Alverde

Alverde Merry & Bright Geschenkset Handcreme-Trio Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - December 27, 2023

So, this is the first item for review, the Alverde Merry & Bright Geschenkset Handcreme-Trio (Merry & Bright Hand Cream Trio Gift Set, in English). 
 
 
I skipped it the first time I saw it in one of the DMs I frequent. But, it kept being on my mind, thoughts about how it is perfectly festive and how it would be a great Christmas present. So, the next time I visited that DM, I made sure to buy it, and it really wasn’t expensive, considering that there are 3 hand creams in this set. I do confess that I mostly bought it for the packaging, just look at it!
 
So, let’s start with the aforementioned packaging. It’s a lil cardboard gingerbread house! It even looks like it’s decorated with frosting! This is totally Christmassy and just, just lovely! It was also quite sturdy, as it didn’t bend at all while I was wrapping it in gift paper and while it was being tumbled around waiting to be put under the Christmas tree. The three creams inside all have a very similar type of packaging: a plastic tube with a colored cap (that’s supposed to match the main ingredients, at least I think) and a super festive Christmas and gingerbread print. So it’s not just the outer packaging that’s Christmas themed, but also the creams themselves! I quite like the print on the creams, especially the one on the cocoa extract hand cream.
 
 
 
There are three hand creams in this set: a bio cherry extract hand cream, a bio almond extract hand cream, and a bio cocoa extract hand cream. I especially like that there is a cocoa hand cream, gee, it’s almost like I am a chocoholic!
 
 
 
 


 

 

Let’s start with the cherry extract hand cream; perhaps the most festive smelling of the three.

 
This cream includes glycerine, shea (Butyrospermum parkii) butter, sweet cherry (Prunus avium) fruit extract, and vitamin E for nourishment. There are no parabens. The scent is delicious and fits very nicely with the whole holiday ambience, and Christmas feeling. It smells totally like sweet cherries, but not in an artificial kind of way. It’s like a literally have a handful of freshly picked cherries in one bottle! Besides that, it also smells like yogurt, as there’s a sweet, almost milky note. So, in the end, when the two scents combine, it ends up smelling like sour cherry yogurt, which bring back childhood memories of eating Danonino cherry yogurt. I swear that it smells exactly like that! If you’ve ever eaten cherry Danonino, you’ll know what I am talking about! The expiration date is 6 months after opening.

 
 
The cream is white in colour and feels somewhat greasy on skin but still pretty lightweight. The formula is more on the watery side, but it’s still quite greasy. The greasiness doesn’t feel uncomfortable, no, it feels silky as it starts to absorb. It’s super easy to apply thanks to the greasy, watery yet silky formula. It absorbs within 10 seconds, which really surprised me!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Now, while it does seem hydrating, it’s not hydrating enough for my hands. Despite applying it every night, I still get cracks in my skin and it still feels dry. It’s better than nothing, I suppose. I do wish it was more hydrating though. I like to apply hand cream before bed; this cream is totally absorbed by the morning, so it’s naturally super easy to wash off what little remains.
  
 
 
 
 
Conclusion: such a shame that this cream isn’t too hydrating! My hands aren’t dry usually, so if it is not hydrating enough for this type of skin, then it surely isn’t enough for dry or very dry skin. The formula is relatively watery yet still greasy, but it feels quite lightweight and become silky as it absorbs. I like how it feels lightweight and silky despite the greasiness. The smell is by far my favourite thing about this cream: it smells like sour cherry yogurt, specifically like Danonino cherry yogurt. I used to eat that yogurt so much as a child, so this smell brings back so many memories. If only it were more nourishing and hydrating!
 
 
Rating: 6.5/10
 
 

 

Now, let’s move on to the almond extract hand cream.
 
 
This cream includes glycerine, shea (Butyrospermum parkii) butter, sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus dulcis) seed extract, vitamin E for nourishment. This cream smells way more delicious than I what I was expecting it to smell like! I was expecting it to smell vaguely sweet and a bit oriental, but instead it smells like the most delicious roasted almonds! It’s got this almost chocolatey scent, which combined with the roasted smell is just divine! It brings to mind freshly baked Christmas cookies, when you take them out of the oven and you can smell that still hot baked dough! Suffice to say that I was blown away by the smell! The expiration date is 6 months after opening.
 

 
 
 
 
This cream is white and feels pretty light on skin, not at all too greasy or oily. It really feels smooth and creamy, and it seems like it is a tiny bit thicker than the cherry cream. It’s super easy to apply and it absorbs within seconds, leaving a silky feeling on the skin! So nice!
 
 
 

 
 
 
This one is noticeably more hydrating than the cherry cream; my skin feels hydrated and smooth the morning after applying it and any scratches look much better. It’s not nourishing enough to completely repair my nails (which had become annoyingly brittle due to extreme water exposure thanks to my first job), but my nails do feels better, even if only slightly, and I will take any help I can get. I would like it more if it were more nourishing but that doesn’t mean it is not nourishing at all, no, it’s just that my skin can be very fickle sometimes.
 
 
 
Conclusion: this is a much better cream! It really does hydrate my hands and nails and helps them recover from all the stresses of life. I love how creamy and soft it feels and especially how fast it absorbs! Like, it’s totally absorbed with 30 seconds! And when it’s absorbed the skin feels silky and soft. Oh, and the smell! The scent of this cream is divine! It smells like freshly roasted almonds with a hint of a chocolatey smell, so freaking yummy! I really like to use this cream! It’s just a shame that it was a Christmas 2021 limited edition item because it is really good!
 
 
Rating: 7.5/10
 
 


And finally, the cocoa extract hand cream!
 
 
This cream includes glycerine, shea (Butyrospermum parkii) butter, cocoa (Theobroma cacao) seed extract, vitamin E for nourishment. No parabens. The scent is pretty unique, I must say! I thought it would smell like chocolate, you know, chocolate being made from cocoa and all that, but I am pretty sure it actually smells like what raw cocoa beans and cocoa butter smell like! It’s a subtle, spice-like scent that reminds me a tiny bit of clove or nutmeg. It’s also faintly bitter. It was a bit of a disappointment at first, because I was totally expecting it to smell like chocolate, but I am growing to appreciate the smell more the more I use the cream. It’s not at all a bad scent, just a bit different! And sometimes you need a little unique and different! Anyways, the expiration date is 6 months after opening.

 
 
 
This is a white cream that is very lightweight and not at all greasy or oily. It’s smooth and silky and it seems like this is the thinnest of all the creams, but only by a bit. It is absorbed within seconds and is extremely easy to apply, making the skin silky and soft.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
This one is perhaps a tiny bit more nourishing than the other two, but it is about the same in terms of how hydrating it is. It helps repair the skin overnight, although it is not strong enough to completely heal my nails. Still, I like how cared for my skin feels while I am using this cream. It’s nourishing enough if you have normal to oily skin; people with dry skin might want to look for a more nourishing cream.
 
 
 
 
 
Conclusion: this cream is the middle ground between the cherry and the almond creams in terms of how good it is. I love how silky smooth it feels and how my skin instantly feels much softer! The smell is a nice surprise; it’s a particularly interesting scent that smells a bit like cloves or nutmeg and the tiniest bit bitter. I reckon this is a good approximation of what raw cocoa beans or cocoa butter smell like! I was expecting a delicious chocolatey scent, but that doesn’t mean that this is a bad scent, in fact, it’s definitely a grower! It’s a cream that I love to use! Now, if only it wasn’t a Christmas limited edition, ah well.


Rating: 7/10
 
 

 

 
All three of the creams are quite good. They are all very silky and somewhat watery, but they are absorbed super quickly and leave the skin feeling soft and silky. True, these aren’t the most nourishing nor the most hydrating creams you could find, but they do hydrate the skin enough for it to still feel silky 8 hours later (the following morning, in my case). I love them all! If only this set wasn't a limited-time Christmas set; I would love to buy these creams separately. I would definitely recommend this set!



Overall rating: 7/10
 
 
Would buy again? YES (if it wasn’t a limited Christmas time set)




 

  • Share:

0 comments