Magic Soaps

I'm a big fan of the Whole Foods Whole Body section. I get sucked in to their eco-friendly packaging and all natural-ness. But sometimes the products suck. This is not one of those times. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps were discovered when I was petsitting a few years ago. The woman's house was really cool in that single woman with 2 dogs kind of way. I actually did love the house, but what I really liked were her products. She used Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in all her bathrooms. I was taken in by the packaging at first because it's very like "save the earth save ourselves" kind of thing. Which can be off putting to some. That's "Dr. B" in the corner btw. But if you once you get past the label and this creepy pic, the smell is great. She had the Lavender scent the time I was there, and that is what I consider to be my default scent. The soaps are concentrated - I know one of my friends makes it last longer by adding water. I have yet to try this because I like it as is, but I guess if you're trying to save money these are good for that too. A month ago I bought the Rose flavor. And I'm totally in love! I think Rose is risky because it can smell artificial and gross most of the time. Not this soap. It's the real thing. I had plans to use the soap as hand soap, but I ran out of body wash and have been using the Rose as body wash for the last few weeks. For some this soap may be a little drying, but I like it as a break from all of the overly hydrating body washes that leave me feeling kind of gross during the summer.

Fresh SuperNOva Mascara

Alright, let's spice things up a little. Most of the posts on this blog have been product accolades, inquiries, and/or exciting discoveries from the drug store aisles. Which is fantastic, but I think it's also important to warn our fellow product devotees (ok, Lindsey and Susan) about products that should be AVOIDED (all CAPS, I really mean it) at all cost. Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to warn you about Fresh Supernova Mascara.

Now, I know you're probably thinking that Fresh puts out some great products, and why should this be any different?Well. It is. It's horrible. I bought this last holiday season because it caught my eye on a Christmas display at Sephora. My initial thoughts were that it had pretty packaging and it seemed very seasonal so it must be good. Although I usually stick with Diorshow mascara, I figured, let's try something new. 'Tis the season.

After first use, it was almost impossible to apply. The mascara gets all thick in that brush to the point where it doesn't even have a recognizable shape anymore. Then, it delivers way too much product with just one swipe. I read an article once about Julia Roberts using a safety pin to separate her lashes and I thought that was really dumb/dangerous, but I found myself actually trying it! Ultimately I decided that a lash brush was safer, so I used that for the next 3 weeks until I couldn't take it anymore. I tossed it and went back to my Diorshow mascara. All in all, Fresh has many great things to offer. This one just doesn't quite make the cut.

Aquacurrent - Do you, or would you buy it?

Today I saw something very unsettling. It was a TV commercial for Pantene Beautiful Lengths hair products that promises to make your hair longer and stronger by using Aquacurrent technology. So I think to myself...where have I seen this Aquacurrent language before? And then it hit me like a wall. My antiperspirant.

After losing (and then eventually rediscovering) my old antiperspirant in the apt. move, I purchased this new Secret with Aquacurrent technology. I wasn't that blown away by this scientific jargon because I don't ever feel like it's anything life-changing. I always go on scent, and sometimes by brand loyalty. That day I was going with both. Secret has been there for me in the past and I applauded its effort at creating a new line of scents. So back to Aquacurrent. "Makes your hair longer...and stronger." I do not want this for my armpit. That was probably TMI, but I think you can understand my concern. So after some research on the P&G website, I realized that AC was developed around the idea of aquaporins, which was a Nobel-prize winning discovery of protein-based "micro-channels" that move moisture around the surface of your skin to balance the moisture levels.

It may be science, but I'm still not sure I buy it when it comes to beauty products. Just seems a little far-fetched. But thankfully now, I'm convinced that the AC in my antiperspirant is nothing but a mere moisturizer-enhancer. Phew.