Viva Woman

Compared to Jurlique Rose Hand Cream, L’Occitane Rose Velvet Hand Cream is not as strong in smell nor rich in texture.  Those who are fond of rose fragrance and yet find the texture of Jurlique’s rich might find this more suitable.

This is a creamy hand cream that is enriched in Shea Butter and vitamin E,  yet it is relatively lightweight and does not feel at all greasy even in the inital application.  My hands did feel soft and supple afterwards but I find that I have to reapply this cream more often in order to keep my hands constantly moisturised. 

Additionally, even though the hand cream is perfumed with the fresh and slightly fruity fragrance of the Grasse rose, the Bulgarian rose, the Moroccan rose and the Turkish rose, I have to say that the scent is too light and doesn’t last.

Hence I would recommend this to those who like lighter hand cream that is non-greasy on contact.  Otherwise, those with dryer hands are better off sticking to L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream.

L’Occitane Rose Velvet Hand Cream is under the Eau des 4 Reines range and the 75ml tube retails for S$31 at their retail store.

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice

I admit that I’ve been kind of lazy in taking care of my hands and arms.  Apart from applying hand cream, I’ve only started religiously applying sunblock on my hands and arms these two years after I noticed some age spots growing on them. 

Seriously, this part of our body is a tell tale sign of our age.  We can have really good skin on our face but if our hands are all wrinkled up and our arms are covered with age spots, that’s a dead giveaway.

So at the least before I stepped outdoors each day, I slather on some sunblock on my hands and arms.  At one stage, I applied Oil of Olay UV Moisturiser and now I alternate between Sunplay Clear Water SPF50 and Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50.  While these are sunscreens for the face, I find them suitable for my arms as they offer sufficient protection, have good texture and most important, are affordable for me to apply liberally.

So what about you?  Do you protect your hands and arms from the harmful UV rays daily? 

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice

Viva Woman is really happy to receive another contribution from a reader, this time from someone who likes to be known as 763092, who is rather pleased with the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm which she has bought recently.

Said 763092: “I like its greaseless and light texture.  And it has an invigorating smell of mandarin orange which helps to awake me and makes me feel spirited in the morning. I can even smell it from some distance away while walking towards the store in Millenia Walk!”

The Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm is a greaseless formulation containing hydrating botanicals to moisturise hands and cuticles.  According to 763092, each application lasts a few hours but she uses this mostly in the morning and before going to bed. 

At S$39 for the 75ml tube, this seems like a hand balm to try if you’re looking for something that is not too rich, yet good enough to keep your hands and cuticles supple and soft.  You might like to know that 763092 gives this hand balm a rating of 3.5 out of 5.  And if you’re heading towards the store to check this out, you might want to try the Aesop store at Millenia walk which gave 763092 a really good impression because of their high level of professionalism.  

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice

ImOlive is another Korean brand that has hit our shores.  I was attracted to the fact that their products uses extra virgin olive oil.  The packaging looks neat too.  Naturally being a hand cream addict, I tested their Golden Olive Water Drop Essence Hand Cream first.

Unfortunately I can’t rave about it because it doesn’t quite meet my expectations.

This formula is water based, so it’s quite natural that it feels watery and diluted.  However, while it isn’t richly creamy to the touch but upon application, I find my palms feeling somewhat sticky even though the cream absorbs rather quickly.  I had to wait for quite a while before the stickiness disappears but afterwards, I get a matt feel on my hands.  

If you’re read some of my earlier reviews about other brands of hand creams, you will know that I dislike having my hands feel matt altogether.  I like it smooth and supple but this one doesn’t meet those requirements even though it is supposed to be enriched with Vitamin E and polypenols on top of its extra virgin olive oil.

Fragrance wise, it is very light with a fruity tinge.  So that’s a plus there.

Additionally, the 80ml is being sold at S$12 at major pharmacies and department stores.  Considering the ingredients within the formula, this is actually quite a fair price.  So I would give that another point.

But definitely, I would rather spend my money trying out their other products the next time.

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice