Marks & Spencer Magnolia Hand Cream Review, Price India

I’m at a loss of words post the season 5 finale of Game of Thrones. Never did I imagine that one of my favourite characters would die off all of a sudden.. well, honestly I did imagine, acknowledging the fact that GRR Martin kills off characters in the most unanticipated way! But still! I wonder how I’ll survive till April next year for Season 6 😦 I guess I’ll read the books till then, to keep myself tied to the series 🙂

So people, I’ll be covering another hand cream today. I know..those of you who have been following my blog regularly, say that I’m obsessed with hand creams and lip balms, as my blog is filled with reviews for these! But what to do, oh poor me, when you have sooo much to choose from? Sometimes, it’s the fragrance that makes me fall, and sometimes the rave reviews by fellow bloggers, which just compel me to buy more and more of hand creams and lip balms! And I believe they make for interesting reviews too 🙂 I will try and do something unusual now…for that, you will have to wait till the next time. As for now, let’s get this review done!

Ingredients:

 

Packaging: This comes in a simple creamy white colored plastic tube, with a flip cap. The packing is travel friendly and fuss free. I like the vintage-looking floral motifs on the tube which makes the tube look very luxurious; I also love the beautiful flowery font with which “Magnolia” has been written on the tube. I have absolutely no complaints with it.

Product Description and Directions for Use: 

 

My Experience: This was the first time I was buying something from the beauty/skincare section at Marks & Spencer. I bought this one on a whim, and because the fragrance seemed very pleasant! (plus the fact that this was quite a steal at 200 rupees!) There were several variants in the floral line of bath and body products, and I tried them all before zeroing on this one.

Color and Fragrance: The cream is white in color, nothing extraordinary here. I personally found the fragrance very appealing! It is quite a strong floral, and I had not smelt anything like this before, so I can’t really comment if this is a true scent of magnolia flowers, but if you’re fond of strong floral scents, then you will like it. (Beware! Scents are personal, so do try before you buy, ‘coz I don’t want a gang of girls with daggers in their hands, chasing me down as I recommended a fragrance they didn’t like 😀 )

Texture and Effectiveness: The cream is of slightly runny texture, like a thick lotion. I found the texture slightly more watery than I prefer. But the good thing is that it absorbs quite fast. And like any good hand cream, it is non greasy. So my phone and my laptop/keyboard don’t have to suffer! A dime sized amount would require about 20 seconds to be completely gone into your skin.

 

It sufficiently moisturizes my hands when I use it after washing hands. Plus, they don’t feel dry and parchy post using this. You might ask what is so special in this cream, and if it offers anything out of the box, to which my answer is NO! It works like a regular lotion, moisturising ONLY that much.  It won’t do anything phenomenal to heal chapped hands or cure cuticle dryness. The only good thing is the refreshing scent that it has, which helps to wake me up when I’m supremely tired after working for long hours in the office. I just sniff up my hands after applying this, and I feel a bit better instantly! So the scent is my favourite thing about this cream.

Applying this multiple times a day would definitely help in keeping your hands soft. But that would be achieved by any normal lotion as well. I find that it keep my hands moisturised even after washing my hands once. But wash your hands twice and you will need this again. As far as the claim goes for nails, it has not done anything for me. My nails are quite brittle these days, and this has apparently done nothing to help nails grow or remain strong.

 

So do I like it? Partly yes, as it works as a decent hand moisturiser and has a good fragrance. But it hasn’t done anything extraordinary for my hands, so I’m not super pleased, but I’m not pissed either, as I shelled out merely 200 rupees for this! It would be a great product for girls who don’t have extremely dry hands. For me (and as you might know by now, I have hands that feel like parchment!), this works only to a certain extent.

Price and Quantity: Rs 199 for 100 ml

Shelf Life: You should use it up within 2 years of opening the tube.

FFS Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy: This can be bought from any of the M&S stores across the world.

 

PROs and CONs:

PROs:

1. Dirt cheap at Rs 200
2. Above average moisturization for hands
3. Refreshing strong floral scent
4. Nicely packed in a travel friendly tube
5. A tube would easily last you about 2 months, as the quantity is quite decent
6. Absorbs fast
7. Non greasy

CONs:

1. Not very suitable for night-time use, as it does not moisturize intensively
2. Fragrance might be too strong for some noses
3. Availability issues: available only at M&S stores

Final Word: Recommending this to girls who have normal hands and love floral scented products. You can also buy this if you’re seeking a low priced average working hand cream! But I still insist you try this at the store.