Influenster: Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion

Items were received by Influenster VoxBox complimentary.

I was excited to qualify for this box -- simply because I've been a huge fan of Vaseline lotions since I was a child. The only lotion that worked for me was the cocoa butter one which is now called  Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Lotion. In fact, the Cocoa Radiant is what I was using before the Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion arrived in the mail. 

So upon receiving Advanced Repair, I realized that this is supposed to be richer than the cocoa butter version which is happily welcomed here because my skin gets so dry. This version is unique to me because it actually contains Vaseline jelly -- which strangely enough doesn't come off as being to heavy and is absorbed quickly by the skin.

After a few days of trying it out, I have to admit that this is better than the Cocoa Radiant (though I do like the scent of Cocoa Radiant). My skin remains thoroughly moisturized and happier due to the switch. The only time I even realized the difference in the texture was one day when I was out in the rain and the Vaseline jelly became a bit more noticeable. 

Overall, I'm really happy that I got to try this one because it might have earned a permanent spot on my shelf. Dry skin rejoice! 

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Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary through the VoxBox product testing program.

Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion currently retails for $8.07 at Target. 

Review: Garden Botanika Almond Cream Soy Hand Lotion

Items were received by Influenster VoxBox complimentary. 

Back in September, I received a Naturals VoxBox and ended up winning the brand challenge for the Original Drying Mat. Of all the brand challenges I could have won, that one in particular was close to my heart because I'm somewhat of a neat freak. I think I took pictures of everything but I immediately started using everything that I forgot to write about it. I seriously have everything still in use up to now (and I have two of those drying mats because they are amazing and I will preach their goodness everywhere). Anyhow, part of that gift I received contained some products from Garden Botanika.

Open opening the hand lotion and smelling it, I fell in love with the scent and decided that I needed to use it as a body lotion instead. The scent is almonds and it comes off as a marzipan. 

So yes, if you look at the bottle and wonder "How does someone use that much lotion in the span of two weeks?" it's because that someone was using it as lotion. And I adore it. 

Since it's a hand lotion, it's likely a bit thicker in texture and lasting power than it's lotion counterpart (and yes, according to the website, there is a body lotion). It takes a while to work itself in, but it lasts throughout the day and has kept my very dry skin properly balanced. Overall, I've been amazed at how well it works and how well my skin has reacted to it. 

The bottle of hand lotion goes for $12.50 at the Garden Botanika website and you can check out their other products. I still have the hand wash (also almond scented) that I still need to try but based on this alone, I have pretty high expectations!

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Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary through the VoxBox product testing program.

Review: The Body Shop Body Butters

I had first heard about these years ago from my friend who had been raving about them. I had somewhat managed to avoid them though since I never really ventured into one of The Body Shop stores. That wasn't because I had an aversion to them, but that I was pretty staunch about using cocoa butter lotions or those infused with oatmeal because of the dryness of my skin. When I went in to find a facial brush though, I figured that it was finally time to give them a shot.

So I bought four except that I was only getting two for myself and I sent two (the Mango and the Coconut) to my mom. For myself, I held onto the Chocomania and Pink Grapefruit. 

Since I'm all about coordinating, which one I use is dependent on the soap scent I'm using. Since I was alternating between a bar of Ivory soap and one from Bubbles Up! (specifically the Chocolate Fudge Marble Soap Cake) I coordinated accordingly with the body butter.

Both scents are obviously very different from one another but both are equally amazing. Their textures were also slightly different from one another. Let's start with the chocolate.

Chocomania boasts that it supplies 48 hours of hydration which is a bit longer than the standard I believe (the others are up to 24 hours). I caught it when it was in store during Valentine's Day so I inappropriately thought it was was specific only to the holiday -- turns out it's still available online. The texture is a bit chunky which is similar to that of shea butter but definitely not as hard and easy to work with. The scent is wonderful, that is, if chocolate is your thing. I would absolutely recommend this in a heartbeat since it's amazing and I'm somewhat disappointed in myself for not giving it a shot sooner.

Pink Grapefruit is an amazingly strong (and therefore delightfully) scented take on the lotion. I was actually amazed at how long lasting the scent of grapefruit was -- add to that that it's quite moisturizing. It may not be as moisturizing as the Chocomania but it still holds it own very well. The texture is slightly fluffier than the Chocomania, but that makes sense as to why.

I love them both and I honestly can't wait till they are done so I can run back in to buy some more.

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Product: The Body Shop Body Butters
Price: $20
Stars: ★★★★★
Would Recommend? Yes!
Takeaway: While slightly different textures (based on the skin types that they are for), they work well, feel great, and are long lasting. They are a welcomed addition to my lineup of lotions. 

Review: Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Hibiscus Creamy Body Lotion

While I don't really like deviating too often from my skincare routine, sometimes you just kind of have to. Especially when you see a lotion that touts some of your favourite scents. I'm actually somewhat surprised at myself for not writing about this one sooner -- I had purchased it the same time I got the Organix Hydrating Moroccan Argan Oil Creamy Oil Body Lotion but I finished that other bottle. Then I moved and this bottle was cast into the depths of a box and recently I found it again. It's one of my favourites perhaps soley because of it's scent.

It sometimes kind of reminds me of Hawaii and other times it reminds me of what I think a good drink while
cruising around the Caribbean would be. Of course, in regard to the latter, I've never been to the Caribbean so it's my idealized version of what I think it would be. (Hey, I know it sounds weird but my parents just got back from their Caribbean cruise). Rambling aside, let's talk about the lotion.

The scent is light and refreshing as it's a good blend of both coconut and hibiscus and not too much of either. In terms of moisturizing, it's pretty good but not quite all there. I thought that with the element of coconut, I'd be in for a treat and could finally deviate from my trusty bottle of cocoa butter lotion. Nope. Generally by nighttime I find myself having to apply extra shea butter to my legs (they tend to be my trouble area).

I do wish that I could find a heavy shea butter or cocoa butter lotion that has this scent since I love it. But for now, I'm going to have to stick with my trust cocoa butter lotion since this doesn't quite help my overly dry skin.

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Product: Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Hibiscus Creamy Body Lotion
Price: $7.09
Stars: ★★★☆☆
Takeaway: While the scent is wonderfully amazing, the lotion is not that moisturizing so my skin still needs help along the way. If you have really dry skin (so much so that you slather heavier moisturizer on it), then you might want to pass on this. 

Review: Jess Bee's Natural Lip Balm & Shea Butter Lotion

Items were received by Kara's Way complimentary.

Maria of Kara's Way fame was kind enough to give me a few samples from Jess Bee's and the first thing that
registered when I got them was "shea butter." I love all things shea butter (or cocoa butter, for that matter) especially since I deal with dryness all the time. My boyfriend ended up taking the peppermint lip balm which he is happily keeping right by his keyboard whereas I keep my unscented lip balm in the nightstand.

Needless to say that these items were a hit with us. But let's do some quick comparisons since that's what this blog is about. On the surface the lip balms are great since they function as they should. However when compared to my tube of Wholly Hemp they don't quite stack up. I will admit that I like them better than say Burt's Bees for the moisturizing factor but they are as moisturizing as they could be. They do however still function well and overall I do like them, I just can't say that I'm in love with them. Still for an all natural lip balm (it is made of sweet almond oil, beeswax, soybean oil, organic shea butter and Vitamin E), it works well and feels great.

The shea butter lotion is a big hit with me as it's is a whipped moisturizer which means that it doesn't harden as shea butter would and that makes it easier to apply. The light tangerine scent makes it all the more amazing for me (since I love citrus scents) and it's actually kind of fun to apply. I have been using at night on my legs as I've been experiencing a bit more dryness there lately and it's been working out extremely well.

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Product: Jess Bee's Natural The Best Natural Lip Balm in Peppermint & Natural (Unscented)

Price: $3

Stars: ★★★★☆

Takeaway: Great product though not the most moisturizing that I've had. Nonetheless it works great and comes in great scents. 

Product: Jess Bee's Natural Shea Butter Lotion in Tangerine (Sample Size)

Price: $2
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: For anyone who is familiar with shea butter, this whipped lotion is amazing since it has all the benefits and none of the... solidity that shea butter. It also comes in wonderful scents that makes it fun to apply.

Review: Pacifica Brazilian Mango Grapefruit Body Wash & Body Butter Tube

This was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend's family which I was really excited about. While I'm not too big on body washes, I do enjoy their multi-purpose use (they can double as shampoos) but what really set this one apart was the fact that it was some of my favourite scents: citrus (specifically, grapefruit) and mango. So... I love mangoes and I'm not just saying that because I'm West Indian and that was a staple part of my diet growing up. Well, actually, that's exactly what I'm saying. Mangoes were on the dinner table every week when they were in season (and sometimes, when they weren't in season because several of my relatives in Florida had mango trees). Memory lane trip is complete, let's bring back in.

The wash itself is amazing because I adore that strong grapefruit scent in the shower when it's early in the morning. Not to mention that it lacks sulfates so it ends up being incredibly moisturizing on my dry skin. I'm not exactly sure what black magic gets the lather up (::cough:: coconut derivatives ::cough::) but this 100% vegan product has become a quick favourite. As I might have mentioned before, I have an extreme love for bar soaps so I didn't know what to expect when trying this, but my skin has been quite happy with the oils in this.

The body butter is where you really get the mango scent (and a lot less of the grapefruit scent). This body butter is extremely moisturizing which is awesome for me. The moisturizing element of shea butter really comes out and does well with the mango butter and all the other oils (like almond and saffron oil). The two work together as a great combination that I'm madly in love with and gives me a great start to my morning. (Okay, I really love citrus but this goes back to when Lush's Happy Hippy used to jump start my day [till I got my hands up a cup of coffee]).  Oh yeah, this body butter also happens to be free of parabens which is another added bonus. 

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Product: Pacifica Brazilian Mango Grapefruit Body Wash

Price: $10
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: Love it. It's not strong on the mango scent but the grapefruit really comes through and it's amazing. With a lack of sulfates, it's not as drying which is great for those with drier skin.

Product: Pacifica Brazilian Mango Grapefruit Body Butter Tube
Price: $15
Stars: ★★★★★
Takeaway: This is a great follow up to the wash and it has much more of that strong mango scent coming through. It's quite moisturizing and another win for those with dry skin. 

The Difference of a Version

A little while ago, I was updating some of my staples blog post and I remembered that I had switched back to a foaming cleanser when I'm at my boyfriend's place. The thing is that I know exactly which one I did switch back to, but I wasn't sure what brand. Did I switch back to the CVS Ultra Calm Foaming Cleanser or Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser?

So here's the thing about the original versus the generic (or the store brand), they look the same and sometimes they act the same. The store brand is sometimes cheaper but that doesn't always necessarily mean it's better. It's kind of a gamble to be honest.

A few years ago, someone gifted the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser to me, which I normally wouldn't get on my own. I had been a pretty staunch user of Noxzema all of my life, but I noticed that the foam gets my makeup off way faster. As of now, it's still a toss up between the two. So why grab a CVS version rather than the original? Honestly, it was likely due to availability. Something I bemoan constantly about (on this blog) is that items fly off the shelf at my local CVS which has caused me to change up routine on more than one occasion.  So sometimes, I settle for the store brand version. Sometimes, it really did come down to the price.

Here's a short list of things I noticed in the bathroom that tend to be almost interchangeable with the store brand version, based on availability.

Original	Store Brand	Observations	Thoughts
Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser ($5.99)	CVS Ultra Calm Foaming Cleanser ($4.49)	The CVS version is cheaper and the ingredients are almost exactly the same (the difference is that the CVS explicitly states that it does contain Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide and the original says that it may contain those items).	I have no issues using these interchangeably, especially if one isn't on the shelves. They work exactly the same for me.
Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 ($12.74)	CVS Illuminating Moisturizer with SPF (No Longer Available).	I can't find an ingredient listing so I can't compare the initial observations.	So here's the thing, I never tried the original. I was looking for something that could travel better than my Alba Hawaiian facial moisturizer so I was specifically looking for a pump. I found this on the shelf and I'm okay with it.
Noxzema The Original Deep Cleansing Cream ($3.74)	CVS Cleansing Skin Cream Original ($2.99)	While the CVS version is certainly cheaper, there's a lot more variation in the ingredients. The drugstore version is missing these: Eucalyptus, Globulus Leaf Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride. While the drugstore version does have Eucalyptus Oil, I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes.	While I could use them interchangeably, I really do have a preference for the Noxzema brand. Perhaps it's because of the extra oils, but it just seems more refreshing on my skin.
Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque ($2.79 Walgreens)	CVS Purifying Mint Masque (No Longer Available).	These two were about the same price, but for some reason, the CVS' around here don't carry them. Walgreens does, but during the time I was looking to replace my last tube, I couldn't find it on the shelves. Instead I found the store brand version. The ingredients are the same.	Queen Helene, hands down. If only I could find it in steady supply. The CVS version burns like crazy at the beginning which is amazing for a product that is exactly the same ingredients as the original.
Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lotion ($5.49)	CVS Deep Conditioning Moisturizer, Cocoa Butter ($3.74)	Here's another instance where the drugstore version varies a bit. Between the two, the drugstore is missing the following: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil or Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Collagen Amino Acids, Lecithin, Mineral Water, Sodium PCA, Potassium Lactate, Lactic Acid.	I tend to slather lotion on quite a bit. I'd prefer the original, hands down, as it feels the best. The problem is that I do use a lot and fining the large size of the original tends to be hard which is why often, I don't really have much of a choice.

So, you might be wondering what the point is. The thing is, the cheaper version isn't always as bad. Sometimes, it doesn't lack quality. But it's kind of up to you to decide what's worth it. For me, availability does weigh heavily in the decision making process. Yes, I'd love to stick to all my staples at all times but sometimes, it just doesn't happen. 

Taking On the World of Disney

For my birthday, my boyfriend and I decided to take on Disney World which was an epic adventure and a lot of fun. It had been 13 years since I had been there and I was excited to experience it all again. I'm generally not big on celebrating my birthday but I figured that in the sea of people, it was easy to go unnoticed, even if you are wearing a large pin that says "Happy Birthday."

It was early but I was ready
for Magic Kingdom. 

Anyhow, let's talk about makeup since Florida is different both temperature wise and climate wise. It's wonderfully warm down there during December and humidity was around the high 50's. So what does this translate to? Well, first, let's consider what was in my makeup bag.

The things I brought along with me: My entire makeup bag which included included the CVS Illuminating Moisturizer with SPF and my Cover FX makeup (the pressed mineral powder and the setting powder). I also walked with all of my eyeliners, mascara, makeup brushes, and makeup sponges.

I did leave behind a lot of my eye shadows, but truth be told, I didn't have any intention of wearing them anyway. The Disney World parks are intense and the one thing you probably don't want to do is wear too much makeup if you have oily skin. I walked with copious amounts of blotting sheets in the event that my makeup would run.

As it turns out, the weather was quite amicable toward my makeup so I had no problem keeping it on. A word of caution though, as you might have noticed with my picture on the right, I went light with my makeup.

I have no news to really report about makeup, but as always, there was something new that I tried on my trip. This time it was a body lotion and a shampoo.

New Items: Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Body Lotion Sensitive Skin and Seventh Generation Baby Shampoo & Wash.

Dial NutriSkin isn't new to me -- a few months ago I tried out the Extra Dry Skin version (and conveniently forgot to write a review about it) and found that I liked it a lot. The only thing I wasn't thrilled with was that I just couldn't find it everywhere which is a problem when it comes time to buy a new bottle.

This time round during a trip to Publix to stock up, the Extra Dry Skin version wasn't anywhere to be found but the Sensitive Skin was. It was also the smallest bottle I could find that would be the best option for our vacation for the week.

I don't know if anyone else ever has this problem but the soaps that you get when vacation can be incredibly drying. When I was done washing my hands or taking a shower my skin would appear ashy white. Thankfully I had this lotion to revive my skin and every single time it made me so happy we sprang for it. They generally go for about ~$5 so at that price, it's not a huge risk to take either. It feels great on the skin, especially one that has been stripped of moisture so I would most definitely recommend this to anyone who has particularly dry skin.

Moving on to the shampoo, I've been keeping to shampoos that are free of parabens, sulfates, silicones, and dyes as best I can. After scouring the selection of normal shampoos without much luck, I headed on over to the infant's section and quickly found a close alternative for the trip. The Seventh Generation Baby Shampoo & Wash does have sulfates, but it doesn't contain parabens or silicones which was a trade I was willing to make fore a short amount of time. I kind of wish I had a loofah so that I could make use of the wash instead of suffering with the bar of soap. The bottle ranges from $6-$8 depending on the location.

My hair was wonderful during the trip which I attribute to the climate of Florida. It constantly appeared bouncy and wurly without ever seeming drab. I think the key item on this trip would have been the lotion because I didn't need the other products nearly as much. As for my hair, I noticed the difference after washing my hair the first day and upon our return to home, my hair return to it's lifeless state again. I think with the previous trips I learned that my skin and hair aren't always going to act the way I expect them to so it's best to be on your toes about visiting a new area that hasn't a different climate.

And now for some quick Disney tips! LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern is an interesting blend and quite sugary. The souvenir cups are wonderfully cute too! For those of you with Disney World in your future, I will strongly recommend Undercover Tourist, not just for the discounted tickets (they are an authorized seller of discount tickets for Disney and Universal Studios, along with some other attractions in the Orlando area)  but also for their blog which is loaded with great tips. 

On Travelling: Lite Camping

I'm actually kind of surprised that I haven't broken down and done the ultimate "travel" post. Well, I'm not that surprised, truth be told I'm wordy and sometimes lazy about taking photographs (especially since I can't edit them and my camera is quite unrully). During my hiatus, I went on a short camping trip and thought to myself that I really ought to write about the experience (especially since it was a lite camping trip) but I wanted to go over some basics that I took with me.

Well, for starters, let me give you a quick run down of the "camping" trip -- it was actually for a Beer and BBQ Festival (I'm setting a tone here), and we camped out for two nights. The campsite came equipped with showers, bathrooms (well, portable toilets), and firewood. Basically this meant that we didn't have to do much heavy lifting -- but because we do share the space with a lot of other people, that did mean that there were certain things that we had to walk with, I'm not going to get into the long list of it, but the items that are worth taking a gander at are below.

Warning: I didn't wear any makeup on this trip because that just would have been silly on my behalf. I did walk with my usual stuff (like deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste).

First things first is the nesting wine glass ($7.50). You can judge me all you want but if you're the only one on the campsite with one, then no one is going to try to take your drink. (This holds especially true when the other wine drinker has a GoVino glass ($3) so there's no confusing the two.)

Jokes aside though, soap, bug spray, and sunscreen are essentials. For the trip I grabbed a tube of the Banana Boat Natural Reflect with SPF 50 (~$10) that was oil and paraben free. I'm not a huge sunscreen fan in general but it's something you've got to do when you're exposed to the sun for a long period of time. I found that I had to reapply it twice (which I was supposed to do) and while I didn't quite like the feel of it, I did like the comfort of knowing it was doing it's job.

I didn't use the bug spray much since insects tend to flee from me but the other campers that I was with found the Cutter Skinsations Insect Repellent to be wonderfully helpful. I always walk with a bottle when I go camping for my friends and so far, no complaints about this one.

Soap is soap and generally I'd toss in a bar of Ivory and call it a day. I did figure though that I should walk with a bar that offered some type of exfoliation though. I grabbed this bar of Yardley of London Scrub & Smooth Bath Bar Sea Minerals which smells like bergamot and lime and is 100% vegetable soap. The bar of soap retails for ~$3 and if you've got several campers and a shower, this will come in handy.

Time to break down what's in that handy makeup bag though. That bag is my camping "makeup" bag and I use that term lightly because there's no actual makeup in there but it is a bag of necessary items. A lot of these items were actually samples, which makes it easy to pull them together and toss into another bag.

• Hand Sanitizer (while we did have a lot of water and wet wipes available, we also ended up doing a lot of cooking. This is great if you're handling meats or just any kind of food.) I grabbed a generic brand that cost about a dollar. 
• Floss and/or flossers. I keep a small spool of floss in the bag but in my other makeup bag (that's in my purse) I keep flossers. Flossers are great for on the go and keep a small spool as a backup (or to share) is just nifty and very useful. 
• Extra elastic hair bands -- I admit, that with short hair, I don't use these much and even last year when I had this bag with long hair, I ended up just putting my hair in a bun and keeping it steady with a pencil. Nonetheless, it's good to have them around.
• Small bottle of lotion. Now I did walk with my purse's makeup bag and in there I keep two other small bottles of lotion as well. I tossed in this one in as extra in case anyone needed it. You should definitely have on around especially if you suffer from dry skin (which is why I keep at least two bottles around).
• Shampoo and/or conditioner. You may not really need this but if you end up with a lot of haircare samples, it doesn't hurt to toss or two of them into a makeup bag especially since they don't take up much space.
• Toothpaste (not pictured is the travel toothbrush). Here's where my makeup bags combine to form a super hygienic pack. My everyday bag has a travel toothbrush (so as long as I have my purse, I can brush my teeth anywhere) but I tend to not carry toothpaste in that one since I'm usually at a friend's place where I'd have to use it. 
• Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital with SPF 30. Well, this was tossed in by my mother (yep, seriously) who is a huge fan of Lancome and demands that I travel with the face cream because it has SPF in it (and in that way, I don't have to slather sunscreen on my face). Admittedly, this is one thing I really love travelling with especially since the other face creams I have either don't have SPF or it's very low. 
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 70. Another sample and I'm not sure that this is something I'd actively seek it (because I walk with two items that pretty much cover this area). 

I know I have a Lancome primer in the picture but that shouldn't have been in the bag. I've removed it so no need to put it on the list.

I'm prepping for another trip soon so there shall be more in the series to come!