L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

I picked up this travel sized tube of L'Occitane's Shea Butter hand cream a while back for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see how it compared to my favourite Clarins Hand & Nail Treatment cream and secondly, because it's a handy size for handbags.

I've used about half of the tube now so I felt it's about time I reviewed it! Compared with my favourite from Clarins, it doesn't smell as nice and it does take a little longer to absorb into the skin.

However, all is not lost! This hand cream provides a nice amount of hydration to the skin on my hands and whilst it does take a little longer to sink in, it doesn't take more than a minute or so. I took this on holiday with me and ended up using it as a foot cream which worked pretty well. It was also the only moisturising product I had in my bag on the flight home so I used it on some patches of dry skin on my arms so it's a great multi-purpose product, in my opinion.

All in all, it's a nice product. It's not my favourite hand cream but if you tried the Clarins one and didn't like the scent, you might prefer the less powerful scent of this. 

Available online here and anywhere L'Occitane is sold. It's £8.00 for a 30ml travel size and £18.50 for the 150ml full sized tube. 

Have you tried this hand cream? If you have any other hand cream recommendations, leave them in the comments because I love trying them!

Stace xx

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

Hand creams became a part of my regular routine this winter. Previously I might have had a small tube of hand cream languishing in a neglected handbag somewhere. I thought I didn't need one because I never really get any dry skin on my hands. I received a hand cream sample in my first Carmine box and I really enjoyed it so I've been trying out a couple more. 

I decided to splurge on the Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream because I'd heard several people say that whilst it's very moisturising, it soaks in quickly and doesn't leave a sticky feeling. That sticky feeling is a huge pet peeve of mine when it comes to hand creams. I have to say, this product has lived up to my expectations. 

If you have very dry hands, I'm not sure this cream will be enough for you but it suits my needs. I have also noticed that this product improves the look of the skin around my nails, too. I've not been reaching for my cuticle butter as often since using this. 

I only have a couple of minor issues; firstly, I don't like the cap. I wish it came with a flip cap rather than a screw on one because it's awkward to replace the cap immediately after applying the cream. I also would like it if this came in a smaller size for my handbag. As I said, they're only minor issues.

The Hand and Nail Treatment Cream is priced at £18.00 for 100ml. I picked mine up from Debenhams but it can be purchased anywhere Clarins is sold. If you shop around online, you may be able to find it a little bit cheaper. I think it's worth the price but I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives out there, too.

Stace xx