I don't have any strong brand loyalty when it comes to buying bathroom products so I was happy enough to throw a bottle of Imperial Leather 'Sublime: Star Flower & Pomegranate' shower cream into my basket when I saw it on promotion at Superdrug. The excellent price made it cheaper than the store's own brand standard product and the product description sounded like something I'd like. It's a limited edition but I have seen it in stores as recently as last week so I know it is still available.

It comes in a 250ml plastic bottle with a flip top lid that is easy to open and close with wet hands in the shower. The slightly skewed curved sides of the bottle provide a good, comfortable shape to hold onto with risk of dropping it with wet hands. Controlling the amount dispensed is simple too. The only negative point for me is that curved lid means that you can't stand the bottle upside down when you get near the end; I just added a little water to enable me to use all the contents.
I loved the girly pink colour of this product; it is a shower cream so it's not clear, but neither is it completely opaque. The jojoba pearls can be seen in the cream and reminded me of fruit seeds in a smoothie.

This product has a pleasant but delicate scent. It is more floral than fruity with the starflower coming through more strongly, but the pomegranate does add a mildly fruity element that stops the flowery aspect from being too cloying. I find that you only really appreciate the fragrance as you dispense the cream while bathing; it certainly doesn't linger on the skin after use
Imperial Leather describe 'Sublime' as 'richly moisturising' and say that their 'sumptuous formulation' will leave your skin 'feeling radiant and with a renewed sense of wellbeing'. The company says that this achieved through the use of starflower which they claim is known for its moisturising properties, and pomegranate which restores the skin. The jojoba, they add, is a 'natural aid to nourish the skin'. I can't deny that this cream feels luxurious to use. It doesn't lather excessively but it does feel rich and thick and after use my skin does feel soft. It doesn't dry my skin but I don't think I could recommend this as an option for someone looking to do something about very dry skin. I found the jojoba pearls a bit of a mystery. They look like they are there to act as grains buffing the skin but there aren't really enough of them and they are pitifully small so they appear to have no purpose. I don't think I'd notice a difference if they weren't there.

This product has a list of ingredients as long as your arm so if there are any ingredients you wish to avoid you'll have to squint at the back of the bottle. On the positive side, this product is dermatologically tested (aren't they all these days?) and pH neutral.
Currently priced at £1.89 from Tesco and Ocado, I think that this is not such good value in comparison with own label products. If you spot it on promotion then and you can bring it in line with own brand prices then it represents better value, but I don't think that it's special enough to warrant the extra cost.

Perhaps it sounds mean to quibble about a £1.89 price tag on a bottle of shower gel? I'm not so sure when there are so many good deals around these days.

This is a perfectly acceptable product with a gentle fragrance and nice consistency which left my skin feeling soft and clean. It's not the most exciting product in the shops but it's worth trying if you can get it on promotion.