GIMME 5: Hand Creams

I'm somewhat new to the hand cream game, but I strongly feel that what I lack in experience, I make up for in litres of enthusiasm. I have been slathering my mits in these five babies for the last few weeks: here's my rundown of the Good and the "Good God..."

Also, if you missed last month's Gimme 5, you can get the dirty here...

Nuxe Rêve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream
Still not a brand that I've been convinced by, this hand cream failed to push me onto the Nuxe bandwagon. Formula-wise, is one of the more decent formulas of the five: it absorbs well and I do feel its moisturising benefits, but the smell... I can't even begin to describe it to you properly.  According to the internets this fella contains Chilean rose, avocado and sweet almond oils, which possibly explains why it smells like a weird old herbally jumble to my nose.

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector
I have actually tried this chappy before (in TBS's pre-L'Oréal days) and, along with their Shea Lip Butter, I feel there has been a distinct decrease in quality since the company changed hands. No longer sold in its cool, medicine-style metal tube, this is now available in a tacky, plastic one that is 20ml smaller. It's also somewhat lacking formula wise; I remember it as a light but potent balm that was powerful but weightless... Now it's by no means a bad hand cream, but just not a patch on the old formula, and it's another one with a smell you're probably going to have to learn to love.

Pure by Waitrose Hand Cream
At £1.99 I wasn't expecting much... but good LORD this is awful. Two minutes post application, all hints of hydration are long gone. I could weep... but I won't, I swear I won't.

Clarins Hand and Nail Cream
One of Momma B's faves, this one hit the (finger)nail on the head with a great formula and nice scent... It's the priciest of the bunch, but Clarins put its success down to the sesame oil and Japanese Mulberry: how lovely sounding. It does work well and would have come top if another hadn't beaten it...

La Roche Posay Lipikar Xerand Hand Repair Cream
It turns out my first hand cream is my fave... so much so the tube pictured is my second. While it's not quite rich enough to be my overnight hand cream of choice (that quest continues... chime in if you have recommendations!) it is going to live in my handbag, forever. It's got what I think of as a "proper" hand cream vibe: a floral smell, nice formula and the packaging just reminds me of whatever my mum was using when I was little... For the mo, it's my hand slap of choice and it's also only a fiver from Escentual... nice one.

I'll be back with another Gimme 5 next month but until then, what hand creams are you feeling? And basting your paws in? I am pumped to hear about them as per!

Gimme Five: Face Masks

Well done me for the world's greatest gif (not!)

Hello and welcome to Just Bananas' latest feature: a series in which I road test five products of the same category and give you my honest, inner most thoughts on each. It's gonna be hella exciting folks... hence the gif... or at the very least it may be mildly interesting, I hope!

Today's edition, as you may have guessed, is about face masks. A couple of these you will probably have heard of - there's one pricey little pot you will definitely be familiar with - but there may be others you may want to keep an eye out for...

First off we have Glam Glow and as I've mentioned previously, it was a major disappointment... For £40 for a very small tub, I had some very high hopes and I must say I was underwhelmed. It's got a very strange, fizzy feeling that I found mildly irritating, but after washing it off (you are meant to rub it into your skin, as it contains little green bits to help exfoliate) I can't say my skin looked or felt any better than it does with any other mask. I will say it did kill the head of a spot near my mouth, but otherwise... Go to Lush I say, I feel like their masks have a similar vibe to this!

Next is a current nightly favourite, Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. It smells so freakin' good: apricot is one of my favourite smells and this is a gorgeous, apricot scented leave-on treatment that contains plant glycerine, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil and (YAY!) hyaluronic acid. It provides a really nice layer of hydration and has not broken me out. I bloody well love it.

Liz Earle's Brightening Treatment Mask is a strange one to me: you leave it on for no more than a couple of minutes and as it's an off-white cream, there's no chance of it setting whatsoever. It says contains camphor oil and witch hazel and promises to brighten dull, tired and lack-lustre skin. I found that it didn't seem to do anything slapping on a moisturiser wouldn't... It's the cheapest one of this line up but one that I think made the smallest difference to my skin.

I really liked the Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Face Mask. It was joint favourite with my next mask until I picked up the Origins one, I liked it so much! It's a clear gel that can be applied for ten minutes or as an overnight treatment and contains aloe vera and rose to hydrate the skin. It's lovely but I won't be repurchasing it, at its £37 price tag.

My last pick is the Clarins HydraQuench Cream Mask which was specifically formulated for dehydrated skin, according to the Clarins website. I thought this was really wonderful stuff; at £33, it's not cheap, but you're getting a product that does everything it says on the tin (and it contains our best mate, hyaluronic acid). It's a good mask, but for now my Origins love fest continues!

I am definitely going to do another Gimme Five: Face Masks so let me know of any masks that are rocking your world and I'll happily give them a whirl! Also brownie points to anyone who guesses what the next Gimme Five category will be...