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M&S Essential Cocoa & Vanilla Hand Wash
by chrisandmark
Having such a large family means I don't shop in M&S as much as I'd like, it's financially not viable regardless of how much I adore their products. A while ago however we decided to treat ourselves and did the weekly shop in the scarily expensive store - and while I was there I picked myself a few goodies up from their lovely beauty ... aisle. We needed hand wash anyway and when I saw this Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Hand Wash was only £1 I grabbed a couple of bottles.
It's a gel hand wash which is sold in an attractive, if basic, pump action bottle. It's not going to win any design awards but looks smart in my bathroom with its neutral beige colour scheme; the pump needed priming for an age before it would dispense any hand wash, after priming the flow of hand wash is continual and the pump action is smooth and responsive. You're advised to use a small amount and I feel the pump dispenses much too much at a time but I've learned how to control this as I don't want to waste any!
The smell wasn't what I was expecting at all - the cocoa butter is nowhere near as rich as it should be and although the vanilla is very apparent it seems somehow muted, I wouldn't say I'm disappointed with the fragrance but it's definitely not the sweet chocolatey smell I wanted it to be! It's not amazingly intense but is a pleasant aroma to be greeted with when doing something as mundane as washing your hands.
The hand wash lathers nicely, as with most hand washes you don't get a huge amount of bubbles but it's enough to clean my hands along with lots of hot water. The foam created is strong but soft which ensures it feels relatively pampering but also makes me feel as though it's working to cleanse my skin, I'm a bit of a Pavlov Dogs type so only use hand wash on my hands just like I'd never use shower gel as shampoo - as far as my hands are concerned this does an excellent job and also has the added bonus of leaving my skin soft and supple.
I haven't experienced any dryness since using this M&S hand wash and don't feel the need to use a hand cream afterwards, I sometimes get a small patch of eczema on my hand and cheaper hand washes can cause a flare up or make this area feel itchy. Not so this one, after washing my hands feel not only clean but also well looked after - it's strange really as this is a gel hand wash and those tend to be drying for me, usually I'll opt for washes with a creamy consistency to prevent this irritation but took a chance this time and am glad I did!
I'm highly impressed with this M&S Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Hand Wash, considering the low price (and considering the other hand washes available that day were all three times the price) I assume this is their version of a Tesco Value product but it doesn't feel like it. I wouldn't say it is particularly luxurious, but then that's not a word I'd use to describe hand wash anyway - it is a lovely product though, with a pleasant fragrance and a gentle enough formulation to be suitable for even the youngest members of my family. As you only need to use a small blob of hand wash each time the bottle has so far lasted for weeks, this is even with Hollie using far too much every time she washes her hands so for those of you without a wasteful five year old in the house I reckon you might get a couple of months out of just the one bottle - I envisage ours will make it to the six week mark and probably not much longer, but for a quid that's pretty good value considering the much shorter lifespan of the majority of unbranded hand washes you can buy in Poundland.
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M &'s Coconut Milk Hand Wash
by xxfoxyredxx
The other day whilst I was out shopping with my best mate Liz we found ourselves mooching about a Marks & Spencers store. Up until this point it actually isn't a shop I have been in for years as I always believed it was a little bit pricey for me, however I was pretty pleased at the prices of a lot of the things I looked at and was ... surprised at the prices of the toiletries in particular with a range called 'Essentials' which is Marks & Spencers economy version offering and this item only costs £1.00 normally but at the time I bought it all the 'Essential' products were on offer at buy one get half price meaning that I did get two hand washes for a mere £1.50 along with a few other products too!
The Packaging:
The hand wash comes in a see through bottle with a white frosted coloured lever style arm to the top of it which does have an on/off function to it. On the front of the bottle we are told that it is Essential Extracts Coconut Milk Hand Wash and there is a photograph of a coconut shown and the size of the product is given which is 300ml. On the back of the bottle other information listed includes being told how to use the product and the ingredients are given, we are told that this product is not tested on animals and has recyclable packaging and contact details for Marks & Spencers are given. This is a very simple looking bottle indeed and actually has a cheap feel and look to it really. We are only told that it is a Marks & Spencers product discreetly on the back of it but it is easy to dispense the product out of etc.
The Hand Wash:
Well this smells of coconuts, sweetened slightly and in my opinion slightly too much. It is a bit of a fake aroma and not as naturally fragranced as I expected it to be but it is pleasant enough and very unisex in fragrance to be fair to it.
Although this is referred to as a milk it is actually a clear and rather runny gel and all you need of this is one pump and some water to get a rich enough lather going on.
This is not an anti bacterial hand wash and basically is simply a hand freshener. I find that it is kind enough to skin and that it leaves my hands fresh enough and clean and that the fragrance lingers for about an hour on my skin. It doesn't agitate my sensitive skin, moisturise it or dry my hands out and basically works well enough though isn't anything special at all sadly.
I think this is an ok product but worth no more than a pound a product and personally I feel a bit let down by it really and can't wait to go back to my trusted Dove hand washes!
Only available in Marks & Spencers stores.
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M&S Essential Cocoa & Vanilla Hand Wash
by xxfoxyredxx
One of things I hate to see in my bathroom is a piece of tatty scummy soap for people to wash their hands with on display. It really is a pet hate of mine actually and looks rather unhygienic to me which is why I always buy a bottle of hand wash for my bathroom. I usually opt for Dove when I see it sold cheaply in places like Poundland ... however recently I was in a Marks And Spencer's store and saw their hand wash at only a pound a bottle but at the time I purchased it, it was on offer with many items buy one get one half price so I grabbed a couple of bottles and thought I'd shove one near the sink in my kitchen as a little treat for myself!
The Packaging:
The hand wash comes in a see-through, plastic bottle with a white frosted 'arm' to the top of it which does have an on/off function to it, ideal for travelling or keeping the kids from using it all up! On the front of the bottle we are told that it is Essential Extracts Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Hand Wash and that it is a 300ml size and there is a photograph of what I assume is a cocoa bean on there. On the back of the bottle other information listed includes being told how to use the product, the ingredients are given, we are told that the bottle is recyclable and that it isn't tested on animals and contact details for Marks & Spencer's are given. This doesn't look like an expensive product, which to be fair it isn't but Marks & Spencer's is only discreetly written on the back so nobody will ever know where it came from sadly lol.
The Hand wash Itself:
Well this hand wash is more like a thin gel in consistency and a very pale golden colour in the bottle and dispenses out of the bottle with ease and with no colour on the skin at all. You only need a pump or so to get a nice lather going on your hands and it lathers up ever so easily and feels smooth and soft in use too.
However this is meant to smell of cocoa and vanilla and it seriously doesn't as doesn't the bath foam and bath cream I have tried out in this same scent from Marks. It actually smells slightly floral and a bit soapy and although it is nice enough, really isn't what I expected at all though the scent isn't horrible it just doesn't have a scent of what its meant to.
However this leaves my hands soft enough though not overly moisturised or anything and does remove nasty odours and grime easily enough. It isn't anti bacterial or anything like that but is simply just a hand wash to use for not so dirty hands in my opinion and to freshen them up a bit and the scent does linger gently on the hands for a good hour too after using it.
This bottle will last me and my guests ages as we don't need to use much of it but although I feel it is an ok product I do feel that this is seriously let down by the scent and packaging an so won't be repurchasing this in the future sadly!
Only available from Marks & Spencers stores.
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