little white truths

I thought I might as well keep going with my reviews of this pack and do a round-up post of the set as a whole.

Note I've just realised that the pack included a soap, which isn't pictured in the photo above (I used it ages ago and forgot it was part of the set), but I've included a shot of that below.


The set contains decent-sized products from Urban Skincare's range:

• Awaken Hair Wash – 100ml
• Intense Conditioner – 100ml
• Daily Hand & Body Cleanser – 100ml
• Repair+ Body Balm – 100ml
• Body Bar – 100g

I reckon the best item by far is the body balm, and the others I can take or leave.

The RRP value of the set is $39.95 AUD. Happily I didn't pay for this set: I paid for a small pack of Urban Skincare products (using a Lust Have It code) and Urban Skincare was running a promotion at the time, so a few of us got upgrades. I was very lucky to be one of those people!


Urban Skincare Co Cityscape Body Bar

Full review here. This little soap is well-presented and I like the packaging: the product feels special and would make a good gift for this reason alone.

Having said this, one of these will set you back $8.95, meaning it's quite an expensive soap and I think you could do better at that price point.

It smells ok but the scent isn't strong and delicious enough for me (I prefer my body products to smell divine), and while it gives an ok lather, it's not a rich and creamy lather like other soaps offer. Plus it doesn't feel particularly moisturising or luxurious.

I'd recommend something from MOR or L'Occitane over this product.


Urban Skincare Co Awaken Hair Wash

I really didn't like this product. Full review here. It's easily one of the worst shampoos I've ever used - if not the worst - and I can't wait to get through it.

My issue with this product is that it doesn't clean well, so I need to do three washes to get my hair feeling somewhat close to clean, and even then it doesn't quite get there. This means my hair is left looking dull and lacklustre, and feeling dirty and coated.

I'll finish it off by using it for the first wash and using a different product after that to give my hair a proper clean, but I'm looking forward to seeing the back of it!


Urban Skincare Co Intense Conditioner

This isn't a great product either. Full review here.

It's unfortunate because I quite liked the Urban Skincare conditioner I've used from the black range, but this one doesn't do anything for my hair.

I've found that I need to use truckloads of this to get any effect because it's not hydrating enough, and even then it doesn't nourish my hair well at all. On top of that, it leaves my hair looking dull, dry and frizzy, and it doesn't feel 'right' after using this product. I think it coats the hair, contributing to the dullness.

I'd avoid this one.


Urban Skincare Co Repair+ Body Balm

Now this is a sensational product and it's the only one in the set that I would consider buying. Full review here.

What I love about this is that it's a great moisturiser that manages to be super hydrating without feeling heavy or greasy. My skin tends towards dryness so I need something with a bit of punch, but I think you'd like this even if you had normal or oily skin because it's not too full on.

It has a nice smell that's not overpowering and I enjoy using it for that reason alone. It's also easily absorbed and a little goes a long way, so the tube lasted longer than many other body creams I've used.

Lovely.


Urban Skincare Co Daily Hand & Body Cleanser

Now this is interesting: I received a travel-sized tube of this from a subscription box, and I didn't love it because it didn't foam or clean very well (full review here).

However, this tube fares a lot better and it does foam and clean well, so I'm wondering whether the samples we got were getting a bit old or were factory seconds etc (you never know with subscription boxes).

What I'll do is keep using this and see how it goes over time. If I still think it's much better than the first tube I received of this product, then I'll go back in and update that first review - I'll give Urban Skincare the benefit of the doubt and assume that this represents the 'real' product and the first one was just a dud.

It's quite a velvety gel and one that I enjoy using. The scent isn't strong but it's nice and shouldn't turn off many people because it's inoffensive.

I wonder whether the product deteriorates over time, which could be why that first tube wasn't quite right. We'll see.

In sum

I'm really glad I've had an opportunity to sample this pack - and grateful to Urban Skincare for the upgrade - but unfortunately it's not one I would buy.

The best product by far is the body cream and I would steer clear of the haircare in particular. It really is quite bad.