What better way to start my Christmas blog posts than with another Christmas obsessive like me...Zoe!!! This is the second year she has brought out a Christmas range, however unlike last year where the products retained the Zoella "Classic" scent, this year it's a brand new, limited edition, gingerbread scent!!!
Now you may or may not know (depending on how long you've been following her), Zoe doesn't actually like sweet scents (shock horror I know!!!). Although technically, gingerbread might be more accurately categorised as a spicy scent, it still retains a sweet factor. She has succeeded once before with her Zoella's Sweet Inspirations range, so I had the utmost faith that she would succeed again. And I was right!!! (go me!!!). She manages to encapsulate the gingerbread spiciness all the while keeping it sweet with a hint of vanilla.
I have tried gingerbread scented products before (as a giftset from Boots years ago) but the shower gel and cream were so bad smelling (the world's strongest and most unpleasant spicy smell mixed with chemicals...shudders just thinking about it) that I had to throw them out (that's £5 I'll never see again). This time I had to take the same gamble, and not smell the products before buying, as I didn't go on our annual Bluewater shopping trip this year.
If I'm honest though I wasn't really expecting to get anything from the Zoella Christmas range, as this time last year it had already sold out (still wish I had got my hands on that lip balm duo in vanilla and mint...sniff). This year however, my luck had turned, and I got all the items I wanted (bearing in mind I didn't go overboard, since I didn't know if I would actually like the scent) and I'm very happy with them!
Zoella Hungry Hands: Hand Cream
Hands down (see what I did there) my favourite packaging from this entire collection! It has rose gold detailing, the red & white string effect and the cutest little rose gold gingerbread silhouette (mais oui!) above the lid.
As for the product itself it's good but not great, but wait...wait before you click away! What I mean is that when it comes to moisturising my hands I'm used to using The Body Shop's Body Butters as my winter saviours. I put it on before bed (since I'm not going to wash my hands for a long period of time) and the next day my hands stay fully moisturised without any additional top-ups. The down side is that the Body Butters aren't really designed for the hands and therefore take a bit of time to sink in.
With Zoella's Hungry Hands however, the product sinks in super quickly with almost a matte finish, so you're not left with greasy hands, and 2 minutes after application you could potentially go about your day. But I tested it out before bed as usual, and my hands didn't stay moisturised for quite as long during the next day (they started to feel really dry by evening time), but because of the quick dry time, I really wouldn't mind carrying this cute hand cream around with me (in my handbag), and just re-apply throughout the day...leaving a gingerbread trail behind me as I go. :)
Zoella Ginger Cream: Body Cream
Nice packaging although the mis-matched red lid with the bordeaux hurts my eyes (...and my heart #matchinglunatic); it would have been way cooler with a rose gold lid. But I'm being fussy, the product itself is superb, and my favourite by far!
Same gingery vanilla scent as the hand cream above, it moisturises freshly shaved legs to perfection! It also sinks in relatively quickly; I wouldn't go trying to put on a pair of tights 5 minutes after application though, you'll end up in tears...or with ladders. Having tried it as a hand cream now too (what is with me and not using products as they should be?), I can confirm that it keeps my hands moisturised for as long as my Body Butters. All in all, if you were only going to try one product from the Zoella Christmas range I would highly recommend this one, but I just wish it came in the cuter packaging that is the one above.
Zoella Bake My Day!: Fragranced Body Mist
My least favourite of the bunch, I'm glad it came with the body cream so I feel like I didn't waste too much money (although to be fair Zoella manages to always keep her products reasonably priced, so can't complain too much).
I've noticed when it comes to Zoella's Fragrance Mists that they all seem to have a slightly different smell to the range they represent. I don't know what it is, (maybe the alcohol it contains?) but each time I smell one, I find them a lot stronger and too unpleasant/sickly to actually wear. I tried spraying this one on my jumper (yes I tend to spray perfumes on my clothes rather than on my skin...it last longer #tips) but I had to immediately wash it because I couldn't stand the smell. It's just too strong! This might be due to the "wearoff factor" hence it has to be stronger at first spray to last throughout the day?! It's just too much for me personally, and I much prefer the slightly sweeter and diluted smell of the creams.
There you have it my thoughts on Zoella's Christmas Collection 2016.
What did you think of the scent? Does it encapsulate gingerbread/Christmas to you?
Have you tried anything from the range? If so, what's your favourite product?
What would you like to see Zoe come up with next year? I'm thinking a candy cane scent with more rose gold packaging, pretty please!!! Any turkey or Brussel sprout scent suggestions won't be taken seriously! :P
xxxemma