little white truths

I used a L'Occitane hand cream earlier in the year, and when I discovered how much I liked it, I went ahead and bought another one when the brand was next on GWP at one of the online retailers.

I went for this almond version because L'Occitane's almond range is raved about a lot (and indeed I have more products from that range to review for you down the track) and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

I do enjoy it but there's not a huge amount of 'almond' in it to be honest - perhaps candied almond, if anything - and I was expecting a more nutty fragrance. Still, it's lovely and I'll happily use my tube until it's gone.

L'Occitane claims/product details:

• A moisturising hand cream with the fresh and delicate scent of almond tree flowers
• Enriched with almond milk and almond oil, this silky-smooth cream helps to nourish and soften the hands 
• Envelops hands with the subtle and mouthwatering scent of fresh almonds
• Our non-greasy formula has a creamy texture, perfect for hydrating hands throughout the day
• RRP $14 AUD for 30ml or $30 AUD for 75ml, but do shop around

Verdict

This is an excellent hand cream and I'm really enjoying it. Note that it's the same product as the original L'Occitane hand cream I reviewed recently (see here), it just has a different scent.

It's a white cream with a thick, rich texture that's not too heavy and it spreads and absorbs well. A little goes a long way so even this 30ml tube is lasting me a while, and I wouldn't buy the large one because I would never get through it.

It has a light, clean, sweet and earthy scent that's nice but not overpowering, and although I enjoy the fragrance, I'm not getting much almond from this and it doesn't smell like I expected it to. I suppose there's a bit of candied almond to it, but it doesn't have the nutty scent that I was anticipating.

What I like about this is that it absorbs immediately and relieves any discomfort in my dry skin. It's rich enough for the overnight spot, but it's not so rich that I can't use it for day - and it's rare to find hand creams that work for both day and night I reckon. Indeed, I applied some a couple of minutes ago and I can keep typing without having to wipe my hands down: that so rarely happens, and it's a huge plus for me personally.

Yes it does leave a slight film on the hands but I don't find it to be too greasy - there's a bit of grease, but it's not so much that my hands feel slippery - and I've certainly used hand creams that leave a worse film than this does. And better still, within a few minutes the film is gone and my hands just feel soft, nourished and supple.

Otherwise there's not much to say about this product except that it works and I can see why it's so popular. It's not super cheap but it's not that expensive either, and it's lasting me ages so I don't think it's a bad buy. I would like to try some of the brand's other fragrances and see if I can find a favourite.

Lovely.