Saturday 7 December 2013

Review: L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream


Hand cream. Always one of those products I don't use often enough due to sheer laziness, as well as my huge dislike for having greasy hands. Despite loving my Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams, my curiosity to try the hand cream that was sold "ever 5 seconds" had to be satisfied- L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream.

Retailing at $12 for 30mL, this hand cream is housed in a metal tube that reminds me of a paint tube (and note how similar the packaging is to Crabtree & Evelyn's hand creams!). L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream is described as a super-smoothing cream blended with 20% shea butter, honey, sweet almond extract and a jasmine aroma which glides on to help heal and protect dehydrated skin.



Excuse my dry hands, that's what hand cream is for right?!
First impressions were that L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream was a thick white, paste-like cream which struggled to come out of the tube, as well as a strong scent which I personally am not fond of which reminded me of old lady's soap. Not only did I find the hand cream to be a little too greasy for my liking, but most importantly it didn't feel like it moisturised my hands at all! After the cream absorbed into my skin, my hands felt dry again which I'd never had happen to me before with any other hand cream.

Disappointingly I don't see the fuss about L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream, but this is just my personal opinion! However I do love their Cherry Blossom Hand Cream which has a consistency exactly the same as my beloved Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams. Despite this, I think these hand creams would make wonderful Christmas gifts as stocking fillers.


Unfortunately I have been trying to use this hand cream as much as possible so I can get rid of it, it isn't my cup of tea! Also an apology for my lack of blogging activity- I had a stressful exam period (what cruel person puts 4 exams in the span of 5 days?) followed by an amazing holiday to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand with family which was a wonderful break. I will begin to post more hopefully and I'm thinking of doing a travel essentials post next!

Have you tried any of L'Occitane's hand creams? What is your favourite hand cream?




43 comments :

  1. I'm not a big user of hand cream either, and the greasiness doesn't help the cause. But I really do love shea butter products! It's a shame that this one didn't work out for you. And glad to hear you did well on your exams! Mine are coming up on Tuesday and I'm pretty nervous, lol. Hope to do well :)

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    1. It's always a hassle when hand creams are greasy but I'm glad there are ones out there that melt into the skin really well! Good luck with your exams :)

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    2. Good sharing, L’Occitane x Pierre Hermé Xmas Holiday Collection is an explosion of joys and flavours that make you think of an “Imaginary Garden”. Beautifully crafted fragrances that are both complex and unequivocal – living memories of the lands of the Mediterranean and the Island of Beauty so loved by both men and women. For detail visit:
      http://kidbuxblog.com/loccitane-x-pierre-herme-xmas-holiday-collection/

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  2. Aw! Too bad it didn't work too good for you. I always try out hand creams and sometimes some of them burn your hands with the alcohol content so I always have to check. Great review! :)

    fairywater79.blogspot.com

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    1. Damn! I've never had my hands burn due to the alcohol content in hand creams before, I better steer clear of those ones :P

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  3. I have this! I don't mind it too much; having also tried the cherry blossom one, I think I like the shea butter one better haha the cherry blossom one just feels a little too "diluted" if you know what I mean! Looking forward to your next post and have fun on your holidays!

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    1. I can see what you mean about it being "diluted"! Haha I like the more lightweight hand creams :) I also sometimes use Neutrogena's Swiss Formula which is an extremely thick hand cream but works a charm!

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  4. I use hand creams regularly, at least I try to, because we mostly have winter all year here in Germany and my hands get dry very easy so I always have to have hand cream wherever I go..
    I love L'occitane hand creams, have some of them but not yet tried this shea butter one.. too bad it didn't live up to your expectation T-T
    I love Crabtree & Evelyne as well, the lavender handcream is on my bedside table and I apply it every night before bed :-)

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    1. My hands get really dry all the time too! I try to use hand cream every night before bed but sometimes I am just really lazy :P

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  5. I'm also one of those people who find hand creams to be completely useless outside the cooler months. I've had to use some in the last year because the skin around my fingers have been quite flaky but nothing seems to work!

    Beauty Challenged

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    1. I know what you mean! It's just tedious using hand cream regularly, and a layer of greasiness is still on your skin! Neutrogena's Swiss Formula is great for night time before bed, it really moisturises the skin well :)

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    2. I actually used that one last winter! It cured my chapped my fingertips overnight. It's so cheap too.

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    3. It is amazing despite being a little greasy, but yes it is so cheap! :)

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  6. My favorite is the crabtree and evelyn rose hand cream.... sooooooo luxurious!! I've just followed you on GFC, looking forward to your next post love!!

    xoxo, Mango ❤
    MangoRabbitRabbit's Blog | Holiday Party: Nude Bandage Dress!

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    1. I love the Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams, they absorb into the skin so effortlessly! Thank you lovely :)

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  7. hi karen! i got the same impression on its scent too ^^ my cousin gave me one before but i really didnt like the scent and i dont use hand creams too often so I gave it to my mom and she actually liked it :D

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    1. You and me alike! Haha I think my mum might like the scent of this one too :P

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  8. I seldom use any hand cream or things like that... Great review anyway!
    Would you like to follow each other via gfc and bloglovin? Let me know! (:

    christymonicaa.blogspot.com

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    1. I don't use it as often as I should due to laziness but I'm trying to use it more now :)

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  9. I got a sample of this and I didn't see the hype either. The almond one is a million times better.

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    1. There is a lot of hype about it, I really am not a fan!

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  10. Glad you're back! It's always so stress-releasing to be done with exams and to have that holiday would've been something to look forward to :) I've never tried this hand cream or any hand creams from L'Occitane - sorry to hear that it was so disappointing and didn't leave your hands moisturised at all.

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    1. It's the best feeling ever, to finish exams and to go on a holiday! It was such a shame, also considering that it was so hyped about :(

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  11. Since I dont do much housework, crabtree handcream and the loccitane one are really similar to me (possibly my hands are not that chap). But my mum does housework all the times and requires intense hand treatment. It is her favorite handcream!

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  12. Karen, just stopping by to thank you for your lovely comment on my blog and to let you know that I can't wait for your next post! :)

    xoxo, Mango ❤
    MangoRabbitRabbit's Blog | Benefit They're Real Mascara: Disappointing!

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  13. Hmmm...interesting! I am not a fan of hand creams but upon reading your review about this, I am thinking of trying it out. It seems like a great product to try out. I will def check on this....

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  14. I'm not the biggest fan of L'Occitane to be honest! I do like the Peony Shower Gel though. Sometimes just turns me off of their products, and they're really overpriced too. :( x

    Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really.

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    1. I agree that it can be a little overpriced! The store and its image looks really nice but their products don't appeal too much to me unfortunately :( I do like their Cherry Blossom hand cream though!

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  15. I've never tried anything from L'Occitane before. Do you have any products from them you can recommend?

    http://alluringalyssbeauty.blogspot.com/

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    1. Give the Cherry Blossom hand cream a try, it has a really nice texture! :)

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  16. I got one of those hand creams in a sampler bag once, it wasn't my cup of tea either. I felt like it didn't really absorb into my skin so I was stuck with slightly greasy hands. Which was a huge disappointment for me since I was really hoping I'd like it, cause it's a pretty expensive brand and all u___u My favorite hand creams are Soap and Glory's Hand Food and Lumiere de Vie's body cream. Both of them sink in really quickly without a greasy feeling and moisturize really well.

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    1. Exactly correct, I expected more from a higher end hand cream! It felt greasy and didn't really absorb into my skin, and I wasn't a fan of the scent either. I quite like Soap and Glory's Hand Food too but haven't purchased it myself yet :P

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  17. I think I need this because alcohol is making my hand rough.
    xo,
    ~Pauline @Eucerin Philippines

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  18. I LOVE HANDCREAMS! I have so many floating around bags, around my desk, bedside tables etc. $12 really isn't that bad! I love crabtree and evelyn handcreams too :3

    Chloé⎪à la foliee

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    1. Hand creams are just one of those things you forget to use but when you do it is so worth it! I love Crabtree and Evelyn handcreams, they are my favourites :)

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Thanks for your lovely comments, I check all of your blogs!