Discover Crabtree & Evelyn

Have you heard of a brand called Crabtree & Evelyn? Did you know that there is much more to them than meets the eye? How many of you have seen a store front just like the one below & walked on by with a preconception that it wouldn't really be your cup of tea? 

I can fully admit that i too was one of those people, that was until i was invited to the launch event for Garden Celebration. Now i invite you to come inside & take a peek as i'm sure you'll be as surprised & delighted as i was.

I love discovering new brands & new products, so i was very excited to get to know more about Crabtree & Evelyn. I was astonished to discover that the brand is a year older than me(& i'm getting on a bit, shhh) It's strange to think that not long after the brand was founded in 1972, i would of been sitting in my back garden & trying to make perfume from a bowl of water & petals from my granddads rose bushes. What i didn't realise was that this was my mini version of the home apothecary or 'still room' that inspired the Crabtree & Evelyn model. 

So, after researching the intriguing story of its namesake The Crab Apple Tree & John Evelyn i found myself in the centre of the historic city of York. The York store(one of over 500 worldwide), is housed in a quaint little building on Stonegate next to the medieval St Helens Church & opposite the famous Bettys Tea Room.

Upon entering the store i was hit by the most incredible scents wafting down from what i was later to discover as the hand treatment area. I then noticed immediately in front of me the most gorgeous & enticing display of biscuits & teas. This was the first of many revelations about Crabtree & Evelyn. Who knew they sold fine food such as biscuits, sweets, preserves, fudge & teas? 

I was saved from indulging by the gorgeous Jamie, the Crabtree & Evelyn PR. Originating from Kansas & now ensconced in our capital city, we chatted like old friends about all things beauty & beyond. She really did make me feel at ease at my first bloggers event. After all that beauty chat i couldn't wait to explore the store. Everything is displayed so perfectly & the colours of the pretty packaging are a girls night stand dream. 

As i made my way through the store perusing the products i was approached by one of the lovely store assistants & offered refreshments. I chose the green tea with blackberry as per her recommendation & it didn't disappoint. I am not a lover of green tea itself, but this blend was so fruity that the green tea aspect was rather indistinct. 

As i sipped my tea i mingled & chatted with the other bloggers at the event. The consensus was that Crabtree & Evelyn was such a beautiful brand & much more affordable than they had anticipated.

With offers such as 2 travel sized hand creams for £6 in an array of scents & gift sets like the lovely hands hand therapy gift set below, there really is something for everyone. They even have a mens range which was revelation number 2! 

After finishing my tea i was invited to take a seat & have a hand treatment, which i did without hesitation. I sat in a little nook of the store with a marble sink & rolled up my sleeves in preparation.

 I was shown the cute packaging of the Gardeners 60 Second Fix Kit for Hands & told that the Gardeners range has 1/3 off. They even do a mini kit version which is a perfect gift to hang on the tree at Chrismas(Yes, i said the C word in May!) Step one is the Gardeners Hand Recovery which cleanses, exfoliates & moisturises in one. This is followed by step two, the intensive Gardeners Hand Therapy Hand Cream. Containing shea butter & fragranced naturally with clover, lavender, sage, rosemary & thyme. This ultra moisturising hand therapy duo keep your hands feeling soft & smelling divine all day. At the end of my 60 second treatment my one treated hand felt & looked 10 years younger than the untreated hand. SOLD!

As i sat being pampered i couldn't help but notice how beautiful the counter was, with its colourful displays of special offers & pretty paper on the gift wrap station. They really have thought of everything to make the customer experience a memorable one.

As the hand cream was being massaged in to finish my lovely treatment, i noticed out of the corner of my eye yet another revelation(I told you there were many). Tucked under a shelf next to a hand cream collection was an array of very premium looking nail lacquers & nail polish remover wipes. Crabtree & Evelyn really do have you covered from head to toe. At £6 a pop, there is an array of colours including a beautiful duo chrome called Avocado which has a striking resemblance to Chanel's Peridot. With great reviews & at a snip of the price, these have got to be worth a purchase. 

After my hand treatment i had just enough time to see who had won the beautifully presented gift hamper in the raffle & thank Jamie & the Crabtree & Evelyn staff yet again for inviting me to this fun event.  

 I was gifted a goody bag filled with some wonderful Crabtree & Evelyn products to try at home & i can't wait to get stuck into them & let you know what i think. If like me you don't live near a store & would like to get yours Crabtree & Evelyn products along with your other beauty essentials, then i recommend Feel Unique as they offer free delivery on spends over £10.

I hope you found out something new about Crabtree & Evelyn today by reading my blog post & i hope you will pop in when passing one of their gorgeous stores to discover even more. As John Evelyn himself would say, "Explore everything keep the best".