For that spa smell (Clarins Tonic Shower Bath Concentrate)

Member Name: clairelw101

Product:	Clarins Tonic Shower Bath Concentrate
Date:	09/11/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxing, leaves skin feeling soft

Disadvantages: The bottle

Another "gift" from my partners mum in the vast amount of Clarins stuff that got passed by way was the tonic shower and bath concentrate.

As with all Clarins products this came in the usual white box with the red Clarins writing on it. Inside the box was that usual leaflet in various different languages and the product itself.

The bath concentrate comes in a 200ml bottle which is a clear plastic and very sturdy so you don't need to worry if it drops on the floor about the plastic cracking open, personally I think you'd need a hammer to be able to do that. It has a screw lid and inside there is a small hole in the top which you squeeze the product through.

Clarins say that the ingredients in this are "Aromatic essential oils (Rosewood, Geranium, Mint, Rosemary): fragrance, tone and promote a feeling of well-being. Cleansing base of plant origin (Coconut): cleanses skin, provides comfort. Extracts of Juniper, Balm, Pine, St. John's Wort, Arnica, Gentian and Witch Hazel: firm and stimulate skin exchanges". And wow the first time I used this it smelt like my bathroom had turned into an up market spa, the smell though isn't overwhelming and is really relaxing.

The suggestion is that you fill the cap with the concentrate and then pour under hot water. Now it doesn't say how much of the cap, personally I only fill up the middle of the cap that goes over the screw top and this seems to do fine anymore and I think the smell and then the bubbles would be too much. The other thing to bear in mind is this bottle is hard to squeeze, now this is down to the thickness of the plastic but could also be so that you don't squeeze out too much but sometimes you do feel like you need muscles on muscles to get it out of the bottle. The concentrate itself is also quite thick so this doesn't help matters and is the lovely yellow/gold colour that you can see in the picture.

When you pour this under the running water the bubbles start to appear and it does foam up very nicely and with the small amount you use you don't end up with a bath full of bubbles. Clarins claim that "
Invigorates the body and mind. A rich yet lightweight foam which cleanses gently while helping to tone, firm and energise. " I'm not sure about the tone, firm and energise bit but I don't use this all the time more of a treat. I have found thought that the smell is very relaxing and my skin feels lovely and soft when I get out of the bath.

As I didn't buy this I went hunting for a price and boots has a 200ml bottle for £15 which you might think is expensive for some bath stuff but as I don't use it all the time and it will last for a while as a treat I think this is worth it.

The downsides to this has to be the stiff bottle so if Clarins could change this for a tube or even just a slightly easier to squeeze plastic that would be great. Also if you don't want the bathroom to smell of a spa for a couple of hours afterwards (my partner always knows when I've had a bath with this even if he's been out) I wouldn't use it but the smell isn't overpowering more lingering. I will definately buying some more of this when I run out as my little treat.

Summary: A little treat that turns your bathroom into your own spa