Friday, 5 June 2015

Body Lotions - Snakes & Grasshoppers

When I was a kid (before I had my own hair-dryer), mum kept the dryer and beauty supplies in one of the kitchen cupboards so we’d all dry our hair downstairs.  When it was my turn to dry my hair, I would be seen jumping about, hopping from one leg to another much to the amusement of my Mum.  “Sally, what ARE you doing?” she’s ask, exasperated.  What I was trying to do was stop the incessant itching that my lower legs were experiencing.  It was excruciating at the time but it would become a daily occurrence.   I totally blamed it on the chlorine from the swimming pools drying out my skin, as I was training up to 4-5 times a week.  My skin literally looked like a snake’s – dry and cracked (not to mention sore); it was horrible. 

Thirty years on, if I don’t get my shower gel and body moisturiser hydrating enough then you can still see me jumping up and down like a loon before I scratch myself to death.  Hilariously, it is just the area from my knee to my ankle (let’s call it the ‘grasshopper’) that suffers so as soon as I’m out of the shower and dry, the body moisturiser has to go on pronto.  Sometimes, I buy two moisturisers, one for my lower legs and then another that complements my perfume, as the other areas of my body aren’t so dry and I can get away with using a ‘normal’ one.

Up until a few months ago, I was using L’Occitane’s Ambre & Santal’s Perfumed Body Milk (€18.50 for 175ml) as I wear their complementing perfume (it’s woody and oriental).  It’s a lovely scent and thankfully moisturising.  Anyway, while I was working in the department store, I happened to squirt some of Paco Rabanne’s Black XS Be A Legend (Debbie Harry’s limited edition) and fell in love with it.  Again, it’s an ‘oriental and floral fragrance’ (containing hellebore, black vanilla and patchouli).  I had been using the L’Occitane perfume for over a year so I thought, yeah, let’s change it up a bit and I bought 3 bottles of this Debbie Harry one.

Seeing as I like to layer the scents, I was disappointed that there wasn’t a body lotion in the same Debbie Harry fragrance (there is for Black XS but it’s not quite the same).  Therefore, my mission was to find one that was quite powdery and possibly had an almond scent to it as I couldn’t afford to buy the L’Occitane’s Almond Lotion.  I found what I was looking for in the form of BYPHASSE’s Nourishing Body Milk (with extract of almond oil) and it came in a whopping 500ml size for €3.99 (McCabe’s Pharmacy, Clerys).   I love the scent (not overpowering at all), the texture is great (as I really don’t like a thick cream – I used one from a reputable retailer that will remain nameless and it was so thick, it literally pulled my skin on application and hurt).  BYPHASSE's is moisturising, leaves my skin very soft and complements my new perfume.  Sadly it's not enough for the grasshopper but I can use it everywhere else.

Also with the BYPHASSE purchase, I bought their Gel Anti-Cellulite Body (€6.09 for 200ml).  Now I know you can’t get rid of cellulite but I’m all for improving the surface of the skin.  It has a seaweed and algae formula and helps to boost the skin locally.  Unfortunately I haven’t really seen any improvement in that area (think my lumpy bits are too far gone for that) but my bum and thighs are super-soft and it feels comfortable on application.  Hopefully that area is detoxified if nothing else.

www.facebook.com/sallyfw
I can’t blog without mentioning Shiseido so I will do it very briefly.  Their Future Solution LX Body Cream (€130 for 200ml) is the most A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. body cream I have ever tried. First off, very hydrating - not a grasshopper or snake in sight.  My skin glowed with a radiance I’ve never seen it have before and my skin felt comfortable and smelt lovely all day – yes, the fragrance lasted all day.  Unfortunately, I only had the pot overnight and I had to give it back to my trainer the next day.  Oh well, it will have to go onto my Christmas list.  But in the meantime, once my Be A Legend's have been used up, then I will be going back to my Ambre & Santal Body Lotion and perfume!





No comments:

Post a Comment