St. Ives Smoothing In-Shower Body Scrub: Product Review

June 11, 2009 09:08 AM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, Product Review, st ives, body scrub, bath products

What: Angela softens up with St. Ives Exfoliating In-Shower Body Polish
The Lowdown: Memorial Day is a memory, and since summer’s when we bare the most skin—like it or not—it’s high time that we all take a little inventory of any rough spots we’ve let go through the long winter months. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Okay, now for a remedy ...
Enter the all-over body scrub, in this case the St. Ives Exfoliating In-Shower Body Polish. Mineral beauty products have been a huge beauty trend for some time now, and sugar scrubs have been around forever—so combining the two only makes sense. St. Ives has a pretty good reputation for natural, quality beauty and skin care products (though I have, at times, found some things to be slightly overpriced for what you get) and there’s something about a scrub that just makes me feel so, well, fresh.
In short, the product delivers what it promises—soft, smooth skin, right out of the shower. Easy to use? Yep—just scoop out a glob (that’s the technical term, in case you were wondering), scrub in a circular motion, and rinse. I can’t really say if the whole “mineral” aspect really makes any difference—a good sugar scrub is a good sugar scrub after all, minerals or not. But on the whole, a nice shower experience, and I’m feeling slightly more bikini-ready already. Slightly.
But before I go to the verdict, one thing: a tub of the scrub—which is admittedly a decent-sized 8 oz.—is about $8, which doesn’t seem bad but it takes an awful lot of product to scrub the whole body. If you decide to indulge, I’d suggest using it occasionally for a whole-body exfoliation, with daily only on those rough spots (knees, elbows, heels) to keep things smooth AND protect your budget.
The Verdict: It’s a yea. Okay, no fireworks here but a good solid body scrub for a decent price. If you like St. Ives products, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well.
Buy It: Walgreens.com, $7.99

Shea Terra Organics Gift Sets: Win This

September 22, 2008 03:59 PM | | Posted in beauty, beauty_products, win_this, organic, shea_terra_organics, bath products

To Enter, Leave a Comment Below

What: FIVE lucky TBF readers will win a Bourbon Vanilla Indigenous Shea Butter Gift Set, worth $45, from Shea Terra Organics. Each gift set includes Bourbon Vanilla Indigenous Silk & Shea Shower Elixir, Silk & Shea Butter Lotion, and Shea Butter Dead Sea Salt Scrub, and Fair Trade Divine White Chocolate Candy Bar in a handmade sinamay bag . . . all of which sounds ridiculously decadent. Fabulous!

Why You Want This: Not only will the Shea Terra Organic products make you feel great, you’ll have the added bonus of knowing your beauty is being enhanced in an eco-friendly way—the bourbon vanilla beans are organic and from Madagascar, and the shea butter is certified organic. Shea Terra’s products are 99-100% natural. An extra added bonus for ALL readers? Shea Terra is offering you an exclusive discount with a special coupon code (TBF30), which will get you 30% off any Shea Terra products, on SheaTerraOrganics.com.

Enter to Win: Leave a comment below by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2008; five winners will be chosen at random on Sept. 29.

The Rules:

- Contest ends Sept. 28, 2008 at 11:59 pm. All entries received after this point will not be eligible for the prize.
- Five winners will be selected at random; each winner will receive one (1) Bourbon Vanilla Indigenous Shea Butter Gift Set.
- Winners must respond within four business days or new winners will be chosen.
- Prizes are not transferrable
- Entrants must be residents of United States.

Soap & Glory Cosmetics at Target

September 15, 2007 07:50 PM | Comments (7) | Posted in target, Target, bath products, Soap & Glory Cosmetics, Marcia Kilgore, marcia kilgore, soap & glory cosmetics

What: The latest beauty blog buzz is all about Soap & Glory Cosmetics, scheduled to land any second at a Target near you.

What the beauty heads say: This from Girlawhirl.com: “Ever since [girlawhirl] tried Marcia Kilgore’s latest creation, Soap & Glory Cosmetics when they were introduced in England last summer, she’s been dying to have the fun, hard-working and well-priced bath, body and beauty items available to her here, instead of carrying back multiples or asking London Super Pals to bring them for her when they visit her in the states…”

What I say: That’s quite an endorsement, and seems to be the consensus of those who have tried and loved. The line, packaged in retro pink and black, features lotions, bath products, lip gloss, self-tanner, and more. All appear to be deliciously girly, a little devilish, and affordable to boot. The company tagline says it all: “At Soap & Glory, we believe that you shouldn’t have to spend an arm and a leg just to moisturize one (or the other, or both).”  So there.

Spa Chocolat, $22

July 22, 2007 08:48 PM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, Product Review, bath products, spa chocolat

What: Sabina reviews Spa Chocolat: a set of three products: whipped body souffle, sugared body polish and a face mask, all in one shamelessly girly, candy pink package.

The Lowdown: I have to admit to being impressed by the fact that all three products in this set had the consistency, smell and taste of real chocolate (yes I did taste the body souffle although I don’t think you’re supposed to.) And because Spa Chocolat is made with lots of cocoa butter, these sweet treats are miraculous moisturizers. The product in the package I enjoyed using the most was the ultra light body soufflé. Using that in the shower, followed by the body polish with scrubby sugar crystals was really fun in a decadent Willy Wonka fantasy kind of way.  I may not have been serenaded by any Oompa Loompas, but I did get to cover my entire body in chocolate! (I highly recommend that everyone try this once just for kicks and giggles. It’ll make you feel like a kid.)

What I wasn’t so thrilled with was the rejuvenating face mask, which had the consistency of packed fudge. Getting it off after waiting 10 minutes with it on proved to be a bit difficult. After rinsing (which is normally all you need to do to remove a mask if you give it a few minutes) stubborn mud remained. Then I had to break out the big guns: two different kinds of face cleanser and my Halal body soap.

Yea or Nay: Try it if you’re bored with your current bath products, but be warned: After the novelty of rubbing chocolate on oneself wears off, the smell becomes a distraction.

Buy it: at Notsoapradio.com.