I honestly don't know what took so long for me to catch on to this. Several of you do monthly "used it" posts and they're great. You get to see several products and short reviews of each as to why they were hits or misses. That's so much easier than trying to do a long drawn out review on a single product and in the end I'm just a dummy. Until now. You made me that much wiser, so thanks for making me a... smarter person (I'm not a fighter, more like apathetic to most situations)
LUSH Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub: This is a scrubby body wash that I believe is supposed to be in the vein of LUSH's Sakura scent (orange blossom and jasmine floral) You can use it in your hair, too, though I personally wouldn't. I love the fine texture of the sea salts and it does a great job of exfoliating (I use it on my arms, legs and chest). This used to come in a squeeze bottle and honestly I liked it much better back then. Now all the salt sings to the bottom of the tub and you have to dig your hand down in it ever time you use it. I honestly don't know if I'll buy another tub because of the inconvenience of use.
LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner: Weird stuff man. It's a shower moisturizer. So like body lotion, but you put it on in the shower, let it sink in and then rinse it off. The tub I got was a $5 promo which gave me enough to test it out. And I love it. I use it on my arms, and they really do look and feel better afterwards. The scent is rose mixed with what I imagine rainbows smell like (which is to say amazing) I usually only use it on my arms because this stuff is not cheap ($30 for the full size) and you will run out of the full size in a couple of showers if you use it all over. I actually have already re-bought, though, and am working on my first full size container as I type.
White Rain Tropical Coconut Hydrating Conditioner: I got this a few months ago when I last henna'd my hair as it usually takes a lot of slick (ie silicone laden) conditioner to work out all the glop and spices (I add spices to my henna to make it smell better since you have to leave it on for several hours) This conditioner worked well for its intended purpose (I probably used a good half the bottle) and I've been working my way through the rest ever since. Probably not something I would buy for regular use, but was totally worth the $1 for its intended purpose.
Philosophy Hope Oil-Free Daily Moisturizer (SPF30): Sometimes Sephora offers some awesome VIB sampler kits that you can get for free just by ordering online and adding in a code during checkout. I think this was in a kit with a bunch of other skin-type samples (exfoliators and night creams and treatments, oh my!) Honestly I am yet to meet a Philosophy product I like and this one was no different. I didn't find it gave enough moisture for my combo/dry skin (which I didn't expect from something obviously being marketed more towards those with oily skin) and it smelled like sunscreen which is not a scent I particularly enjoy. I have tried other moisturizers with SPF which work better for me and have a more pleasant smell. I would not buy a full size of this.
Yes To Carrots Exfoliating Cleanser: I hate carrots... for eating. I LOVE carrots in my skincare. I think I said Yes To Carrots about a year-ish ago and I haven't looked back. This cleanser is gentle enough to use daily, but has enough scrub to actually do something. As with any cleanser, I follow up with a toner (to get the last bits of dirt and cleanser off) and a moisturizer. The Carrots section of the Yes To... line is meant to be nourishing. I did find my face felt smooth and refreshed after use (not tight like some cleansers I have tried) As a bonus for my sensitive-skinned friends, it's paraben-free!
Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo (Brunette & Red): Not going to lie, I didn't actually finish this one. I tried my darndest and used it for like 2 months sporadically before giving up and dumping the rest out. I hate wasting product (even though I actually got this bottle for free with a coupon from Sally's) I was looking for something to boost the color from my last henna application. What I got was something that dried out my hair, stained my hands orange and smelled like gross old lady perfume.
Loreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser: Pretty sure I was bored and browsing Walgreens when I picked this one up. I was swayed by it coming with this neat little scrubby thingamajig:
It actually suction cups to the shower wall and works great with any face wash. As for the actual face wash it came with, it's not bad. My face felt clean and it left a deep-clean tingle. The problem was the tingle irritated the heck out of my eyes. I didn't actually use the wash near them, but the fumes made me tear up every time. While I finished the whole bottle and liked what it did for my skin, I don't think I'll be purchasing again.
LUSH Breath Of Fresh Air Toner: As I mentioned above, I always use a toner after my face wash to get off any last bits of dirt or cleanser. For the longest time I was scared of toner because I seem to remember astringent being interchangeable with toner when I was younger and that stuff was nasty and harsh and smelled like Listerine on your face. New breeds of toner, though, and much gentler and have moisturizing properties which help prep your face for your actual moisturizer (and in turn you can use less moisturizer as it spreads nicer) I love this particular toner as it lends itself more towards dry skin with aloe to moisturize and calm (which I just wrote as clam, but I promise it doesn't turn you into seafood) I use the full-size at home and while I haven't gotten one for this summer, I usually keep a mini to spritz on through the day as a refresher (it feels awesome on a hot day or when you've been sitting in the AC too long and your skin is cranky)
Solstice Scents Snowshoe Pass Creamy Whipped Soap: I posted about this one back in
February, but it has taken me this long to get through the tub. Usually for me that means that it's because I keep avoiding the product (like with the Clairol shampoo I talked about above) In this case, though, I was trying to make the tub last as long as I could because I am in love with the scent. The soap itself is fluffy and moisturizing and leaves me feeling awesome. I can't wait to get more next holiday-time (I hope it's available again!) and will be looking into getting other scents of this stuff soon.
