St. Ives Review

I admit it, I'm a beauty product junkie. I love reading about, seeing, and trying new products as soon as they're available. Sometimes my lust for the latest and greatest makes me forget about tried and true classics, like St. Ives. The lovely people at St. Ives sent me some goodies to review, including the ultimate always and forever amazing Apricot Scrub.

I still remember seeing St. Ives Apricot Scrub among my mom's things and loving that is smelled just like my Apricot doll. (She was the only doll I ever liked and had white hair and always used big words, seriously, so much foreshadowing of what was to come...) I don't think the formula has changed a bit, and it still works wonders on skin. I treated myself to a little DIY pedicure before a Memorial Day BBQ, where my feet made their reappearance in a super cute pair of wedge sandals. Just work the scrub into wet skin and let those little granules do their magic. The apricot oil helps keep your skin hydrated and nourished out of the shower. This is one of those products that made me feel so grown up once I started using it, like I'd finally become part of the secret Lady's Beauty Club. It's still winning awards and smoothing out skin of ladies and gents all over the world. I hadn't used it in ages, but judging how quickly I emptied the tub St. Ives sent me, it seems safe to say that I'm back in the scrub club.

I also got two different face washes from St. Ives' olive line - Moisturizing Olive Scrub and the Moisturizing Olive Cleanser. The olive products are gentle and will keep skin moisturized, I normally wouldn't use a moisturizing product - my skin is oily-slash-combination, so I stick to products made for oily skin. But lately I've been seeing some annoying dry spots on my face, what better time than to try these two cleansers? Both have a wonderful, fresh olive scent I'm kind of crazy about. I keep the scrub in the shower and use it on my neck and décolletage, since those areas need a little TLC too. I use the cleanser with my Clarisonic Mia, and my skin feels soooooo soft and clean afterward.

I enjoyed my trip down memory lane with St. Ives, especially with the Apricot Scrub - which, if you haven't used it in a while (or ever), is worth a revisit. Grab yourself a tub of it from the drugstore and scrub away! Then show off that fresh clean skin at the next beach blanket BBQ, but don't you dare forget the sunscreen!

Simple Skincare Review

Recently, the lovely people at Simple Skincare sent me some products to try out and review. Simple is a popular brand in the UK that is now available here in the U.S., in 2011 they were counted as the #1 facial skincare range. You go, Simple Skincare! The Simple line of products can be used by all skin types, but it was specifically for sensitive skin. There are no dyes, artificial perfumes or harsh irritants, the entire line is hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and pH balanced.

The Bee's Knees

I've always been lucky with my skin, never having major issues like acne or scaliness. I've treated it well from a very young age, thanks to countless lectures from my mom (annoying, but she was right), and was rewarded with good skin. As I made my way into my 30s, I noticed it was changing and required more maintenance than before. My regular products weren't giving me the same results, I noticed dry spots even my most trusted moisturizer couldn't remedy.

And so began my search for a moisturizer suitable for my 30-something skin. I've been using Philosophy Hope In A Jar, I like it well enough but there was room for improvement. Enter Burt's Bees new sensitive line... I received the facial cleanser ($10) and daily moisturizer ($15) from BzzAgent, and it's the latter that has blown me away. It felt a bit heavy at first, and I lost a little hope. But once I let it absorb into my skin, I was pleasantly surprised. No greasy film, no wet feeling! Just smooth, perfectly moisturized skin. My biggest complaint about Philosophy is that it stung my eyes. Not that I'm in the habit of regularly smearing moisturizer into my eyes, but if it got anywhere near my eyes, they'd start to sting and tear up. After regular use of Burt's Bees, and the occasional contact with my eyes, I am pain and tear free!

I've been using both products for almost a month, and am loving them! My biggest praise is for the moisturizer, but the cleanser has been holding its own too. It's soap free, which I really like, and although it does feel a bit strange at first (it doesn't lather up the way normal washes do) I quickly noticed that my skin didn't feel tight or irritated after washing. There is also zero redness, something that always happens around my nose with other cleansers. Could it be that as I age like fine wine, and whine about aging, my skin has become more sensitive? Instead of looking for new anti-aging products, I should have been looking for something simpler and less harsh. So, is this it? Have my skin prayers been answered? Perhaps... it seems at least that my winter skin woes will be soothed by Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily.

P.S.
My fellow Whoreder Charlotte found you some extra Burt's Bees savings! Just become a fan of Burt's Bees Facebook page by clicking the "Like" button for a $2 coupon. Thanks, Charlotte!