I have a thing about washing my hands... as soon as I get into work in particular it’s the first thing I need to do after holding onto those greasy hand rails on tube/train/bus. Now the colder weather is setting in, I especially find that my hands are dry and sensitive.
Enter Antipodes Kowhai Flower Hand Cream! Enriched with avocado oil (ie. high in vitamin E!) and scented with sweet orange, tonka bean and sandalwood, this light cream is simply beautiful to go to bed with... on your hands.
I was a little thrown by the instructions on the box “Rinse you hands in warm and pure water...” Hrm... well, as pure as Thames water gets I suppose! “...dry gently and caress with cream at sunrise, high noon and sunset...” It’s all very sensual, but ultimately, I squeeze a pea size amount out and rub my hands together. Simples!
It certainly does the job, and it does it well. I can’t stand creams which ‘sit’ on your hands and don’t sink in. This is a non-greasy cream, however I think it doesn’t sink in as well as it might (you know when you wash your hands at some point later? You can feel the cream washing off with the water), but it doesn’t leave you feeling gunky so hey, who cares?
The scent for me is definitely the high point, the sweet orange being definitely the leading scent and also one of my favourites. If you’re more of a floral notes person, it might not be for you.
The Antipodes range, as you might guess, comes from New Zealand. Their main products include skin and body care, but looking at their website, it looks like make-up is on the way too!
Also, FACT OF THE WEEK! Kowhai flowers are regarded as New Zealand’s national flower. They’re yellow and kinda hang like runner beans. The Maori used the bark of the tree as poultices to treat wounds or rub on a sore back. However at the same time, all parts of the Kowhai are apparently poisonous. So yeah, don’t eat your hand cream I guess.
The Good:
Awesome citrus smell. Perfect for evicting cats at bed time.
Non-greasy and sinks in fast
Long-lasting moisturised feeling
The Bad:
At between £15.50 - £16 for a 75ml tube, it’s perhaps fairly expensive.
Antipodes tube packaging is boooooring.
The Ugly: I bought mine for £16.00 online at Appuru (www.appuru.co.uk). You can find it slightly cheaper elsewhere, but I stumbled across this little store online and liked the fact it was independent and family run. I’m a sucker like that. Also the branding is so cute!
Where to buy: Havent seen this range in any High Street stores, but small independent stores specialising in organic and natural skincare do tend to stock Antipodes. You can also shop online at http://www.antipodesnature.com/
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