little white truths

As you may know, this little sample of hand and body lotion came in our last-ever boxes from Maslow & Co (see unboxing post here) before Maslow closed down.

I feel a little wistful mentioning Maslow, I must say. I so looked forward to those bi-monthly boxes and I've been missing them. Yes I still have quarterly boxes arriving as part of Mecca's Beauty Loop program, but it's been years since I've been living without at least one subscription box so it feels a little odd.

While it's a good thing for the wallet of course (and for the flow of products entering the house), but I'd hoped to continue my Maslow subscription for years. Alas, not to be. I shall live ; )

Unfortunately I don't love this body cream but at least it wasn't a full size so I don't have much product to get through.

Initially I'd intended to save it for when we go to Queensland in April because it's a good size for travel, but when I was told that I couldn't put my usual skincare on my face after winding up with contact dermatitis, I whipped this out so I could try something new and fun on my body instead.

Sadly, it's not for me and I'll be happy to finish my sample. More on why below.

Evolve claims/product details:

• A delightfully hydrating lotion to moisturise hands and body
• Organic shea butter nourishes and softens the skin, while aloe vera calms irritation
• Delicately fragranced with warming blood orange and vanilla, with notes of spicy black pepper and cedarwood
• This beautiful organic hand and body lotion leaves skin perfectly comforted, moisturised, soft and sweet-scented
• RRP $12 AUD for 60ml

Verdict

This is one of those products that looks, sounds and smells lovely but it doesn't do the one thing it's mean to do: that is, moisturise. Or at least, it doesn't do that for me.

It's an off-white cream with a gorgeous scent. I can definitely smell the orange, vanilla and spicier notes, and it's a fragrance I really enjoy. That's the one good thing about it.

I've been using this for the past couple of weeks on both my hands and body, and unfortunately it doesn't work well for either.

One of my biggest gripes with the product is that it just doesn't want to spread or absorb, so I apply it and find myself with white streaks everywhere that won't rub in. It's bloody annoying. I think it takes a little less work to massage the white streaks away on my hands (as opposed to my body), although perhaps that's just because I'm dealing with a smaller surface area.

Indeed, I used this on my whole body last night and couldn't believe how long it took me to rub this stuff in. Eventually I gave up and whacked my clothes on because I couldn't be bothered, but I still had streaks on my skin.

Of course, the problem with something that doesn't absorb is that it not only doesn't hydrate the skin (because it's not sinking in and delivering moisture), but it also leaves a film behind. While the film isn't a huge issue on my body, it is problematic for my hands because I have to clean them before I can use them. Indeed, I just tried it on my hands and had to wipe my fingers and palms with a baby wipe so I could continue typing. Blurgh.

Overall I don't like this product and I can't recommend it. I personally don't think it meets any of its claims and although it smells lovely, it doesn't perform the basic function of hydrating or nourishing my hands and body - so what's the point?

Not for me.