Champneys Oriental Opulence Body Cream

I have quite oily skin and always assumed that I didn't really need body lotion or utter after a shower so I have had a few body lotions pile up in the bathroom. Partly because of this and also because I have noticed my skin is getting drier as I am in my mid 30's, I decided to use up the ones that are cluttering up my bathroom. This is one that my friend bought me for my birthday and I liked the sound of it so it's the one that I'm using at the minute.

About the Body Lotion

The Sanctuary website describes this as a nourishing lotion with honey, smoothing plant sugars, milk proteins and moisturising sweet almond oil which ensure your skin is moisturised and conditioned. The Oriental blend of aromatic ylang ylang, calming sandalwood and patchouli essential oils encourage feelings of wellbeing and tranquillity.

My Thoughts

As soon as you unscrew the lid of this body lotion, you can detect the rich, exotic scent. There is something relaxing about this scent as well and I was instantly in love with the scent of this lotion. While I can't really detect individual scents that well, I loved how the combination of the ylang ylang and sandalwood in this lotion helped prolong the relaxing feeling that I get after a bath.

The lotion itself is a pale yellow colour and there seems to be something slightly iridescent through the lotion as well, almost looks like there could be glitter in it but I don't think there is. It is thicker than some other body lotions that I have used in the past and could describe the texture as something between the thickness of a body lotion and a body butter.

I found that this lotion was almost instantly absorbed into my skin and the scent did linger for around an hour after I used the lotion and had dried off after the shower. I was hoping it would stay on my skin for longer but it's not bad either as with some, the scent disappears almost instantly.

After using this lotion for a few weeks, I noticed a real difference to my skin. While I didn't really suffer from dry skin (or so I thought), I did find that my skin looked less red and felt softer to the touch as well after using this lotion. After the initial results were so promising, I continued with this lotion and saw a real improvement to my skin's texture after using this for around a month. I did feel that the slightly oiliness that I sometimes felt with my skin disappeared and my skin looked plumper and in better condition.

I don't really suffer from sensitive skin so I can't comment on whether or not this is suitable for sensitive skin but I would say it's probably best to avoid it as it does have quite a strong scent which could irritate more sensitive skin.

Price and Availability

I got my 50ml tub of this from a friend as a birthday present so unsure of how much it cost her. A 175ml tub costs £10 from Boots and while this is more expensive than some lotions on the market, I liked the results I got with this lotion and would recommend trying it if you suffer from dry skin as I found a real difference to my 'normal' skin. It is often on offer as well so if you fancy trying it.

Kindred Spirit Shared Fragrance Body Spray

I was quite a tomboy in my teens are preferred to either use 'shared' fragrances or quite often used men's fragrances rather than women's. While CK One was my favourite, I had acquired a few bottles of this scent as a cheaper alternative during my teenage years. I had assumed the scent had been discontinued so was over the moon when I was in Home Bargains and saw a 150ml body spray, so decided that I had to buy some for nostalgia's sake.

Packaging

I always remembered this as being similar to the packaging on Calvin Klein's CKOne fragrance and this hasn't changed since my teenage years. It is in a silver coloured can which is quite plan and simple, yet looks quite modern sitting on my dressing table amongst my other scents.

The scent

This scent is made up of the following notes:

• The top notes are green lemon zest and crisp apple.

• The heart notes are clean white lily, white rose buds and cyclamen.

• The base notes are moss and sandalwood.

In Use

When you first spray this on, you get a very fresh, fruity scent and I can really detect the apple in this scent. While there is a slight masculine edge to the initial burst, I feel that it's not so strong that it's not a unisex perfume and it's just a very nice, fresh scent burst. This soon fades slightly to be replaced by the more feminine heart notes although these aren't as strong as the initial apple scent. After a few minutes this scent mellows down and the sandalwood and moss leave a rich base behind.

This isn't the strongest scent that I have ever used, even as a body spray and the scent does fade away after an hour or two. However, no body spray is long lasting in my opinion and the longevity is similar to other scents that I have tried in the past.

Unlike some of the other more feminine body sprays that I have in my collection though, this comes in a quite bulky can and would certainly take up more space in your handbag compared to something like an Impulse can of body spray.

Price and Availability

As I mentioned above, I bought my can from Home Bargains where it cost me 89p for a 150ml can of this. I haven't seen this anywhere else though but if I see this again in Home Bargains, I will certainly repurchase as I love the scent and it's nice to just spray on when you're popping out for something quick.

Summing Up

To be honest, my main reason for purchasing this was a nostalgic trip for me but I am glad that I did. It’s a cheap scent which I do actually quite like and while I don't normally use a lot of body sprays as I prefer perfumes, it's nice if I just want a burst of scent and I'm not too worried about longevity. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a slightly different scent to what is out there for most women's perfumes as this has a slightly more masculine edge but not so much that you feel like you're stolen a man's scent.