08.27.09
EcoTools New Bath and Body Line
I was recently sent two of EcoTool’s products from their new bath and body line, the body lotion and the body mist, to review. I’ve honestly never used any other EcoTools products before so I was interested in checking these ones out.
First, a bit about the bath and body line. None of the products contain parabens or phthalates, and they aren’t tested on animals. The products are also 98% from nature. EcoTools has also committed to donating 1% of their annual sales to For The Planet – an alliance of businesses that donate to environmental organizations around the world. Now on to the reviews!
The “Sustainable Softness” body lotion left my skin feeling moisturized for hours – thanks to the shea butter. It absorbed into my skin quickly without leaving it feeling greasy or sticky. The lid is a flip top one so it’s great for throwing into your bag for moisturizing on the go – a must for me. The only drawback for me was that I found the scent a little overpowering when I first applied it – but it did fade a bit to a scent that I liked more. A friend of mine tried it and said she liked how it smelled so it really comes down to how sensitive of a nose you have.
The “Blooming Planet” body mist provides a burst of fresh floral scent when you put it on – it reminds me of being in the middle of a big garden full of blooming flowers. You don’t need a lot of it to smell great. It had great staying power too – I could still smell it on me hours later.
Would I buy either of these products? I would – they leave me feeling moisturized and smelling good while doing something good for the environment too. In addition I didn’t have any reactions from my sensitive skin.
The EcoTools bath and body line is available at Walgreens in the US and Wal Mart in Canada. The line ranges in price from $14.99 USD for the “Be Green, Live Clean” Body Care Set to $3.99 USD for the “Sustainable Softness” body lotion (the “Blooming Planet” body mist is $7.99 USD).
11.04.08
Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer
I have to apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days. I was out of town over the weekend (what an amazing weekend it was!) and yesterday I was recovering. Who knew that a couple games of dodgeball and a game of capture the pool noodles (flag) could make a person so sore?
Last time I was browsing for a new moisturizer I decided on Neutrogena. At the time I bought it I was breaking out. Not much fun. I’ve never had problems with Neutrogena products making breakouts worse, so I that fact made up my mind for me.
First off you don’t need a whole lot of this product to moisturize your face, a little really does go a long way. I’ve been using it for quite awhile now and it’s not even half gone yet. Second, it’s absorbed into your skin amazingly fast. I don’t like going to bed with the feeling of something on my face, but I’ve never put my head on my pillow with it still on the surface of my skin. Thirdly, the formula isn’t too thick. It provides the moisture my skin needs without feeling too goopy. One of the best things about it is that it has an SPF of 30. Because of my fair skin I’m a little obsessed with making sure I’m protected from the sun and I love the sun protection in it.
Although it’s a little pricey, I think it’s well worth it.
Available at your local drugstore for $20.
Image: neutrogena.ca
10.30.08
Calgon Brazilian Beauty Body Lotion
I was looking for a body lotion I could put in my bag – meaning it couldn’t have a pump top, I needed something I could close. I hate having dry hands while I’m out and having to wait til I get home to moisturize. As soon as I smelled Calgon’s new Brazilian Beauty body lotion at the store, I knew it was the one. It smells tropically fresh without being too overpowering. It reminds me of sitting on a tropical beach somewhere soaking up the sun.
It leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturized for hours without being greasy.
The Brazilian Beauty scent is available in a body lotion, body scrub, and body mist. I just might have to check out the body mist next, I think I hear it calling my name.
The best part of all is that the Brazilian Beauty body lotion is a very affordable $6 at your local drug store.
06.30.08
The Body Shop Vanilla Body Lotion
Sorry about the lack of posts over the weekend ladies. I was asked at the last minute to house and dog sit by some friends and I didn’t have a chance to fire off a couple posts before I left.
I’m a big fan of The Body Shop. I really like their body butters. I had never tried any of hteir body lotion though so I decided to give it a go.
I tried the Vanilla flavor, as vanilla is one of my favorite scents. This is where I think this product excels. It smells great but isn’t too strong. I found that it doesn’t moisturize as well as some of the other moisturizers I have, but it still gets the job done. It goes on well and is absorbed without feeling greasy for the most part, although I did have a few grasy feeling moments.
My bottle is almost empty, I only have enough for another two weeks, so I know I’ll have to head on over to The Body Shop to get another one. In addition to making great products The Body Shop also doesn’t test on animals and gets some of it’s ingredients from community trade sources (meaning that producers are paid a fair wage that they’re able to live off of). They’re also having a great sale going on now, with up to 50% off selected items.
Available at The Body Shop or online (http://thebodyshop-ca.stores.yahoo.net/) for $14.
Image: http://thebodyshop-ca.stores.yahoo.net/
06.24.08
Aveeno Active Naturals Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion
I’ve never used any Aveeno products before this one. I’m so glad I found this though because it’s an amazing moisturizer. It contains oatmeal, which is explained on aveeno.ca that even in ancient times in Greece, Egypt, and Rome oatmeal was used to help moisturize the skin.
I have super dry hands and I had been on the hunt for something that would really keep them nicely moisturized. I had used lots of other moisturized that kept them feeling good for an hour or two but I wanted something more longer lasting.
Finally I decided to try Aveeno’s Active Naturals Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion. I really really like it. It doesn’t go on greasy. It gets absorbed into my skin fairly quickly. My hands feel luxuriously moisturized and soft for hours at a time, even though hand washing. I was even using this throughout the winter when my hands are at their worst and it kept my hands in shape. I had one exceptionally dry spot on one of my hands that wasn’t getting better using anything else. Within a couple days of using this it was gone! I was very impressed.
Available at drugstores for about $8.
Image: amazon.com
06.13.08
Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
This was my first Stila product and overall I have to say that I’m pretty happy with it. I found it easy to apply with my fingers and blend. My skin felt very moisturized while I was wearing it. But I was a little disappointed about the coverage, although it did help to even out my skin tone. Although the bottle might not look big there is a lot of product in it. I wanted it to provide more coverage than it did. Stila also has a SPF 30 version, which I haven’t tried but I think would be great for the summer when you’re spending more time outdoors for better sun protection.
Available at Sephora for about $40.
Image: sephora.com
06.06.08
Sephora Face Hydrating Balancing Cream
I just finished my first tube of Sephora Face Hydrating Balancing Cream for Combination to Oily Skin. I have to say that I really enjoyed this product. It does everything it says it will without leaving your face feeling greasy.
First off, I loved the scent. It wasn’t overwhelming, but still smelled great. I can’t pinpoint the scent but I really enjoyed it. I have oily skin and it wasn’t too greasy. It absorbed fairly quickly into my skin and didn’t leave my face feeling greasy. It left my skin feeling soft and hydrated.
I have to say that it works tons better than what I was using before (if only I could remember what that was). Within just a few days of using this it made a couple flaky spots on my chin disappear. I had been trying to deal with them for what seemed like forever and they wouldn’t go away.
The only thing that I can say that I would want in this product that it doesn’t have is some SPF protection from the sun. Considering that it’s now summertime and I’ll be spending more time outdoors it’s something that I really want in my products and is why I’m not using it right now. I have ultra fair skin and burn super easily so I need that extra sun protection. I bought this during the winter though so I wasn’t really thinking about needing SPF (yes, I know it took me forever to use it all, I really should be more consistent in using moisturizer).
All in all I’m happy with it. I will probably pick this up again to use throughout the winter when I’m not as concerned about the sun. You can pick it up at Sephora for $18.
Image: sephora.com
