ProductWhores

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.

Hands Free

I thought hands were only supposed to get dry during the winter, but for some reason, the summer months are doing my hands in this year. They're not horrible, but they're certainly less, shall we say, supple, than I'd like. (To be fair, I haven't been using hand cream as much lately, so maybe that's the problem). On a whim, I bought C.O. Bigelow's Chapped Hands Remedy and I'm so glad that I did.

It's billed as a "unique, non-greasy medicated formula" and they're not over-selling it. The consistency isn't like a normal hand lotion - it's thicker and does seem like it would be greasy, but it isn't at all. It absorbs almost instantly, leaving your hands incredibly smooth, but not oily like some other ones I've tried. And I really like the scent - it's almost like a menthol, which automatically makes me think that it's working (strange, I know - it must be all those mentholated cough drops I've used over the years. Plus, it matches my lip balm!) It also contains 40.3% glycerin, which draws moisture into the skin, according to their description. I'm not sure what percentage of glycerin other hand creams have, but after three days of using this, my hands feel a lot softer, so that's good enough for me.

The bottle does say that it guards hands against dry, cold and windy conditions, which doesn't exactly describe the climate in Los Angeles, but who cares? After finding this, I'll know exactly what to throw in my bag if I ever decide to take my life in my hands again and give snowboarding a second chance.

Pucker Up

The saying goes, “You can never be too rich or too thin” and I’d like to add “Or have too many lip balms.” Seriously, is there ever an occasion when lip balm doesn’t come in handy? I dare you to think of one.

My favorite right now is the C.O. Bigelow line Mentha Lip Shine. Normally $7.50 a tube, it’s on sale for three for $15 right now, making it even more of a bargain. And you know how us whores love a bargain!

You can pick up this line at most Bath and Body Works stores, as well as online, and of course, in their famous C.O. Bigelow store in New York City. It comes in regular mentha, ultra mentha (extra minty) and assorted colors, including pink and red (warning – these “colors” are really just tints, so don’t expect these to replace your favorite lipsticks). It even comes in a lip balm stick that remains shine free, for those of you who like your lips to stay matte. As an added bonus, whatever magic ingredient C.O. Bigelow has added keeps your breath minty fresh, so even after a trip to Starbucks, you can use your handy lip balm to be kissable at a moment’s notice. (Breathsavers, we hardly knew ya!)

Take my advice and stock up on these while they’re on sale, that way you can keep separate tubes in each of your bags (Product Whores always have a variety of bags) to make sure you’re never caught with anything less than the perfect smile.