Our Cosmetic Experience: January and February

In January and February, we emptied quite a few cosmetic containers.

⓵ Body care: Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Body Lotion - another body lotion by Dermasil.

I really liked it. It has a pleasant, light scent (vanilla + Rosa Damascena?). The lotion formula is creamy and rich, rather thick but not greasy at all. It spreads on the skin evenly. I used the product after showering - the moisturizing agents of the lotion made the skin of my body finely hydrated. I also applied it to my feet and I loved how soft and gentle they felt then.

The lotion ingredients which I liked best:

• Sunflower seed oil,
• Aloe Vera leaf juice,
• Borago officinalis seed oil,
• Sweet almond oil,
• Sandalwood oil,
• Rosa Damascena extract,
• Vanilla Planifolia fruit extract.

Our Pros:
- fast absorbing moistens dry skin well,
- pleasant scent,
- non-greasy,
- paraben free,
- not tested on animals,
- affordable price

The tube contained 10z / 296 ml of the lotion. Quite a lot of good stuff for a low price.

Would we buy it again? Yes 👍

⓶ Body care: Oil of Life Sensitive Skin Body Wash - rather creamy but a bit watery at the same time. The latter was rather disappointing and made the wash not efficient. It did not foam much but cleaned my skin well. A positive thing was that the body wash did not dry my skin, the creamy side of the formula seemed to give the skin a kind of moisturizing protection.

My favorite ingredients of the Oil of Life Sensitive Body Wash:

• Soybean oil,
• Shea butter.

The bottle contained 15 oz/444 ml of the body wash.

⓷ Hair care: Herbal Essences Color Me Happy Hair Conditioner

My favorite ingredients of the conditioner:

• Rosa Centifolia flower extract,
• Passiflora fruit extract,
• Corn Silk extract.

I used to have the shampoo from the same Herbal Essences series. I loved the rosy scent of both products. The conditioner made my hair soft and fluffy. After the hair wash + using the conditioner + drying my hair with a towel, I was able to comb and style my hair easily The strands were soft,  fluffy and they looked fresh. All in all, it made me and my colored hair happy.

Would I buy it again? Yes 👍

⓸ Face care: Daily facial Moisturizer by Cetaphil 👍

It is a very light face cream with SPF 15. It is fragrance-free which is a reason my damaged facial nerve tolerates it *. The cream does not clog pores, it slightly hydrates the skin. However, sometimes it seemed the moisturizing effect was not long lasting enough for my dry skin. I think the cream will be a good summer face care option. On hot days my face needs much lighter creams than in the wintertime. The face cream worked well as a makeup base. Since it is one of the very few face care products which I can actually use on my entire face, I am certainly going to buy it and use it again

* It means I can apply the cream to both sides of my face and no painful reaction to the cosmetic.

⓹ Hand care: Udderly Smooth Hand Cream

I wrote about it in that post. A good hand care product, improving the condition of the dry skin

⓺ Body care: Belle D'Opium perfumed body lotion was part of a cosmetic set, accompanied by body wash and Belle D'Opium Eau de parfum.

The lotion was light but it nourished/moistened the body really well. The fragrance, when spread all over my body was strong enough not to use the regular Eau de parfum afterward.

 ⓻ Foot care: Gold Bond Ultimate Softening Foot Cream

We bought the cream being encouraged by a sample of another Gold Bond product which we had happened to receive.
The cream softens and nourishes the skin = improves its condition. It enveloped my feet like a soft shawl. Pleasant scent.

My favorite ingredients:

• matricaria flower extract,
• lavender extract,
• acacia flower extract,
• rosemary leaf extract,
• urea,
• panthenol

Would we buy it again? Yes 👍

⓼ Face care accessory: Clarisse Cotton Rounds made of 100% cotton. 

This kind of product is something which I use almost every day - a little but necessary item. I must admit, the rounds helped remove eye and face makeup very efficiently. They absorbed the makeup removal products and tonic well enough to finely support the skin cleansing. All in all, good quality product.

Would I buy it again? Yes 👍

⓽ Hand care: Oriflame Diamonds & Pearls Hand Soap

The soap was a gift from my dear friend in Poland. When I lived in the country, I used to purchase Oriflame cosmetics (they originate in Sweden). I liked their face care and makeup items.

The soap bar smelled nice and felt very creamy on hands during washing them. It seemed more like a balm than a soap. Tiny pieces of mica were part of the soap formula. Although it did not foam much, it cleansed the hands well. I liked washing my hands with the soap bar. I wish the Oriflame products were available here (for the same price/prices as in Europe).

⓾ Expired -Throw Away Item

When I bought the hair conditioner, I was pleased with its quality and hair volumizing properties. I wrote more about the product here. I used it from time to time but the size of the bottle appeared to be too big for me and my short/medium length hair. The conditioner expired and became not good before I managed to reach the bottom of the container (20 oz/ 591ml).

Would I buy it again? Yes, but then I would need to use it very regularly to avoid the throwaway option.

Our Cosmetic Experience: December

This year I am going to write more about the cosmetics which have used/tried. Some people call it a 'bottom project' but since the word 'bottom' has different meanings in English, I call my post series 'Our Cosmetic Experience'. To be more specific, every month, having emptied a container/containers of a certain product/products, I am planning to tell you what we think about them - what our opinion about them is (some products are consulted by my husband as well).

Please, take note that our opinion on the cosmetics is influenced by our personal skin/beauty profiles. You can check out my cosmetic profile here. 

The first post of that kind is connected with the three types of balm which we finished using Last December.

1.  I have already written about the hand cream by Neutrogena. Its rich formula helps the very dry, cracked and rough skin. The cream consistency looks more like a transparent gel to me. It is quite quickly absorbed by the very dehydrated skin. My hands are only a bit on the dry side so, every time when I needed to use the hand cream, I only applied a little of it. Otherwise, my hands were covered with a sticky film of the cosmetic, which I did not like. It all made the cream very efficient and last really long.
This kind of hand cream brings relief to the hands if they happened to be exposed to the cold winter weather conditions.

 The tube contains 2 oz/56g of the hand cream

Price:  $3.96 at Walmart*

$4.99 at Walgreens*

* online stores prices 

Our pros
- good for very dry and cracked skin - improves its condition,
- efficient,
- unscented,
- good price.

Would we buy it again? I do not know.

2. We happened to receive the sample of Gold Bond Ultimate Hydrating Lotion when we purchased a totally different item.

I could see it was a 'for man' product but I wanted to try it too. As soon as I spread it on my hands, I could smell a pleasant, cologne-like fragrance. At the same time, I thought to myself: ' What a nice, manly scent!'. Apart from that, I could see how nice it felt on the skin as well.

The lotion has a smooth consistency which spreads on the skin easily and evenly. The lotion is quickly absorbed as well. After the application, the skin appears smoother and pleasantly hydrated.

The lotion smells really manly/fine but (unfortunately to me) it defines the cosmetic as a man's body care item.

According to the information on the tube, the lotion can be used as body, hands and face moisturizer. We did not try it on the face, though.

What I found interesting

The formula of Gold Bond Ultimate Hydrating Lotion is enriched with:

• glyceryl stearate - which gives the skin smoothness and softness,
• dimethicone - skin conditioning agent,
• aloe barbadensis leaf juice,
• hydrolyzed rice proteins,
• silk amino acids,
• panthenol,
• hydrolyzed jojoba esters,
• magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (Vitamin C),
• tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E acetate),
• glycerin.

All in all, we liked the sample so we bought a regular size of the Lotion.

The tube contained 0.75 oz/21 g  of the body lotion

3. Dermasil Body Balm - we like it. I used it to treat my hands and feet as well. The opening of the tube is big enough, which makes the dosage of the lotion really convenient. The formula of the cream is rather thick but soft as well. However, while applying it, sometimes I had a feeling the lotion spread not evenly on the skin of my body so I had to reapply it. Regrettably, it made the lotion last shorter.

On the other hand, I really like some of the lotion ingredients:

• sunflower seed oil,
• geranium maculatum oil,
• lecithin,
• borago officinalis (starflower) seed oil,
• ascorbyl palmitate - a fatty acid obtained from ascorbyl acid/Vitamin C,
• sweet almond oil,
• sandalwood oil,
• rosa damascena extract,
• vanilla planifolia fruit extract.

 All in all, good quality considering a very low price.

 The tube contained 10 oz/296 ml  of the body lotion

Price: $1 at Dollar Tree

Our pros:

- paraben free,

- good for dry skin - body, hands and feet, 

- hypoallergenic,

- inexpensive.

 

 Would we buy it again? Yes.

 

My Cosmetic Side: Body

It is said that the body is the temple of the soul. That is why, in my opinion, we need to take care of our body - just to feel and look good. In this post on My Cosmetic Side, I am sharing how I mind my body.

BODY BALM
The easiest thing which we can do for ourselves is moisturizing the skin with a lotion or body balm. After having a shower and drying the body with a towel, I always use one of them. Applying a lotion to the skin when the skin is saturated, helps to lock the moisture in its cells.
There are many body care products which I have tried, some of them I liked more, some less. However, I have found most body balms really fine too. As far as I know, baby cosmetics formulas are usually more restrictive, considering their (more delicate) ingredients. Therefore, I think - if a balm is good for a baby, it is good for my skin as well.

SUN-CARE
My skin is pale and sensitive to sunlight. That is why I use sunscreen with high SPF number in the summer. I also cover my arms and wear hats to avoid sunburn. As for the sunbeds and solarium - I do not do it, I know my skin would not like it either. I used to work with a lady who was a kind of sunbathing and sunbed addict. She was not very much older than me, but the skin of her decolletage area looked like the soil in a desert - dry and cracked. It looked awful not only according to me but also to the lady's doctor. She told me the physician advised her not to sunbathe anymore but she did not care about that at all. Well, the look of her skin aged her a lot. I do not know how she is doing and how she looks now as I have not seen her for a very long time.

FOOD
'The beauty comes from within' - it is well known that eating habits and what we eat are important to us and our bodies. Personally, I believe that most our food likes and dislikes are connected with our childhood experiences. There are certain things which I did not eat when I was little and nowadays, being an adult, I do not care much for those food items. When I was growing up, there were no fast food places in Poland, no hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizzas - they appeared on our menus much later,  when I was older. And even then I did not eat them often. We always had a salad or vegetables as a side dish for dinner. The main meals were also accompanied by homemade fruit drinks cooked by my mom. Breakfast was always quite light - as a child, I often had milk based soups, later mostly dairy products and jam sandwiches. At primary school, I had lunch at school canteen - it was always a meal cooked by school cooks - no junk food was served. I remember the time when students could get hot milk (it was a cold season - winter or autumn maybe) during a recess, I often put a little piece of chocolate in my hot milk. It was so good!

These days I tend to like eating similar kinds of meals as well. Of course, my menu is not entirely the same as it used to be in the past, but I usually have one big meal a day only. I do enjoy a pizza or a hamburger from time to time, it is not my favorite food, though. I prefer an apple or some other fruit to sweets. Moreover, I try not eat anything late in the evening, before going to sleep.
There are times than I happen to pack myself with food and have more sweets and cookies than I usually do (especially around holidays), but later I check my weight, cut down on candies and come back to my everyday eating routine. Although we do have a dessert almost every day, we do not eat it straight after dinner, just some time later. Besides, when I make a cake, I add a bit less sugar than a recipe calls for.
Of course, a proper diet may mean something different, considering particular people, and may depend on their personal health needs. If you do not know what is good for you, perhaps you can consult a dietitian or a doctor on that matter.

EXERCISING
'Move yourself' is our family motto. It is not easy to follow it as, presently, we all tend to sit a lot during the day. Walking is not always possible and not everybody is a gym person. I am certainly not. Nevertheless, there are different groups you can join to make your body move. Some friends of mine like Zumba classes for example. As for ourselves, we do walking and dancing (no, not Zumba). In my opinion, it is not important what you do, the more important is whether you enjoy it. If you do not, you will not fancy doing it and, very likely, you will quit it soon. If you do like some activities, you will be more into them and, at the same time,  you will exercise more effectively.

SUPPLEMENTS
If you think you need any dietary supplements, I advise you to consult a doctor first (on what to use, how long and when). Some of them - their ingredients - may not be good for you and/or may make you feel unwell. It happened to me, so to avoid my mistake ask your GP about it all.

HEALTH CHECK UPS
Whatever you put on the skin, no matter what you eat, how many times a week you jump or jog, it is not enough. Some time ago, having had a routine check up appointment, I received a reminder from my health care provider. I found the message quite interesting as it contained the information on  suggested screening tests for women - how often and when we should have them done.
To find out more on this topic, visit the womenshealth.gov website.

Take good care of yourself and your body!

More on My Cosmetic Side:

Aroma & Aromatherapy

Leg Care: Goicoechea Arnica Body Lotion For Tired Legs

Our legs do tremendous work carrying us here and there every day. Sometimes (eg. because of the job we are doing) we have to stand or walk for many hours. As a result of that, our calves and ankles get really tired or even swollen. That is why they deserve a special care. Especially if we want to prevent any varicose veins problems or just need to improve the condition and the look of our lower limbs.
Myself, I usually treat my legs/calves twice a day - in the morning and in the evening, before going to sleep - with a special balm or cream, to prevent foot and calf cramps as well. Recently, I have been trying the Goicoechea Arnica body lotion. The brand, by Genomma Lab, has a line of balms which are aimed at leg care.
Despite the camphor being present in the lotion formula, it does not smell bad as some leg creams I used before. The fragrance of the product is actually quite light, yet not unpleasant.

From the label:

ACTION:

Reduces the appearance of varicose veins.

Thanks to its effective combination of NATURAL EXTRACTS:

• Horse-Chestnut
• Centella asiatica

which help improve the appearance of skin.

After applying the Arnica lotion to my calves and ankles, I can feel delicate, tingling sensations in these parts of my legs - the cosmetic 'is working'. Some of its ingredients improve blood circulation and help with minor pains relief (menthol, camphor, arnica montana flower extract, horse chestnut seed extract). Some other ones (including sunflower seed oil) nourish the skin too.

However, you need to be aware that sometimes they may be a reason of skin irritations or allergies.

All in all, I am really glad the Arnica lotion works fine for me. The big bottle lasts quite long, especially, if the balm is used only on the lower parts of the legs.

Found at Walmart ($7.47)

Read more about Arnica montana flower extract: arnica.

Body Care: Advanced Lubricating Skin Lotion by Perfect Purity

Recently, I have been constantly discovering the world of cosmetics by various (mostly) American  brands. This Skin Lotion by Perfect Purity is a surprisingly good buy. It is not only inexpensive (price=$1) but also quite good, considering its moisturizing properties. Although the texture of the lotion is light (it is really 'non-greasy & fast absorbing'), it moistens the dry skin well and I do not need to reapply the cosmetic to make it work better. The fragrance of the product is a kind of perfume like but luckily, it is not strong and practically, I can't smell it at all unless I place the top of the bottle close to my nose.

• Petrolatum and Mineral Oil - soothing and healing properties.

• Vitamin E - antioxidant properties.