The Socialite fragrance in Rodial’s Bathing Balm is a blend of pink champagne and cassis – in the real world that would be a kir royal cocktail, not my favourite champagne cocktail (I prefer the classic champagne cocktail, sugar cube, brandy and bitters) but I would not refuse a kir royal if offered to me. My bathing balm however smells and looks like mango sorbet, and the consistency is sticky, like honey. In a nutshell the fragrance is sweet, and while I know that fizzy is not an aroma, it smells a bit… well… fizzy.
The silver on the box is picked up by the big silver lid of this sizeable plastic tub. I really wish it came with a spoon/spatula. For me, if the item comes in a box, and if it has a consistence similar to or approaching honey, it should have a spatula – this will be a regular rant as few brands seem to provide them. The good thing about this balm is that is has an inner lid, so there is no chance of it getting onto the lid of the product, and they you have to go round with your fingers to scoop up the excess.
As a bath product, it is not my favourite. It is difficult to transfer it from the tub to the bath as there is no spatula and the consistency is quite sticky so I find that I am using more than I want to. Rodial advise that two to three drops are all that is needed under running water… but that was not my experience. Also, you need to agitate the water quite vigorously and then it does not really bubble up. Of course it is a bathing balm not a bubble bath so an effervescent bubbly bath should not be expected… but with a luxurious product, I wanted/expected a few more bubbles. So, the best way I have found, if you want to lay in the bath with your favourite scented candle burning and a glossy magazine in hand is to shower, apply the balm to the skin and then sit in the bath.
The great thing about this product is the fact that it works well as a shower product. If you use a body mop, or nylon gloves or the like it will create a lovely bubbly foam, and even if you just apply with your fingers. My favourite way to use it is after a body exfoliator for a decadent treat. It leaves your skin delicately scented but the scent does not linger. The balm is not drying on the skin, but I always use a body cream/lotion/oil afterwards.
I am in two minds about this product – it is pleasant to bathe/shower with, and although the fragrance is sweet it is not sickly. However, the sticky texture and lack of spatula means that you have to concentrate when you use it – to make sure that you don’t use too much product, that you don’t get water into the container, that you agitate the water enough etc…which for me, takes away from the relaxation that the bathing / showering process provides. If the consistency was slighty thinner and it was put into a bottle (possibly with a pump) I would much prefer it.
Have you used a Rodial Bathing Balm? How do you feel about it the delivery system?