AD Content I love how heritage brands have stayed constant in this whirlwind of beauty newness. Vaseline is a good case in point – I mean, who didn’t have a tub of Vaseline in their home as a child? It’s one of those products that finds its way into personal history although its own place in time began in 1870. The brand moves with the times while staying absolutely true to its roots and for those of us who grew up alongside it, is a familiar presence and proof that consistency can incorporate change.
Vaseline is one of very few brands that I can pinpoint its location in my life from probably fifty years ago. I can remember it on my grandmother’s chest of drawers in the bathroom (next to the twin tub if memory serves me correctly – surprised there was room for a bath!) and I can also remember it lived in my mum’s bathroom cabinet which was known as the ‘medicine cabinet’ as a healer of all things dry or sore. It still does – it’s not the same cabinet but it’s just as happy in the new one. In my own home, when I went to Japan I stocked up on tiny mini-Vaseline tubs so they’re dotted about in gym bags and cupboards.
So, it’s a brand that I can say has been with me all of my life which is why I’m happy to have given the two newest body products a thorough trial. It’s been a two week test because that’s the optimum time for results to show and it fell at exactly the time that we turned the central heating on which is the one time of year that no skin supplements can eliminate the leg dust that falls off newly heated shins! My skin is nicely hydrated most of the time but texture is another matter. I like my skin to look and feel smooth (who doesn’t?) but mild bumpiness plagues my upper thighs, reappearing when I stop paying it full attention. With two products to test, I split them between upper and lower body – I was going to try different sides of the body but thought it would be too easy to forget which I’d last done. Much safer top and bottom!
Vaseline Instant Dry Rescue is as it says – so absolutely perfect for the aforementioned crispy shins. It’s an immediate salve that lasts a full day and probably longer. The combination of moisture holding hyaluronic acid, hydrating glycerin and Vaseline jelly is the triple whammy needed for extra dryness. The formula sinks in quickly and dries without residue or stickiness – absolutely lovely straight after a bath on warm skin where it forms a comfort blanket over your body. The bottle is 400ml (fragrance free) so you can really slather it and you will know the difference straight away because tightness is gone, flakes are gone and soreness is healed. After two weeks of once a day (twice if you feel inclined) you will have forgotten you ever had dry skin.
Vaseline Elasticity Restore has a boost of pro-lipids and collagen for smoother skin as well as the signature hydrating Vaseline jelly. You don’t, by the way, feel it as a jelly – it’s a lotion. Bearing in mind I had a non-surgical treatment on my arms earlier in the summer, I’ve been more focused than usual on them and they’ve been under close scrutiny. While they’re not particularly dry, I am keen to keep the texture smooth and the skin flexible especially as I’m not in the least self-conscious about showing my arms now. I know we are into our woollies but my arms aren’t hidden from view for the next six months – on the contrary, as I go to yoga twice a week and sometimes more. I feel that Elasticity Restore has a silkier texture than Instant Dry Skin Rescue which is ideal for arms that don’t tend to get as severely dry or flaky as legs. It’s an easy win all over the body but only you will know which of the two new products is most appropriate for you – I wouldn’t normally use different lotions for different body parts but I could choose either of these and know they’d do the job. So, the result is silky arms with skin flexibility and a healthy looking texture where even my elbows improved, and that’s saying something.
I’d recommend either as proof you don’t need to pay a fortune for luxurious feeling skin – I really like the size of the bottles because they encourage you not to eke it out (I’m guilty of this with very fancy products) but to use an appropriate amount to get the best possible result. At £7.50 HERE a bottle, it’s truly excellent value for money. Vaseline has proved its endurance because here it still is, reassuring in my past and making itself very relevant in my present.
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