Returning Faves

I went into The Body Shop yesterday and to my surprise, some of my old faves are back!!! For a limited time only, the Body Shop is bringing back some of their original products from the 80's. Let me highlight my top 4:

Passion Fruit Cleansing Gel. I've talked about this one up before because as I kid I loved this stuff. It's gentle and smells great. I don't use it as an everyday cleanser because my oily skin needs acne fighting ingredients every now and then. This is more along the lines of a "special occasion" shower gel. A few years ago I found this product in London and stocked up. Is it bad to still be using products after 4 years? It doesn't seem to have affected the way this gel works and the scent is still fresh.

One product I had forgotten about until I unleashed the scent again was the Green Apple Shower Gel. This stuff is genius! It's a little on the fruity side for those that try to steer clear of these kind of scents, but it's their loss. It's got more of a zest fragrance than an overwhelming sweetness, and I love how strong it is. Obviously it goes without saying that if you get the right scent than the Body Shop shower gels are the da bomb. See: Strawberry shower gel.

This last product is a little controversial for me. Banana Shampoo and Conditioner. The scent is a very pleasing banana, but I've just found that it's a basic shampoo that sometimes has left my wavy hair limp on occasion. Which is ok! Because every now and then I need that scent life to perk up my shower plus it does leave my hair feeling soft. Does anyone else do this? I sometimes buy products knowing full well that overall it's just standard, but some aspects of the product makes it worthwhile for me. In this case, it's the scent and the softness factor. Which let's just all agree - the Body Shop does scents well. I think these products are more about nostalgia for everyone and when I use these they remind me of being 10 and getting beauty products for the first time.

Clean & Clear's Take on the In-Home Spa

Hey guys!

That last post was kind of ominous as it could have served as an RIP to our blog. And I don't like that. It's time to start fresh. Just like using an invigorating face wash in the morning. On that topic, one face wash that I've really enjoyed as of late is the steam mask in-shower facial from Clean and Clear's new "Soft" line. (I will warn you that the website is irritating. Don't link to it at work unless your volume is off - because otherwise you and your coworkers will have to hear what the teenagers in the intro have to say about it).

The clean look of the bottle was what initially attracted me to the product on the shelf, and its unique steam facial for your shower at home was a novel idea so I thought - why not! I use it maybe 3 times a week in the shower. The jury is out if it really improves my skin, but it is really fun to use. After the cream is applied, it creates a warming sensation so you at least believe it must be working. Then you scrub to remove it while simultaneously exfoliating your skin. The smell is what you would expect from a Clean&Clear/Neutrogena/Olay type product. A little hint of baby powder, slightly medicinal, yet still clean. So I say it's worth trying if for no other reason that it's really fun to use!

Korres Products

Ok, so this is a really big post for me. I thought maybe I should wait to do it, but what's the point in putting it off? I think everyone should know about Korres products. And the sooner the better. I learned about Korres a couple of years ago in 2006 when I was in Greece for the summer. A couple of the older, cooler girls that I worked with at the museum (they were actually grad students at the time, so they were also smarter) kept talking about this "Korres face wash." The pharmacies in Greece have really weird, obscure hours, so we would go on farmakio hunts to find the Korres. When we were lucky enough to find an open store, we would go crazy. There weren't as many products then as there are now, but there were still enough to make our day.

My first Korres experience was with the White Tea Facial Fluid Gel Cleanser. It took me a while to figure out how to create the perfect foam, so at first I thought I hated it. I thought it smelled great, but I just couldn't get the foam right. Well, after about a week I was a pro. Since it's all natural, it doesn't foam like mad like other face soaps. Just be patient. It's super refreshing and also gentle on your face. I use it daily.

After falling in love with the face cleanser, my next love was the body milk, in particular, the Mint Tea scent. This is my favorite scented lotion ever. First of all, the consistency is awesome. It's super light, so it doesn't make you feel gross. Secondly, the scent can't be beat in my book. It's described on sephora.com as "bubbles with sparkling freshness," how can you beat that? It's not too sweet and girly, but nor is it mannish. The perfect balance! There's also a shower gel. Well, before going back to the States, I loaded up on my Korres products thinking I wouldn't be able to find them at home. After arriving in NYC at Lauren and Susan's, Lauren and I decided to take a little trip down to DC. There, at a Sephora in Georgetown, I was blown away: a whole Korres section! I went nuts. I asked one of the employees when they started carrying Korres, and she said only about a month ago (circa November 2006). Wow! And now you can find it at any Sephora near you. I must warn you though, the Mint Tea scent is increasingly difficult to find. However, I found a website that carries it (phew!). Here's the link:

http://www.skinstore.com/store/product.asp?catID=5511&prodID=5590&link=Korres&affiliatecode=Froogle&CAWELAID=147279210

There are other great scents, too. I like the Quince Body Butter. Also, I highly recommend the Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizer SPF 6 ( http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P61805&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5715 ). So give it a whirl! Let me know what you think!