We live in a fast paced age, time is of the essence and the rise of smart phones and 4G mean we like convenience. (
Please tell me I'm not the only one who has a breakdown if I can't get signal and therefore access the latest youtube video in my subscription box on the subway!) It's little wonder then that companies have cottoned on to this in the beauty sense and are delivering us multiple ways to moisturise our bodies before we've even left the shower. This has even more benefits if you live in the UK like me and during the winter the time spent between exiting the shower and putting clothes (which you've placed on the radiator before hand of course!) on must be minimised as much as possible, even if it means forgoing moisturiser and being a Scaly Sally for a few months. Well, scales be going (though of course there's no excuse now we're getting into July!) because there are some brilliant products out there...
Best For... Not That Much?!
Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser - £5.10
The first offering in my collection of in shower moisturising products is this one from Nivea, this one that created such a stir in the blogging world about a year (or maybe more) ago and that I dutifully trooped off to buy when I saw some of my blogging favourites sing its praises. Well, I'm really not that impressed. I don't know if I'm majorly missing something but this doesn't really do much for my skin, at least not much that's off any use in the long term. The ingredients list boasts that infamous mineral oil which stops it from penetrating the skin and that's presumably why I haven't seen anything that great come of it. It gives the body a sheen once it's first used, but it's a short term effect and there are no long term benefits so this shall be the first post which the tag 'Don't Buy This' is added to. Sure, the sheen is nice, but achievable with both of the other products listed and it means you're not washing £5.10 literally down the drain with no real benefits for your skin!
Best For... Long Term Results
Lush Africa Paradise Body Conditioner - £20.00* (Not online yet, sorry!)
In stark contrast this one does a very good job of delivering long term benefits. The high price is cancelled out by how little of this you need, so it will last pretty much forever. You use this one after you've washed yourself, stand out from under the water, rub it all over (or anywhere you want to moisturise) then rinse it off. The smell is pretty questionable on this one but it doesn't linger after you've used it. What does linger is that heavy, moist feeling - even after you've rinsed, hopped out of the shower and dried yourself you can still feel this on your skin, working its way in and penetrating all those layers. Although the smell is a but funky if you can get by it this product is definitely worth a space in your shower.
Best For... Quickness
L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil - £17.50
I've been a fan of this one for years now and have repurchased many a bottle, more so than I'd care to face up to. You can buy a
500ml refill of this for £23.50 which means that after you've bought and finished a bottle you can buy the refill, which will fill it twice over and save you some pennies, which makes the price of tho sone a little more bearable. Unlike the Lush offering a little of this doesn't go a huge way - though perhaps that's not helped by the fact I love the smell and slather myself in it like I've got a version of Willie Wonka's chocolate waterfall and river that consists entirely of this oil stashed in a beauty version of his Inventing Room somewhere in my house. Which I don't. Though I can dream. This goes on like an oil but turns to a milk once it's mixed with water - a body version of the Clarins Melt Off cleanser - but the oil penetrates deeply and moisturises my skin both instantly and in the long term. I get the same healthy look that the Nivea provides but with the long term benefits too. I love the fact that this one comes in a bottle that means I can squeeze it onto my skin without worrying about water splashing in and ruining the product a la the Lush tub so it means I can use it with little care and probably too much reckless abandonment for a £17.50 shower gel. But then, it's not just a shower gel - it's a moisturiser too. See how I justify it?
In case you can't tell the L'Occitane offering is definitely my favourite, but it does feel weightless and leaves no residue so for when you want that pampered, moisturised feeling the Lush one does the job nicely, though both deliver moisture that packs a punch and penetrates into the skin properly. As for the Nivea? Save the pennies and spend a little bit more on a product that actually works. Or go about it the old fashioned way and spend the time using a separate body moisturiser - it is July after all, and the slight increase in heat means that it's maybe not totally terrible to be unclothes for a little longer between leaving the shower and getting dressed!
