It is recommended to use a hand cream every time after washing hands however I always feels it makes my hands a little bit sticky for some time and therefore I don't. Instead, I make sure I apply hand cream every time before going to bed as I avoid the annoying sticky feeling and wake up with soft and nourished hands. This review discusses Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Cream that I received as birthday present and have been using every night for the past several weeks.

The company
I had never heard of Crabtree & Evelyn before and having done some research, I learnt that they are 'dedicated to creating products and gifts that transform the ordinary rituals of daily life into extraordinary pleasurable experiences'. The company has been around for almost fourty years (initially a small, family business that specialised in soaps). They offer a wide range of body care, fragrances and gourmet foods which are sold in their chain of shops around the world. The travel version of their body care is used by Hilton hotels (that I happily pinched as well!).

Rosewater Collection
Rosewater Collection is one of the newest collections at Crabtree & Evelyn in which we can find a shower gel, body lotion, body cream, body dust, soap, eau de toilette, home fragrance oil, hand cream, wash and cleanser, a candle and room spray. Moreover, some of these products (e.g. shower gel) also comes in travel version. For a rosewater fan it may be a bit overwhelming to choose from such a wide range of products but everyone can find something for themselves here.

Rosewater Hand Cream
This hand cream comes is packed in a white carton box which has a picture of rose at the front and the name. At the back there is information about he use (in English and in French) and the list of ingredients. Even if it is not very green, I really like the idea of packing a hand cream in a little carton box as it makes it seem somewhat luxurious and perhaps a bit posh. Inside the box there is a pink, metal tube with a white screw off lid at the top. Again, I really like the idea of hand cream tube being made from metal rather than plastic as it seems more luxurious to me (even if it's colder!). The tube contains 100g cream.

As scent is my strongest sense, having unscrewed the lid, I smelled it. The producer describes it as 'captivating rosewater surrounded with light notes of violet, florals, and musk' and I completely agree with this description. The rosewater is the strongest note here but at the back you can scent some florals, musk and violet. It is a lovely scent; reasonably sweet (but not sickly), quite intense (but not overwhelming) and extremely pleasant. It doesn't seem to be artificial at all and disappears within a couple of hours.

It is very easy to apply: just press the tube and spread the cream on the hands. Being used to hand creams in plastic containers, for the first couple of times I squeezed the tube too much and unfortunately, wasted some cream but eventually I learnt to delicately press the tube. The product has a great, creamy texture and in this case, a little really does go a long way. It is white which I found a bit surprising (for some reason, I thought it would be pink) and the skin absorbs it quite quickly (doesn't leave annoying sticky after feeling which is a great plus for me).

The cream contains shea butter and rosewater. Crabtree & Evelyn state that it 'soothes and moisturises' and 'helps maintain softness'. Indeed, the hand cream makes my skin extremely soft, smooth and pleasant to touch. It is a very good moisturiser and my skin is visibly nourished. It did, however, disappoint me a little as when I went away for a couple of days (and forgot to take it with me), the condition of my hands rapidly deteriorated. I wouldn't think that stopping the use of the cream for literally three days would make such a big difference; my hands suddenly became very dry and rough. When I returned, I started using the cream again and their condition quickly improved.

The hand cream can be bought in Crabtree & Evelyn stores and online. It currently costs £14.00 for 100g.

It is not a perfect, but certainly a very good hand cream that smells lovely. Recommended.

Thank you for reading my review.