Thursday, September 20, 2012

C.O. Bigelow Root Beer Mentha Lip Gloss





This foundation soda inspired lip balm tastes and smells exactly like its namesake.  The lip gloss goes on thick but it is not sticky. The long lasting lip balm leaves a nice healthy sheen on my lips.  Unlike the other Mentha lip balms from C.O. Bigelow, I couldn’t smell or taste any of the mint. The clear gloss doesn’t provide any tint and can be used on top of lipstick to give a high gloss shine. While I am not a big fan of root beer, I really enjoyed this gloss and would probably get it again.

Sephora Collection - Age Defy Moisture Cream SPF 15



Photo Credit - Sephora



This is one of my favorite moisturizers by Sephora. It softens, moisturizes and provides SPF protection.  I was in love with the old formula but the new formula is even better.  The creamy formula is light and is not greasy or leaves a sticky residue behind. It is packed with HydroSenn+ and  lipoamino acid. I like how it kept my face moisturized for the entire day without having to worry about my skin looking dry.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Bioelements Pumice Peel

Photo Source - Biolements



This creamy peel has a grainy texture due to the crushed pumice crystals. The pumice crystals were ultra-fine and it wasn’t painful or caused any irritation when I rubbed it on like the Prada Exfoliating Mask. It made my skin smooth and radiant by removing the dead cell layers and my unclogging pores. The peel was a bit messy to apply to my skin and was very difficult to remove from my hair. My only qualm was even after I thoroughly washed my face there was some grainy residue from the pumice grains left on my face no matter how hard I tried to wipe it off. The peel is packed with herbal extracts, hydrogenated polydecene, ginseng and antioxidants.  At  $51 for 2.5oz jar it can be quite pricey but you can use a small amount and still get results.

Burt's Bees Natural Skin Care for Men Body Wash




Photo Source - Burt's Bees


I originally bought this body wash for my brother but I ran out of body wash one day I used this instead. I ended up liking it and started using his body wash more than my own.  The citrus smelling body wash is packed with coconut, cypress, fir and sunflower oils, vitamin B, soy proteins and citrus that moisturize and energize you awake in the morning. The best part is that it is all natural and free from harmful chemicals. The only downside to this body wash is that has mediocre lather.

Yves Rocher Hamamélis Super-Soft Shower Gel

Photo Source - Yves Rocher




This fresh smelling body wash provides a mediocre lather unless you use a generous amount. The gentle shower gel is great for people who have sensitive skin. It is packed witch hazel extract and doesn’t dry my skin. I would recommend following up with lotion. I would probably buy this again if it was on sale other than that it was not very impressive.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Zest Moisturizing Body Wash - Ocean Breeze


Photo Source - Soap


During the hot sweaty months of summer, this body wash is a lifesaver. Some might argue that it is packed with a chemical fragrance and synthetic ingredients. Well, I say to hell with that, because when you‘re packed tighter than sardines in a tin on the morning train commute and someone who smells less than pleasant isthisclosetoyou, you will be thanking Zest for the clean scent. Not only does the body wash impart pleasant scent , it is also very moisturizing.  I am mostly fond of this body wash because of the long lasting scent.

Burt’s Bees – Honey & Shea Sugar Scrub


Photo Credit - Burt's Bees


Since spring is around the corner, I need to whip my ashy skin into shape [I wish there was something for the muffin top].  One of my favorite ways to exfoliate is using a sugar scrub. This sweet scented body sugar is packed with almonds and aloe leaf juice. The finely grated almonds and sugar crystals work in harmony to slug away dead skin. Although, the scent is honey and shea, I found the honey scent to be more dominating.  I started using this body sugar mostly because it was on sale and cheap. It did a decent job though. It left my skin smooth and soft.  I think it would leave my skin softer, if the sugar scrub wasn’t mostly composed of sugar, halfway through using the scrub the sugar became dry. It became a pain to rub the dry mixture in.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Quaker Soft Baked Banana Nut Bar




Even though we all heard it before “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, somehow of the other between the never ending emails to my mile long to do list I can never make time to have a wholesome meal. Although, I do have tradition to start my Monday mid – morning while checking emails with an everything bagel smothered with cream cheese. As delicious as it is, I usually can’t finish the bagel and all I can think of is “Where can I go to take a nap?!” When I tasted this banana nut bar, I was in love. Not only is it convenient, it can be eaten right out of the package or warmed up in the microwave. Being the lazy bum I am, I wolfed it down right out of the wrapper. The banana nut bread was soft, moist and just plain delicious. Apart of the great taste, it was a lot healthier than my bagel. It is packed with 5 grams of fiber, one fifth of the daily B vitamins and has 6 grams of proteins. It kept me well satisfied till lunch, I was surprised I didn’t start raiding the office vending machine. I would love to say it tastes as good as the homemade version but this was my first time having banana nut bread [which by the way, where has this little piece of heaven been hiding?!] and my cooking is horrid and I wouldn’t wish my worst enemy to try my cooking.



** Disclaimer - I received a complimentary sample for testing and to review the product from Influenster.  Receiving this sample had no impact on my review of this product and these views are my own. **

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion


Photo Credit - Hawaiian Tropic

This sweet smelling sunscreen goes on smoothly and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. I love how it had a sweet tropical smell and not heavy chemical odor like other sunscreens.  It has hydrating silk ribbons that moisturize your skin while protecting you from the sun. It is packed with nourishing antioxidants and exotic botanical extracts. When I first applied this product to my face it stung a bit which eventually went away after three uses.  It could be that my face is just a bit sensitive to new products. I didn’t have that problem when I applied it to my body.  While the skin ribbons did moisturize my skin during application, I noticed it faded away after three to four hours. Overall, I think it is good buy for a drugstore sunscreen. 



** Disclaimer - I received a complimentary sample for testing and to review the product from Influenster.  Receiving this sample had no impact on my review of this product and these views are my own. **