Last Christmas my cousin gave me a little hamper of treats and amongst the contents was a pot of Lemony Flutter. I'd neve used anything by Lush before so was keen to see how it worked.

The product comes in the trademark Lush matt black pots, if you buy products packaged in this way on a regular basis Lush offers a nice incentive to recycle by giving a free fresh face mask when you bring back 5 pots. Lush seems to be a very ethically aware store and you can find out more about this if you visit their website, http://www.lush.co.uk/index.php and click on the 'how we're different' tab.

If you've read some of my other reviews you might know that my nails though never bitten are very weak and need a lot of tlc to make it above the flesh line of the tip of my finger. I like to grow my nails when possible, for comfort reasons if nothing else so a little help in this department is always welcome.

On opening the little black pot there is an instant waft of sweet lemony fragrance, it reminds me a little bit of sherbet lemons, and the colour isn't dissimilar either, being a light creamy yellow. The texture is beautiful and feels a little more dense than clotted cream, and melts on (but not into) the skin almost instantly. On application to the cuticles and nails there is not much 'slip' and it melts so thoroughly I almost feel that I am rubbing water into my skin. However it is packed with superb nourishing oils and takes a little time to sink into the skin and nails, but it is worth the wait.

Because the butter doesn't sink in straight away it's best to apply this product when you're not on the go and will wipe it off accidentally before it has a chance to work. I usually stick it on in the evening before bed, and sometimes before I put my marigolds on to wash up. I know some product will come off on the lining, but the heat of the water helps it to sink in better and I don't have to stop what I'm doing to use it. One thing I sometimes forget is that if you move your hair while it is still 'fresh' you can end up with greasy hair more quickly than you bargained for. I make it sound as if it sits there being greasy on your fingers for ages, it really isn't that long, but most of us are used to hand-creams etc that sink in instantly, so it's best to remember that despite its appearance this is more akin to a cuticle oil than a cream.

You only need a tiny amount of the butter to treat each nail (a little more but not much if you are using it elsewhere), I only really touch the butter with my finger tip and the amount that almost instantly melts onto my finger is enough for one or two cuticles/nails.

The high percentage of actual lemon in this product keeps the nail area looking fresh and clean, if you have staining on your nails it is often recommended that you use lemon juice to remove it. So it seems logical that the lemon content in this product should help maintain a nice healthy look to the nails/skin. As you can see from the ingredient list included below the butter contains a plethora of wonderful oils some of which are anti fungal and bacterial for example Lavender. One oil which almost all moisturising creams contain and I would love to see replaced more often is Lanolin, I (and many other people) have a bit of a reaction to it and if it is contained in high enough quantities it can almost have the reverse effect on my skin. Making it dry out more quickly after application. I think this butter would be perfect if not for the inclusion of Lanolin.

The little 50g pot is a good size, about the same as you often get in a supermarket tube of hand cream, it's about mid range in price (at the moment £5.95) and for the length of time it lasts I think it's pretty good value. My tub lasted about 4-5 months of daily use several times a day. You can use this product anywhere externally on your body, and a lot of people use it very successfully as a balm on dry skin on the feet, hands, elbows, knees... all those pointy bits of the body that can get a bit care worn. I did use it on my heels now and then and it was very softening and comfortable.

Did it do what it was meant to? Oh yes, my cuticles were in perfect condition, no hang nails or roughness while using this, and my nails even seemed to grow a little faster with little peeling (I don't think anything would stop my nails peeling completely), and no splitting. I think the increased growth spurt could have been down to the massaging action of applying the cream, bringing blood to the surface of the nail plate in greater quantity than usual. I have seen speculation that Castor Oil helps to speed growth of keratinous bits of our body such as hair and by extension nails, but that is far from proven.

If you enjoy tinkering this kind of product is very easy to improvise at home, you just need a whisk and to source whatever ingredients you fancy to customise your butter. I recently won some vouchers and to maximise bang for my buck I bought some essential oils, carrier oils an shea butter instead of a pre made product, and have found it good fun making my own creams and butters. The quantity you can create lasts for ages.

However I really enjoyed using the Lemony Flutter and found it did what it claimed with knobs on. I would buy this again but my budget for what my mother thinks of as fripperies is pretty non existent right now, but I have no hesitation recommending this little gem.

Ingredients

Fresh Lemon Infusion (Citrus limonum), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Beeswax (Cera alba), Lanolin, Soya Oil (Glycine Soja), Cold Pressed Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima), Mango Butter (Mangifera indica), Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Perfume, Cold Pressed Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum vulgare), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida), Tagettes Oil (Tagetes glandulifera), Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Sodium Borate, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Methylparaben, Propylparaben