Last weekend I went to Cosmoprof in Las Vegas and was seriously like a kid in a candy store, wandering aisles and aisles of beauty products. There were plenty of brands I already had experience with, but the newbies were especially spectacular. As with any big event, there were of course the standouts that you remember when you leave because they had amazing products and great personalities to match. One of these was definitely Barista Bath and Body (or b3 for short). It's a wonderful female-owned and operated brand which uses coffee extract in every single one of its products. Christine Willett and her mom, Nancy Scuderi, started this brand out of a pure love for all things coffee (they both have been in the coffee biz for years). Their passion for coffee, and for b3 as a brand, definitely shows. I was warmly greeted by smiling faces and the most beautiful set up in the booth - all brown and white decor, a cushy couch and even little demitasse cups filled with real coffee beans that gave it the feel of a living room. I have tried coffee shower gels before and even one coffee scrub, but this brand definitely takes the (coffee) cake. (Wow, I typed that dumb pun and am actually going to leave it, aren't I?) Anyway, I had the honor of trying everything in their collection and by the end of my coffee adventure, I was buzzing, not from caffeine, but rather from b3.
First of all, they did their coffee homework and discovered that coffee has the same pH as our hair and skin. Traditional soaps and shampoos have a high pH which strips the body's defense system (and leads to product build-up) so they wanted to create an entire line which contributes to a balanced pH (result: shiny hair and clear skin). Even if the science doesn't interest you, the products speak for themselves and are downright fabulous. b3's collection includes (check out the adorable coffee-themed names, by the way): Triple Shot (a delicious shower gel which left my skin feeling hydrated and smelling slightly of yummy coffee), Pump of Flavor (a refreshing woodsy body mist), Froth (a vegan lip balm which is my go-to in my purse now), Make Mine Black (a deep, rich, coffee bar soap), Perk It Up (a fantastic shampoo that makes my hair crazy shiny), Soothe Those Jitters (a hair conditioner best suited for thinner hair - my hair was too thick for this one) and my absolute two favorites of the pack: One Lump Or Two (a completely addicting coffee/sea salt scrub) and Room for Cream (a really moisturizing, but not at all sticky, body lotion which is only slightly scented with coffee so you don't smell like the inside of a Starbucks all day). I am super-impressed with the b3 line and will definitely come back for more. I mean, once a coffee addict, always a coffee addict, right? The entire collection can be purchased online at www.baristabathandbody.com
Note: A sample of these products were sent to me by a PR representative working with b3.
Really interesting brand.....their website looks great! I'm definitely interested in trying!
Do the products smell strongly of coffee, though? I love the smell of coffee, but don't know if I want to smell like it all day!
Posted by: Cadie | August 08, 2010 at 11:47 AM
No, they actually don't smell strongly of coffee (the shower gel and bar soap are the only exceptions, but even they die down after a bit). I hope I've helped!!
Posted by: Kris | August 15, 2010 at 02:30 PM