As the queen of Body Shop body butter I never thought I'd entertain anything else other than their cocoa butter goodness so when this Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand and Body Lotion* landed on my doorstep I was a little dubious with my first thought being, it's not butter (if you're now thinking of television adverts for butter you're not alone). After overcoming my initial shock I decided to put my body care preferences aside and put this multi purpose lotion to the test and boy was I surprised.

In case you've never heard of Elemis before let me fill you in - Elemis are a British spa and skincare brand who believe in using natural and active ingredients with no nasties or parabens in sight - together with innovative technologies Elemis make products that are forever pushing the skincare boundaries. I'm no stranger to Elemis and have been using a few of their skincare products for years, the Papaya Enzyme Peel is one of my all time favourite face masks but even as a lover of Elemis myself I must confess that I've never explored their body care range.

First things first, let's talk about scent - the Skin Nourishing Lotion has to have possibly one of the best scents I've smelt in a long time, it's incredibly fresh and natural with just a hint of camellia and the very familiar scent of shea butter. The scent is so delicate that the Skin Nourishing Lotion is ideal to use before you dash out of the house as your perfume won't clash with it at all, I promise. Consistency wise it's thicker than most body lotions I've tried before but compared to a body butter it's much thinner, don't let this put you off body butter lovers as it's still incredibly moisturising, maybe more so than my favourite body butters. I love how this lotion is packed to the rafters with gorgeous ingredients such as nourishing camellia and macadamia, concentrated milk protein, soothing oat kernel and beautiful jojoba oils to really replenish your skin - this lotion is ideal for those with dry or sensitive skin especially as there's no nasties or parabens.

Another real bonus of this lotion is how quickly it disappears into your skin which means no annoying standing around time - a little goes a long way too and I find I only need the tiniest amount to moisturise unlike my body butter where one tub barely lasts a month. The only real downside to this divine lotion is the price but don't let that put you off - QVC do some great deals on Elemis and for just short of £23 you can get a 200ml and 50ml Skin Nourishing Lotion set. This works out at just £1.35 more expensive per ml than my favourite Body Shop body butter, what can I say? I'm not just a pretty face. So the question on everyone's lips, will I pay that little bit extra for the Elemis Skin Nourishing Lotion? Damn right I will, this is definitely worth the extra pennies in my beauty book even just for the gorgeous scent and with Mothers Day around the corner this could just make the perfect gift, for yourself or for your mum. Now what's this I hear about a new Elemis Cleansing Balm....

Have you ever tried any products from Elemis before? Are you a body butter kinda gal or are you lotions and potions all the way?

*PR Sample