June Birchbox 2013: 100% Pure Body Creams

You guys, of all people, know how much lotion I have. And how hard it is for me to get excited about a new lotion. When the market is oversaturated, y’know. Like my current burn out with sunscreen.

These lotions are, honestly, just decent.

The creams feel luxurious when they’re applied. Thick and nourishing, they definitely do the job for ultra dry skin like my elbows and knees. They softened up the skin there are good deal and helped to combat some of the constant cracking I have on my elbows. So as body creams, they did excellently.

The fragrances, as well, were superb. The coconut smelled like a fresh cracked coconut on the beach. Meaty and fruity and sweet and warm. It made me long for the Bahamas more than anything else. Similarly, the vanilla bean smelled like vanilla sugar. Really, like raw sugar that has been sitting in a jar with a freshly stripped vanilla bean pod. It was scrumptious.

The only let down was after the application. These are moisturizing, sure. But I had a problem with the creams not soaking in very well. I was left with greasy hands and elbows for a while after I put this stuff on, even after rubbing it in. I was even extra careful and didn’t use too much. I only used a third of the sample pack and had this problem.

I understand that it’s a little heavier (since it’s a cream), but I don’t want to leave grease spots everywhere while waiting for my lotion to dry.

I can see myself using this at night, however. Putting it on my tired feet and donning a pair of socks while catching up on Game of Thrones. But as an everyday lotion? I think it’s a bit much. Which is a shame, because the smells made me so very, very happy.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Primavera Body Lotions

**This product was provided to me by a representative of the company. I am reviewing without being asked. My review is not influenced in any way.**

I’m reviewing two body lotions in one go today.

Both of these lotions surprised me. They came out really thin. Almost watered down thin. I was concerned about coverage and effectiveness. It turns out that I worried over nothing, cause these lotions are pretty amazing. Super light, they soak in effortlessly. And a little goes a very long way. A tiny dab covered my whole lower leg.

Afterwards, my skin didn’t feel greasy like with some lotions. They felt soft and supple.

I feel like both of these lotions would be excellent during the summer, when you don’t need a really heavy moisturizer. They would also feel fantastic after a day in the sun. Great for day time use, but I would still recommend something a tiny bit heavier to let yourself soak in overnight.

The fragrances are also to die for. They’re feminine without being cloying. Very natural and refreshing. Every time I use them, I feel like I pranced through a meadow or forest and came out soft, smooth, and smelling fantastic.

I even had some friends try these lotions and they all loved them. Said they were nourishing but not greasy, which is always a good thing to hear.

I absolutely can’t say anything negative about a lotion that brightens my mood so much. Aromatherapy and great skin? Yes, please!

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: L is for Lotion

Pic heavy post ahead!

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I have a lot of lotion floating around my house/purse/car. Today, I'm going to show you a small sampling of that vast selection. Just so you can see what a hoarder I am with things that smell delicious.

This is one of the lotions that I got with that bag from Bath and Body Works. At first, I didn't like the scent, but it grew on me. It's a simple, relatively moisturizing lotion. I'll use something like this before I leave the house rather than spray on some perfume. 

This is another of the lotions from that same bag. Again, decent lotion that smells nice and girly for when I'm in the mood. 

This lotion is really close to my heart. It smells like fresh crushed roses and feels amazing. I bought it from a wonderful couple in Milledgeville that make their own lotion, soaps, perfumes, teas, jellies...well, pretty much everything, really. It's quite a drive to get this stuff now, so I treat this like gold. 

I received this as a gift ages ago and it's another one that I use sparingly. The smell can be a little cloying sometimes, but I love the currant and vanilla. I wear this when I'm feeling daring.

This is something I use after work, when my hands are incredibly dry. It tends to take a long time to soak in, but it smells like Korean banana milk, which is excellent. It is also super nourishing. 

I discovered this product at the bottom of one of my boxes from college. It's a little linty now, but still moisturizing really well. My favorite thing about it is that it's a bar. Not a cream. It doesn't leave my hands oily or greasy when I use it on my elbows or knees. 

This is my intense cuticle repair. Plain and simple. Smells yummy (I'm a sucker for lemon butter or sugar), moisturizes deep.

This is a product that I'm on the fence about. It feels great once it's soaked in (Minus the slightly tacky feeling), but it takes forever to soak in. And during that time, I can't do anything or I leave greasy streaks everywhere. I don't know what's in this product, but that's the main problem I have with it. That and the smell reminds me of living in college dorm rooms, since that's when I bought it and used it the most.

I don't even know what this is. No, really. I got it in a gift basket. There is no name of the product on the back. Just instructions and ingredients. Regardless, this is a wonderful heavy duty moisturizer that I sometimes use after I shave or have a healing scab. It doesn't burn or sting tender skin, but still does its job well.

Another heavy duty hand/cuticle cream. This stuff lasts forever. 

A friend of mine gave me this because it made her break out. I absolutely adore it. I carry it in my purse and generally put it on as often as possible. Smells amazing, works wonders, and has the price tag to show for it. 

This...this I stole from a hotel. It's typical Aveda: delicate moisture that works hard. 

And this, by far, is the most expensive moisturizer I own. And it's probably one of the few beauty products I own that didn't give me buyer's remorse. The manager of my local Van Michael Salon had me try this right around Christmas time. I am absolutely nuts about the smell. Clove and ginger are two of my favorite things in the whole wide world, and this combines them into the best soy moisturizer ever. I use this candle as a treat when I've done good or had a rough day or feel like I deserve to be pampered. Not to mention it makes me feel dangerous to reach in next to a flame to get my lotion. 

And there you have it. That's probably about half of the lotion I own. I told you I'm a hoarder. 

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: H is for Hand Cream

This is a review of Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa hand cremes.

I frequent Bath and Body Works. Let's get that out in the open. I don't usually buy their beauty products because they always feel a little cheap for their price tag, but their wallflowers are amazing. I have five in my apartment.

This stuff, however, is their fancy pants line of lotions and scrubs. And when I first started retail, my hands were so dry that a standard lotion just wasn't cutting it. I would feel moisturized for about five minutes, but then my skin would be back to its dry, cracked awfulness.

Enter window shopping.

 This is the shea butter lotion. Straight out of the tube, super thick. 

When I went to Bath and Body Works and was scouring the shelves, I found the lotion on the right. It seemed to work excellently on my hands and the moisture lasted for much longer than everything else I had tried up to that point.

As I was checking out, I was chatting with the sales person and she said she swears by the hand cream under the same name. So what did I do? I grabbed both. I go through lotion like it's my day job. Especially working retail. So I knew that no matter what, they would both get used.

Well, it turns out that they're both awesome. Much higher quality than what one would expect from a chain store focusing on super highly fragranced stuff.

I use the paraffin lotion on my legs after shaving, and it completely eliminates my dry, itchy skin. It has a light, pleasant fragrance that isn't nearly as strong as most Bath and Body Works stuff. And it goes on thick and creamy, and soaks in pretty quickly.

The stuff on the left, however, that the sales person recommended, is a miracle.

It is a lot heavier than most lotions, since it's mostly shea butter. It thick, creamy, and (as the tube says) super rich. There isn't an added fragrance, so it smells just like normal shea butter.

This stuff is what I used to combat my worst winter dry skin. It can beat just about any dry skin into submission, which is awesome. It doesn't soak in as well, and can sometimes be a little greasy feeling, but that fades after about ten minutes.

It also works wonders on cuticles.

Over all, a really surprising couple of products from Bat hand Body Works that has been around for a while, but doesn't get the love it should. They're impressively moisturizing and are really raising the bar for all of the other chain stores peddling cheap beauty products.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Lush Charity Pot (Plus a comment on the use of SLS)

This product was provided to me by my best friend because she forgot for a moment that she doesn't like foodie smells. I'm certainly not complaining.

Lush's Charity Pot is an all over hand and body lotion made with lots of goodies. There's almond oil, cocoa butter, and a long list of other things that are known for having great skin benefits. This product combines all of that with a smell that is reminiscent of chocolate dipped flowers. Heavy on the chocolate (cocoa chocolate, not saccharine chocolate), the smell is guaranteed to stick with you for quite a while.

Let me start by saying that I have a love/hate relationship with Lush. And that's putting it mildly. Most of their lotions, deodorants, and massage bars are amazing. The smells are delicious and the ingredients are something I can get behind. The same goes for their message: to fight animal testing and provide good, clean, freshly made beauty products.

What I don't like is that sometimes, their front for sustainable, all natural beauty is just that: a front. 

Many of their products, particularly their shampoos and bath bombs, have ingredients that are really bad for the environment and for the human body. Their shampoos, for instance, all contain sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. Both of these ingredients are terrible for your skin, and research is beginning to surface that they may be carcinogenic. In addition, SLS is really terrible for the environment, especially when high concentrations go down your drain and into the water and soil. It's pollution on a global scale, and a lot of people don't know about it. 

The problem is that a couple of months ago, I went to Lush to look for an all natural shampoo. Mine had run out and I was looking for something new. Something SLS free. But when I looked at the containers, SLS was sometimes listed as the first ingredient. Not even mass market shampoos are that bad. 

When I brought it up to a salesperson, she stated that they had tried to take out the SLS a couple years ago, but customers had complained because the product didn't suds and they didn't think it was as effect. Never mind the fact that I have several SLS-free products that suds up just fine, but customers are being taught that if it doesn't suds, it's not working. And that's just wrong. 

I really and truly believe that Lush needs to work on this, because as more and more research about SLS floats to the surface of the beauty industry, several companies are hopping on the bandwagon to make their products as good for people and the planet as humanly possible. But Lush continues to simply state that they make "all natural" products. And the fact that their products contain SLS is kind of pushed under the rug a lot of the time by them saying the product contains "fair trade honey" and "organic cocoa butter." 

Lush has some issues. Especially with me. 

Still, their lotions are generally pretty good. There are still some preservatives I'm iffy about, but that's relatively unavoidable when you consider that their products are made on site. 

This lotion is no different. It's smooth, thick, and creamy, without being greasy. After shaving, it makes my dry-as-a-bone legs soft and supple. Really, nothing beats it. 

The smell can be a little overpowering at first, especially if you don't like chocolate and florals, and the smell tends to stick around all day. But I like the way it smells, and I like the way it makes my skin feel. 

So for this wonderful little pot of lotion, Lush wins a point in my book. Now let's see how they react to the rising statements against their use of SLS. 

Thanks for reading!