It is no secret that I am a sucker for a gimmicky beauty product, and therefore I often get asked to review new arrivals on the scene. I am lucky to be a member of a facebook site The Beauty Crowd who actively sources recommendations and reviews before deciding on which brands to feature in their online store. As a member, I was sent this amazing little product to trial.
Villimey is a brand who use Icelandic herbs and traditional Icelandic recipes in order to create little charms. Among the charms available there is a muscle charm, a lip charm, a belly charm, and a baby bottom charm. The Beauty Crowd are currently trialling the Villimey Foot Charm, and here it is:
As you can see it is a rather distinctive green colour, which comes from the leaves of the Calendula and Lady's Mantle used to make it. On an aesthetic level, it's none too attractive, but on an organic level, it's actually a really good sign because you know that the ingredients are truly natural and not messed around with to create a product that looks pretty. The charm itself is designed for cracked heels and fungal infections. It isn't going to pamper your toes, but it is going to fight those bacteria and fungal spores that cause discoloured skin, itchiness, and smelly feet. It can also be used to fight thrush. Having said that it won't pamper, it does have a nice fresh smell, and is a pleasant texture without too much greasiness.
I don't tend to suffer from cracked heels or athlete's foot, but I do have a habit of wearing inappropriate shoes, especially in the summer. Therefore, I do get a few blisters, as well as those parts of your feet that get rubbed raw by wearing shoes without socks. I decided to trial this little charm on those and it worked well... like a charm.
As someone who is very interested in folklore (especially that of medieaval Northern Europe) I would love to have more information about the original recipe, possibly a translation of the text, or a story about the sort of people that would have used it. Often, someone making or offering a salve like this would also offer a spoken charm. Within Britain this would often have been in Latin, as it was a language that the average person didn't speak. Today, we could perhaps use a charm in Old Norse!
The price of the Foot Charm is £18, which is considerably more expensive than similar natural products. However, it has considerably more product in the pot than similar natural products. For me, there isn't enough information about exactly which herbs are used, and how the recipe differs from the other charms available in the range. Lady's Mantle and Calendula are often used for grazes and inflamations and are fairly all purpose herbalist go-to cures. Once I experience some of the other charms, I will report back on whether one pot really would fit all needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment