Davina Peace Body Care and Candles

The biggest compliment I can give to the Davina Peace products is that you really wouldn't know you are using organic products until you look at the ingredients. The products feel like 'standard' luxury body products; they glide on, smell and feel indulgent and sink into the skin quickly, leaving no residue on the surface. The wonder ingredient is Crambe Oil, which mimics the slip and feel of silicone.

The PR officer at the introductory event I attended recently asked me what brand I'd compare it to, and I still can't come up with anything without using a hybrid, like 'Dr Hauschka meets Creme de la Mer'. It has the eco-credentials of the former (Soil Association accreditation, ethical sourcing, avoids mineral oil and silicones etc) but the luxury feel of the latter (no oily film on the skin after application, doesn't smell worthy/earthy). The fact that I can't compare it to a single existing range bodes very well for the brand; it's one of those concepts that you think someone must have thought of before, but then can't name a brand currently on the market that does both well.

I was invited to an introductory event for a few bloggers, and had the opportunity to meet Davina Peace and her small and very enthusiastic team. You can read about the story behind her journey on the brand website, www.davinapeace.com here. I won't repeat the story, but I will say that the attention to detail the team has is remarkable and impressive. At the event we were given a box to take away with some of the products to try. The box is recycled cardboard, constructed with starch adhesive and printed with soy inks. Instead of the box being given to us in a cardboard or plastic carrier bag, they were each in a reusable Turtle organic cotton string bag.

The body cream and body oil are both lovely and very indulgent. As I don't have any particular firming/toning issues, I wouldn't personally purchase these over the Haus of Gloi products I've reviewed recently, but if you're looking for a good body treatment to also help address cellulite/slackening either of these would be worth a go.

The product that has impressed me most so far is the hand cream. I have very dry hands, and most hand creams on the market have to be constantly reapplied in the winter to avoid my hands hurting from cold-induced dryness. I had been using the Organic Pharmacy Ultra Dry Skin Cream I wrote about here, but as I wrote in that post I can only apply this at night as it leaves quite a greasy film on my hands immediately after application and for a while afterwards. The Davina Peace hand cream sinks in to the skin almost immediately, but still keeps my hands soft and supple for a full 12 hours after morning application. I have been fine with a once a day application for the last couple of weeks (with no other product used on my hands at all during the couple of weeks I've been testing it) but in the absolute depths of winter I'll probably step that up to twice a day. It has a very light and slightly creamy citrus scent which is not at all obtrusive to my nose.

Plenty to do both of my hands

Davina Peace also sells a range of candles, with three current variations. The Spiced Punch on a Winter's Afternoon is a warm orange/spice blend, and as you might expect from the name, lovely for winter. The candles are made of soy wax and beeswax (no paraffin, and also no palm oil in these).

So far, I'm very impressed with the line. It hasn't tempted me away from current favourite body cream
but I'm a convert to the hand cream and the candle has a firm place in my stable of favourites. There are plans for facial skincare products next year and I'm very interested in those.

The Davina Pearce range is available at the website www.davinapeace.com and also at Harrods.

Disclosure: products were provided without charge following introductory event.