Thursday 6 October 2011

Betty Hula Review

Aloha!

I'm not in sunny Hawaii, sadly, but the Betty Hula products I've been testing have put me in a sunny mood on this damp autumn's day. 

If you haven't heard of Betty Hula, it is a range of handmade skincare products made up of natural and fair trade ingredients. They have three moisturisers and a body oil so far and they will be widening their range to include lip balms, gift sets and body scrubs too.


I heard about Betty Hula a while ago and I've always thought that their jars look so beautiful and colourful but I've never had the chance to try what's inside them. They kindly sent me some samples to try of some of their moisturisers and The Secret body oil.




The moisturisers I received are Champagne & Spice and Rum & Blackcurrant.

The ingredients* are: Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E.

As you can see from the ingredients list, it is full of natural moisturising, anti-inflammatory and healing ingredients so you can use it for different reasons whether you want to use it for your eczema or as an aftersun cream. I'm surprised that fragrance isn't on the list because there is definitely fragrance in there! I've been told that the fragrance is natural but it undergoes a manmade process so they would describe the product as being 99% natural.

I imagined the consistency of the moisturisers to be like whipped shea butter but they're more like a heavy lotion (or a light cream) as you can see in the picture below.


Unlike some of the other creams I've reviewed previously, this product doesn't melt into an oil once it touches the skin. It's pretty much like most creams and lotions in that way. But it is still absored very quickly into the skin and doesn't leave my hands sticky.

I was also very curious how the creams would smell as they sound very unique and like nothing I have tried before. I actually imagined them to have a boozey smell but, thankfully, they don't smell like that at all!

Champagne & Spice has a sweet smell. It is very difficult to describe as it isn't like anything I've smelled before. It does smell familiar though. Like perfume except not overpowering. Do you know how some perfumes have a spicy smell? Kinda like that.

Rum & Blackcurrant is quite similar to Champagne & Spice in that it is also very sweet. It has a lovely fruity smell, which I quite like.

I really wish I could describe these scents better. They're just too unique to compare to anything. Overall, very nice smells. A little too strong first thing in the morning or at bedtime for me though, especially the Champagne & Spice, but it makes a nice evening treat after a bath. I love using it when I'm out as the smell is very comforting. Out of the two, I think I prefer Rum & Blackcurrant as I don't like the spiciness of the Champagne & Spice.

I haven't been using them long enough on my body to comment on how well they work but I'm happy with using it as a hand cream. My hands feel soft and hydrated.

I quite like the creams and would buy them if they were a little cheaper. Until I find them on offer, they're going on the (never-ending) wish list. I think it's great that there is a natural cream that has a fun smell as many brands tend to follow the fragrance-free path, which isn't very exciting. There is also a Kiwi & Lime scented one that sounds delicious.

RRP £14.99 for 120ml



The Secret is a body oil that is described to be moisturising, repairing and anti-ageing. The ingredients* are: Grapeseed Oil, Apricot Kemel, Avocado Oil, Hemp Oil, Vitamin E, Rose Absolute, Jojoba Oil.

I love that they use a range of different oils that are known to have anti-ageing properties so the skin benefits from them all. I don't have any wrinkles or scars but I have been getting stretch marks. I haven't been using it much though as I keep forgetting to but I'll try to use it more often and report back if I can. Again, it has a lovely smell that is 100% natural and I won't even attempt to describe it.

Whether it works for me or not, I would rather buy rosehip oil, which is less than half the price of this and I've read numerous recommendations for it. But if you're looking for a fun smelling alternative to rosehip oil or a luxurious yet useful gift for a mamma-to-be, this seems like a great product.

RRP £15.99 for 50ml

Sounds tempting? Betty Hula is available at Bettyhula.co.uk and selected Sainsbury's stores. Get 15% off at Bettyhula.co.uk with the code BHB15. Plus free shipping!

*EDIT: I am unsure about the full ingredients list. The ingredients list on the Sainsbury's website differ.

xx

4 comments:

Lily said...

yummy they sound delicious especially blackcurrant. i'll check them out thanks :)

Anonymous said...

the jars look so pretty!

Jill said...

I need this! x

Anonymous said...

Found your review via twitter, loved it! Very informative :)