This Stuff Works.

It’s no secret that French women are crazy for anti-cellulite treatments. Perhaps this is why Caudalie, the famous French line "from the vines” makes such a great treatment—because they’re working against serious competition on the French market. Whatever the reason, this product is great, and gets way less praise than it deserves. And I’m not going to lie…I had my doubts. I had never used a skin firming treatment previously, and after finding that most contained scary chemicals and few application directions, I was worried there wouldn’t be a product out there for me. Then I found the Contouring Concentrate by Caudalie—I can always count on Caudalie in desperate times like these!

While the product may lag in a few areas (like the very potent pine scent) it goes seriously above and beyond in almost every other F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. category…so far above and beyond, in fact, that I definitely see myself purchasing it in the future.

For one, I loved the consistency. I use skin oils as moisturizers regularly, and can speak to the fine line that is walked with consistency. I was very pleased with this smooth, easily-absorbed oil (post body-scrubbing); and, for an extra-special special treat, the bottle has gradations on the side indicating the exact amount of oil to use! This prevents the “over pour” that occurs with many skin oils. It also helps ensure that you get the full 40-day supply worth, which brings the $35 product cost below $1 a day…a small price to pay for re-shaped thighs in time for summer!

In addition to its user-friendly product measurement system, this product has stellar application instructions, including visuals! I followed this “application ritual”, as they call it, to a tee. At first, I thought the prompts (like, “massage from the knee to the top of the hips with a closed fist…”) were strange, but once you begin following these with the product applied, it feels much better and more effective than expected. In fact, I plan to save these instructions and use this massaging technique with other skin oils in the future, as the massage technique must account for at least half of this product’s effectiveness…

When you approach a Caudalie sales counter, this product is one part of a "slimming regimen". Caudalie wants you to buy their scrub, this concentrate, a nourishing lotion, and an herbal tea to promote drainage. As much as I'd love to have, I didn’t buy the full line of products. Regardless, I’m definitely seeing a difference. Perhaps one day I will purchase the full line, but for now I’m using my own favorite scrub (profiled last week), drinking lots of water and green tea, exercising, and following Caudalie’s product application ritual…all together, this process is definitely making a difference. Try it for yourself!