February 2016 Finished Product Reviews

When the new month starts, I toss everything I finished the previous month. I give a mini review of each item. Items I love are usually repurchased, so some of them appear in the Empties Series a lot. If I like or am indifferent to an item, I will not rush out to repurchase, but I would be willing to use or try it again. Items that are not for me may not always be empty. Generally, I finish them but do not use them again in the future. If they’re really awful and new samples find their way to me, I give them to someone else unopened. For items I really love, I do a separate product spotlight to discuss them in more detail.

Loved

Julep It’s Fun to Exfoliate- It helps with lather, so I use less soap. Between uses, it dries out. To let it completely dry out, I’ve been alternating liquid and bar soaps. By the second day, it is completely dry. This perfect sponge was already labeled a FabuFind.

Lush Rainbow Fun- This is really a lot of fun. Who would not love the idea of soap you can mold! Every color has a unique scent, and all of them are pleasant. These lather well and work as shampoo or soap. They do not leave a film on my skin as normal bar soaps do, and the oils inside leave my skin moisturized (although I still add lotion). The only thing that keeps this form being a FabuFind is it is really messy. Even when I am careful, I stain the shower. My older son who is the opposite of careful stains it so badly that I am uncertain the fun is worth the effort. It does not help that even though the product is a good deal compared to buying similar sets, it is still a little too expensive for soap. I will buy this again when the boys and I want to have fun, and I can overlook cleaning the shower after every use.

Eucerin Intensive Daily Repair- I’ve loved almost every Eucerin product I’ve tried. When it comes to drugstore moisturizers. These are top-notch. This is the best one I’ve tried (in the pump). It is intensely moisturizing, but it spreads easier than the incredibly thick one in the jar.

Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening- My teeth are very sensitive to cold. It almost seems to take away some of the sensitivity. Plus, anything that helps the enamel on my teeth is a good thing. This product was already labeled a FabuFind.

Egyptian Magic- This is one of my favorite beauty products of all time, so spoiler alert, it is getting FabuFind Status this month (posting tomorrow). I also dedicated an entire article to this amazing multi-purpose balm.

Essentielle Beauty Apple Pie Face Cream- This is a deeply moisturizing cream that really smells like apple pie. It is perfect as a night cream, because it is thick.

Essentielle Beauty Lavender Balm- I did not smell lavender the first time I sampled this, but I definitely did the second time. The smell is lovely. It is thick and rich enough to give intense moisture. While it does take a while to melt into the skin, it does so nicely when it does. This is the perfect balm for dry patches of skin that are not yet in need of Egyptian Magic.

Ayres Body Cream- This has a faint lemon smell that is incredibly lovely. The cream is medium density, so it spreads easily. It is pretty moisturizing.

SKII Facial Treatment Essence- This has an almost sour (fermenting) smell. Luckily, it fades relatively quickly. Adding this to my routine made my skin more moisturized. I believe it did a great job of preparing my skin for the other products (and the essence I am using now that this is gone is not doing anywhere near as well). If this really has the long-term results it claims, this could easily be a FabuFind. In the mean time, I am doing an Essence Series to see if I can find one I like without spending a small fortune.

nspa Exotically Creamy Coconut Rich Body Butter- This is a moderately thick cream with a lovely coconut scent. It spreads easily and moisturizes nicely.

Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment- My hair saw instant results with this. It looked smoother, less frizzy, and felt softer. There is only one other mask I’d say is better. This is wonderful in its own right though.

AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream- The scent is not my favorite, but it fades quickly. This is a moderately thick cream that moisturizes deeply. It does not leave behind a greasy feeling, and it makes my hands soft (which is not their usual state).

Julep Konjac Sponge- This is the face version of It’s Fun to Exfoliate. It helps with lather, so I use less cleanser. Between uses, it dries out. To let it completely dry out, I’ve been alternating cleanser with a cleansing balm that uses a muslin cloth. By the second day, it is completely dry.

Too Cool For School Egg Cream Mask- This is slimy and gloopy. While that feeling keeps this from being a FabuFind, I do love how moisturizing it is. My skin still feels soft and moisturized after an extra wash or two. Finding any mask with effects that last through a wash is incredible and something I would definitely use again.

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel-  It peels my skin quickly and efficiently. You can see and feel the skin coming off, so it is not at all like a peel where you’re unsure. After using this, I do not see dry patches at least for a few days. This product was already labeled a FabuFind.

Skin Authority Go Protect Sunscreen Moisturizer- When it comes to combo products, I am usually not a fan. Although I like a little SPF in my moisturizer, having a little moisturizer in my SPF does not usually work out as well. This moisturized decently (in winter) and provided the SPF I want without an overbearing sunscreen smell. I still applied each product separately on days where I spent more time in the sun, but this was nice for days where I was only outside for short periods of time.

Mitchell and Peach English Groves Body Lotion- This is a thinner lotion, but it is a powerhouse. I always test products on my hands and body. While this was not thick or moisturizing enough on my hands (not that body creams should, but they sometimes are), it felt incredible on my body. It glided on easily and made my skin feel super silky-smooth. The peach smell is subtle but incredible. If this was not insanely expensive, I’d buy it. Since it misses FabuFind status, I would not pay the extreme price to purchase this.

 

Willing to Try Again

Lush Unicorn Horn- Even though I do not take baths, I really wanted to try this. After the sales associate convinced me to use it as a soap, I decided to try it that way. This is not a very effective soap. For one, the hard, awkward shape scratches you if you rub soap directly onto your body. If you rub it on your hand first, you will fare better, but it is still hard to build a nice lather. The oils in this bar feel great on the skin. I am just not certain this does enough to cleanse. When I went back to the store to get another one to try it in a bath as intended (to review it that way), they sold out. There is always next year.

Tocca Florence Hand Cream- This smells incredible. It has a faint, but lovely, grapefruit scent. The formula is a little greasy when it is first applied, but it eventually melts into the skin leaving a matte finish. If I go too long between hand washes, I find myself using a second application. As wonderful as this smells, I would never buy a hand cream that does not last from one hand wash to the next. I would use this again if I got it in a kit.

L’Occitane Extra Gentle Milk Soap- This is a soap my husband purchases, stops purchasing, and goes back to purchasing again. He cannot make up his mind. While I do use this when we have it, I can make up my mind. This is not moisturizing enough. My skin feels dry and itchy if I skip lotion afterward. My husband almost always skips lotion, which is why his skin eventually tires of this. It does leave a slight film (as all bar soaps do), but it is not as bad as most.

Luvena Daily Therapeutic Wash- My gynecologist gave me this sample, because she wants me to stop using cleansers with fragrance. The funny thing is this has a fragrance, and it was not overly pleasant. I do feel it comfortably and completely cleanses, so I would use it again.

J By Jennifer Aniston- I really liked the top note in this. When it went on, I thought I was going to love it. The bottom note, while not off-putting, was nowhere near as pleasant. It was okay. This is not overpowering and does last most of the day.

Rituals Cool Kami Shampoo- The description claims this is a scalp balancing shampoo. After using it twice this time and once previously, I am confident saying this does not balance my scalp. This formula is pretty standard and did not do a lot for my frizz. It smells great, and I remembered why I used so much last time for a single wash. To get a lather, you need a lot of product. I would use this again from a hotel stay, but I would not purchase this.

Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo- I’ve sampled this in the past and do not recall thinking much about it then. If it reverses damage, it would probably be hard to judge from a sample this small. I had a haircut a little over a month ago, and my ends are already split again. Usually my split end mender, which I was loving, would fend them off for a while longer. Getting a hair cut every 4-6 weeks is not something I’ve done since I was much younger, so I just need to find better products to go longer between haircuts.

Ojon Damage Reverse Conditioner- Everything I wrote for the shampoo applies here, but I have extra notes for the conditioner. My preferred conditioners are a little thicker. These thinner formulas do not do much for tangles. I think tangles and frizz coincide, so I wonder if a thicker formula would assist more with my frizz problem. It seems like thicker ones usually do.

 

Not For Me

Hair and Body Therapeutics Smooth Skin Lotion- I’ve used many lotions I disliked more, but this very thin lotion in the middle of winter did not do enough for my skin. It was better than nothing at all, so I almost put it in the Willing to Try Again category. Too bad everything else I tried this month was better. If I had to pick something to put here, this is it.

 

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