Crabtree & Evelyn

I had a wonderful experience at C&E this afternoon, and I believe I may have found the perfect bath and body shop for me. It was a wonderful breath of fresh air stepping into C&E after a disastrous trip at another bath and body shop, which I will not refer to by name, but it rhymes with blush.
C&E is a London based chain, so it just screams elegant, posh and grown up. I walked in at around 2:10 and was the only person in the store. Go me! A sales associate, Chris, greeted me right away and asked if I needed any help.
I told him I was interested in the 60 Second Fix for Hands. He asked what scent, and I told him the blue one, since I didn’t recall the name. I also mentioned that I prefer discrete scents — clean smelling, but not too fruity or floral. He informed me that the La Source scent would be best suited for my needs.
The sell the 60 Second Fix for Hands in a standard size (3.5oz) for $ 38 or in the mini (0.9oz) for $ 12.50. I figured I’d try the mini to start. I asked Chris how the product works. He told me that you first apply the hand recovery once or twice a week depending on how you wash your hands. You massage it into your hands. Next, you rinse you hands with warm clear water. Next, you pat your hand dry with a towel and finish with the ultra-​moisturising hand therapy. More detailed instructions do come with the product so be sure to read them before using to get the best results.
I asked him if I could try the product before buying it. He didn’t have the exact scene of hand therapy available, but he had something else. I skipped it, but did smell the hand therapy, which was perfect. I felt confident enough in the scent, so I didn’t try it.
I decided to browse around more, smelling their different scents. Unlike other bath and body shops, they carry a smaller line of products. Per their website, they only have 28 collections. I really liked a lot of scents, primarily the lavender and the verbena and lavender de Provence. I could easily see myself buying a set as a gift for someone, or for myself once I embrace wearing more noticeable scents.
Oh, and C&E also carries a line of fine food, which include biscuits, preserves, marmalades and teas. I was sorely tempted by a set, which included a package of strawberries and cream biscuits and a jar of strawberry and rosewater preserve. Also, the packaging for the fine foods is really pretty, and again, would make an excellent gift for a foodie friend.
As I was browsing, Chris kindly directed me to the sale table. All their seasonal products were 50% off. I picked up a gift set, which contained their Nantucket Briar bath & shower gel and scented body lotion. I also purchased a gigantic tube of dark chocolate chunk hazelnut biscuits because I have no self-​control when it comes to sweets.
Grand total: $ 42.59, which isn’t bad at all. I absolutely cannot wait to try my new goodies. Oh, and Chris asked me if I’d like to sign up for their Platinum rewards for free. I signed up. I mean, why not, it’s free, right? See pictures for more information.
Bottom line: the next time you’re looking for bath and body products for yourself (or to give as gifts), definitely check out C&E. The experience, customer service and product quality trumps that of other places.

Let’s turn back the «Wayback Machine» to 2009, my 40^th birthday, and I have a party and get this small tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Summer Hill Hand Therapy Cream. I’ve never been big on hand creams or lotions altogether. So, I try it a few times and WOW, it smells really nice, not too strong, not too greasy, and it made my hands really soft and moisturized.
«Yay!», I say. I will use this more often as I wash my hands frequently. Sadly, a few weeks later my then 3 year old daughter decides it would be nice to squeeze the ENTIRE tube out in the bathroom and play with it. ACK! There goes my nice hand cream. Oddly enough, I never get around to ordering myself or buying more for 3 more years…
Fast forward to the present, the Crabtree & Evelyn Facebook page promotes a «Ultimate Hand Pampering» event at certain Crabtree & Evelyn stores and guess what? What you say? They are having one at my local C&E store. Yay! So, off I go as I have motivation to not only try out their hand pampering, but also get me another tube of that Summer Hill hand cream I’ve been longing to get for years.
So, I go into the very quaint and dainty store. Brightly decorated in the Crabtree & Evelyn décor. Very welcoming and homey. I was greeted by Nancy who was very kind, friendly, and eager to help me. I told her I was there for the hand pampering event and she was very quick to oblige.
I used a Hand Scrub for the first time to exfoliate my skin and it felt like I was scrubbing with sand, but that’s the point get rid of those dead skin cells and bring out the new, right? Then, after a quick rinse, I got some of my favorite Summer Hill Hand Therapy cream and then Nancy put my hands into clear plastic bags and I sat comfortably with some heated mitts to open up my pores and let in MORE of the moisturizing Summer Hill in. :)
We chatted about my daughter and other things. After my hand pampering experience, I looked around the shop and tried a few eau de toilettes, other of their many, many hand therapy creams (I liked the Iris one as well as the Rosewater one!), and found they had some foot therapy too. Hmm, my feet some pampering too! I found I couldn’t try ALL their creams/​eau de toilettes cause I ran out of room on my arms and the scents started to meld together and become indistinguishable. Heehee…
The customer service at this Crabtree & Evelyn store is top notch. I definitely felt like I was cared for (Nancy even offered me a bottle of water and a cookie as well.) and when it was all done I was signed up for their Platinum Card membership ended up spending a bit more than I wanted to, BUT I got free stuff! :) And now I have some new Hand Therapy creams, Iris, Rosewater, and Lavender. :) I’d love to try all their lines of products. They are all interesting and smell great! :)
I love that their products are organic and use natural ingredients. Then, I know I am getting quality for the price I pay for them, which I think is worth it!
I’ll definitely be back to get some body lotion, Summer Hill of course, and some foot care products as well!
Crabtree & Evelyn, you have a new regular! :) I will make sure to get my 60 second fix when I’m in the mall the next time!

There are a ton of cosmetic and beauty shops at Woodfield and I must have visited them all. I’m not sure how long Crabtree & Evelyn has been there but it’s relatively new. I had never even heard of the line until they were giving away a gift set from Ulta which I didn’t try. However their packaging looked pretty and that of course made me curious. When I saw a storefront, I was compelled to go in.
Norine was very sweet and showed me what was on sale when I asked, but was not pushy about selling me anything. When I asked her which of the lotion scents she liked the best in their hand therapy collection she recommended the citrus and I completely adore that scent. The best time to buy for any item here is on a sale. If you sign up with their e-​mail list or frequent their website you’ll be clued in, and still some sale items are different in store (and from experience, cheaper than online deals).
A lot of their items are higher end priced, but more organic and high quality as well. Their avocado hand bar soap as well as lotion are other favorites of mine. The selection is large, and it doesn’t have the overpowering scent of a lot of beauty shops in the mall which is a relief.
I will defiantly be back at some point to try out some more products or just peek for sales.