In the UK, Champneys is one of the most luxurious spa brands in the country. They have had a ‘at home’ range for a number of years (all rather expensive, but the whole point is so that you can have spa treatment in your own home) but it is only in the last year or so that they have started to make vegan friendly products. I suppose here could be a debate here that they only started making vegan products when they realised that they could make more money and appeal to a new area of society, but I for one am just pleased that more vegan products are becoming available across all avenues. And as a woman who does enjoy a little pampering (I think everyone enjoys pampering deep down) I was also quite excited to try some of their newest products.
Now I say new, but I have in truth had this product for about a year. The main reason for this is that you do not need to use a lot of this product. The actual consistency of the balm is very thick – like a very thick yoghurt I would say – rather than the creamy body butter you’d probably expect. It also takes quite a while to actually soak into skin, or at least that is what I have found. Even using a small amount – roughly a golf ball size of product to use on my whole body – still seems to take about 5-10 minutes to fully soak into my skin and allows me to get dressed without any product sticking to my clothes or making me feel sticky. It is why I only use this product about once a week, and is also why the whole tub has lasted me about a year. I have found for me that this isn’t the type of moisturiser I can put on my body every day, because it just takes too much time to soak in, and I very rarely have that amount of time after every single shower. This could however just be me and how my skin has reacted to it, but just something to be aware of the first time you use it.
Despite the lack of absorbency, it is still a really nice product. It definitely feels very posh, with the cream itself being very thick but smooth and silky to touch. It also states on the tub that it has lavender extract to help relax your body and your mind before bed and as someone who normally really hates the smell of lavender, this product is actually very pleasant. It has the very faintest hint of lavender, but I wouldn’t say it was overpowering or really that noticeable. More than anything it smells like ‘spa’. I don’t know how else to describe it, but if you have ever been into a spa, or even had a facial or a massage, you know the smell I am referring to. So it definitely has that feel of a high end product, and is a very nice treat to use for a little moment of pampering after a long day.
This whole tub cost me about £15, but I have seen it come on sale for around £9 quite often so I think it largely depends on the time of year and the store you are buying from. But regular retail is around the £15 mark. For me, this is absolutely a bargain, but then I am only using it once a week. I think if you were using it more than that then the cost could start to creep up. Again, just something to be mindful of if you do try it, love it, and want to make it part of your daily bathing routine.
Taylor Talks Vegan 