Allegra Rhodes classes up my shower recess

Packaging really is everything. Especially since so many beauty/skincare products are either gifted or enthused about via word of mouth - I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been rather sold on what I've heard of a product, looked at it instore and gone "you know... I really don't need it" which is the death-knell for product impulse buys.

I mention this because I'm rather in love with the packaging of these Allegra Rhodes goodies. It's sleek and pretty, and primed for gift-giving.

There's four scents: Cherry Blossom, Ocean Mist, Red Lychee and Sweet Apple and Grapefruit, and the principle hook is that each scent is created around a custom-made EDP. And of the two I've smelled, they are nice. 

(Kindly ignore the photobombing feline in the background)

Can you see the box pattern glossed onto the labels? Aaargh, so fine.

Ocean Mist is an ultra clear, refreshing, sea air type of smell - far more ocean cruise than day at the beach. It's cool and crisp and very refreshing - I'm been wading through it like nothing else in this muggy weather. And what really surprised me was the texture of the lotion itself -

It's a solid, shifting opalescent pearl, and as dense as a body lotion. Which means a little of it foams up and stretches a long, long way - a wise move, considering the scent is pleasant but would negate any perfume you were wearing if it was used liberally. With the small amount I use, I can smell it on myself if I'm wearing no other perfume, but it settles into the background if I've chosen to supersede it with an additional fragrance. Since these scents come in a body wash, body lotion, body mist and hand wash and hand cream, you could create a fairly powerful and intoxicating scent if you were using more than one of these at once.

I've really gotten into "luxury" hand washes in recent times (insomuch as a handwash can be a luxury), probably mostly motivated by my excitement when I run out of one and need to buy another. That said, the Cherry Blossom hand wash has to be the nicest I've had on my counter for a while - my partner has fretfully told me that his hands smell like a pretty lady, which equals success in my book. The scent is quite complex - there's the standard cherry blossom notes, but its wound in with herbs, leaves and something very sweet - with an additional layer of soapy soapiness, which is one of my favorite scent notes. Not to mention a good choice for a handwash.

My only real gripe is more of a physical issue than one regarding the product - As many products do, these come with locked pumps, meaning they need to be rotated in a certain direction to enable them to unlock and perform as they're intended. Mine were not willing to unlock. After checking that I wasn't rotating in the wrong direction, I applied a fair bit of pressure and tried again - nothing. After a little more force and a fair bit of swearing, the pump gave and unlocked - but appears to have broken in the process. The pumping action forces some product out of the neck of the bottle, instead of all of it travelling upward to the nozzle. That having been done, I assumed it was a one-off flawed mechanism, and moved on to the handwash.

Nope - same deal, with the same resulting breakage.

It's really the only fault I can find with these, and it's a huge shame because the scent blend and consistency is above reproach - to be caught out by something like dodgy pumps is a huge shame. Especially since at approximately $30 a bottle you wouldn't expect to be fumbling around with something like a moody pump (if I have to keep a straight face through one more "pump" reference...).

I'm still intrigued at the concept of the Sweet Apple and Grapefruit scent (two smells I adore), so I figure I'll give them a few months to hopefully correct this packaging issue, then order a SA&G and see how that fares. But at this stage - a really lovely line of luxury body care, with some gorgeous scents but hardware teething problems.

Available exclusively online at AllegraRhodes.com.au - or click the image below!

(Sent for review!)