A Swift Soak. (Benefit Bathina's Bathing Set)

Member Name: carly_pussycat

Product:	Benefit Bathina's Bathing Set
Date:	06/05/04 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soft skin, luxurious packaging, smells lovely in the tin

Disadvantages: expensive, not as fragrant in the bath, bubbles don't last long

BeneFit was not a brand I discovered for myself ? I encountered it when my mum bought me a ?Kitten goes to Paris? sparkling powder puff. Since that day, it has been one of my most prized but least used cosmetic items. It has pride of place on my dressing table, but as I use the bathroom mirror to apply my makeup it is unduly neglected.

Anyhow, enough about the powder puff ? what I mean to say is that BeneFit was not, and still is not, a brand with which I am particularly familiar. The second benefit item I own is the product I shall be reviewing, ?Bathina Enchanting Beauty Bubbles? (incidentally also a present from my mum!)


THE PACKAGING

Luxurious, cute, and kitsch. So, typical BeneFit then. For those of you who have never heard of the brand, BeneFit are renowned for their imitation 1950?s packaging ? some of it I simply adore, and some of it absolutely repulses me, but despite that, it ALWAYS looks expensive.

The bath salts come in a charming little box featuring the same picture that is on the container inside. Inside the box is a plush, rich cerise coloured matte metal cylindrical tube with a push on lid. There is a large glossy label covering most of the surface of the tube ? this features the name of the product in stylish italics matching the colour of the tube, and an illustration of an old fashioned scene showing a rather elegant lady bathing herself.

Something I found rather endearing is that if you look closer you can just make out that the lady is in fact bathing in Bathina Enchanting Bubble Bath herself. Well, I presume she is, as there is a container on the table next to her but the wonderfully fluffy bubble filled bath would suggest otherwise (but we?ll get to that later
!)


WHAT'S INSIDE?

Simply put ? Some bath salts and a scoop.

The expanded version ? A pale green plastic scoop with ?Bathina? embossed in italics, and a plastic wrapper full of powder (also of
a pale green shade) tied at the top with a graceful black ribbon in a bow.

On removing the ribbon and slicing open the plastic wrapper I was greeted by a zesty blast of BeneFit?s best ? a refreshing girly fruit infusion, by no means natural smelling, but definitely delightful and one for the boys to steer well clear of. Now this is what it?s all about, I can?t wait to try it out!

The appearance of the powder is comparable to desiccated coconut which has been stained a pale cucumber colour. I assure you, it looks, and smells very inviting indeed.


THE BATH

So let?s cut to the chase. BeneFit advise ?Pour one scoop under running water. Add two for more bubbles.? More bubbles! More bubbles! I am not a hardcore bubble bath addict, but if I have prepared a bath that is meant to be bubbly I want to see bubbles, and lots of them!

Five minutes and two scoops later, a reasonable amount of pearly white bubble had graced my bath, so I slid into the tub. The water is also milky pearly white, but I wasn?t complaining as it didn?t look dirty or greasy in any way shape or form ? simply ?enchanting? I agree.

If I have made the effort of adding expensive bath salts to the water I intend to stay put for a good 15-20 minute soak ? value for money, sounds fair enough, right? Ten minutes into my BeneFit soak I came to realise that I was no longer wrapped in a veil of enchanting bath bubbles; more slumped in murky grey dishwater. Okay, so perhaps I exaggerated there, the wat
er was still white and pearlescent but the bubbles had long departed!

While they lasted the bubbles were soft and lightly fragranced, but judging by my sniff test of the metal container I thought they would have been more noticeable when I was soaking in the bath.


THE AFTERMATH

BeneFit claim, ?Slip into this delightfully lavish bubble bath. The sensual tickle of soft playful bubbles caresses your skin in fragrant luxu
ry. Ahhh ? you?ll emerge soft, radiant and lovely.?

Ok, so there were a few advantages to this bath. When I got out I sniffed my skin and it was lightly fragranced. I also noticed hours later that my skin was noticeably softer than it normally is after a hot bath, so there was no real need for lashings of moisturiser on my legs as there normally is.

Thankfully there were no scummy tide marks on the bath which some bath salts can leave behind. This was a considerable plus point for me as I think extra housework after a bath defeats the object of relaxing somewhat.

After the initial ?test? I persevered a few more times (only using one scoop so as not to waste it) and managed to get a bath full of beautiful shiny expensive bubbles! I think the trick is to put the scoop RIGHT under the tap and then swish it round the whole bath with your hand. I was considerably more impressed this time, although admittedly the bubbles did still disappear *fairly* quickly.


PRICE AND STOCKISTS

The price is?.wait for it?..£16.50 for 240g! Admittedly this container will last for about 25-30 baths if you only use one scoop at a time, but it does seem a lot to pay on a one-off occasion.

I can obtain BeneFit cosmetics from Boots, Debenh
ams and House of Fraser. I believe they stock it in most upmarket department stores, and failing that, you can buy it direct from BeneFit at www.benefitcosmetics.com


CONCLUSIO& #78;

I enjoy the Bathina salts even if the bubbles are a little short lived. In BeneFit?s defence it does live up to the majority of its claims and did make my skin softer, perhaps I am being unreasonable in expecting bubbles to last longer than ten minutes? In conclusion I am unsure whether this will be a product that I shall re-purchase, but with the remaining salts I have I shall definitely enjoy a swift soak and the soft skin to follow.


 carly_pussycat - dooyoo UK ©

Summary: