Beauty Head to Head: Body Lotions

Hello hello lovelies, how are you all today? I hope good is the answer. I'm in a delightful mood, having the best time on my current internship and really loving the work and the people. Whilst this is amazing it has led to a little bit of blog neglect for which I am eternally sorry! You'll just have to ride out this rough patch with me.

Today's post is on moisturisers for the body. For someone who has such oily facial skin the skin on my body can get very dry, cheap razors have left my legs in a very fragile and sensitive state and a family history of psoriasis means my elbows can also be pretty pesky. I have to confess that I suck at moisturising. Like many others I see it as a total chore and a moisturiser can , due to neglect, last me a good few months. Some have been known to hang around for years.

However my recent re-subscription to glossybox has seen me receive some fantastic moisturisers through my letterbox and I quickly realised that if I didn't start using them I'd have a major backlog. The two moisturisers I had received also promised some amazing benefits too.



Duck Island Body Lotion and Rituals Magic Touch Whipped Body Cream

Both of these products came in my glossybox and both were destined to be confined to the back of my beauty drawer forever until I realised a learning opportunity was at hand. Although both of these products were mositurisers one was a lotion and one was a cream. I figured if I was going to acquaint myself with body moisturisers then I should learn which type I liked best. Oils, lotions creams, scented, unscented, whipped or non whipped. Simply picking up whatever was on offer in boots would no longer do. And thus the comparison began. I used these products after my shower on the dry and sensitive skin on my legs and rated them on smell, texture and over all effect.

Texture: Of the two the Rituals whipped body cream was my favourite. The air whipped texture meant it felt a little like a mousse and this allowed a little to go a very long way. It took a little more rubbing in than the Duck island lotion but once applied properly it was absorbed super quick and didn't leave a greasy residue on my hands. In contast the Duck Island lotion was more creamy and definitely more liquid in texture. Although this wasn't a massive issue it did mean it was more difficult to control how much product I used and when you're as clumsy as me then this can be an issue. It also took slightly longer to absorb so for me Rituals Wins this one.

Smell: Now if you've ever used a Duck Island product then you can probably see where this one is heading. This body lotion was scented with Mandarin and Bergamot Duck Island range and honestly smelt absolutely divine. Fresh and fruity with a rich edge it was a summery and warming smell which brought a serious positive edge to my day. A definite winner for a 'wake me up' scent in the morning. In contrast the Rituals body cream was far more subtle but by no means less pleasant. This would be ideal for those who don't like overpowering scents but still want a delicate and fresh scent. Points here go to Duck Island.

Overall Effect: Well this was of course the most important factor. Even the easiest to apply, most amazing smelling body lotions are redundant if they don't do what they're supposed to. The first thing I will say is that both of these moisturisers irritated my skin slightly but as it is incredibly sensitive and neither of these claimed to cater to sensitive skin then I'm not too disappointed. The Duck Island moisturiser did give me a stronger reaction however I believe this is down to its strong scent and the fact that rice milk, one of the main ingredients in Rituals lotion has soothing properties. Overall the Duck Island one definitely felt more moisturising but the downside to this was it left a sticky residue even though it was initially easier to apply. The Rituals lotion absorbed well, left my skin soft but dry to touch and didn't give me quite as bad a reaction as the Duck Island lotion. Once again, Rituals wins here.

And the winner is: Rituals

So have these products managed to change my opinion on body moisturising? Not miraculously, no. I'm still looking for a product which makes me want to climb into a large vat of it and slather it everywhere but I have to say I really enjoyed both of these and if I ever get passed my laziness I'd definitely purchase the rituals cream as my go to cream!