I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but here it's been raging at us for a week now: high wind, rain, cold (below 10°C/50°F), and darkness all over the country. It came out of the blue, and sooner or later I'll have to accept that summer is officially over and dig my winter clothes out of the wardrobe.
As I mentioned in a previous post I don't mind the greyness that much: it feels like a cozy blanket has descended on the city and I can walk among the crowd unnoticed. For those who are not particularly fond of this kind of weather, here's something you can play with: colorful, smells good and protects your skin from the cold weather.
Alverde have really proved their mettle with their latest products. I'm nowhere near the end of trying them all, but I've been using a few and I'd like to share my findings with you.
These were the products I was most curious about, and I'm happy to say that all of them have met my expectations.
Let's start with the two body products.
Alverde Körperlotion Cranberry
- (cranberry body lotion) -
- (cranberry body lotion) -
This has got to be their most liquidy lotion to date. (I just wonder why they can't produce something similar for facial moisturizer.) It's pink and smells exactly like their facial moisturizer with acerola cherry and carrots (=Vitamincreme Acerola Karotte).
Somehow Alverde's body lotions are the only ones that keep my skin hydrated during winter. Bioderma has some really cool body lotions and I also really liked La Roche Posay's Lipikar, but I'm on a tight budget now and don't exactly have the money to spend on those products. Alverde's products have always worked for me, and this one's no exception. Every time I put it on in the morning (on slightly damp skin) I can practically hear as my skin drinks it all up and gives a contented little sigh afterwards. It sinks in fast and leaves only an extremely thin layer of oil on my skin which, contrary to what you might think, does not feel like a layer of oil at all. It's more like a protective barrier that feels velvety and doesn't allow my skin to tear itself apart from dryness.
So far this stuff has even kept my hands silky soft, but for extended periods spent outside in the cold weather I recommend Alverde's new body butter to be used as a hand-cream.
Ingredients:
Aqua, Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (almond) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (grape) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter)*, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Parfum**, Sodium Lactate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) Seed Oil, Lactic Acid, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (cranberry) Fruit Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon (borago-like plant) Root Extract, Linalool**, Limonene**, Geraniol**
*ingredients from certified organic agriculture
** from natural essential oils
Alverde Körperbutter - Macadamianuss, Karitébutter
- (body butter with macadamia nut oil and sheabutter) -
- (body butter with macadamia nut oil and sheabutter) -
Like I mentioned above, this doubles as a superb handcream. Since I like to carry some around with me in my handbag and have an empty 30 ml pump-bottle laying around, I'm considering mixing the two (the body butter and the lotion) to create a cream that will both moisturize and protect my hands. (And not annoy above mentioned pump bottle too much. Aaaand smell like walnut cake with cranberry sauce on top. And... No more wishes. :-))
Anyway, what can I say? I'm glad I bought this one. :)
True, in the beginning I was somewhat hesitant about the the smell: it had something in it that reminded me too much of a product I hated because of its smell (Alverde Körpercreme Mandel Teerose). Somehow, though, my initial aversion to this product quickly faded away as I gradually began to tolerate and then later like its scent, and also because I soon discovered how much my skin and this product like each other. Well, who am I to argue with my skin, right? So now this body butter and I are best buddies: I put it on before I got to bed in the evening and I swear it's more comforting than a teddy-bear. :) It's really does smell like a slice of walnut cake (or my favorite, "Eszterházy-cake") and makes my skin silky soft. It needs about 5-7 minutes to sink in, but afterwards it's perfectly grease-free and lovely.
I can't recommend it enough. :)
Ingredients:
Aqua, Glycine Soja Oil*, Glycerin, Alcohol*, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter*, Theobroma Cacao Butter*, Olea Europea Oil*, Xanthan Gum, Calendula Officinalis Extract*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Extract*, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate Parfum**, Limonene**, Benzyl Salicylate**, Linalool**, Citral**
*ingredients from certified organic agriculture
** from natural essential oils
Alverde Duschgel Ananas - (showergel with pineapple) -
There's not much to say about this one. Smells mouthwatering, though I'm not sure it actually reminds me of pineapples, but whatever... It's Alverde's usual shower gel formula, this time packed in a 200 ml tube.
Alverde Liner Pinsel
- (liner brush) -
- (liner brush) -
An excellent brush and unbelievably enough it was a mere 700 HUF! It's fine, hard and easy to line your eyes with. Judge for yourselves:
-oOo-
Aside the ones I mentioned here, there are some other new products to look forward to:
Two new bubblebaths.
Cleansing foam with silk.
Two lip and cheek stains.
And a shower cream with figs and raw sugar. Yummy!
This entry was posted
on Sunday, October 18, 2009
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body-butter,
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brush,
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The bodybutter looks wonderful! It must be very moisturizing :) If the smell really is that great, I want that bodybutter too! Boohoooo! And the cake picture looks delicious, LOL.
"High wind, rain, cold (below 10°C/50°F), and darkness all over the country." It's the same here in Finland, except that it's only colder! I can't stand it how cold I feel all the time, even if I were inside and wrapped in warm clothes.
Hey there! I knew that You'll like the brush :)
My favourite alverde product is the lotus flower&coconut shower gel and body scrub(dear god, my english is sooo passive, I had to think what coconut is in english for almost 2 minutes...) with some grounded coconut in it...once I was so curious wether it's real or not, and after washing off the shower gel, I tasted the coconut bits...suck, huh? :D They were ral of course :)
I tried nearly all of the shower gels too (my mother is a big-big fan) but for some reason (I suspect the high % of alcohol in all of the gel) my skin don't really like them, becomes dry and rough and itchy...:(
For this reason I never dare to try the body lotions and the face cream (but i think I'll get a jar of bodybutter :) )
I also tried the baby line of the alverde (my mother is having a baby in 2 months, so she's preparing :) ) it's alcohol free, and extremely skin-friendly, but lots of the cremes gave me red rashes, so I think I have some kind of allergy for a natural ingedient or natual fragrance or something like that.
But I'm planning to get some things from the makeup-line, so as I have to say no the woderfully scented products, I let myself sucked into the world of colors...:)
Sagu:
Ah yes, the cake: it's my all time favorite, along with Black Forest cake. :) Now the body butter doesn't smell that sweet, but it's still kinda delicious. Do you have Alverde in Finland?
Thank heavens I haven't felt that bone chilling cold yet that's customary in winter, but it must be a thousand times worse where you live what with it being the north and all. I've always wanted to live in Scandinavia (it's so beautiful and somehow that place just calls for me), but the cold has always deterred me.
Bagaela:
Thanks for the tip on the brush: it's indeed great! Oh and don't worry: right now I too am having some problems with my language faculty, but that's because I just drank a glass of beer. :-DD
Also, I'm sending my best wishes to your Mum and her soon-to-be-born baby! It's truly a wonderful thing, and I hope they'll both be healthy and happy! ^_^
Btw, I have the Coconut and Lotus Flower shower gel is sitting on my shelf: I love it! All that coconut peel and the tiny bits of silica do a great job on my skin. :)
Oh now, but you're a very skeptical woman, aren't you? :-D
The shower gels haven't harmed my skin in any way yet (Thank goodness for that!), but I can imagine that all that alcohol can affect some skins and dry them. I liked them in the summer, especially the one with berries and basil, but I don't think I'd be able to get through winter without a good body-lotion or butter.
It's a shame that Alverde recently changed their formula and loaded their products with alcohol... The body butter is nice though: one really wouldn't guess that it's there among the ingredients: it's so creamy and soothing. Let me know how the body butter and the makeup work out for you. :)
Good to hear from you, be back soon! ^_^
Lots of love,
Izar
I googled and no, we don't have Alverde in Finland :( Boo! You have to get me some!
The weather is even worse here in Southern Finland. My family lives in Eastern Finland (I lived with them until September), and there it snows a lot in winter. But here it's only a little snow and lots of rain, and it's a bit depressing... Of course it's not as cold here as in Eastern Finland, but it's much darker without snow, you know. But I love it in Finland in summer!
Hey Sagu!
I'd gladly assist you in obtaining any Alverde product you may wish to try. Drop me a line if you want anything, and we'll discuss the rest, it's really no problem at all. We have DM stores by the dozen, it's easy to pick Alverde stuff up. :)
Oh I am only too aware of the effects the lack of snow can have on one's psyche. It hasn't snowed here properly for many years (I only remember big snowfalls from my childhood) and those dull, dark gray winters (and Christmases) are really too much to bear sometimes. I've been praying for heaps of snow and icicles, but haven't had any luck so far. Darn... :-)
I once had a friend from Finland, and she showed me pictures of the area where her town was: it was simply gorgeous! All that green and blue, those gleaming lakes, and that great whiteness in winter...! Wow! Your country is truly beautiful! ^_^
Thank you! I'll look around and tell you if there's some Alverde product I want :)
Black Christmases are bad! I once had one and it was terrible, I was just a little child back then and I felt so... deceived.
A friend from Finland, wow! Do you remember the name of the area/town where she lived?
Yup, she was from Savonlinna (I don't remember the town, I should consult my postcards for that :), and she spent some weeks here in Hungary as part of the 4H program. She lived with the family of one of my classmates (I was about 13 at the time, still in primary school), visited our classes (even came to the private English classes a few of us had) and joined us on our 3-day-long class trip. It was cool to be able to meet someone from a different country and speak English with her. :-)
Soon after she returned to Finland, she went on to the University of Joensuu and studied to be a primary school teacher. I think she had all the qualities to become one: she was an extremely likable and friendly girl, and very caring, hungry for knowledge and at the same time always ready to explain things and answer our questions about Finland. :) Random bit of language I got from her: 'käki' which, if I'm not mistaken means cuckoo-bird in English. :-D
Oh, wait: Savonlinna is the town... Or rather city. *blushes* I do remember another place-name in her address though, probably the name of a district in the city. ^_^
So, I visit your blog from time to time and is like we have the same brain or something, I can't believe that we like the same stuff, the things you write about I write about or plan on writing about without knowing that you do it too :)
So when ever I want to buy something from Alverde I check out your blog first to see your opinion
Savonlinna, LOL! That's not far away from Kuopio (the city I'm from), about 160 kilometres or so. Savonlinna is a really beautiful city, I've visited it a couple of times :) Now I live in Vantaa, which is located next to the capital, and when I want to go visit my family in Kuopio, I have to take a train ride of 4,5 hours. It's so sad, I'm missing my family all the time!
Wow, your friend sure was talented. It's not easy to get to study to be a primary school teacher, it's very popular and of course they can't take everyone in.
"Käki" does mean cuckoo, indeed :D How can you remember such random bits of information!
I really love Alverde too! I keep visiting you and you always make me wanna raid the DM shop in my town :)).
Wonderful products,indeed!
Hi Gabriela!
Aww, you're so sweet, thanks! I'm glad my blog can be of some assistance for you in making your shopping decisions. :)
So am I right in assuming that you have a blog too? Where may I see it? I'm really curious! ^_^
Take care!
Love,
Izar
Sagu, the situation is completely different here: school-teachers are underpaid, overworked and there have been huge lay-offs in the past few years. I'm really ashamed at having to say this, but they're not well-respected either. It's a complex issue and very sad... How are teachers regarded and treated in Finland? (Aside from "much better"? :-)
My head is full of totally random information, dear. :-) Now if only I managed to remember really important, non-random information too...! :-)))
I suppose living in Vantaa has its advantages too, but having to travel 4.5 hours!!! O_o Eeeek! That's longer than it takes to get from Budapest to Vienna by train. I'm really sorry you can't see your family as often as you'd like, but perhaps once you've finished your studies, you'll be able to get a job closer to home...? :)
Hey DiAnais
:-D Yeah, I often experience the same thing when I browse other beauty blogs. I'm like: "Oh my God, let's see if EBay has it...!" or "I wonder if it's available in Douglas or Marionnaud..."
Thanks for stopping by, do come back soon! :-)
hey izar,
i;ve got the silky cleansing fome (for sensitive skin) and it;s great. and it;s not irritating for my skin.. so it has to be a wow-product :P. it;s very light and delicate. love it :)
Hey Yoli!
I'm really glad to hear that it worked out so well for you. ^_^
I haven't tried it yet, because I have cleansers in abundance, but maybe I'll get it for my Mum: her skin's really sensitive, so besides micellar solutions there's not much else she can use, and I'm sure she'd find a change in her routine quite refreshing. :)
I got the body butter! This is great for dry skin, I've used it on my boyfriend's dry and cracked knees and elbows and it worked miracles.
This will definitely be on my faves list. And I also like it because there's no residue whatsoever when I shower the next day. Some body creams leave a layer that makes your skin feels soft and hydrated, but when you shower the softness goes away.
PS. I've commented earlier, under the name Gabriela, you've already seen my blog...I guess. It's in Romanian. But anyway...I love your blog, it's so useful for me, since we have similar preferences.