Shimmer cream - shimmer discontinued by Sensuous Beauty - review by Jul!a

The most obvious use for this shimmer cream is to add some shimmer to your skin. It can be for a fun night out on the town, a fun sexy night in, or anytime you want to sparkle. You can also use it as a moisturizer, although you're better off picking a moisturizer you know will work, and then using this to add some extra magic.

This shimmer cream has a slightly grainy texture to it, from the sparkles, but is otherwise very creamy, silky, and smooth. When I say slightly, I mean that it feels a little lumpy-ish when you first stick your finger into the jar, but with a few swirls, you'll be feeling smooth in no time. The consistency falls somewhere between liquid and solid. You can very easily scoop some out, but even when tipped on its side, the contents stay nicely in the jar. Since it's oil based, it does feel the slightest bit oily when being spread around, but that feeling goes away very quickly.

This comes in two scents; Violet Moon and Amber Sun. I have Violet Moon, and it's described as being "delicately scented of violet." As somebody who's not entirely sure what violet is supposed to smell like, I have a hard time trying to describe the scent in general or how accurate it is. I can tell you that it is fairly light, slightly floral, and feels "airy." When you first put it on, it might be a bit overwhelming, but the scent fades fairly quickly and doesn't seem to butt heads with other fragrances, so you can always pair it with a stronger scented lotion underneath, or spritz yourself down with some body spray or perfume afterwards.

This did pretty much everything I expected it to, but to be fair, all I was expecting was some nice sparkles. When I apply it to myself, I have a hard time noticing how heavy it's on, and therefore how shimmery I actually am. Using a mirror helps with this, but I have yet to be able to put on so much that I've been told it's obnoxious.

It is supposed to have moisturizing properties as well, but I don't think it's supposed to be used as a moisturizer straight up. At least not over large surfaces. It does seem to go a really long way though. I only need to just dip my finger in and get the pad of my finger coated and one of those will cover my whole arm. With a total of 3 finger pad dips into the jar, I've gotten both of my arms and the whole top of my chest and neck area. That really isn't much, and this jar is going to last a long time.

I haven't felt the need to clean it off of me, which is good, since it's meant to be worn for a good while. But if you want it off of you, some soap and water on a washcloth will do the trick.

You're going to get a really nice glass jar, with a screw off lid. The lid has a really nice sticker on it that has the brand name, "shimmer cream," and the scent, as well as the jar size, 1.25 fluid ounces. The side of the jar has a sticker that wraps all the way around that tells you a little more about it. They say that you should "smooth on a silky layer anywhere you'd like extra magic and attention." The ingredients are also all natural (aside from the sparkles), and read as sweet almond oil, organic violet flower infusion, distilled water, organic sunflower oil, beeswax, shea butter, vitamin E, grapefruit seed extract, silver cosmetic sparkles and their Violet Moon blend of pure essential oils.

The whole jar is so nicely done, and can be left out anywhere you want. Nobody is going to assume this is anything even remotely risqué, and you can travel with it easily as well. The lid stays in place nicely, and nothing leaks out.

The only thing I don't like about this stuff is the scent, and that's not really the product's fault. I really and truly have no idea how to begin describing what it smells like, but it's not tremendously pleasant to me, at least straight out of the jar. After it's on, it's not so bad, and it's easily overpowered by other scents, so it's almost a moot point entirely.

I really do think I'm going to have this for a long time. I've used it about 10 times so far, and you can't even tell that I've used it at all. Sure, it's kind of expensive, but if you're looking for a nice subtle shimmer, it's a great choice. In my experience, it's been relatively easy to notice, but not overwhelming in any way.