Category: Lotion

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter Body Lotion

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The real skincare MVP is egw.org/skindeep. If you want a more scientific approach to figuring out which cosmetics are right for you, this is the place to go. Not that bloggers such as myself don’t have valid opinions, but this is the website that really lays out the good and bad as far as cosmetic ingredients go. That said, even if EGW gives it a “bad” score, it doesn’t mean it’s not right for you, but you should definitely review the ingredient listing to make sure that nothing conflicts with your personal sensitivities or skin type.

I really enjoy good-smelling lotions that do a good job of actually moisturizing the skin. I was always a sucker for Bath and Body Works, Pink, or Victoria Secret lotions. A few months ago I was in the market to replace one of my used-up VS lotions. But when I went online to look, I realized there was not a ingredient listing to be found.

Um, where are the ingredients listed on this website? I could have used the old bottle for reference, but had the ingredient formulation changed in the past year-and-a-half that I’d owned it (which cosmetic companies are incredibly apt to do), I would not have known. I proceeded to check Bath and Body Works and Pink, and found that this was largely the case with most of their online listings as well.

Fragranced lotions are tricky to begin with. The fragrance itself isn’t a “safe” ingredient, because it can trigger allergies. Dyes like yellow 5 are also allergens. Soap and Glory’s lotion have both of the aforementioned ingredients. However, VS has a habit of sneaking in parabens, diazolidinyl urea, BHT and benzoyl alcohol, which to me, personally, are bigger issues for sensitive skin and carcinogenic effects. With all that said, Soap and Glory’s product did not win out in safety over Victoria Secret’s lotions, according to EGW. But the fact that Soap and Glory actually listed the ingredients on their own website won me over as a consumer.

The actual review of Righteous Butter Body Lotion is going to be short and sweet. The peach and sandalwood scent is amazing, albeit a bit too powerful in the first few minutes. But you’ll smell like you’ve hopped out of the shower for the better part of the day, and that’s never a bad thing. It is a good moisturizer as well, without being too light or too heavy, and it doesn’t take too much effort to apply to the skin. I definitely needed to re-apply at the end of the day, past the ten hour mark, but that was to be expected.

Occasionally when I try new lotions, my skin will break out into a minor rash, but I did not experience that with this lotion, so I’d say it’s most likely safe for sensitive skin users to use — just, not on their face! As EGW suggested, the scent is pretty strong so if fragrance causes you headaches, you may want to skip this one.

For $10, this is a nice buy if you’re looking for something that smells good and will keep you hydrated during the day. It’s sad to have to say this, but to Soap and Glory, thank you for making your ingredient listings transparent online, especially when most of us are still stuck at home and shopping online! ~A

Perceived efficacy: 4.5/5

Longevity: 4.5/5

How much I actually like this product: 4/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Yes

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Jergens Brilliance Flawless Effects

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Once upon a time, there was a BB cream lotion product by Jergens. I loved it dearly for the no-hassle very faint tan it produced on my skin, and I kept buying it until even the close-out stores stopped carrying it. It looks like Flaweless Effects was meant to replace it, given the near exact ingredient listing both of them appear to tout.

This isn’t meant to be a self-tanner specifically, even though the shea butter makes it smell like one, but more of a color corrector. The color of the lotion is an iridescent purple-grey-brown color (is there a word for that kind of color?!), but once absorbed, is colorless. Well, I shouldn’t say colorless, since the pigments in the lotion are meant to cancel out any unwanted tones in your skin, such as age spots or blemishes.

The color payout on the Brilliance product is actually quite apparent a few hours after application. It creates a very light brown pigment over the skin. Compared to the older version which created more of a yellow tint, I like this coloration much better. But the Brilliance lotion is much “dryer” than the BB cream. It dries quickly, therefore is harder to spread around evenly. Rest assured, you won’t experience any “streakiness” a self tanner would give you, but you’ll need to be mindful when applying this product in areas of thinner or thicker skin.

The color is by no means a deep color that is meant to last for days, but rather, maintain your skin tone at a consistent, slightly darker color over the period of a few days. That color can actually last through a few showers.

Though I loved the CC Cream and I think I like this product as well, I’m not sure what the need for a re-formulation was. The ingredient listing looks the exact same, and still contains a few questionable parabens that they could have omitted the second time around. The CC Cream felt more luxurious and plush (ie: actually moisturizing!), while the Brilliance lotion is difficult to work with. It leaves a film behind, which makes me feel oily as opposed to moisturized.

The Brilliance lotion is still a good buy at $10 if you’re looking for subtle color to color correct throughout your body. Like most body lotions, I would not recommend this for the face. But I’m quite impressed with color for this just being a correction cream! ~A

Perceived efficacy: 4/5

Longevity: 3.75/5

How much I actually like this product: 3.75/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Sensitive skin users might want to patch test. Avoid using this on your face.

Mistine Milk Tea Body Lotion

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A friend gifted me this within the past year and sadly I am more than halfway through the bottle. I love it! But, buyer beware: you must be a fan of bubble tea in order to purchase this, because it really, REALLY smells like it’s name. Bubble tea is amazing, BTW, and if you’ve never tried it before I highly recommend it!

Conceptually this lotion is a tad bit gimmick-y, since it not only smells like milk tea, but it also contains milk tea. Fortunately, black tea (and tea in general) boasts anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing properties, and milk is said to be conducive to maintain skin moisture.

I will say this is not a good product for eczema sufferers or those with chronically dry skin. Not that you can’t use it, but consider mixing a heavier lotion in with it, such as Aquaphor or Eucerin. The milk tea lotion’s consistency is overall quite thin, so while a little goes a long way, it won’t be leaving a thick film behind.

Mistine also managed to sneak in a hint of lactic acid into the ingredient listing. For me personally, this is a huge selling point, because it implies that some light skin exfoliation will be accomplished while maintaining a layer of hydration. But, just as they would any other acid-containing product, sensitive skin users may want to be wary.

Overall, this is just a really fun lotion to try out with, and while it’s not the most hydrating lotion of them all, it does leave your skin smooth, with a hint of a glow. It’s not sold locally anywhere in the US, and Mistine is based in Thailand, so the price tag to order internationally can run a little high at $24. If you can find it cheaper than that, I’d recommend checking it out! ~A

Perceived efficacy: 3.75/5

Longevity: 3.75/5

How much I actually like this product: 4/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: for extremely dry skin, no. otherwise, patch test first, and then proceed!

Merry Christmas, my dear readers! ❤

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Moisturizing Hand Cream

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How is the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream regarded so highly? How is it a holy grail for dry-skin sufferers? This is basically the equivalent of dipping your hands in wax. There’s no moisturizing quality in this product whatsoever.

Actually, a reviewer on Target has my exact thoughts, almost verbatim. I guess there are a few naysayers, after all:

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Heck, I’d go so far to say that comparing to this to petroleum jelly is a slap in the face to petroleum jelly.

Onto the customer experience. This $6 clear gel-cream squeezes out veryy slowly from the tube. It’s quite thick, which you think would be a telltale sign of a good humectant that holds moisture in, but this will inevitably fail to do just that. The thickness of this cream will make it difficult to absorb into your skin, or even to spread around on your hand in the first place.

Even when you think it’s done drying onto your skin (which can exceed ten minutes, some days), it leaves behind a very tacky residue, which makes it close to impossible to do normal things like… turning open a door knob. Sure, every lotion does this to some extent, but not as long as a couple hours after application! Heck, even running your hands under the sink won’t remove all the residue. What is this stuff?! Is this what all the positive reviews are mistaking as moisture?

When I focus on how my skin feels under all that goop, it still just feels dry, despite the fact it has a slippery layer of wax over top of it. And at the end of it all, when the sticky residue has finally worn off, your hands are still just… dry.

On the plus side, it is fragrance free, for anyone who’s bothered by that. Also sort of on the plus side, there’s not a whole lot of red flags in the ingredient listing, except maybe glycerin and sodium sulfate, the latter of which I wonder causes the dryness. Honestly, seeing as glycerin is the second ingredient of this hand cream anyway, I’d recommend someone to just use Vaseline instead. It’s much more effective as a humectant.

If you suffer from eczema, this might be worth a shot, since it is low on skin irritating ingredients. Other than that, I would completely skip this hand cream. Yes, I know there’s a ton of five star reviews out there, but I’m starting to question how many people Neutrogena paid off to play nice. ~A

Perceived efficacy: 1/5

Longevity: 4/5

How much I actually like this product: 1/5

Holy Grail No More

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Good morning readers, and Happy New Year!

For the new year, I decided to do a small purge of my skincare collection. As the seasons change, and as I’ve continued on with my Epiduo and spironolactone treatment, my skin has changed a bit. Products that I used to swear by and considered HG status at one point just don’t work as well anymore. That’s not to say I don’t consider them good products anymore, I would still recommend them to someone with a particular skin need.

So, here is a list of products that are going into my “on-hold” stash, or in the trash, for 2020, despite their previously coveted “holy grail” status in my reviews.

Cerave PM. This started to make my skin feel congested and break out minorly. The buzz on Reddit is that Cerave PM was reformulated for 2019, and I’m wondering if that was related to my breakouts. Now, I’m on the hunt for a good niacinamide replacement…

undefinedCerave Hydrating and Foaming Cleanser. The foaming cleanser has always gotten a bad rap for being a little too harsh, and I agree with that. It’s also, for some reason, not very good at removing makeup. The hydrating cleanser tends to leave behind a film, and quite frankly won’t really make you feel clean. I’ve replaced both of these with CosRX Low PH Cleanser.

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Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Lotion

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I think this is one of my favorite skincare products of all time, and also a huge personal secret of mine. Like, if I told anyone, my secret would be out, and this stuff would go flying off the shelves and I would never see it again. I know I’m not THAT influential, but a girl has her worries 🙂

If you go into Walmart or any drug or grocery store, you’ll usually find this HUGE (32 fl. oz!) bottle sitting on the lowest shelf, and, if you’re lucky, it’ll have the cheapest price point of anything you see around it for the same — or even lesser — size. At my local grocer, this runs me $3.

The lotion in this bottle has a very thin consistency, so be careful when squeezing out of the bottle. It’s so thin that it pretty much just falls out of the opening of the bottle on it’s own without any added pressure. But when applied, the consistency is very rich. This plumps up your skin, and dries VERY quickly. The color of the lotion itself is white with very faint tinges of yellow, but leaves no cast. Oh, and before I continue, I use this exclusively as a body lotion — I don’t recommend it at all for face!

Most other body lotions I’ve tried leave an uncomfortable residue after application that, at first, might make your skin FEEL soft to the touch, but after awhile you feel dry, like you have to apply more. That never happens with this cocoa butter! Even though the lotion’s consistency is thin, this is still incredibly hydrating, doesn’t leave any tacky residue and it never makes you feel dried out.The ingredient listing is noticeably shorter than a lot of other lotions out there, which is usually a good sign. No drying alcohols.

Even though I love this lotion, there are a few drawbacks to mention to the unconverted. The smell is VERY cocoa butter-y. It’s strong. I personally like it — it reminds me of summer! But is very noticeable when you’re not used to it. Is the smell noticeable to other people, though? Nope! (thank goodness) Also, as previously mentioned, this is not the thickest lotion in the world, so a particularly cold winter day might merit another layer. This lotion doesn’t pill whatsoever, even when it’s not fully dry, so layering is pretty easy.

This lotion truly defies the adage of “you get what you pay for”. For the price point, this lotion is a godsend. I’ve been using it daily for close to 15 years, and I’ve never had any issues with texture, residue, or extreme dryness on my skin — that’s more than I can say for a lot of $7+ mainstay body lotions sitting right next to this on the shelf! ~A

Perceived efficacy: 5/5

Longevity: 5/5

How much I actually like this product: 5/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Yes

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream

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Neutrogena must have had a pretty good run with the original hydro boost moisturizer, as they’ve rather substantially increased their product offerings under this namesake. As they should! This is an easily accessible (ie: found in most grocers or drug stores), good-smelling alcohol-free option for close to every single skin type there is.

For a lotion, this is a tad bit expensive ($9) and the amount of product for that price point won’t overwhelm you — that’s probably my only gripe with this product. The lotion comes out of the pump white, and very quickly sinks into your skin with no residue. The lotion thins out quickly and becomes easily spreadable, so you won’t feel like you’re wasting product as you’re using it.

What I consider to be a good lotion is one that doesn’t make you feel like you need to re-apply every 5 minutes, or make you feel like your skin is extremely tacky. This is neither of them. I never have the feeling that I need to reapply this.

The smell is the same as the others in the Hydroboost line — light, fresh, almost like a … bubble bath? I personally love it, but there is a fragrance free option available as well.

Overall, this is definitely worth a bit of a splurge. You wouldn’t think it would be so tough to find a lotion that actually, you know, puts moisture into your skin and retains it, but it is. Fortunately, this is that lotion!

Buy Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream here:  https://amzn.to/2I4Y20z

Perceived efficacy: 5/5

Longevity: 4.5/5

How much I actually like this product: 4.5/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Yes