I have a recurring problem with very severely dry skin. As good as my intentions are, I do forget to moisturise daily and although I'm sure I'll curse myself heavily when I'm older, right now I just find it a bit of a chore. My particularly dry areas tend to be my heels and shins. Sometimes if I forget to moisturise for an extended period of time my heels can crack and my shins do too to some extent - the skin while not painful can resemble an arid desert somewhat!

Neither of these situations is at all comfortable so of course I do try to avoid them. I have tried masses of differing moisturising solutions over the years and all of them have some measure of success. However, I've never found one particular lotion that was so effective that I've bought a second bottle rather than trying something new - until now!

I'm onto my *third* bottle of Garnier's 'Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion' which is designed to be nourishing to extremely dry skin. The '7 Days' gimmick is the idea that skin continues to feel the effects of the lotion up to seven days after its last application. Although I don't feel comfortable agreeing to seven days, I certainly believe that moisturising is needed less regularly than with any other lotion I've ever used. I can get away with doing it twice a week and feeling perfectly happy in my skin rather than every other day which is what has been required as an absolute minimum in the past.

The lotion is white in colour and medium in texture. It's not runny like a moisturising milk, but it's not gloopy and a chore to rub in like a body butter. It takes very little effort to work into the skin and it soaks in very quickly. The lotion is quite pliable and is easy to move around from one location to another should you misjudge the amount needed (which is really quite little, even on very dry skin like my own). Its consistency leads to a very light film being left on the skin for a short while after application. It doesn't seem to matter how intensively you try to rub it all in, it doesn't vanish. For this reason, I apply my lotion before bed rather than after a shower. I'm too impatient to wait the five minutes or so required before dressing!

Shea Butter is the highlighted ingredient and the lotion's scent confirms this for anyone used to a variety of different products. Although quite strong when the lotion is smelled directly from the bottle or from a pool in the hand for example, the fragrance is rather more on the delicate side when rubbed into the skin. It does linger for a while which is great if you find the scent to be pleasant but this would potentially be a problem for those that prefer unscented products.

As for effect on the skin, I've already stated that I believe my skin has never been in better condition when using another product. I find that my skin is soft and smooth and pleasant to touch. I'm not getting that awful tight feeling that I'm used to as a reminder that it's time to moisturise again, so I suppose that in theory I could go even longer than three/four days between applications!

This is a fantastic product, and I find it to be completely irreplaceable. No other brand has worked for me in the way that Garnier's 'Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion' has and I am thoroughly pleased with the results. As a 250ml bottle lasts me roughly a month, at about £2.99 a pop this is a fantastic bargain. You can also buy larger 400ml bottles that cost roughly £5 which is what I will be doing next time as I know by now that I love this lotion!