Molton Brown Global Heroes

--What does the promo say?--

"London via the World
Our star performers return from exotic climes to celebrate in London, our home. Including five of our bath & shower gel stars all wrapped up in the colours they deserve.
Unite. Energise. Celebrate.
Contains 100ml sizes of:
Re-charge Black Pepper Bodywash
Relaxing Yuan Zhi Bath & Shower
Vitalising Vitamin AB+C Bath & Shower
Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower
Warming Eucalyptus Bath & Shower"

--Packaging--

Each of the shower gels comes in a hard transparent plastic bottle, with a raised design towards the top of the bottle. Writing on the bottle is kept minimal, with the shade varied according to the shower gel colour. The screw-top lid is decorated with a nice silver effect that's sure to add a touch of sophistication to any bathroom. The 100ml sizes are perfect for travel - you can voyage safe in the knowledge that they won't leak on the way. They are together presented in a gold, silver and bronze gift box (although the set I was sent by Molton Brown's PR didn't come with this).

--Usage instructions--

Lather onto wet skin under the shower, or run under a flow of hot water for a sumptuous bubble bath. Relax, then rinse.

--Appearance--

Each of the gels is a different colour in keeping with its theme and ingredients. Harmoniously, the Vitamin AB+C gel is a cheerful yellow, while the pepper version is a dark brown, almost verging on black. The pink pepperpod version speaks for itself, while the eucalyptus shower gel is green. None of these leave any visible residue on the skin after rinsing off the white lather that's created.

--Scent--

The gels smell exactly as would be expected from their ingredients, and are rich, high-quality, and natural incarnations of these to boot. The only perhaps less known scent - the yuan zhi root, for the "London via China" shower gel - smells, rest assured, deliciously fragrant, striking an ideal balance between sweet and musky, and is more intense than its body cream counterpart, which I also tested recently. The Vitamin AB+C gel and eucalyptus gel are to be commended for their vibrancy, and the pepper gels for their spice. With the exception of the black pepper gel, which smells decidedly masculine, all are quite unisex and can be used by the whole family.

--Texture and consistency--

I have already mentioned the fine yet luxurious white foam that's created by lathering up under the shower (I don't have a bath enabling me to test it in this form, though - boo hiss). Neither too runny nor too viscous, and definitely not sticky, the gels make it easy to get a good lather going and deliver a consistently pleasant performance as a result. Easy to rinse.

--Value for money--

At £36 for 5 shower gels, you have a convenient travel product that allows you to try out 5 different scents for £7.20 each. Such prices are on a par with high-end brands as diverse as Hugo Boss, Green People and Korres, which I feel is a good price point in the sense of reflecting the quality of the ingredients used and overall product result. However, as all of these gels are available in 300ml formats at £18 each, it's clear that the full sizes are better value (at the travel/gift rate of £7.20 per 100ml, you'd be paying around £21.50 for a 300ml bottle instead). It's easy, though, to see why the premium is there: the extra packaging involved in gift or travel sets has to be paid for somehow, and consumers are usually willing to pay extra for the luxury of choice or convenience. This kit fulfils those functions easily - but once you've chosen the scent you prefer, definitely go for the full-size bottle for optimal value and keep your eyes open for Molton Brown's sales.

perfect partners

Women's Stowaway 2012, £46

Women's Traveller 2012, £40 

Frequent Traveller 2012, £40

Radiant Lili-pili Hairwash, currently £9 in the sale

Molton Brown Healthy Ziao Jao Hair Wash

RRP: £17/300ml

--What does the promo say?--
"This revitalising hair cleansing wash is ideal for everyday use. Crammed full of ziao jao extract, hydrolysed keratin and aromatic oils of juniper, artemisia and pepper, it’ll help keep your hair and scalp clean and looking healthy. Ziao jao, also known as Chinese honeylocust fruit, is known to help cleanse and keep the scalp looking healthy and soothed. Suitable for normal hair types."

--Packaging--
The sample size is a good deal simpler than the full-size bottle, which seems to have gone for an even more sophisticated layout style, with nice effective use of yellow. Despite the yellow, the shampoo's not just for blondes. The screwtop lid may be difficult to get used to for some, but fear not: shampoo slides out of the bottle slowly and there's little or no wastage.

--Application--
Lather into wet hair, and rinse after a few minutes. Nothing to worry about there.

--Appearance--
Lather is white and very ordinary-looking. No visible residue is left in hair after rinsing.

--Scent--
Unusual; floral/botanical but not sickly in any way. The fragrance is one that lingers in the hair and attracts compliments.

--Texture and consistency--
The shampoo itself is quite viscous (hence the lack of wastage mentioned in the packaging comments), but it's easy to work through the hair and easy to rinse out as well. A smooth lather is instantly created on contact with water.

--Effects on the hair--
Hair is tamed, smoothed and straightened, but frizz is not 100% reduced and there's no increase in shine either. Shame.

--Value for money--
I know it's a luxury brand, and a little goes a long way and everything, but really. This is pretty darned expensive for something that only delivers OK/normal results. If there were a matching conditioner (there isn't), you'd be talking about paying £34 for a shampoo and conditioner. Buy the travel versions for your holidays, since they are just unbeatably convenient, but then go for full-size salon brands for everyday, such as John Frieda or Trevor Sorbie (which, perhaps ironically, are considerably less expensive).