Crabtree & Evelyn are a brand which silently but proudly portray luxurious British heritage. The brand stemmed from a family run business that made home-made soaps with an international themes which has since grown into a huge international company which is known for quality toiletries and they have stemmed into fragrances and even food. Crabtree & Evelyn are the ultimate hipster company as they made “natural” cool before “natural” was the in thing to do. Working in harmony with nature their products are inspired from a time when the garden played an important role in daily life and they use plant, fruit and flower essences for natural fragances and soothing solutions for the skin.

From two of the recent #BWB or Bloggers Who Bless Cape Town meets – we have been totally spoilt with their wonderful handcreams. The one I’ve been using on my paws is the Iris Hand Therapy. Firstly, it is small enough to carry around in your handbag, they certainly pack a punch in these harsh winter months. They touch your skin and are absorbed leaving you with wonderfully smooth and soft hands that have no left over residue or greasiness. A real winter-must have. On top of this they leave your hands smelling absolutely gorgeous and long after use they leave a very faint scent of beautiful iris. These hand creams are award-winning and its not hard to see why. They certainly win my vote for best winter handcream for 2014 that I’ve used so far ;) Have a look at the entire handcream range over here at their website.

For 50g this product retails at R180 but you use such a little product it can last you for ages so, its well worth the investment!

Crabtree & Evelyn are not only an easy solution for a gift for the special ladies in your life as their products will happily work in harmony with everyone, they are a healthy and smart choice for daily use.

What is your favourite Crabtree & Evelyn product?

Don’t forget to visit Crabtree & Evelyn’s website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @Crabtree_SA

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Hi lovelies! Today I have something a little different for you. As some of you may have seen on Twitter, I am honored to be a part of an amazing group of ladies called Bloggers Who Bless or #BWB. To find out exactly what #BWB is about you can check us out HERE and while you're there, go have look around the site! The posts are always honest and helpful so it's definitely worth a read. Now and then I will be reviewing products for #BWB and it may not always be nail polish, nail art or hand care related but I will always try and make it as informative and entertaining as possible. So let's get on to my very first review...

After the first #BWB meet up in Cape Town, I got sent an AMAZING goodie bag which contained 2 gorgeous tubes of Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra-Moisturising Hand Therapy (Iris and Lavender). I'll admit, this was the first time I've heard of the brand but that is because I have been sleeping under a non-beauty-related rock for the past 24 years! After stalking the internet and the Crabtree & Evelyn website, I was ready to test this product and man, I was not disappointed!

First off, let's talk about the packaging. Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy comes in a beautiful tube that reminds me of all those little paint tubes that you always see in art supply stores and want to buy, even though you have no idea what you are actually going to do with it! This immediately had me feeling all giddy and excited because yes, I am that easily excited. It's the small things in life people!

The actual cream had a bit of a buttery feel to it when I first rubbed it between my fingers which had me a little worried as I don't like to use heavy greasy products on my hands during the day but this worry went away very quickly! After I rubbed the cream in, my hands felt soft, moisturized, smelled divine and absorbed into my skin with no effort! I'll admit, I fell pretty hard for this product because it's truly amazing. In fact, it now is the cream I use before I take my nail art photos for the blog because it makes my hands look so moisturized without looking oily. Out of the 2 scents I received, I preferred the Iris but that's only because I've never been a fan of Lavender scented products. The only downfall about this cream is the price tag. It is quite a bit more expensive than the average hand cream on the market but that being said, it isn't an average hand cream! At the moment I'm actually planning the heist I'm going to pull when this cream is finished because I want...no, NEED a lifetime supply of it!
You can keep up with Crabtree & Evelyn via Twitter, Facebook and also remember to go check out their website. 

Lots of mad love...
Thea

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In my first BWB goodie bag, I was spoiled with 2 Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams. The only other C & E product I ever owned was a lavender perfume that I won… I gave it away. 

So it was Karmically fated and hella funny when Ginger plundered my stash and stole the Iris variant, leaving me with a Lavender scented C & E product once more.

When body and bath shopping pops onto my ” to do” list, Crabtree & Evelyn is not on my list of shops to visit. BUT… after awarding the hand cream a fair shot, I must admit that I’m not opposed to it.

What I like about it

You can look at any one of their products and know that it’s a quality product. The quaint packaging sparks a sense of nostalgia and wholesomeness. Though I’m not overly fond of the processed smell of lavender, this hand cream hit a happy medium for me. BUT, the Iris is the nicer smelling one of the two. It’s not greasy at all and it really makes your hands feel baby soft.

What I don’t like about it

The price. 100g goes for a whopping R330, which is the main reason for my lack of C & E products. They do, however, state that the hand cream is award winning .. so, I suppose R330 for your share of an award winning product might not be THAT bad.

You can check out their online store here to check out more products. They have a free shipping promotion currently running for orders over R1000.

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