Villainess Ginger Snapped Whipped! Body Cream - review

I picked this up from Violet Box when they were still in operation, and I've been saving it because I love Villainess products and wanted to get through some other 'less fun' body creams first.

While I do like the product, I've used better from Villainess and I wouldn't repurchase this because it's not a stand-out for me and I'm burning through this cream faster than I have any body cream before, so it's not great value on a price-per-use basis.

As always I love the Villainess packaging: it's fun and interesting without being tacky, and I think the brand has done a great job of marketing and packaging its products in a way that suits everything it creates.

Plus everything I've used from these guys has smelled amazing, and this cream is no exception: it smells exactly like ginger snapped biscuits in a complex way (so it's not too sweet), and it's a pleasure to use for that reason alone.

Villainess claims/product details:

• Whipped! body cream is thick and stiff, yet light and quite soluble - much like edible whipped heavy cream
• Uses a combination of three vegetable derived emulsifiers to create a very stable, conditioning emulsion
• Contains a heavy moisture content for dry skin, enough oils to create a breathable emollient barrier, and has a velvet-soft after-feel
• Includes extra-decadent cherry kernel oil, antioxidant rich grapeseed oil, light coconut oil and our favourite luxury mango butter
• A touch of silicones ensures it leaves a soft, silky touch to your skin
• Characteristic scent: a blend of sweet cinnamon, rich cardamom, spicy ginger and a faint touch of innocent vanilla
• Shelf-life after opening: two months
• RRP $11 USD for 170g (from memory it retailed for about $16 in Australia)

Verdict

Let's start with the good stuff: I get a lift whenever I use this because the scent is super delicious and I haven't used anything that smells this interesting before (aside from the Villainess body scrub, an HG product of mine). 

I also love the packaging so I'm happy to have it out on display in the bathroom because it makes me look a lot funkier than I am ; )

Aside from those things, I don't love this body cream for a number of reasons:

First, it's not hydrating enough for my dry skin so my body never feels nourished after using this and I can't use it in winter when my skin's at its driest.

Second, the texture is ok but it's not as rich as the description leads you to believe: it's not like a 'heavy whipped cream' but more like the diet stuff that comes in spray cans and doesn't feel heavy/concentrated but more airy in texture.

Third, as mentioned above, I'm burning through this product so quickly that even though it's not super expensive, it's just not worth the outlay because I'll easily get through it within a month. Yes my skin is dry, but I've used light lotions that are more hydrating than this and my skin doesn't feel happy and nourished after using this cream.

Finally, two months is far too short a shelf-life for a body cream. Yes I'll get through it by then but I don't like being forced to use the same product every day because I'd prefer to mix things up: eg I use a body oil twice a week after exfoliating; I use a tanning cream once or twice a week to maintain my colour; and I don't always want to smell like gingerbread - particularly in the mornings when I'm going out and don't want something that interferes with my perfume.

In sum, you might really love this if you have normal to oily skin and prefer lighter creams (and you mightn't need to use as much as I do since my dry skin drinks this up like crazy), but it's just not for me.