For me, spring isn’t spring until the world turns pink; that is, when the blossom trees blanket everything with their little blushing petals. And today I have news of a brand new range that manages to capture that unique springtime magic: the Crabtree & Evelyn Pear and Pink Magnolia bath and body collection. The polar opposite of winter’s indulgent English Honey and Peach Blossom collection (see my review here), this new offering is fresh and romantic with just a touch of sunshine sweetness.
The core of the collection is the Pear and Pink Magnolia Eau de Toilette: a sheer, feel-good fragrance that is great for slipping into your handbag for touch-ups throughout the day as it can be easily layered on top of whatever else you’re wearing. The fragrance is composed of zesty lemon and pale, juicy pear in the top notes, an uplifting floral bouquet of jasmine and osmanthus in the heart, and some signature pink magnolia as a smooth and creamy centrepiece. It’s been my fragrance of choice during this recent spate of sunny days as it’s so easy to wear and, though delicate and unimposing, I get a good 6 hours of scent from the first spritz.
To match the delicious fragrance, there’s a whole host of cleansers and moisturisers for the body, starting with the staple Pear and Pink Magnolia Body Wash and Body Lotion duo. As with all Crabtree & Evelyn body products, each formula is created with really gentle ingredients to pamper the skin while imparting a delicate fragrance, leaving you feeling soft and fresh. Tip: add a dash of Body Wash to your bath for masses of foamy, scented bubbles.
If your skin is still recovering from leftover winter dryness and you’re looking for more of a moisture kick than the Body Lotion provides, the Pear and Pink Magnolia Body Souffle is for you. Its formula is comprised of a shea butter and glycerine cocktail, which hydrates and protects the skin beautifully – and importantly for the warmer months, it sinks in quickly without any residue.
With a name like Body Souffle, I was almost expecting the texture to be viscous and whipped. Instead, what you have here is a nicely balanced lotion-cream hybrid, which is dense enough to deliver a surge of moisture yet light enough to feel fresh and quenching. There’s quite a lot of silky slip here, too, which means a small amount can cover quite a large area, and the skin is left with a lovely dewy sheen.
No Crabtree & Evelyn fragrance collection would be complete without one of their famous soaps. And like the others in the series, the Pear and Pink Magnolia Triple Milled Soap is made using a time-honoured process, going through the heating and cooling process three times to ensure that it retains its shape and fragrance throughout its lifespan.
I actually use soaps for all sorts of things, from scenting drawers to acting as alternative car air fresheners. Eventually, they do make their way back to my bathroom, as I cant resist the squeaky clean feeling of a good old fashioned soapy lather. The fragrance of Pear and Pink Magnolia is particularly well suited to this soap format, as it’s delicate, creamy and very fresh.
To round off the collection, we have a new addition to Crabtree & Evelyn’s kaleidoscopic range of award-winning Hand Therapy creams. The Pear and Pink Magnolia Hand Therapy is created with a blend of rich shea butter, hyaluronic acid to plump and smooth the skin, and an infusion of myrrh to keep nails strong and healthy.
Despite its high concentration of shea butter the cream sinks in really quickly, so you can apply on the go without waiting for it to dry. Tip: If you’re looking to top up your fragrance in a more subtle way than whipping out the Eau de Toilette bottle, work a little bit of this cream from your hands to your wrists. It has a lower concentration of fragrance, but the heat and motion from massaging the cream in diffuses the scent so beautifully.
Competition Time
NOW CLOSED A huge thank you to everyone who entered, we loved reading your interpretations of spring! Our randomly selected winner is Naomi W, congratulations! We have a full set of Crabtree & Evelyn Pear and Pink Magnolia products to give away to one lucky winner, which includes:
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Eau de Toilette 100ml
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Eau de Toilette 30ml
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Body Wash 250ml
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Body Lotion 250ml
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Body Souffle 250g
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Hand Therapy 100g
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Hand Therapy 30g
1 x Pear and Pink Magnolia Triple Milled Soap 100g
To win this huge prize, simply tell us your favourite thing about spring in the comments below! Ends 28th April. UK only.
No purchase necessary. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Contest begins 21st April 2014 and ends 28th April 2014. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on or about 29th April 2014. One prize winner will receive the items stated above. Prizes must be accepted as awarded; not redeemable in cash or credit. UK Only.
