ProductWhores

Big Deals

There really are no words for how excited I was when I walked into Sephora recently and saw this bargain.  I love, love, love the entire line of Bliss' Blood Orange + White Pepper scent, but Bliss can be kind of expensive and I really can't justify it at the moment because of how much I already have.  But this?  This I can justify.  At only $18 for a 16 ounce bottle, you can't afford not to buy it.  The Blood Orange + White Pepper Soapy Suds Body Wash + Bubbling Bath can be used as a body wash or to create gorgeously fruity scented bubbles for an energizing bath.  I can't wait to try it!  (Especially with the Sephora Friends & Family coupon coming up for 20% off).  It's like the product Gods want me to have it! 

Get Bikini Perfect

So I kinda hate the thought of getting a bikini wax.  Even though mostly every woman I know depends on them, I'm just one of those people who hates the thought of willingly putting myself through that much pain.  (And yet my sister, who swears that Too Faced's Lip Injection hurts too much to use, has no problem lining up to get waxed.  Figure that one out!)  So I sort of, uhm, fix up the area myself.  Up until now, I had been using a bikini trimmer that I got from the drugstore, but I'm loving the Bikini Perfect Deluxe - Spa Edition from Bliss and Philips that I recently tested out.  It's a cordless, rechargeable personal trimmer that you can even take in the shower for you, so it's super convenient and easy to use.  Perfect for when you can't get to the spa (or even as your main hair removal system), it comes with six different attachments that can be used for everything from your bikini line to your eyebrows.  The attachments include:  a precision trimmer, precision comb, epilator, micro shaver, micro trimmer, and eyebrow comb.  (Although I have to admit, I didn't test out the eyebrow attachment because I know myself - the phone would ring or someone would knock at the door, my hand would slip, and all of a sudden, I'd have half a brow left on one side of my face.  I trust only the pros with that area!)  I did test out the different attachments for the bikini area and really liked the way they all worked.  The instructions were easy to understand and I think I did as good a job as a technician at a spa could've (if I do say so myself).  Plus, using the Bikini Perfect at home involves a whole lot less being naked from the waist down in front of a total stranger, is completely pain free, and at only $60 (less than the price of ONE waxing at most spas), is a smart investment.  (You can use the money you'll save to get a massage instead!)  The kit even comes with a 1 ounce tube of Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter and Lemon+Sage Body Scrub, plus five Bliss Ingrown Hair Eliminating Peeling Pads and a drawstring travel bag, so you can easily pack the trimmer if you go on vacation and know you'll be hitting the beach all week.  Or you could just go au naturale and hope you don't scare everyone away.  Your choice... 

Photo courtesy of Sephora

Go Naked

I'm all about the layering of scents. In fact, I would say that I'm slightly obsessed with it. (But in a good way, not in a boiling bunnies kind of way). And I tend to feel the same way about layering my scents that I do about my underwear - if two things are going to be paired together, they better match or my whole day is going to be thrown off. (What? Me? OCD?) So I would never pair, say, Angel perfume with a Coco Mademoiselle lotion unless someone was forcing me at gunpoint. (Which would be the weirdest crime ever, by the way...) This creates a problem for me though on the days when the perfume I want to wear doesn't have a matching lotion in my closet. It's at these times that I reach for Bliss' Naked Body Butter. It's a great moisturizer that leaves your skin silky without the greasy after effect that so many lotions produce. Even better - it's completely unscented. And unlike some products that claim this (while actually smelling like chemicals or burnt plastic), Naked really is scent free, allowing you to apply it before any of your fragrances without changing the way they react with your body chemistry. It isn't cheap - $35 for only 8.5 ounces makes me wince every time I hit the checkout line - but it is worth it when you consider how much more it would cost to buy matching lotions for every other perfume you own. Hhhhm. A thousand dollars vs. $35? If you want to stay moisturized without clashing, I think the choice is clear.

Photo courtesy of Bliss

Shock Me

I love Bliss products, but they're kind of expensive, so I own a lot less of them than I would if I was, say, an independently wealthy heiress. (This is the same reason I don't own anything by Crème De La Mer, by the way). So even though I'd wanted to try Shock Therapy by Bliss for awhile now, it didn't happen until my visit to NJ, when one of my friends had it in their shower. It's fantastic - seriously, the mintiest shower gel I've ever lathered up. The entire bathroom smelled like a Breathsaver and I think it even cleared up my sinuses. It woke me up so fast, it was like shooting caffeine directly into my veins (but in a good way, not in a "Saved By the Bell" Jessie Spano gets addicted and starts singing "I'm So Excited" kind of way). The only thing I didn't like about it is that it lingers on your skin (which is good), but mint doesn't blend very well with any of my perfumes. Oh well. I guess that's a small price to pay to stay awake behind the wheel on those days when I don't have time to stop at Starbucks.