The Accidental Body Shop Hand Cream Haul

After spotting an amazing coupon on vouchercodes.co.uk for a free 30ml hand cream from The Body Shop, I could not pass it up! I printed it and happily trotted into TBS to get my free cream but kind of ironically I managed to fall right for the marketing ploy and ended up buying a bunch of the creams. I've had the hemp one before and liked it but thought I may as well try the other new? versions. There are Wild Rose (SPF 15), Almond, Hemp and Absinthe to choose from.

These have only been in my bag for one day but they're battered!

I can't say I like being objected to a sales pitch but needless to say I was. I was asked to buy a discount card and even though I politely refused, the woman kept pushing it, using Christmas as a good excuse for me to buy one. However, I'm never really in TBS so I'd never need one. Sorry but I want my fr33 st00f!

Thick or what?

Hemp Hand Protector: the only cream of the four that is directed at very dry skin. This is the thickest one and I think the smell (it is like patchouli, earth and cannabis to me) could be a bit of an acquired taste. I do love it however. I haven't had another hand cream quite as rich or emollient as this one and I feel as if it is much more of an effective moisturiser compared to runnier creams. For some reason, the thickness of it makes me think it is quite luxurious and of a higher quality than the others.

Almond Hand and Nail Cream: this cream is thinner than the hemp. I can't say I'm a massive fan of the almond scent but it's not offensive. My hands felt moisturised after using it but I wouldn't say it's anything out of the ordinary. I can't comment on the claim that it is great for nails. I haven't used it long enough to notice any improvements but almond oil is fourth on the ingredient list so that's got to be better than a whole load of other hand and nail creams.

Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15: great, a hand cream with sun protection... Oh wait it's only SPF15. I suppose that's better than nothing. I only hope that the so far undetectable scent of the SPF does not overtake the actual rose scent once the tube is open for a while. Luckily the rose scent is not too synthetic. Again, this cream is thinner than hemp and has quite a standard hand cream thickness.

Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream: this cream is the thinnest of the four and has more of a gel-like consistency in my opinion. I get the feeling that this is almost some sort of hand sanitizer style cream due to the claim that it 'moisturises, conceals odour and leaves hands feeling fresh'. I think this is more suitable for summer use because I perceive it to have lighter moisturising qualities than the other creams. It does smell amazing though, quite masculine, herbal and very fresh. I can't say it stands out from the rest.

In general, I really like these creams. They are thick and creamy but melt into the skin very easily. The thickness of them (especially hemp) actually makes them feel more moisturising and almost like a real barrier against the cold autumn air. Less is definitely more when using them as once they have warmed a little they go quite far. Although I did spot a silicone in the Hemp ingredient list, it doesn't have that nasty, slippery, almost suffocating coating to it after application (I'm looking at you, Body Shop Body Butters).

I do and don't like the packaging of the creams. On the one hand, I think they look unique and I like that they are recyclable. On the other hand, they don't half get battered in your bag!

BATTURED.

I don't know, it just irks me. It will also be quite difficult to get every last bit of the cream out of the tube because the aluminium is stiff (hard to believe with all those dents, I know). It does not seem like something you can cut open and reinvent as a smaller tube, by simply using the cut off end as a makeshift lid. I know from the past that they can also have so many dents in them that the tube can actually rip and a hole will be created. The ends of the tube are also sharp.

As for dispensing the product, it can be annoying because once you squeeze the tube and get enough out, it keeps coming out. The gift that keeps on giving eh? No thanks, please stop giving. It can make for quite a mess around the tiny lid if you try to screw it on (which is not the easiest of tasks) whilst the cream is still coming out, you'll end up with gloopy dried hand cream all mashed into it next time you use it. Nice. I have to end up squeezing very gently to minimise the extra cream that will work its way out.

I find it interesting that The Body Shop gave away a hand creams normally worth £5 for absolutely nothing. It makes you think how much they are truly made for. The only one I would repurchase is the Hemp cream because although I don't have very dry skin, I feel as if it is more effective than the others and better value for money as a result. I wouldn't buy these tiny tubes again though, I would definitely go for the full size ones due to the value.