Festive Toilet Joke for the Shower (Cussons Imperial Leather)

Member Name: susie19

Product:	Cussons Imperial Leather
Date:	11/12/05 (340 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It washes.

Disadvantages: It smells like toilet cleaner (Christmas trees if you want to be festive about it).

Morning Horror in the shower!
My favourite satiny Foamburst gel is empty and I'm already soaking wet. Choices are difficult first thing in the morning so rather than get out of the shower and drip my way to the cupboard for a new can of froth, I pick up my daughter's Imperial Leather Refreshing Shower Gel which she won somewhere.

**It's Green!**
The lid is green and so is the liquid gel in the clear plastic bottle. Bright green is OK but not a colour I'd ever choose for a shower gel. It just doesn's seem right somehow and besides, clashes with our bathroom decor. I already know I'm not going to like it.

**The Smell**
This gel is labelled 'refreshing'. It certainly is that! It stinks! Now being the season to be jolly, if you like the smell of Christmas trees and want to walk around smelling like one, then you'll love this gel. For me, however, the smell is nostalgic. It's the only fragrance of bubble bath that I remember from childhood. Radox baths. I used to love them. But over time my senses have changed. I remember finding a new toilet cleaner called Frisch, probably when I first started having to clean my own toilets back in the 1980s. It smelt of my bubble baths. A great find; a fine, pine smelling toilet cleaner!

Back to the shower though. The smell of this gel now equals toilet cleaner for the above reason. Something is not right. Cleaning oneself in toilet cleaner is not good. Smelling of toilet cleaner even worse.

**Gelly belly**
The gel itself (if you ignore the smell) does a fine job of cleaning all one's bodily bits. Not that I'm a grubby girl I hasten to add. (It does a grand job on my kid's muddy knees). It also seems kind on skin. You don't need to use much but if you're used to using Foamburst you will probably, like me, feel that it isn't spreading out very well. The gel comes out in blobs, if you don't rub it in quickly the shower will wash your blob down the plug hole before youve even had chance to wash with it. Another plus point for Foamburst.

**Hairy Good?**
It says on the bottle that this gel is suitable for hair and body. I cannot imagine much worse than hair smelling of toilet cleaner so I definitely did not wash my hair with it. (Thoughts of Bart and Lisa shuddering as they go to stay with Aunties Patty and Selma spring to mind)!

**Gelly Smelly**
Well OK so this Refreshing isn't for me. I have however tried a couple of the other Imperial Leather Shower Gels, including the pale blue one which had a much less toilety/festive smell. The following varieties are available:

• Refreshing Shower Gel (green)
• Revitalising Shower Cream (pale blue)
• Relaxing Shower Cream (pink)
• Soothing Shower Cream (greeny blue)
• Energising Shower Gel (blue)
• Indulging Shower Gel (orange)
• Wake Up Shower Gel (yellow)
• Nourishing Shower Cream (deep pink)

**The Packaging**
The 250ml plastic bottle is all curvy. Being clear plastic allows you to see how much gel you have left which makes it easy to see when you have run out (Imperial Leather please note, this is the only way you can improve your Foamburst product)! The bottle is recyclable.

**Availability and Cost**
This range of shower creams and gels are avilable in most chemists and supermarkets. At our local Sainsbury's they cost £1.39, currently on offer saving 78p if you buy 2.

**Further Information**
Freephone: 0800 581001
www.releasethelather.co.uk

**Summary**
Down the toilet with this one. This gel must be a festive joke, but as it seems available all year round, perhaps not. The other varieties that I've tried are just OK. They don't last as long and they in no way match up to the fun of silky, satiny, frothy Imperial Leather foamburst gel. I certainly won't be giving up my morning frothy fun for this bland alternative.

Merry Christmas to all pine lovers!

Summary: Toilet smelly shower gel. A Festive joke?