little white truths

I've been using this product for over six months now, it's just that I've been rationing it because it wasn't cheap and I haven't wanted to use it too often.

But I'm running low on body scrubs at the moment and whatever I have in back-up hasn't been photographed yet, so I've been using this one consistently for the last couple of weeks and I thought I would take the opportunity to review it now while it's front of mind.

Long story short, it's a lovely scrub but it's not the most effective exfoliant I've used so I wouldn't rush out and buy it again. Still, I'm really enjoying using it, and the one-time purchase was worth it for that reason alone.

L'Occitane claims/product details:

• Enriched with almond oil and crushed shells, this scrub melts into the skin to cleanse softly and exfoliate to remove impurities and dead cells
• Skin is left feeling soft, smooth and ready to absorb all the benefits of your body creams
• Leaves behind the fresh and delicate fragrance of almond tree flowers
• Hydrates and nourishes your skin
• RRP $31 AUD for 200ml, but do shop around

Verdict

This is a really lovely product and it's a pleasure to use, but it's expensive for what it is and it's not the most effective scrub I've tried so I wouldn't buy it again.

It's a gel/oil hybrid product with a sweet, almond flower scent. The texture is smooth and gorgeous, and I enjoy putting it on my skin - so I definitely like using this product for the experience alone.

As for the exfoliating grains, they're quite small and they're also sparse so I don't get a super effective exfoliation from this product: it's more of a soft polish, which is fine if that's what you're after, but I prefer something with a little more punch. 

What I also find is that I need to use more of this product per application than I would like in order to exfoliate my whole body, which of course means that it's not great value on a per-use basis and I would've gotten through it very quickly if I hadn't been rationing it.

What I do like about the product, however, is the packaging. It's a tube with a twist-top lid that reveals a small hole through which you dispense product, then you give it another quick twist to close it. I haven't seen packaging like this before for a body product and I like it because it's easy to use and I have no issues fumbling around with it in the shower (unlike, eg, body scrubs that come in tubs).

On the claims: yes this product melts into the skin to cleanse softly and exfoliate; yes it removes impurities and dead skin cells, but not as effectively as I would like; yes it leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth, hydrated and nourished; and yes it leaves behind the delicate fragrance of almond tree flowers.

Overall I think this is a lovely product and I'm enjoying mine - I especially love how nourishing and hydrating it feels on my dry skin, and how soft my skin feels after use - but the reality is that it isn't cheap and it's not the most effective scrub on the market so I wouldn't buy it again. Still, it's gorgeous and I can see why a lot of people love it.

Beautiful, but not a repeat purchase for me.