little white truths

I mentioned yesterday in my review of the Ren body cream that I bought two magazines over the summer, both only purchased because I received this MOR cream with one and the Ren cream with the other.

I'd been desperate to try the Ren cream (having heard so much about it online) and this looked so nice that I couldn't go past it. I opened them both at the same time and was expecting to love each, and while I do love this MOR one, the Ren cream left me completely underwhelmed.

I must say that I'm yet to come across a MOR product I don't like. They're always packaged beautifully and the quality is decent, plus they're not too expensive and they make great last-minute gifts when you're strapped for ideas.

Some of the scents MOR creates aren't my cup of tea (some are too sweet or musky), but that's all personal preference and there are always many scents I love. This Candied Vanilla fragrance is definitely on the sweet side, but it's a smell I'm really enjoying and I look forward to using this cream every evening after my shower.

MOR claims/product details:

Candied almonds blended with sugar blossom are decadently layered upon a base of smooth vanilla to create this sweetly sophisticated fragrance
A luxurious hand and body lotion that's enriched with macadamia, Argan and soybean oils, shea butter and vitamin e to leave skin feeling soft and supple
Revitalises and deeply moisturises
Free from parabens, mineral oils and synthetic dyes
To use: massage onto hands and body as often as needed
I've seen this priced for as low as $15 AUD for 350ml

Verdict

I really love this stuff. It's everything the Ren lotion isn't and I've happily sped through the Ren product so I can just use this one!

It's a thick, white cream that indeed smells like candied vanilla. It's quite a sweet, heady scent, and it does linger so be aware of that if you don't like fragranced products.

The texture reminds me more of a body butter (rather than a 'lotion'), so if you're expecting something super light, you may be surprised because it is quite thick and rich so it mightn't be for everyone.

One thing I've noticed is that it takes a little more work than other MOR creams I've used when it comes to rubbing it in: it's not that it doesn't want to absorb (it does), it's just that it needs to be warmed a bit first so that it spreads and absorbs as well as it can.

For this reason it's worth warming it in your hands first before applying it to your body. This also means that it will spread further, and I'm surprised by how little product I need per application because it does spread well so even this 80g tube is lasting me a while.

It leaves my skin feeling soft and nourished, which is what I'm after since my skin is quite dry so I prefer my creams to be really hydrating. The good news is that it doesn't leave a greasy residue, so if you wanted to stick to using this as a hand cream only, it won't hang around and leave your skin feeling slick.

All in all, this is a great product that meets all its claims. I love everything about it - the smell, the texture, the packaging and the effect it gives - and it's one I can see myself buying in future.

Love.

I received this Ren body lotion as a GWP with a magazine, and it was indeed the whole reason I bought the magazine: I'd been wanting to try the lotion after reading some glowing reviews online.

At the time another magazine was running a similar promotion, so I bought both and wound up with this and a gorgeous body cream from MOR. The MOR cream is the far superior product, and this Ren one has me scratching my head a bit because it really ain't good and it's so expensive! My golly.

Ren claims/product details:

An easily absorbed body lotion
Leaves skin silky soft and lightly fragranced with roses
Deeply hydrates
Replenishes the skin’s moisture barrier
Skin feels supple, smoother and softer
Super rich and luxuriously blended
Nourishes, moisturises, soothes and energises dry, stressed skin
To use: gently massage onto clean skin until absorbed
RRP $63 AUD for 200ml

Verdict

I really don't understand the hype around this product - honestly, so many reviewers love this one that I'm wondering whether I got a bung tube!

A quick aside: the Mecca website calls this a 'body cream', but the picture on the website shows it's a lotion (as do the bottles in-store), so let's call that an error. There's only one product (and not a separate lotion and cream) and the Ren website confirms this.

Anyhoo. It's a very light, white lotion that has a faint, delicate scent. In my experience, this is not a good product and I haven't enjoyed using it at all.

First, it's far too light and doesn't hydrate well. Yes my skin is dry but I've used lighter (and cheaper!) lotions before that do a much better job than this one. After using this, my skin is left screaming out for more moisture and I've often had to put something else over the top on any areas that need more attention.

Second, the damn stuff won't rub in. I have to really work at it to get it to absorb, which tells me that it's not a great product - and if it doesn't want to absorb, this may well be one of the reasons why I don't find it moisturising in the slightest.

Third, it's ridiculously over-priced for what it is. If it were super amazing, I'd be saying 'yeah ok maybe', but it's not and it's certainly not worth the $63 pricetag. Indeed, the price of this product surprises me because Ren skincare generally isn't too expensive and the Ren items I own are reasonably priced for what they are and the effect they give. Not this one.

But, as mentioned above, this lotion does have some rave reviews online - so looks like I'm in the minority when it comes to this product. I suppose it's possible that I got a bung tube (maybe the tubes with the GWP magazine promotion were really old, which is why they were being given away), but I've given this a 'disappointing products' tag all the same. I was expecting to be blown away by this lotion but it's not even passable.

Just not for me. Let me know if you've tried this and what you think if so : )

little white truths

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