Review | Nature Republic Shea Butter Steam Cream (Moist)

Have you ever tried a steam cream before? I know I haven't. So whilst I was in Korea, I made it a mission of mine to pick one up just to try because they sound so intriguing! Can you imagine your face steaming up just from a cream? So today, I will be giving my two cents worth about the Shea Butter Steam Cream from Nature Republic in the "Moist" formulation.

I know they have 3 different types of steam creams. There's "Fresh", "Moist" and "Ultra". I'm assuming Fresh is for people with oily skin, Moist for normal/combination skin and Ultra for people with super dry skin. I got mine in the Moist formulation.

This moisturising cream combines shea butter with hot steam technology for dry and normal skin.

How to use: At the last step of skin care, apply an appropriate amount to the entire face and gently pat for absorption.

The steam cream comes in a plastic tub with a gorgeous design on the cover. I don't know about you but I rarely see road shop brands in Korea come up with unique cover designs such as this one. The top of the box has the exact same design as the one on the cover so you can sneak a peek of the design if you want to see how it looks like but don't want to buy the cream. Sadly, this cream does not come with a spatula (boooo) but it's okay, I have quite a few from other creams.

The cream is a mystery. In the tub, it feels super firm yet bouncy at the same time. Once you scoop it out though, it melts onto the skin and spreads really easily. Although it spreads really easily though, it is pretty thick in texture.

Honestly, this is probably one of the thickest creams I've used so far. It actually feels heavy on my skin, especially when I layer it on after all my other skin care products. Even by itself, you can still feel it on your skin even after you leave it on for a while. My skin takes about 2-3 minutes before it is properly absorbed and it does leave a sheen on the face. That being said, my skin doesn't feel sticky or greasy to touch but you can just feel it there if you know what I'm saying.

This cream is scented. It smells of flowers and is quite fresh but if you're not into fragranced products, I would advice you to avoid this cream altogether because though I'm not against fragranced products, I did notice that it lingered on my skin for a bit.

The main reason why I got this cream was because I read reviews about how people felt a "steaming" sensation on their face after they applied this. I have used this for probably 2 weeks and I haven't noticed any "steam" sensation. This was a huge let down I feel! Then again, there were people who mentioned that the sensation wasn't an entirely pleasant one so maybe it's a good thing I didn't feel it I  guess!

Overeall:

PROS:

• Gorgeous design on the tub
• Not sticky or greasy
• Thick, gel like texture
• Moisturising

CONS:

• Doest not come with a spatula
• Feels heavy on the skin
• No "steam" feeling

I do like how this cream feels on my skin if I'm having particularly dry skin that day. Any other time when my skin is behaving, I actually prefer using other creams because this does feel heavy on the skin. My make up doesn't sit well on my face when I use this cream so I don't use this during the day as well. I really wanted to like this cream, and I do like it because it is indeed moisturising, but I guess this may be suited for people even skin that is more dry than mine. I've resorted to using this at night as a thick moisturiser and when I do so, I skip sleeping packs altogether and just use this.

I hope this review helps and thank you so much for reading! x