natural ingredients."

--Packaging--
As mine came as part of a gift set from my sister-in-law, it was in a tiny kilner jar. This appears to be in a plastic tub with a black screw-top lid. The advantage of both is that you can get right in there with your fingers to scoop out the last dregs (as opposed to, say, a tube). However, the opening mechanism of the kilner jar may be easier to grab hold of in the shower when you're trying to open or close it with slippery fingers.

--Application--
Caudalie's website recommends usage twice a week on damp skin. I was using mine every day to attack the dry skin on my feet and didn't suffer any ill effects from this, so you probably could use it more frequently on really tough areas. Twice a week, however, is probably a good idea if you are just trying to maintain normal skin condition.

--Appearance--
A brown, grainy scrub in which the crushed grape seed and sugar granules can be easily seen.

--Scent--
Despite all of the essential oils this contains, the only scent I could pick up on was the bitter, anti-oxidant smell of the crushed grape seed. Luckily, this isn't overly bitter or overpowering, so perhaps the essential oils used serve mainly to balance this out, rather than to be the stars of the show themselves.

--Texture and consistency--
Very good for a gentle yet effective attack on dry body skin. However, it might be too harsh for use on your face, just in case anyone was thinking of trying it: as mentioned, the exfoliating agents used are clearly visible and exist in quite large granules. The essential oils make the scrub smooth, not sticky, and the scrub as a whole is easy to rinse.

--Effects on the skin--
Clearly diminishes the quantity and appearance of dry skin, and then subsequently manages skin condition. Skin is smoothed and moisturised simultaneously, leaving you feeling like you've had a luxurious yet effective experience.

--Value for money--  
While the price may initially seem a little steep, here are some thoughts to consider: a) you get the desired results; b) the experience of using this product is spa-like rather than purely utilitarian; c) if you want high-quality ingredients, then you have to pay; and d) even my tiny jar lasted ages, so this cavernous and heavy-duty pot should endure for an eternity. Would recommend.

perfect partners
Contouring Concentrate, £24
Draining Herbal Teas, £10
Nourishing Body Lotion, £20

Scholl Nail Beauty Set

 RRP: £40

--What does the promo say?--
"This useful Scholl Nail Beauty Set includes 13 different manicure and pedicure attachments, and an integrated nail dryer."

 --Packaging--
The box is Scholl's usual cheerful blue and yellow, which means you immediately associate it with a trustworthy brand, and implies that the product will be effective. The nail beauty set itself is compact and practical, meaning you could easily take it with you on holiday or to a sleepover, without it a) falling open in your bag and spilling all the attachments everywhere, or b) it taking up too much space. Each attachment has its own individual space in the carry case, and the nail drier is well integrated into the tray as well. The lid is an attractive blue-green colour and is made of see-through plastic, evoking images of sea, spas, and swimming pools, which all adds to the general notion of well-being. There's room enough, too, between the lid and appliance to ensure that there is enough space for the mains wire (no matter how haphazardly you shove it in there) and the instruction leaflet (which comes in English and Arabic).

--Usage--
The aforementioned instruction leaflet is clear and concise, and comes with a handy diagram that labels each attachment with a letter for logical identification. It would be even better if each attachment had the corresponding letter marked on it, or if the kit came with stickers for you to mark them yourself - some attachments are quite small and look similar to others. Still, you could always do this yourself with a permanent marker. The two-speed manicure pen is easy to use and not at all painful (even if the whirring sound is a little reminiscent of a trip to the dentist), and can be used either wirelessly or while plugged into the mains (the same is true of the unit itself when you wish to activate the nail dryer). The attachments are also easy to clip into place and then to remove, which along with the painlessness of treatment makes the set ideal for beginners who may lack confidence with professional-seeming instruments.

--Results--
The various files shape nails and cuticles effortlessly, leaving a smooth rather than ragged finish. The buffing discs are also effective once you've finished evening out the nails that have a rougher texture. However, the cones for removing rough skin are perhaps the stars of the show, transforming your lizard feet in moments. The integrated nail dryer is also convenient and does the job well.

--Value for money--
The efficacy and simplicity of this kit makes the £40 price tag a pleasant surprise. Scholl could easily charge double for it and it would still be worth it. However, the £40 RRP keeps it accessible for all, and it's perfect for keeping your feet in top condition in between (or perhaps even in place of) professional pedicure sessions. I was sent mine for free by Scholl's lovely PR, but would definitely pay out for it and recommend it to others (FWIW, Amazon and Argos are the main suppliers).

perfect partners
Velvet Smooth Essential Moisture Cream, £5.99
Velvet Smooth Foot Soak, £6.99
Colour Pop Foot Spa, £30 
Fungal Nail Treatment, £19.40

JML Pedi Pro Deluxe

RRP: £19.99

--What does the promo say?--

"Pedi Pro Deluxe is a professional pedicure treatment that fits in the palm of your hand. This electronic personal bodycare system has a high-speed rotating head, with hundreds of ultra fine micro-crystals. The head quickly, but gently, removes dead and hard calloused skin, while exfoliating and rejuvenating your feet. The result? Silky smooth, soft soles that feel like they've just stepped out of the salon. Pedi Pro Deluxe has 2 different speed settings, and comes with buffing pads that will give your feet the perfect finishing touch. Skin shavings collect in the in-built storage tray, so there's absolutely no mess. Safe and easy to use, Pedi Pro Deluxe is the perfect at home salon solution to dry cracked skin on your feet, toes and heels."

--Packaging--

The ergonomic design of the appliance means it sits very well in your hand, and while large (probably the size of your hand!) it's easy to hold. The hot pink plastic means it seems to be very much aimed at women, so even though it's superficial, bringing it out in other colours, such as black, could help it reach a wider market. While it's not always easy to fit all the parts together initially, the appliance is easy to operate thanks to a switch with three settings (full blast, half strength, and off). All of the blades and accessories can be stored with the appliance in its accompanying hot pink drawstring bag.

--Usage instructions--

Push the switch to half strength initially until you get more of a feel for how the appliance works. While the whirring and buzzing does sound terrifying at first, when you put the spinning blade to the soles of your feet it really is as promised: just a gentle buffing away of dead skin akin to the procedures and equipment used by professional podiatrists. Use on dry feet only (i.e. not when you've just stepped out of the shower!) and you may also find it helpful to use it while standing in the shower: while the appliance itself will catch most of the dead skin, some excess does fall outside of this area.

--Effects on the feet--

Just as it says on the tin, dead skin (even really thick layers of it) is gently but quickly buffed away.

--Recommendations for improvement--

This appliance runs on batteries, and I prefer mains-powered appliances, so would prefer a version of the product that plugs into the wall to recharge, even if this makes the product more expensive. I'd also recommend that a version of the product is released that is more like a pen shape (or, alternatively, that an attachment for the current product is trialled), as this is also what's used by podiatrists to get to the sides of the toes and in between toes more easily.

--Value for money--

A great value electrical appliance that does exactly what it promises, is near-equivalent to equipment used by professional podiatrists, is affordable, and is an excellent step up from JML's previous product on this theme, the Ped Egg. Brava!

perfect partner

Pedi Pro Deluxe Replacement Pads, £2.99

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

Le Couvent des Minimes Hikers' Foot Healer

RRP: €12,90 for 75ml
retails in France (Marionnaud), Belgium (Ici Paris XL), and Canada (Jean Coutu); for stockists see www.lecouventdesminimes.com

--About the brand--
"The Minimes Convent, situated in Mane in the Provençal Alps, is a historic environment where since 1862 a love for plants and natural ingredients has traditionally flourished. The terraced gardens which surround the convent are overflowing with hundreds of botanical species that are studied, cultivated and used year after year by the convent's residents. Today the recipes of the Minimes Convent pay homage to this long tradition of care and well-being using plants with products for home and body."
original text from www.marionnaud.com; translation mine

--What does the promo say?--
"This cream unites 9 plants that have been carefully selected for their recognised healing properties. Its rich, non-greasy and emollient formula is rapidly absorbed to intensely nourish dry feet, soften the skin, and calm hot and tired feet with its perfume coming from essential oils."
original text from www.marionnaud.com; translation mine

--Packaging--
A spin-off of the L'Occitane brand, Le Couvent des Minimes offers similarly traditional and simple packaging. The foil tube is very appealing as it not only offers an unusual look away from the plastic and glass of several foot cream tubes and jars, but also presumably means that it's recyclable. The red label and box used for this product is also a nice touch.

--Application--
Apply liberally to dry feet and leave to soak in.

--Appearance--
A pale white cream that leaves no visible residue on the skin once absorbed.

--Scent--
Simply gorgeous; reminiscent of lemon sherbet sweets in a very natural way.

--Texture and consistency--
Smooth, creamy and luxurious. As promised, it is absorbed easily without being greasy.

--Effects on the skin--
Offers tangible improvements. While skin is not immediately as smooth as a baby's, the difference detected between uses, particularly the first time, is significant, with itchy feelings reduced and dry skin smoothed out. It provides similar effects to Liz Earle's Superbalm, which is about £3.50 more than this at today's exchange rates.

--Value for money--
This is an effective, attractive and affordable product. Though a little less expensive than Liz Earle's Superbalm (its nearest comparable competitor in terms of ingredients and results), it comes very close to the wow factor that the Liz Earle product delivers. However, perhaps what you really get for your money here is the exclusivity: with it only available in France, Belgium and Canada, and virtually impossible to purchase online (especially if you live outside of these three countries), it is "une vraie exclusivité" that you can treat yourself to with pleasure, or bring back with delight as a gift for family or friends.

perfect partners
Creamy Foot Exfoliant, €13,30
Honey & Shea Butter Calming Foot Cream, €15,20

Boots Deep Moisturising Foot Cream

RRP: £3.86 for 100ml pot

--What does the promo say?--
"A soothing, medicated and antiseptic foot cream with natural extracts of mint, lavender and marshmallow to nourish and soften hard dry skin. Suitable for all skin types. Lanolin free."

--Packaging--
A slightly-smaller-than-palm-size glass pot, which allows you to see the green lotion within. Simple green label detailing the key ingredients and with a clearly-placed Boots logo. White plastic screw-top lid. It's a bit big to take in your hand baggage on holiday, but it would be easy enough to decant out what you need. If you did want to take it on holiday, the lid closes securely and there are no problems with leakage.

--Application--
Slather onto dry feet and rub in thoroughly. Wear moisturising socks to make absorption more effective if desired. Unfortunately the cream does not absorb really quickly as compared to its Body Shop and Efasit competitors.

--Appearance--
A pale mint green colour that perfectly matches the label and evokes the key ingredients. Nicely done. On the feet there is no visible residue.

--Scent--
The lavender and mint combine really nicely to create a unique fusion scent, although both scents are discernible separately if you concentrate hard enough. It's a little disappointing that the sweetness of the marshmallow isn't really detectable, but I suspect it's more there for softness and smoothness than for the scent, which is fair enough.

--Texture--
A bit too runny for me really, although not to the point of unmanageability. I think it's because of its runniness that it doesn't absorb too well, which is a bit of a shame. I also found it slightly greasy to rub in.

--How does your skin feel afterwards?--
Even with the help of moisturising socks, I wouldn't say it's as effective as creams I've used in the past. It does moisturise feet a little bit, but there just isn't the wow factor and repeated applications are definitely needed more than with the other creams I've used.

--Longevity--
No/few noticeable long-term effects.

--Does it do what it says it will?--
While it does smooth out hard skin, the effects are so short-term that the repeated applications hardly seem worth it. The addition of marshmallow also puzzles me: why put it in there if it will have no effect? According to wikipedia (the fount of all knowledge, of course), mint and lavender have proven antiseptic and medicinal qualities, while marshmallow has none. So is it just to seduce customers with images of softness and bounciness? Who knows? However, as promised, this product contains no lanolin, making this product suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

--Value for money--
While you can't argue with the price, it's no good to have a product at a lower price if it doesn't stand up to its competitors. Sorry Boots.

Avon Footworks Moisturising Socks

RRP: £4 (one size fits all)

--What does the promo say?--
"Team up these lavish treats for twice the delight - massage on the luxurious cream then wear the moisturising socks to intensify the treatment! (Socks 92% cotton, 8% elastane)"

--Packaging--
These socks come in their own delightful little stripy plastic travel pouch, which is a really nice touch. Think they probably come wrapped in cellophane or something when new as well (it's been a while since I bought mine so memory is slightly hazy...).

--Usage--
Pretty simple really - massage into your feet whatever cream you want or need, whether medicinal or luxury, pop on the socks and let them work their magic while you walk around the house or while you sleep.

--Appearance--
I apologise for the picture I've had to use for this entry, it really is awful and cheesy. The picture in the catalogue is much better - the socks are white, and it appears that the pink design on the bottom is a recent addition. They've also apparently made another inferior change - the 'old style' socks, the ones I bought just a few months ago, have a sort of v-shape on the top of the foot, kind of like pop socks/trainer socks, which just looks a bit cooler than the ankle sock style in the picture. The socks also get dirty quite quickly. Shame.

--Texture--
The socks themselves are very soft and because of the high levels of cotton, they won't irritate your feet at all. Hoorah.

--Fabric quality--
First of all, I don't believe the one-size-fits-all claim. While I think the elastane would stretch nicely for the larger foot (up to a women's size 8 I'm guessing), these socks would probably be seriously baggy on a smaller foot. I'm a UK size 6 and these socks really sag on my heels (meaning they come off really easily during the night as well, even though they don't fall off if I'm walking around them during the day). They would probably, then, best suit women of a UK size 5-8 foot. Any smaller and they'll probably fall off, any bigger and they probably won't fit. Beyond that, their shape and size doesn't change during washing (good thing), and as already mentioned, they're kind to your feet too.

--Efficacy--
These socks really do their stuff, both medicinally and in terms of luxury. Recently I had a bit of a case of athlete's foot on one foot, while my other foot was fine. I slathered the normal foot in Body Shop Body Butter and popped on the sock, while on the other foot I did the same but with athlete's foot cream. A few hours of walking around the house later and BOTH feet were perfectly soft and smooth. I kid you not. Athlete's foot = gone. Definitely much more effective than the usual rubbing into the skin and hoping for the best.

--Value for money--
These socks are of course reusable, and despite the slight sagginess and general non-fulfilment of the one size fits all claim, they really do their stuff and restore your feet to soft tootsie heaven. Brill.

perfect partner
Foot and Elbow Cream with AHA, £4 (75ml)

Efasit Intensive Moisture Balm

RRP: £2.99/80ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Active care for active feet. Conditions, softens and gently deodorises over-dry and rough feet. With natural jojoba and rosemary oils and vitamin E. It penetrates deeply to help smooth and soften dry skin and to protect against moisture loss."

--Packaging--
The tube uses a green, yellow and white colour scheme, which makes it look fresh, revitalising and young. Colours are unisex too, though the diagram of a hand massaging a foot makes the body parts look distinctly womanly. The positioning of the diagram, brand name etc is well laid out and the practical white lid allows you to stand the tube up or lie it down as necessary without liquid seeping out. The lid closes securely and the tube is approximately 12cm in height.

--Application--
After rubbing your feet with a pumice stone and/or exfoliator during your bath or shower, apply a few pearl-sized drops of the cream to clean dry feet and massage in. The cream sinks into the feet easily without too much effort.

--Appearance--
The cream is an attractive pale green colour that looks very natural and not a far cry from various aloe vera products. There is no visible residue after using this product.

--Scent--
I couldn't quite put my finger on what it smelt of until I looked again at the list of ingredients. As well as the ingredients already stated, the cream contains menthol and camphor, and it's these that you get a slight whiff of. However, none of the ingredients seem to have an overbearing scent.

--Texture--
The cream is quite stiff but I would prefer this to a runny cream any day. Despite the cream's apparent stiffness it rubs into the feet easily.

--How does your skin feel afterwards?--
Immediately the skin on your heels and the balls of your feet feels smoother.

--Longevity--
The above effects can be felt throughout the day, and this I was impressed with as you can often lose the effects of a cream as you go about your daily business.

--Does it do what it says on the tube?--
Oh yes. I noticed a difference within a day or two of using this product, and my feet were in a pretty sorry state (probably owing to a combination of previous athlete's foot, walking everywhere I go, and having just started pointe work in my ballet classes). Soon my heels and the balls of my feet were smooth again and I'm continuing to use it for preventative care. It also stops your feet from being all stinky, so yay :)

--Value for money--
This product is excellent in terms of value for money. 80ml doesn't sound like much for your £3 (or $6 to our American friends) but you only need a small amount each day to see a significant difference.

perfect partners
Efasit Super Relaxing Leg Lotion, 200ml
Efasit 18-hour deodorant spray

--Available from:--
Available from Boots, and from a variety of online retailers, including:
http://www.mobilispodiatry.com/
http://www.mobilishealthcare.com/
http://www.petersfieldchiropody.com/
http://www.britsuperstore.co.uk/
For other UK stockists, call 0191 370 9466.