Just Finished

I finished a few products in the last few days so I want to share with you my thoughts.

1. Bath and Body Works Body Butter in P.S. I Love You - I picked this up in one of the semi-annual sales and I think it is an older formula of body butter and a discontinued fragrance since I can't find it on the website anymore. The body butter itself is extremely thick...so much so that it was hard to spread on the skin so I ended up using a lot of it each application. It also took a couple minutes to absorb in the skin, although that is the case with most body butters. I remember B&BW re-vamping the body butter formula last-year so I think it has improved, but I haven't tried the new one. On the other hand, this fragrance was very lovely! It is a mix of rose and amber, but not overwhelming. I really hope they bring this scent back!

 

2. Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser - I received this as a sample and it is good, but nothing amazing. The exfoliating beads are very small, and the cleanser didn't remove all my makeup, so I didn't feel like I was getting a good clean or a good scrub. This may be a good exfoliant for sensitive skin, but it didn't do anything for me. 

3. Origins Starting Over Age-Erasing Moisturizer with Mimosa - This is one of the brand's best-selling anti-aging moisturizers, but I didn't find any improvement in my skin. When I went on my Bahamas cruise last month I wanted a small jar of moisturizer and I had this in my stash and it was only a 1 oz. jar so I decided to use it up.  This has a bit of a citrus scent, which is nice and refreshing, but most anti-aging cremes are very moisturizing and this definitely was not moisturizing enough for my dry winter skin. This is supposed to be effective for all skin types but based on my experience it may be better for oily-normal skin types. I didn't see any improvement in my fine lines, in brightness, or any other aspect. I also wish this had SPF. I really like Origins products (I LOVE GinZing Eye Cream), so I am tempted to try out the other lines of moisturizer and recommendations are appreciated.

4. The Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream - This is a nice hand cream, but I HATE the packaging. I despise the foil-type tubes because they are rigid and get holes very easily. The cream is nice, but after trying the Gud by Burts Bees Natural Hand Creme, I am glad this is finished because the Gud one is sooo much better at moisturizing my hands. 

5. MAC Eye Brows in Lingering - The Eye Brows pencils are twist up, thin, brow pencils that make it easy to draw or fill-in brows. I really enjoy the ease of this pencil, but it gets used up pretty quickly, so now I prefer using a brow powder or shadow and an angled brush. If I was made of money I would definitely re-purchase this. 

Have you tried any of these? What are your thoughts?

Finished in December 2011

I didn't do a Finished in November post, as I didn't really finish anything, but I did finish a few things in December and I wanted to share my thoughts on those products.

1. The Body Shop Body Butter in Passion Fruit - This isn't a permanent scent, but I think it comes around every spring and summer. I usually like the formula for Normal/Dry skin, but this was a bit greasy and took a few minutes to absorb in the skin, which is why I didn't use it up in the summer and waited till winter to finish it. I do like the scent of tropical fruit so I loved the passion fruit fragrance. I really enjoy Body Shop's body butters so I will continue using them, but will skip this one due to the greasy texture. 

2. MAC Lightful Ultramoisture Creme - Do I really need to explain my love for this? I have raved about it many times on the blog. 

3. Bath and Body Works Ile De Tahiti Moana Body Wash in Tiare Flower - This is one of those discontinued lines from Bath and Body Works that occasionally pop up during the semi-annual sales. I LOVE the scent of Tiare Flower, more so after I smelled it everywhere during my honeymoon to Tahiti, but it is just so fresh, floral, and exotic. I think I have one more of these in my stock, but I will be using that preciously as it is my last.

4. Bliss Body Butter in Lemon + Sage - This is the most moisturizing body butter I have used....and I have used a LOT. It is quite pricey, at $28 for 6.7oz, but it really does lock in the moisture in the skin and keeps the skin soft until I shower the next day. That being said, I think I would only re-purchase this as a treat, or if I was loaded, since I think Body Shop and other brands make good body butters that are more affordable. My original review is here. 

5. Stila One Step Correct Face Primer - I have used this in many looks both here on the blog and for others and I have talked about it many times. In summary, I really enjoy this primer. It is my favorite non-silicon face primer and you can read my original review here. 

Did you finish up anything lately? If so, what was it and would you repurchase?

Is a $35 Face Mask Really Better Than a $2 Face Mask?

Remember how the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask was all the rage last year? I actually bought it, used it once, and then it sat in my medicine cabinet. Since I finished up my Aura Science mask, I brought it out of hiding in order to do a little review and comparison for you.



This is a peel of face mask that is supposed to draw out dirt, oil, and other impurities and also brighten the skin. It would make for a great Halloween mask because it really is black and ugly:



I decided to compare this to the Bath and Body Works (B&BW) Fresh and Flawless Face Mask with Purifying Clay.



Many moons ago B&BW had a skin care line and they had really nice clay face masks so I was hoping this would be similar. This is also on clearance right now because it was part of the summer collection...one more incentive to try it out. This is a non-peel off mask that requires washing with water.



So what were my thoughts?

Boscia

• $34 for 2.8 oz


• Have to use a really thick layer in order for it to peel off (6-10 uses per tube depending on how thick you apply it)


• REALLY HARD to peel off, ends up leaving lots of black spots you have to scrub using water


• No noticeable difference in skin texture or luminosity


• Since product has to be layered thickly, it takes a lot more than 20 minutes to dry

Bath and Body Works

• $1.75 for 2 oz (it is actually $7 but on clearance right now for 75% off)


• A thin layer is effective...will last MANY more than 10 uses


• Very creamy in consistency....feels great on the skin


• Smells delicious


• Doesn't make skin feel stiff, while mask is on and after mask is washed off


• Dries in about 10-15 minutes


• Easy to wash off


• Leaves skin super smooth, soft, and hydrated

Overall, I prefer the B&BW mask 100%! I really like the fragrance (even the hubby came close to me and said it smelled good, and that RARELY happens), it made my skin super soft, and most importantly it was easy to wash off. The Boscia mask was a nightmare to remove. No matter how thick it was, there were some areas that just wouldn't peel off. After peeling as much as I could, I had at least 7-8 black splotches on my face that I had to scrub harshly using water. That just made the whole experience extremely frustrating and irritated my skin. Any relaxation that I got from having the mask on was immediately gone because I had to spend a good 15 minutes getting all the black crap off. Now I remember why the Boscia mask was hidden away for the past few months.

Bliss Body Wash and Lotion - Super Deal at Costco

I know I have mentioned this before, but I LURVE Costco!!! For those of you not on the West Coast, Costco was the first warehouse shopping club, initially called Price Club. It is a large store in a warehouse, where they sell large quantities, or bulk quantities of everything from toilet paper to soda to fruits to computers and TVs (the computers and TVs are sold individually, not in bulk). The prices are insanely good, but the thing is you have to have a membership to shop at the store. Membership averages around $50, but is soooo worth it! Now they have many different warehouse clubs like Sam's Club, BJs, etc, but I have a Costco membership since it is close to my home. Anyhoo, I don't go very often, but when I do, I ALWAYS take a stroll down their health and beauty aisles. I have seem some great things like MAC eyeshadow, Lancome Definicils, and Shisheido skin care, all at discounted prices of course. On a recent trip to Costco, I saw the following: This duo includes a large 16floz Bubbling Body Wash, and a 6.7oz Body Lotion, and this set was only $15!!!! They actually have it online too, but online it is $25, which is still a good price for Bliss products, but why pay $10 more if you don't have to? In fact, there was a instant $5 rebate when I saw it (the rebate is now over, I think), so I got this set for $10. That's about the same price as picking up a Bath and Body Works shower gel and lotion during their semi-annual sales. SCORE!!!!

Now, the thing is, when I got home, I wanted to know how much both products retail at. Unfortunately, these products are not on the Bliss website. Henceforth, this leads me to believe that Bliss created these as special items for the holiday season, specifically for Costco. This is the case with a lot of brands/companies....they make special products and colors specifically to be sold at Costco. The other possibility is that these are not real Bliss products, however I HIGHLY doubt that, since I know that a LOT of research goes into what gets sold at Costco and they would never sell fakes. Companies compete to have their products sold at Costco. Since it is such a popular store, they have the ability to be extremely selective about what products are sold in the store. So, until I have reason to doubt it, I am sticking with my first theory that this set was specially created for Costco, and y'all better run out and get it, cuz for this price, it's going to sell out!

Bath and Body Works Semi Annual Sale

Bath and Body Works Semi Annual sale is going on now and will go on through the first week in July. If you shop through Sunday, June 14th you can get an additional 20% off any purchase of $25 or more. You can either click here to print out a coupon to use in store or use offer code 9656 to make a purchase online. Happy shopping and hope you score some great deals!