One of my favorite things to read online is beauty product reviews. My first Beauty Review, covering 10 face products, seemed to go over pretty well so I'm back for another! This week's follow-on is a spotlight on 10 body care products. There are so many options for beauty products now so I'm hoping this will help you spend your money a little wiser next time you need something. In addition to online reviews, I have recently started checking the Good Guide before I make any purchases. It's a consumer product research company that checks out the "health, environmental, and social performance of products and companies" and rank them. It helps me make informed decisions about the level of hazardous ingredients in the products I buy, and the type of company I'm buying from. Now onto the products!
1. Yes to Carrots Daily Body Lotion $13
After checking the Good Guide for a low hazard body lotion that was in my price range and easily accessible it led me to the Yes To brand. I wanted something to use on my whole body and that was unscented (or very lightly so) for the days I decided to wear perfume. For me, this lotion wasn't rich enough so I didn't feel like I had enough on until I applied it a few times, which led me to going through the bottle pretty quickly (2 months if that). However, I would definitely recommend as a hand lotion or for those that don't have dry skin and just want a little extra moisture.
2. Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant for Sensitive Skin $7
As much as I hate to admit it, I sweat. I know, so gross, right? I have used this deoderant for probably two years now and overall I'm pretty happy with it. I switched around brands and products for years, even going the all-natural route, but I just couldn't find one that really worked for me. This one keeps my sweating at bay and doesn't irritate my skin. Sometimes it pilfers into little balls after I apply (which is super annoying when it happens) but since it isn't every time it leads me to believe it might be something weird about when I apply it or something. If anyone knows how to avoid this please let me know!
3. Bath & Body Works Shower Gel $11
If you're looking for a body wash that lasts for eternity than this is your product! I have gone through three bottles of the lotion and I still am on my first bottle of shower gel. It has a nice consistency, lathers well, oh, and did I mention the smell? Whenever I shower with this it makes my entire house smell completely glorious. If you don't want your whole home freshened without any effort on your part (aside from your daily shower) than avoid this, but I say run and grabas much as you can the bottle that will last forever!
4. Trader Joe's Moisturizing Shave Cream $6
Since I basically worship Trader Joe's and all of their store brand items I thought for sure I would love this little pup, but I'm sad to say I was a little underwhelmed. It has great reviews online and my sister loves it, but it just wasn't for me. It smells good (honey mango) and is moisturizing, but for me it was a little thicker than I like my shave aids to be. I felt like I didn't get as close of a shave as I do with the foaming gels or other ones I've tried. Unfortunately, this one's a pass for me.
5. Venus Spa Breeze 2-in-1 Razor $20.50
I was actually surprised how much I liked these razor heads. They are perfect for a quick leg shave in the morning and I like not having to get my hand all lathered up in cream. On the con side, once they get wet the water starts to eat away at the gel around the edges so they don't last as long as a regular head (of course you can always still use it with separate cream once it runs out). I also didn't like it for my underarms, so with those two things factored with the price I won't get again, but it was a nice little treat to try them out.
6. Yes to Cucumbers Body Butter $13
This was next in line for a daily all-over body moisturizer once the Carrots one fell a little short. It has a nice but very faint smell which was exactly what I was looking for, and as a body butter it has the extra moisture I was looking for. It went onto my skin nicely, making my skin feel soft but not greasy. Luckily I didn't run into the problems like I did with the B&BW body butter (#7). I would be interested in trying other products from this line.
7. Bath & Body Works Body Butter $15
I was sadly disappointed with this body butter since I love the scents of this company so much. (My current favorites are Dark Kiss, which is a little like cotton candy, and Midnight Pomegranate). I found that the butter didn't apply that great to my skin, even right after showering. It did feel slightly greasy, and sometimes it felt like it just sat on top of my skin. When applying it would often either become sort of white and filmy or roll up into little ball-like things of lotion. I thought maybe it was just a defective tin but it happened with a couple of them so I switched to the lotion (#10) instead and have never looked back.
8. Alcon Opti-Free Pure Moist Contact Solution $9
Being that I'm practically blind and not a huge fan of glasses I wear my contacts pretty much every minute I'm awake. As you can imagine, this leads to some irritation for my eyes. I never thought that which solution I used would matter much (silly, I know) so I just went for the cheap store brand. After my recent visit to the optometrist he gave me this kind of solution and I could noticeable tell the difference! My eyes are definitely getting more relief now that I've switched brands. I'll admit, I haven't tried other brands so I don't know if this is the best out there, but I would still recommend.
9. Jason Satin Body Wash $15
This is a nice wash that comes in a gigantic bottle so it is great for everyday use. Mine has lasted me for several months and there is still plenty left so it is definitely a good bang for your buck, especially because they go on sale for $9 so often. So far I've tried the Citrus and the Aloe Vera and liked them both, though the scents never really stick around long after you get out the shower. I will say, it isn't super moisturizing so if that's what you're looking for this may not be it, but it does feel smooth and lathers nicely. I'll probably branch out to other washes but I may come back to this one.
10. Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream $12.50
This lotion was surprisingly good at keeping my dry skin at bay; I'd venture to say it even rivals the body butter. I put it on once in the morning and I don't feel greasy after, or get itchy skin throughout the day at all. I love layering this with the body wash and the fragrance mist to lock the smell in all day. At the end of the day I still get compliments about how good I smell and even after washing my hands several times throughout the day I can still smell it faintly on my fingers. For me, these are good things, but I know some people don't want such a strong fragrance so this company may not be right for you.
1. Yes to Carrots Daily Body Lotion $13
After checking the Good Guide for a low hazard body lotion that was in my price range and easily accessible it led me to the Yes To brand. I wanted something to use on my whole body and that was unscented (or very lightly so) for the days I decided to wear perfume. For me, this lotion wasn't rich enough so I didn't feel like I had enough on until I applied it a few times, which led me to going through the bottle pretty quickly (2 months if that). However, I would definitely recommend as a hand lotion or for those that don't have dry skin and just want a little extra moisture.
2. Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant for Sensitive Skin $7
As much as I hate to admit it, I sweat. I know, so gross, right? I have used this deoderant for probably two years now and overall I'm pretty happy with it. I switched around brands and products for years, even going the all-natural route, but I just couldn't find one that really worked for me. This one keeps my sweating at bay and doesn't irritate my skin. Sometimes it pilfers into little balls after I apply (which is super annoying when it happens) but since it isn't every time it leads me to believe it might be something weird about when I apply it or something. If anyone knows how to avoid this please let me know!
3. Bath & Body Works Shower Gel $11
If you're looking for a body wash that lasts for eternity than this is your product! I have gone through three bottles of the lotion and I still am on my first bottle of shower gel. It has a nice consistency, lathers well, oh, and did I mention the smell? Whenever I shower with this it makes my entire house smell completely glorious. If you don't want your whole home freshened without any effort on your part (aside from your daily shower) than avoid this, but I say run and grab
4. Trader Joe's Moisturizing Shave Cream $6
Since I basically worship Trader Joe's and all of their store brand items I thought for sure I would love this little pup, but I'm sad to say I was a little underwhelmed. It has great reviews online and my sister loves it, but it just wasn't for me. It smells good (honey mango) and is moisturizing, but for me it was a little thicker than I like my shave aids to be. I felt like I didn't get as close of a shave as I do with the foaming gels or other ones I've tried. Unfortunately, this one's a pass for me.
5. Venus Spa Breeze 2-in-1 Razor $20.50
I was actually surprised how much I liked these razor heads. They are perfect for a quick leg shave in the morning and I like not having to get my hand all lathered up in cream. On the con side, once they get wet the water starts to eat away at the gel around the edges so they don't last as long as a regular head (of course you can always still use it with separate cream once it runs out). I also didn't like it for my underarms, so with those two things factored with the price I won't get again, but it was a nice little treat to try them out.
6. Yes to Cucumbers Body Butter $13
This was next in line for a daily all-over body moisturizer once the Carrots one fell a little short. It has a nice but very faint smell which was exactly what I was looking for, and as a body butter it has the extra moisture I was looking for. It went onto my skin nicely, making my skin feel soft but not greasy. Luckily I didn't run into the problems like I did with the B&BW body butter (#7). I would be interested in trying other products from this line.
7. Bath & Body Works Body Butter $15
I was sadly disappointed with this body butter since I love the scents of this company so much. (My current favorites are Dark Kiss, which is a little like cotton candy, and Midnight Pomegranate). I found that the butter didn't apply that great to my skin, even right after showering. It did feel slightly greasy, and sometimes it felt like it just sat on top of my skin. When applying it would often either become sort of white and filmy or roll up into little ball-like things of lotion. I thought maybe it was just a defective tin but it happened with a couple of them so I switched to the lotion (#10) instead and have never looked back.
8. Alcon Opti-Free Pure Moist Contact Solution $9
Being that I'm practically blind and not a huge fan of glasses I wear my contacts pretty much every minute I'm awake. As you can imagine, this leads to some irritation for my eyes. I never thought that which solution I used would matter much (silly, I know) so I just went for the cheap store brand. After my recent visit to the optometrist he gave me this kind of solution and I could noticeable tell the difference! My eyes are definitely getting more relief now that I've switched brands. I'll admit, I haven't tried other brands so I don't know if this is the best out there, but I would still recommend.
9. Jason Satin Body Wash $15
This is a nice wash that comes in a gigantic bottle so it is great for everyday use. Mine has lasted me for several months and there is still plenty left so it is definitely a good bang for your buck, especially because they go on sale for $9 so often. So far I've tried the Citrus and the Aloe Vera and liked them both, though the scents never really stick around long after you get out the shower. I will say, it isn't super moisturizing so if that's what you're looking for this may not be it, but it does feel smooth and lathers nicely. I'll probably branch out to other washes but I may come back to this one.
10. Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream $12.50
This lotion was surprisingly good at keeping my dry skin at bay; I'd venture to say it even rivals the body butter. I put it on once in the morning and I don't feel greasy after, or get itchy skin throughout the day at all. I love layering this with the body wash and the fragrance mist to lock the smell in all day. At the end of the day I still get compliments about how good I smell and even after washing my hands several times throughout the day I can still smell it faintly on my fingers. For me, these are good things, but I know some people don't want such a strong fragrance so this company may not be right for you.
What products have you tried? How do you decide when making a body care purchase?
Happy Friday everyone, enjoy your weekend!
