Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream > Reviews (15)

Whilst living at home, many moons ago, my Mum used to always buy Clarins or Clinique products for me and my sister, the brother didn't get a look in, not that he wanted beauty products..........in those days the 'new man' didn't exist and male pampering was very much frowned upon, how times have changed!

However once the mortgage, bills etc reared their ugly heads, Clarins products became a luxury and I now rely upon birthdays and Christmas to receive them.

And lo and behold on my birthday in January, a depressing month to have a b.day and turning 36 to boot, I received this product from a friend of mine, with a hint that I would need it as it 'minimizes age spots!' At least she's honest!!

~ Packaging ~

This comes in a white box, with red writing on it. Inside there is a tube of the cream, 100ml in this case. This is also white with red writing on it. It stands on it's lid which is screw top.

~ What does it promise / What does the pamphlet say? ~

• Rich cream
• Easily absorbed, non-oily emulsion (makes it sound like a paint!)
• Can be used morning and night
• Preserves the youthful and beauty qualities of hands and nails.
• Contains SPF 15
• Helps prevent age spots
• Promotes soft, smooth hands
• Apply to clean, dry hands, working from the tips of the fingers to the wrists.
• For stronger nails, gently massage them each time you apply the cream.

~ What it contains and their functions ~

• Sesame oil and shea butter ~ protect and moisturise
• Japanese mulberry extract ~ minimises the appearance of age spots
• Condurango bark ~ an astringent that helps prevent clammy palms of hands (my hands are always cold so I never suffer from this)
• Myrrh extract ~ helps strengthen and protect nails from breaking
• French grape extract, blackberry & saxifrage ~ helps reduce the appearance of existing age spots
• Vegetal based glycerine ~ moisturises and softens without an oily residue

~ My Experience ~

Aside from not realising that many of those ingredients actually existed, I was horrified to read that age spots usually appear after 35 - 40. Being 36 with no age spots but the facial wrinkles appropriate for a 50 year old, I am so glad that I am yet to suffer age spots, that would just finish me off!!

The cream is easily squeezed from the tube and what I liked about it was the fact that the cream didn't keep coming out of the small nozzle, which so often is the case and leads to messiness and waste.

The cream is white and has just the right consistency, neither runny nor too thick.

It has an absolutely lovely smell, very fresh, tangy and clean, but not a medicinal smell, almost like a very good perfume!

I suffer from extremely dry skin in the cold weather, so much so that the skin between my fingers is prone to cracking, not a good look!

This cream is very easily absorbed, perhaps due to the dry nature of my hands at this time of year.

It certainly leaves my hands feeling very soft and moisturised and what I like about it is the lack of stickiness after applying it. So many hand creams I have used, leave a lot of grease residue which means that you can't hold anything for 10 minutes after application for fear of it slipping out of your hands!

It also doesn't stain due to it's non-oily formula so you don't get any grease marks on your clothes.

Having bitten my nails for nigh on 30 years, I know have lovely talons which aren't brittle and are very strong, must be my good diet, I think not. But for whatever reason, I therefore can't comment on this creams ability to strengthen my nails.

As for age spots, as I said earlier I thankfully haven't got them and hope not to have them until I'm too old to realise or even care. They just remind me of my great-grandma who didn't get them until in her 90s. Let's hope she had strong genes and that combined with regular use of this cream mine will be kept at bay!

Clarins suggest that if you already have age spots and are exposed to sunny climates, (I wish, to the sun), you should use also use their Age-Control Hand Lotion during the day.

~ Price ~

At department stores such as John Lewis and House of Fraser this retails between £14 and £15 but if you shop around, as I do on the net you can get it for a few pounds cheaper, but be aware of postage costs.

www.shopping.kelkoo.co.uk promise to compare prices and find the cheapest offers. The cheapest I have found thus far is £12.95 with 95p postage so a small saving can be made.

~ Conclusion ~

It moisturises hands in a non-greasy way, it smells great but in my opinion it's a tad expensive in comparison to some other hand creams that I have used (hence the 4 star rating), although they just don't smell quite as good.