REVIEW: Urban Rituelle "Equilibrium" Mandarin + Basil + Lime Hand Cream...

Time to review another gem from Team Urban Rituelle - this tube of healing wonders was a prize from an UR Instagram competition I was lucky enough to win about five weeks ago. It's my first experience of the new Equilibrium range, and given how effective it is and how delicious it smells, I'll be exploring the other products in the collection stat...

I'm fast becoming a hand cream-a-holic (hmmm, I do seem to have these addictive tendencies hey?). I've always had a passion for what I'd call "high-end" mitt-moisturisers - by that I mean non-Supermarket creams that cost upward of $30 (e.g. Crabtree & Evelyn, L'Occitane etc.). They're all marvellous of course, come in a range of delightful fragrances, look and feel luxurious, but there's often one thing about them that bugs me - the tube is invariably made from metal, and after just one use, it looks mangled and ratty. Very disappointing, so much so that I keep them in a drawer because they look just plain awful, and nowhere near pretty enough to remain on display. But...thankfully UR have the right idea with their packaging - the picture below was taken after I'd bathed my paws in this rejuvenating and refreshing formula at least 20 times, and it still looks as perfect as the day I first took it out of the box ♥

Now that I've got that little whinge off my chest, it's time to rave about this gorgeous product. As soon as I squeeze a little out of the tube, the invigorating fragrance dances the tango right up my nose. It's a mix of mandarin, basil and lime, and my schnozz can immediately detect all three of these zesty ingredients - it's pure fruit and herbal heaven! At the end of a long and sometimes hot day, this fresh and zingy scent gives me a much needed boost. The cream has a consistency similar to whipped cream from one of those pressure pack dispensers, and it's equally light and fluffy, but boy does it hydrate parched paws. There's Chamomile Extract, Rosehip, Argan and Avocado oils in the formula, and the top three ingredients listed on the back of the box are Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter and Sweet Almond Oil. And if that isn't enough natural goodness, there's also Cucumber Extract and Macadamia Oil - weathered hands and split cuticles don't stand a chance against this barrage of nature's healers, soothers and protectors ♥

The RRP is $20.96 for 100ml, which makes it close to half the price of my former favourite "expensive" hand cream, and after a month of nightly applications, there's not a red knuckle or dry skin cell in sight. I took a photo of the back of the box so you can see there are no less than 18 oils in this formula - whoa!

All up a fabulous hand cream that smells divine, restores and protects my hands with an arsenal of nature's gems, AND Urban Rituelle NEVER tests on animals. Love it!

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. In all the excitement I forgot to mention that this beautiful cream is non-greasy - I slather on a generous quantity at night, but it still absorbs completely within a few minutes ♥