Olay Body Wash

This week I want to share about some body wash that I have found and now love. It’s Olay Body Wash Plus Tone Enriching Ribbons. Summer is on its way and that means LESS clothes, so it’s time to get our SPARKLE ON!

I recently posted in another blog that body wash is an item you can skimp on and still be happy. I still stand by this. There are still good body washes out there that are inexpensive (in comparison to other washes), but this time I decided to splurge and try this particular type. The commercials claim that “mineral shimmer” in this product makes your body sparkle, and although I was skeptical, I thought I would give it a try. I have this thing about putting on sparkle lotion after my shower in the summer. It’s subtle, but in my opinion it makes a difference when you are out in the summer sun in a tank top. But I gotta tell ya that this product actually does what it says! I didn’t see it at first, but I guess that’s because with the cold weather I’ve been bundled up. But this past weekend when I was out in my summer wear you could really see the sparkle! It was great! Just a nice little shimmer (nothing cheesy by any means).

Ok, you may be saying “do I really want to look like a stripper with sparkles?” Well the answer is no you don’t, lol.  I should swap out the word sparkle for shimmer when discussing this product because it’s more like that. It’s just a nice glow!

So there ya have it! If you are ok spending an extra $1 or $2 on this body wash I say go for it! I think for the summer you’ll be happy you did!

Name Brands vs Store Brands

1. Garbage Bags: This is an area where it is worth it to buy the named brand in my opinion. After college I lived in an apartment that was the upstairs of a house. Every time the garbage had to be taken out, I would have to get it out of the garbage can (which was always too full and I had to struggle and pull it out), carry it downstairs, and outside to the cans. I thought I would save myself some money and bought the store brand bags. What a mistake! They would tear, and leak and drip things all along my floor as me or my husband would carry it out. Each time many a curse word would escape our mouths. You know that commercial “Hefty! Hefty! Hefty!…Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy!” Where the wimpy bags dump all over the floor? Well that was us. So now? Name brand all the way for me.
2. Tylenol/Advil: When it comes to these types of medications I find myself leaning towards buying the store brand. For these I have read the back of the bottle, and see that all the ingredients are the same. When I take the store brand it seems that my ailments go away as quickly as if I took the name brand. So for this? Score one for the store brand.
3. Non Dairy Creamer: This may seem like a weird one to point out, but I had to because this item is the reason for this post. I asked my husband to pick up some non dairy creamer at the store on his way home ( I needed it for my coffee in the morning) and he came home with a large bottle of the store brand. That was perfectly fine. I commend him for being a thrifty shopper. But it turns out that the product just isn’t as good as the name brands! I was shocked. It was watery, and took a lot more of it to take the bitterness out of my morning coffee. This was no good!
4. Mouthwash: I think this one is just in my head. I am a true believer in Listerine. (Personally I am a fan of the new vanilla mint!) I am not sure if it’s because it really hurts when I use it so I think it’s working or what, but I have tried store brand mouthwash’s that say they are the same as Listerine, but I just don’t believe it. They seem so much more watered down to me.
5. Shampoo: I have to go with name brand on this one. I may be a shampoo snob, but I am one of those people who buy salon grade shampoo for my hair. I try, and try different and less expensive brands of shampoo, but my hair comes out feeling limp and knotty. So, on this one I have to go with the name brand’s name brand. (Does that make sense?) And even if we stick with the theme here of name brand vs. store brand I must say I have tried let’s say the store brand of Pantene, vs. Pantene and I found it to be a less superior product. Sorry!
6. Bodywash: On this one I go with the store brand, or less expensive brands. Recently I bought Oil of Olay with tone enhancing ribbons. It said it had some sparkle in it due to the minerals and I love when my skin sparkles. (I know I know I’m a loser) But I gotta tell ya…no sparkles! I am just as happy with my $3 bottle of “whatever” bodywash. It still smells good and I am happy.

So going back and reading over this short list it seems that the name brands win in my household. For now, at this point in my life I guess it’s worth the extra couple of bucks to get the product that I want. So what do you think? What is your list when it comes to the items you buy? Who wins? Name brands or Store brands?

Expensive Skin Care

I have not yet decided if it’s worth the money to buy expensive products. Personally, I feel that it’s important to get good quality when it comes to the products I put on my face. But how much is too much?  

La Mer products are heavily advertised in “fashion” magazines. Many celebrities claim that they use these products, but who can afford that $230 price tag? Does it really work miracles? Honestly, if I found out it really helped prevent wrinkels, and really was a wonder products I might consider it! On the other hand, year after year Oil of Olay wins awards for being the best drug store brand, as well as a brand that has stood the test of time! Is it best to go in the middle? I tried using the Clinique 3 step Process. It seemed to be fine. I learned that I have very dry skin by going to their counter, but other than that I did not find the products to be that spectacular. I am not sure what I imagined would happen when I found the best products for me, but I don’t think that was it.

My Skin Care

Back in October I hosted an Arbonne party for my friend who sells the products. Arbonne is like Avon or Mary Kay in which the salespeople are independent consultants. The products are all natural. She was new in the business and needed a start, so I graciously offered to host. It was a decently successful party, successful enough that I was able to get free products out of it. Now, I must admit that I am easily sold. Any trip to the makeup counters leave me spending much more cash then I wanted. This one time my friend brought me to a free event at Laura Mercier and specifically said I didn’t have to buy anything…well that day I got a Saks credit card and spent over $300 on products! I guess those people did their job! At this Arbonne party my friend gave me samples of their face wash line. They have many different lines but I chose the anti aging line because as I mentioned above, I feel like now’s the time to get ahead of those nasty lines! I LOVED the products. I tried the face wash, the toner, the facial jelly, and the night cream! Together I honestly believe that may face has never felt better.

The downside of using these products is that when I need it, I can’t just go out and buy it. I am an instant gratification type of girl and it drives me nuts to wait for the products to be shipped in. Another downside is paying freight for the products. This is an added cost, and in most cases I don’t order items online due to freight costs. But where does that leave me? I found products that I like, and enjoy using. Do I stray for the sole reason that I have to pay freight? For now the answer is no.

I am still on the quest for the perfect eye cream. Currently I am using dermilogica eye cream. I had a gift card to a salon and they sell the products so I figured I’d give it a try. So far there have been no miraculous changes, but then again, my face is still pretty wrinkle free.  Crows feet are not coming around my eyes prematurely if it’s up to me!

So what products do you use on your face? Do you have an eye cream that works wonders? Am I supposed to feel it working? Do you believe that you get what you pay for when it comes to these products? Is the added cost of an expensive product worth it? Or are drug store products just as good?

As a side note if you are interested in the Arbonne products and need a consultant, let me know and I can get you my friend’s information!