Monday 21 March 2016

Lovely hands with Aesop


So a change again from my usual posts today to talk briefly about another couple of current beauty favourites. I mentioned here that I am currently trying to transition into just cruelty free beauty products. It's actually turning out quite a lot more difficult that I previously thought. For example there are quite a lot of companies who do not test on animals but who are owned by a company who does. For example the Body Shop, a brand I previously always considered to almost epitomise strong ethics, and who I thought had a very strong stance regarding animal testing, are in fact now owned by L'Oreal. This is no great loss to me as my teenage days of loitering around the body shop for hours and constantly smelling of Dewberry are pretty much behind me, but it goes to show how careful you have to be if you're going to really take this seriously.

Ostensibly it seems pretty easy; it has actually been illegal in Europe to sell products that have been tested on animals since 2013. It's a bit more complicated though, as those companies can still test on animals outside of Europe and sell them there. This all means you have to decide how militant you want to be; it may be enough for you to know that a product hasn't been tested on animals, or you may want to take a stronger stance and boycott companies that conduct any type of testing on animals at all. 


So as well as the dilemma as to whether to still buy from companies who don't test on animals but whose parent companies do, there's also the dilemma as to whether to still buy from companies who may test on animals outside of the EU. There's also the small matter of what to do with the extensive collection of products that I already own some of which may be tested on animals... Not decided what to do about that one yet, but as I'm unlikely to think of anyone who actually wants most of it, I've pretty much decided to use it all up as it would seem the ultimate insult to waste them if any animals did suffer in order for them to be made. 

Anyway, without further ado, I thought I'd share a couple of gems that I've been loving recently. I love hand products, in my job I wash my hands or use alcohol gel pretty much constantly and as a result they get dry really easily. I therefore like to carry hand creams around all the time and have them in all my bags as well in in my car and on my desk as I really hate the feeling of having dry or tight hands and can't relax until they feel soft again!


I do tend to prefer the more high end hand products now as I do think their smell lingers for so much longer and the softness lasts for much longer than with cheaper products. I also really love using a hand wash and cream which have the same scent as it seems to push the scent to last so much longer on your hands. I once worked with an Occupational Therapist who said that a lot of people place a huge amount of significance on their hands as they're the part of the body they see the most throughout the day. She also said we rely on our hands to do so many things for us, which means we subconsciously really value them, and don't cope well when they're injured etc. I had never really thought about that before but it's so true as I do probably look at my hands inadvertently almost constantly throughout the day, whether it's while I'm typing, or driving or playing on my phone. I also know that when I have a manicure or do my nails nicely, you feel instantly more polished, and conversely when I leave my nails and they look messy I feel so much more scruffy. Roght waffle over, onto the products

Firstly then, is the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique hand balm. This comes in two sizes but I love the 75ml one for carrying around. Also a bit random, but I really like the toothpaste style packaging as it gets smaller as you use it if you know what I mean. I hate plastic tubes where as you get to the end of the tube, you struggle each time to get some out, where with this style of tube you can roll the tube up as you start getting through it, thereby pushing the product up towards the opening.


The smell is also really strong, which is another plus for me as I love strong scents. The smell is quite hard to place- for my unrefined nose anyway, but if pushed I would describe it as quite citrusy with quite strong herbal elements.

It sinks in really easily and doesn't leave any kind of film or stickiness on the hands which is really important, as I also hate that feeling. It leaves your hands feeling basically how they should do normally, or perhaps just a bit softer. It's described as a hand balm which to me implies something really dense, I wouldn't quite describe it as that, as other balms I've used feel a lot more intensive than this one, but as I use it so many times a day, that actually suits me much more. It does say it's formulated for frequent use though, so it is clearly meant to be used slightly differently to a typical hand balm which you would use far more sparingly. It can also be used on your feet but I'm yet to try this as I'm pretty happy with my current feet products. 

ps a little aside, but at the bottom is a little T S Elliot quote; "Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood". Now far be it from me to let a gimmicky thing like this impress me, but, let's face it, it does!

Secondly is their  Resurrection Aromatique hand wash this is pretty expensive at around £25 a bottle, though a bottle is big at 500ml. I also love the Reverence handwash which feel like slightly more than a hand wash as it almost exfoliates as it cleans. I keep that one in the bathroom and use it last thing at night really working it into my hands before finishing with a thick layer of hand cream. The resurrection one is a slightly more frequent use hand wash, so is a lot more gentle and leaves my hands feeling so soft and smelling amazing, especially when I then layer up with the hand balm.


So they're my current hand favourites at the moment, I do have to say, I also really love the Neals Yard garden mint and bergamot hand wash and cream which is also so heavily scented and leaves your hands feeling so soft, and I like to switch products around every so often so may well go back to those next. We'll have to see, I like to live life on the edge when it comes to hand products! 

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9 comments

  1. I love your photos. I have been following your blog for a long time and your photos are getting better all the time! I would love some Aesop goodies but not sure I can justify 25£ on hand soap!
    Ella x

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  2. I've never heard of Aesop before, which stores can you find it in?
    Katherine

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  3. Love the Aesop products, also loving your ability to transport me back to my younger days with memories of dewberry (and white musk)!!
    Sophie x
    www.fromchootogoo.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love Aesop, fab post! :) xx

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  5. I am loving these new posts! More beauty ones please! :)
    Heather x

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  6. Fabulous review and I am also trying to switch to cruelty free or learning to make my own (harder than it sounds haha!) it looks great! xx

    elizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara | (doing follow for follow on bloglovin or instagram)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh making your own is very ambitious! Not sure I'm ready to tackle that one yet! x

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  7. Never heard of Aesop- pretty tempted by the hand cream now!

    ReplyDelete
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