ProductWhores

Supreme Shine

If you are looking for a ridiculously sexy, uber-shiny gloss then I have found the one for you.  C.O. Bigelow's Mentha Supreme 2x literally has so much shine my friend said she could almost see her reflection in my lips.  Think the same great moisture and minty-ness as the original gloss, but with extra-added shine.  This stuff not only looks great on its own, but it really peps up matte lipsticks.  I added some Mentha Supreme 2x to my Make Up Forever fave nude lipstick and it looked absolutely fantastic.  Love the extra gloss when paired with smokey eyes and a great nude lipstick.  Who knew I was missing extra gloss in my life.  Well, I guess C.O. Bigelow knew because they created this stuff for a reason... clearly.  Retails for $8.00, but BBW always has those great buy2get1 promotions running.

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with C.O. Bigelow.

In A Pinch for Father's Day?

Father's Day is tomorrow and while I usually plan ahead for Mother's Day (no clue why Mom gets a planned-ahead gift) there are plenty of items you can grab at the mall tonight or even tomorrow morning for Dad.  One of those is Elixir Black Cologne, a very rich, spicy fragrance from C.O. Bigelow.  I was super impressed with how sophisticated this smells considering you don't have to shell out the big bucks at a department store to get it.  It lasts the better part of the day and my husband didn't even have to spray on much which I'm especially happy about (he tends to go heavy-handed with cologne).  The whole collection is fabulous and it's really inexpensive.  Plus, BBW right now has that $10.00 off coupon which is awesome!  Happy Father's Day all you dads out there.

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with CO Bigelow.

Minty Hair

I love minty products.  Love, love, love.  I'm one of those people who hates getting out of bed, no matter what time I wake up.  I could set my alarm for noon and I'll still want to throw it across the room when it goes off.  So it really helps when the products I use in my morning shower wake me up instead of putting me back to sleep.  (In other words, no lavender!)  Usually the mint comes in my shower gel, but lately, it's thanks to C.O. Bigelow's Mentha Hair Mint-Infused Invigorating Shampoo and Conditioner.  I'm all about this duo lately.  They smell amazing - so pepperminty that it shocks my system into getting ready to face the day - and they leave my hair shiny and soft and without any tangles.  They'e also safe to use on colored hair, which is always a plus considering how much a trip to the salon costs these days.  ("These days" is totally something my mother would say, by the way.  What am I, fifty?)  Best of all, your hair will smell like peppermint all day, especially nice in the hot and sticky summer.  The shampoo and conditioner each retail for $12, but Bath and Body Works is always having sales or special offers, so if you shop well, you can probably cut the price for yourself and stock up at the same time.  Win win!     

Experience C.O. Bigelow

C.O. Bigelow is America's oldest apothecary - their store in New York City's Greenwich Village has been around for 170 years.  How crazy is that?  (I've been there and it's awesome).  If you're a Dallas resident, this Saturday, May 3rd, you're in luck.  C.O. Bigelow will be coming to the Dallas Galleria in a mobile AirStream filled with fun activities and goodies. You can enjoy a day full of free apothecary-themed events for the full C.O. Bigelow experience including:

• Design your own C.O. Bigelow “Honest. Genuine. Trustworthy.” t-shirt
• Vote for the presidential candidate whom you believe is the most honest, genuine and trustworthy
• Sample C.O. Bigelow’s penny candy, just like the original apothecary used to carry (yum!)
• Receive a problem/solution skincare consultation from a C.O. Bigelow expert to create a personalized Bigelow skincare regimen
• See how Lemon Body Cream is created and walk away with a free sample from a fresh-blended batch

The event is at the Dallas Galleria (which I suddenly want to shop at - the word galleria is so much better than mall, don't you think?) from 11am-5pm.  And for everyone in Atlanta, they'll be in your city on May 10th.  Have fun!

Remedy Your Chapped Hands

I have many hand creams (So many hand creams...), but the one I consistently come back to is C.O. Bigelow's Chapped Hands Remedy. Which is a little odd, considering that I live in Los Angeles and my hands have never even been chap-adjacent. It's just an all around great product though - it's cheap (only $14), smells kinda mentholated, which I like, isn't greasy, absorbs quickly, and (most importantly) moisturizes amazingly well. If my hands even start to feel dry, I rub this on them and the dryness goes away. It's one of those products that I'll buy a second tube of before I'm even done with the first one, just to ensure I won't ever have to be without it. Which, for all my product buying, is actually a fairly select group because one bedroom apartments don't allow much room for product stacking. Also, being that it's sold at Bath and Body Works, you can use their coupons and usually get something else out of the deal. (I suggest their new Dreamy Chocolate Mint from the Temptations line - it's yummy). I feel like if I lived in Alaska, I would carry a tube of Chapped Hands Remedy wherever I went. Although, are you guys watching "Men in Trees?" Because that supposedly takes place in Alaska and half the time it makes the state look downright tropical. (The other half of the time they're waiting for an avalanche, fighting to live through an avalanche, or dealing with the aftermath of an avalanche though, so I guess it all evens out). Hhhm, now I've got myself associating my hand cream with Anne Heche. That's not good for anyone.

More Mint

In the category of products I have the most of, liquid hand soap is right up there. It's not like I love it as much as, say, lotion, but it's one of those products that you always need. I mean, I go through periods where I use less lotion, but I never don't wash my hands. Just the thought of being in a bathroom without one grosses me out. So it's no surprise that after trying (and loving) C.O. Bigelow's new Mentha body wash, I also bought the hand soap. Also no surprise, I really like it. It's basically the same product, just in different form. (Although come to think of it, really, what's the difference? You could probably totally use the hand soap in the shower in a pinch. I might have to try that and see if it works). Anyway, the hand soap smells fantastically minty and gets the grime off your hands, but it's not drying. The only thing it's missing is those little scrubby bubbles that the other Bath and Body Works soaps have, but that's not a dealbreaker for me. And right now, it's on sale for 2 for $12, which is a great deal considering they're 10 ounces each. Plus, on those hot summer days when your air conditioning just inexplicably stops working (!!), it makes washing your hands a much more pleasant experience. Hhhmm, getting excited about hand soap. I think that makes me officially old.

Mentha Member

You know what's awesome (other than The Coffee Bean's new Espresso Mint Chip Ice Blended)? When you find an expensive product you love and then a different company comes out with a cheaper version of it. It so rarely happens that when it does, it's a little bit like hitting the lottery (a scratch off ticket, not the Mega Millions). Last month, I wrote about Shock Therapy from Bliss and now there's an equally great version from C.O. Bigelow - Mentha Body Vitamin Body Wash. It does all the same things, lathers well, smells incredibly minty, to the point where it really does shock you into waking up (in a pleasant, non-caffeinated way) and lingers on your body. It even feels tingly when it touches your skin. It's the perfect body wash to use after you've been to the gym. (Oh, who the hell am I kidding? My lazy butt hasn't been to the gym in a ridiculously long time. But it'll still be great to use the next time I manage to drag myself there). And the best part is that while the Bliss version is $24 for 8.5 ounces, the C.O. Bigelow one is normally only $12 for 8 ounces. Not bad. But see, I said "normally," so you know there's more to the story. Right now, Bath and Body Works is selling C.O.'s (we're on a first name basis now) body wash for only $5. Five. Dollars. I don't know how long the promotion is going to last, so if you have any desire to try it for less than the price of that Espresso Mint Chip Ice Blended, you should probably go pick it up soon. Otherwise, I might just buy all of them before you get a chance and no one wants that. Least of all my credit card company.

Slippery When Wet

I am obsessive when it comes to washing my hands.  I will eat something that fell on the floor as long as I get it in my mouth within ten seconds, but I will wash my hands repeatedly if I feel like I’ve touched something gross.  That said, my hands are constantly suffering from the frequent washings.  I found the Chapped Hands Cleanser by C.O. Bigelow, so I had to give it a go.  Soap-free and extra-moisturizing, this cleanser leaves your hands feeling moisturized, but sadly, also very greasy.  I’m not talking slightly greasy, I’m talking full-on oil slick all over my hands.  It was difficult to even turn the tap off when I was finished!  Aside from the greasy factor, I am concerned that my hands aren’t actually getting cleansed.  It feels more like I just dipped them in Vasoline (which, by the way, I hate the feeling of).  Basically, when it comes to cleansers for my hands, I would rather stick with a moisturizing bar of soap, to be honest.  But, C.O. Bigelow made a fantastic chapped hands cream that I think they have since discontinued, which makes me want to scream out in anger.  They cancel the stuff that actually works and leave the weird oily cleanser.  Makes perfect sense. 

Perfect Hair Restoration

If you have hair that tends to be a bit unruly, like myself, it’s in your best interest to check out C.O. Bigelow’s Restorative Hair Mask.  This wonderful treatment is moisturizing and makes your hair smell fresh and clean.  With olive oil and honey, this treatment intensely conditions and softens hair.  In fact, this stuff made my hair less frizzy and definitely gave it back some bounce.  As instructed on the back of the tube, after shampooing you just slap this stuff on and leave on for five minutes.  Like magic, you’ll have salon beautiful hair at a fraction of the cost of actually going to a salon for a deep conditioning.  Also great to know - if you’re looking for an even more intense mask, just leave it on for twenty minutes and cover with a shower cap.  That is, if you can find a shower cap.  You may have to call your grandma for that one.

Give Me Some Sugar

As long as I can remember, I've coveted the Fresh Sugar Face Polish. I can't even count the number of times I've put it in my basket at Sephora, only to take it out when I got up to the register. Even in my advanced stages of product whore-ism, I can't bring myself to fork over $55 + tax for a small container of face scrub, even if it does smell like fresh strawberries dipped in sugar that you would eat for dessert after you-- Ahem. Where was I? Oh, right. So I've never actually owned the Fresh Sugar Face Polish because once you start paying that much for a product, it's a slippery slope down to Manolo Blahnik's and living in a cardboard box. So you can imagine my delight (seriously, I screamed like a little girl at Christmas) when I discovered yesterday that C.O. Bigelow has just put out their own version called Brown Sugar Crystal Face Polish.

First of all, it smells awesome, just like the Fresh version, which I thought was weird until I read the label and realized that it too has strawberries in it. Score one for C.O. Bigelow. And it's only $10 right now at Bath and Body Works. $10! It's normally around twice that, but this is a special price since it just came out. It's so new, in fact, that it's not listed on any websites yet, which is why there isn't a picture of it at the top of this review. (I'd almost think I was hallucinating it if I wasn't staring at the bottle right now and my friend hadn't bought one as well).

The scrub itself is grainy and a little rougher than I was expecting, but it was all worth it because when I washed it off, my face was so soft and clean. It was fantastic. The bottle says that you can use it as a mask or a scrub, but I personally think I'd use it more as a scrub a few times a week to exfoliate. Plus, the smell lingers even after you're done, so you can sit on the couch and inhale the brown sugar goodness a little longer. Awesome.

It's like I've finally gotten a chance to own the Fresh Sugar Face Polish without having to sell a kidney. I love this scrub so much, I feel like I did when I first discovered the Louis Vuitton knockoff bags on Canal Street. And this isn't even illegal! Way to go, C.O. Bigelow.