In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, the dwarves have a song. It goes like this “Gold, gold, gold, gold…” You get the drift. They love their gold. (Aside: You can tell I’m re-reading Sir TP’s books – he’s sorely missed)
Interestingly enough, that was the first thing that popped into my head when I first caught sight of the Linden Leaves Gold range of bath and body care products.
Linden Leaves is a brand of skincare and body care products that hail from Middle Earth… Oh ok, New Zealand, if you want to be picky 😛 I’ve had a previous experience with one of their body oils (which wasn’t very pretty) but a couple of months ago, was introduced to the new Gold range.
Gold. I swear, if you were King (or Queen) Midas, you would be the happiest person on (middle) Earth to use these products! Because yes, my friends, they are infused with gold. GOLD! Ok, 23kt gold leaf… but it’s gold nonetheless 😀
The Linden Leaves Gold range is supposed to help keep the skin of your body moisturised and also to promote cell renewal and repair aged skin. Most of us (myself included) take care of our facial skin, but are lax about our bodies and as beauty buffs, it just isn’t the thing to have your face look like you’re 25 years old, but show the hands of a 50 year old 😛
The key ingredients in the Gold range are red rice extract (to boost cell regeneration and collagen synthesis), amaranth oil (to balance and enhance skin moisturise), chia seed oil (for its antioxidant properties), grapeseed oil (to protect and regenerate) and of course, 23kt gold leaf (anti-inflammatory). To be perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sure about the properties of gold, seeing as to how gold is also known to be fairly inert and one of the least reactive elements. So, personally, I’d take it with a pinch of salt.
Still, I can’t deny that it makes for a pretty product.
Linden Leaves Gold Body Oil (RM219/150ml)
The Linden Leaves Gold Body Oil is one of the more eye-catching products in the range, to me. The translucent golden oil contains gold leaf suspended in it, and when you shake it up, it swirls around in the bottle quite prettily.
The bottle has a screw on cap, with a hole to dispense the product, and I have found that you have to shake it a little, to get the oil out. On the upside, you don’t end up over-pouring the oil and the oil doesn’t leak, but on the downside, not much comes out each time. I’m told that the gold leaf will occasionally pop out as well, which will then be a bonus. Otherwise, as you shake out the oil, the gold leaf will swirl and stay suspended for a while, making for a very pretty bedside bottle of oil.
But aesthetics aside, I also found that the Gold Body Oil is quite nice on the body. It isn’t very oily, and absorbs quite easily into the skin. This isn’t a dry oil, but an oil-oil kind of texture, which I prefer. You can apply it immediately after your shower if you want it to absorb more quickly into your skin, but I use it just before bed.
The scent is quite light in this one, which is soothing, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. It isn’t a strong floral, but it has some overt floral notes, with a very slightly musky basenote. It reminds me a little of honey. Very pleasant and unobtrusive. If I were to pick one item out of the Gold range, it will be this one, because I think you get the best bang for your buck.
I say so, because I’m not crazy about the Gold Silken Body Wash.
Linden Leaves Gold Silken Body Wash – RM189/150ml
The Gold Silken Body Wash has a literally liquid gold texture and appearance. When you pump it out of the bottle, it seriously looks like you’re holding molten gold in the palm of your hand. The body wash is infused with gold shimmer and it absolutely intrigues me how it looks like liquid gold. Don’t worry, it doesn’t stick to your skin, the way the Gold Body Lotion does, so you won’t walk out of your shower in a golden glow.
Although it is a nice, non-drying body wash that smells nice, I’m not sold on the cell regenerating or skin protecting benefits. This is because you quite literally wash it away almost immediately after putting it on your skin. Also, I do find that you have to use quite a lot of product (at least 4-5 pumps) as it doesn’t lather up much, and I like to feel nice and clean after my shower. So I do tend to be generous with my body washes.
What this would mean is that this 150ml bottle will run out quite quickly in my hands, so I just feel that it isn’t the best way to experience this brand, or product range, and it works out quite expensive. Just like gold.
IN A NUTSHELL
The Linden Leaves Gold range of products contains 6 items targeted at body care. As the name implies, they are all infused with gold leaf which adds a very pretty aesthetic. The Gold range targets cell regeneration, moisture and anti-aging benefits for the body. Having tried 2 items from the range, my personal recommendation is the Gold Body Oil, as it isn’t too thick or heavy so it absorbs well and quickly into the skin, while looking quite pretty, with the gold flakes swirling in the golden oil. The Gold Silken Body Wash, while fascinating to look at, is I feel, too expensive in the long run. The scent of the products in the range is very pleasant, with a distinct, rich honey scent that isn’t too strong. All in all, a bit of a novelty, and will make an interesting gift.
PROS: Light soothing scent, Moisturises the skin, Body Oil is not too oily and absorbs quickly and well into the skin, Body Wash is not drying and does not lather or foam up, Products look pretty
CONS: Like gold, the products are rather pricey, The body wash will be too expensive to use in the long run as you need quite a lot of product each time
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone looking for a unique gift, Anyone who likes to use body oil
PRICE: Gold Body Oil (RM219 | NZ$64.99 for 150ml) Gold Silken Body Wash (RM189 | NZ$54.99 for 150ml)
AVAILABILITY: TNS Skinlabs stores and website (occasionally on sale), Zalora (check for discount codes), Linden Leaves website (NZD)
Does this Linden Leaves Gold range intrigue you? Have you come across anything similar?
I just had a thought. Perhaps, if I shake out enough gold leaves from the body oil, I could, I don’t know… sell them? LOL! 😀
Paris B
Very intriguing product, though I personally feel that putting actual gold in it seems more gimmicky than anything.
As a fellow PTerry fan, I just have to say he always spells it “dwarfs” 😉
Yes, just a tad 😛 The thought of washing the gold down the drain was shocking 😛 Oh and thanks for pointing that out – I never realised he spelt it dwarfs! Now I”ll have to go and look again (as if it’s a bother LOL!)
That body wash is pricey indeed! Pay for gold to be washed away…..no way!
I like anything musky, so I might just check the body oil out. Thanks for sharing!
LOL Yes indeed, the gold all went down the drain!