I really love hand creams. They're one of the stuff I use the most, okay except lip stuff. I can't survive without a hand cream. I need to have moisturized hands like... always! Here are the items I'll be reviewing in this post:
The L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter Dry Skin Hand Cream, the Neutrogena Hand Cream Concentrated - Unscented and the Essence 12h Hand Protection Balm.
Man, they got long names!
The L'Occitane hand cream is really heavy and thick. The Essence hand cream is on the opposite really light and the Neutrogena hand cream is well thick but lighter than L'occitane.
The easiest one to apply is surely the Essence one, followed by Neutrogena and then L'occitane. Now to the details:
L'Occitane: For 20€ you get 150ml of product that's in a tube. And not a plastic tube, but some aluminum tube. That's really a shame since the tube gets all smashed up and ugly if it's kept in a bag. It has a kind of a natural smell, which I can't define. it's a bit of heavy too. The cream is really thick and heavy, plus after you apply it, you get this heavy film feeling. The sad thing is that even a couple of minutes after the apply, your hands are still sticky (yes sticky,ew!) and slippery. Not a good combination. Plus I don't get the feeling that it moisturizes my hands. The truth is, that this cream is way too heavy and the only season I use it in is Winter.
The description says: "A super-smoothing--and best-selling-- the synergy of 20% Shea Butter, honey and sweet almond extract, blended with the light and alluring aromas of jasmine and ylang-ylang essences. Texturally pleasing balm glides on and absorbs to help heal and protect dry or dehydrated skin. Anti-oxidizing vitamin E helps nourish. Invites even the most hard-working hands to a fresh beginning."
Pros:
- *It protects your hands from the cold.
- *It's great for the first aid with dry hands...
- *Small bit goes a long way!
- *There's a lot of product
Cons:
- *It's pricey!
- *The packaging is annoying!
- *It leaves an oily film on your hands
- *Doesn't dry in a decent time
- *It leaves a heavy feeling on your hands
- *The smell is just. well, weird until you get used to it!
- *It's more suitable for winter.
Rating: 1/5 ♥
Essence: For a little less than 3€ you get 75ml of product. The cream is really light and it has a nice fresh smell. It doesn't leave any oil film or any film at all... It's a great cream for everyday use, if you don't have super dry hands. The thing is that I don't have super dry hands, just the feeling.. Which I hate. The description says: "This 12h protection balm offers the ultimate pampering care. the repair formula with a combination of shea butter and coconut oil provides intense moisture for stressed and extremely dry hands. when there isn't enough room in your handbag for a complete intensive care range, the 12h formula provides enough moisture and care to protect your hands from drying!" Pros:
- *The price! It's cheap!
- *The feeling it leaves you after apply.
- *It actually moisturizes your hands in a gentle way
- *The packaging is really great!
- *Doesn't leave an oil film after apply.
- *I love the fresh smell.
Cons:
- *I don't think it's really suitable for those who have super dry hands.
- *It doesn't give me protection for 12h (as it claims it does).
Rating: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥
Neutrogena: For the price of 5€ you get 50ml of product. I got the unscented version because in some cases the smell can really turn me off a product. This cream makes a film on your hands too, but it's not really annoying. But last time I went dancing, my hands were really slippery because of it, and the bad thing is that I couldn't get it off without water! I think that this one from all the three is great for super dry hands! And with this product, a small dab goes a long way! The description says: "Neutrogena Hand Cream Unscented give you immediate and long lasting relief for even the driest hands. Just a dab of this glycerin-enriched formula instantly relieves and protects seriously dry or chapped hands. Even under the harshest conditions, it leaves hands noticeably softer and smoother. Neutrogena Hand Cream is concentrated for over 200 applications." Pros:
- *Small amount of product goes a long way.
- * It's unscented.
- *Doesn't feel too heavy on the hands, but it's not light either.
- *It's not pricey.
- *Because it's concentrated it has a longer 'life', 36M!
Cons:
- *The packaging is cute, but I keep losing the cap.
- *It's hard to squeeze when it's at its end.
- *It leaves a light film on your hands.
Rating: 3/5 ♥♥♥ Why I have so many hand creams, you may ask yourself? Well, I love them! Plus I keep searching for the perfect hand cream.
Overall: I'd say that the better compared to price and effect is the Essence one, being followed by Neutrogena and then L'Occitane. I will surly try the other two hand creams by Essence. Plus they'll be just perfect for summer! The L'occitane is not a waste of money (tho I wanted to write that), it's just weird.. I mean okay it's nutritive but I wanted some lighter apply.. You know something weird happened between me and this cream. I had one and when it was full, I really hated it. But when I used it up, I remembered only the good things about. Bleh! Now that I have it, damn I don't like it that much. If you're looking for a cheap and light hand cream then get the Essence one, if you have no chance to get that one get the Neutrogena one. But if you're willing to get the L'Occitane one... Wait for my giveaway. I have two smaller (30ml) hand cream (the same thing just smaller) that will be part of my giveaway. I got them because I bought so much in the L'Occitane store.
