ProductWhores

Lemony Goodness

I love a good body scrub and my current favorite is Davies Gate's Lemon Made Warming Body Scrub.  It's a thick scrub that exfoliates nicely, leaving behind smooth, soft skin, but what I really love about it is that when you first put it on, it's warm where it touches your body.  I know it's crazy that I'm so amazed by that fact considering that we've put a man on the moon and all sorts of other major accomplishments, but seriously, how does that work?  It's such a cool trick that I can't get enough of it.  (Although I'll probably appreciate it a lot more in the winter when it's freezing out than when it's 105 degrees and I'm taking a cold shower just to stop sweating).  Lemon Made also smells gorgeous - like walking through a lemon grove - it's sweet and tart and just all around delicious.  I got my tube on some crazy half-price sale at Bath and Body Works, but I think that's because they decided to stop carrying it, so you should probably check out the Davies Gate website to see where you can get a tube of your own.  As for me, I'm off to pour a big glass of lemonade, which I can't stop craving lately.  I blame the scrub. 

Take Me To The Sea

I find it constantly funny that for someone who hates the beach as much a I do, I gravitate toward products that smell like it.  Anything fresh instantly makes me happy, so it goes without saying that I'm all about H20+'s Sea Salt Collection.  Made up of a variety of products that all smell clean and fresh (kind of like the salty air that blows in from the ocean, but with a little bit of a citrusy edge to it) the entire line is great.  When I'm in the shower, I start off using the Sea Salt Body Wash, which contains sea salts that help eliminate toxins and replenish depleted nutrients.  It lathers up nicely and leaves my skin feeling super clean and soft.  I also like that it's really gentle - I have sensitive skin that can get dry and flaky and the Sea Salt Body Wash didn't irritate it at all.  Every other day or two, I follow that up with the Sea Salt Skin Smoother.  This product is recommended for intense exfoliation and it lives up to its claim.  The European sea salts work like magic to help smooth out the dry, rough areas of my skin and it's just oily enough not to sting or scrape away at my skin.  (Is there anything worse than a scrub that actually hurts?  Who wants to pay money for that?)  The oil in it actually helps to keep skin hydrated too - when I wash the Skin Smoother off, my skin feels soft, not dry, which makes it ready for when I get out of the shower and put on the Sea Salt Hydrating Body Butter.  The lotion is packed with natural coconut and vegetable oils as well as vitamins C and E, so it's full of all sorts of moisture building ingredients.  It goes on easily and blends right in - no greasy residue at all.  The entire three step process takes barely any time at all and it makes my skin feel SO great.  It's soft and clean and leaves it smelling light and fresh, which blends perfectly with most of the perfumes I wear on a daily basis.  There's even a cute little Sea Salt Purifying Collection travel-sized kit - totally convenient for when I travel.  See?  With products like this, who even needs the beach? 

Liiv Well

I've actually never used an Avon product before trying these two from the Liiv Botanicals collection, which is totally weird considering the mass amount of products in my closet.  And on a side note, are there still Avon ladies?  And if there are, do they go door to door?  Because my lazy self really loves the idea of being able to buy products that I like just by getting off the couch.  (You know, instead of the 5 minute drive to the mall that it usually takes.  It really is a wonder that I don't weigh 300 pounds).  I tried out the liiv botanicals Revitalizing Body Scrub and liiv botanicals Moisture Boosting Body Butter and found them to be nice, inexpensive shower products.  The scrub exfoliates without being too harsh on my skin, and the body butter is thick and moisturizing, but not greasy at all.  What I really like is the scent though.  I've talked (endlessly) about my love for fresh, clean smelling products and these totally fit in that category.  They both smell sort of like a cross between soap and cucumber, which sounds really weird, but it somehow works.  (I think the cucumber is the most dominant though).  They're a great value too - the scrub is only $8.50 and the body butter is $10, but when you order online at avon.com, if you buy one liiv botanical product, you get the second one for only $1.99.  I love when companies do promos like that.  I'll bet if the auto industry had done similar things, they wouldn't be in such trouble.  I can see the ads now - "Buy a Ford Explorer, get a free Smart Car." I think I'm on to something here...

Mint, Melon & Sugar

My love for London knows no bounds, especially since it's the place where I first discovered Boots.  We lived right above one when when I studied abroad there in college and we spent hours (seriously, hours) browsing their makeup aisles.  I love so much that their products are available in the US now.  (It's a total excuse to go to Target, which I should know by now is a bad plan because I never walk out of there having spent less than $100).  My newest Boots obsession is their Mediterranean Mint, Melon & Sugar Scrub.  It comes in a big tub for only $10, and it smells fantastic.  The melon is definitely the strongest scent, but you can smell the hint of sweetness from the sugar and a touch of mint as well.  What I like about it is that it's super exfoliating, but it's not liquidy at all, so it won't turn your tub oily and cause klutzes like me to slip and fall in the shower.  (If you only knew how many times that's happened to me, you would definitely laugh... and then wonder how on earth one person could be that uncoordinated).  It also leaves a nice moisturizing layer on your skin after you rinse it off, which I love in a scrub.  (Some of them are so drying).  All in all, it's a great scrub, a great scent, a great value, and it lets me daydream about my time abroad while I'm using it.  If only all products could multitask like that...

Photo courtesy of Target

Scrubbing It Up

I love a good scrub.  Body washes are great, but it's nice to give yourself a good exfoliation every once in awhile.  The Almond Cookie Sea Salt Scrub by Carol's Daughter is a recent addition to my shower and from my experience, it should be to yours as well.  The packaging is adorable - it comes in a plastic jar with actual almonds floating in the scrub.  I'm such a sucker for touches like that.  Since the scrub itself is made with sea salt, it's a little rough in its consistency.  I had no problem with it and in fact, the roughness makes it a great exfoliator, but those of you with sensitive skin might want to test it out on a small section of your skin first.  The best part about this scrub is the scent.  It smells delicious - it's so good that I've had to force myself not to use it in the morning because it makes me hungry and I end up at Starbucks ordering one of those bacon, cheddar and egg sandwiches.  (They're amazing, but once your diet includes something like that before 9 am, it's all downhill from there).  The scrub is described as smelling like "the sweet essence of almonds blended with marzipan and enticing, warm accords of sandalwood and mists of musk, almond, lemon, sandalwood and vanilla, tapioca pearls and apple slices."  That's a lot of words to describe what I can sum up like this - "Yum."  It leaves my skin soft and silky, but make sure you're careful - it's a little slippery, so if you drop it on the floor of the shower, you're going to turn into a cartoon character, slipping and sliding around.  But hey, there's an easy fix for that - make sure all of the precious scrub makes it onto your body.  Your skin will thank you!

Photo courtesy of Carol's Daughter

Scrubbing That Doesn't Involve Sinks and Countertops

I love a good scrub.  The feeling, whether psychological or not, of it taking off all my dry skin and impurities is so lifting.  And don’t even get me started on how soft my skin is as a result of constant usage.  Some people could discuss politics for hours… I could discuss the benefits of a really great scrub.  I am a huge fan of the Aromatherapy line of sugar scrubs from BBW for a few reasons.  They smell fantastic (Eucalyptis Spearmint is my fave), come in a giant cool-looking glass pot, make my skin super soft and are inexpensive considering all the scrub you get for twenty bucks.  What’s not to love?  I recently discovered that they even double as a wonderful hand scrub.  I bought a little travel size and, in a desperate attempt to soften my chapped, sore hands, pulled it out of my cabinet.  With a little scrub spread all over my hands, a miracle occurred.  My hands actually got soft and without the horrible stinging that so many creams and scrubs can cause when my skin is already suffering from the cold!  Brilliant.  A definite must-have for any beauty junkie who’s addicted to scrubbing.  Why can’t I be addicted to working out.

Bananas Foster

When I was a kid, I saw a TV show where a restaurant was serving bananas foster and ever since then, I've wanted to try it . There's bananas! And rum! And brown sugar! And the entire thing gets set on fire! What's not to love? But for some reason, it's never quite worked out and I still haven't tasted the flaming bananas. (Uhm, that sounds vaguely dirty. It's not, I swear). So when I saw that Sephora has a new scrub in that very scent, I had to buy it. It smells pretty much how I always pictured the dessert smelling, like bananas and vanilla and sweet, like burnt sugar. And as far as scrubs go, it works well. It exfoliates without being too harsh and when it washes off, it leaves your skin softer than before. All in all, a good buy, especially at only $18. Now, can anyone recommend a restaurant in Los Angeles that serves a good bananas foster?

Nuts About It

I love The Body Shop.  Before Bath and Body Works, it was my go to store for shower products, but after I fell in love with BBW, I found myself going into The Body Shop less and less, which is kind of sad.  It was like a break up where you've slowly drifted apart, the kind where you cry and swear that you're always going to be friends, but then never talk again until you randomly run into each other at the mall and have an awkward conversation in front of Hot Dog on a Stick.

Lucky for me, when I found myself in one of their stores recently, it made me remember all the things I loved about it when we first started going out.  They have some really great products and they're very environmentally conscious, which makes me feel a lot less guilty about spending money there because after all, I'm helping the rainforest.  And if the rainforest wants me to have a yummy shower scrub, who am I to argue?

One of my favorite purchases was the Brazil Nut Body Scrub.  It smells ridiculously good, like toasted nuts, which is perfect for me because I'm a sucker for products that smell like food.  The scrub is thick but not abrasive, so you can use it on your legs even after shaving and not irritate your skin.  And because it's thick, it doesn't fall all over your shower floor and make it slippery, a big consideration when you're as much of a klutz as I am.  (I have an irrational fear of falling in the tub and knocking myself unconscious.  It sounds stupid, but I've come close a few times.  There are some really hazardous products out there).  I also like that it left my skin soft when I got out of the shower - I could've gone without moisturizer if I'd wanted to.  Plus, it's only $16.50, a bargain compared to some of the scrubs that are out there.

I'm so glad  we've found our way back to each other, Body Shop.  I can't promise I'll stop seeing other stores though...    

There's a Reason They Were On Sale

So my dear friend BBW (yeah, that’s Bath and Body works) was having her semi-annual sale.  Since their prices are actually a bargain (unlike most of the Victoria’s Secret semi-annual sale items) I am always psyched to go and bin-dive with my mesh shopping tote.  This time around I found that most of the Tutti Dolci scrubs were on sale.  Sweet!  I loaded up with an Angel Food Cake and a Lemon Meringue and happily carted them home to use.  Now, you’ll understand my deeply saddened feelings when you hear what a mess they make.  Okay, great scent, seemingly good scrubbing sugar granules and that’s where my praise ends.  It was a slippery mess all over my body and shower.  Whatever other ingredients are in the body scrubs made my skin feel like I had rolled around in a pool of Vaseline.  It gave my skin that horrible sensation of something always being on it.  I know they were thinking this would feel moisturizing, but it just made me physically mad.  I needed to use another scrub to get rid of my Tutti Dolci scrub!  Then, once I stepped out of the shower and began to dry off my skin, it looked as though skin was actually peeling off.   I know it was, once again, the strange ingredients in the product, but it is so annoying!  Ugh.  If you’re at BBW roll your eyes at the shelves of Tutti Dolci scrubs and head over and pick up a scrub from 100% Pure – a wonderful line with no annoying traits whatsoever.