I am such a beauty product junkie – I am always trying to find something newer and better to use. I am always reading reviews so I thought this time I could write my own review! Here is my current shower caddy lineup:
H2O Plus Spa Sea Salt Skin Smoother ~$28
When I lived in Tribeca I used to love walking around the mall in what I considered to be the basement of the NYC World Trade Center. It had the first Sephora I ever walked into (and instantly fell in love with the store) and it also had an H2O Plus. I wasn’t familiar with the brand but I loved everything they had. Last year I found this Sea Salt line in Ulta and bought a mini gift set of several products. One was Sea Salt Skin Smoother and I knew I had to buy a bigger tub of it!
Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturizing Conditioner by John Frieda ~$8
Yet another item I found in NYC – back then I was a blonde and my roommate used the Sheer Blonde line. She raved about the conditioner so I tried it and I loved it, too. Now that I am brown I’ve switched to the Brilliant Brunette line. I don’t really see a difference in them – and they don’t deposit any color so my guess is it is all marketing! But the conditioner rocks so it doesn’t matter to me as long as they keep it around!
Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Conditioning Balm ~$20
My mom is a hairdresser and she always bought the big tub of this when I was in high school. I still love it today – it is very thick and heavy – exactly what I love in a conditioner. And I have thin fine hair – it still doesn’t weight it down.
Scotch Brite sponge ~$3 for 3
Funny how so much of my daily routine is stuff I’ve done for years! My dad loves the scrub sponges you can only find at certain Wal-Marts – I fell in love with them too but they are so hard to find that I finally gave up. I used washcloths for a while and then one day I realized the white side of the Scotch Brite sponges is the same thing as the hard to find scrub sponges! These are rough – I use it very, very gently on my skin and not every day. But the soft pink side can be used daily.
EO shower gel French Lavender ~$12
I am always buying new shower gels – I love to switch it up. I had a few from Bath and Body Works I liked but when I put on black clothes I sometimes noticed a white haze on my clothes. I wasn’t sure what was going on with that so I decided to try this one I found at Whole Foods. I love the smell – the only downside is it really doesn’t lather up a lot. I’ve noticed that with a lot of Whole Foods items – I think the sudsing agent added in regular soaps is bad for you so Whole Foods doesn’t carry those.
Oscar Blandi Crema Shampoo ~$20
I found this shampoo about 7 years ago – it smells just like gardenias so of course I was hooked with gardenias being my all time favorite flower. I even sold a bride’s mother on this shampoo because of the smell!
Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Cleanser ~$16
When we were getting married I was active on the Wedding Channel boards – now they are no longer but a fellow board bride mentioned Paula’s Choice and how everything was unscented and great for brides with sensitive skin. I slowly started trying the line – one product at a time. I now have a ton of Paula’s Choice in my bathroom (cleansers, BHA, AHA, moisturizers that rock, body lotion, lip balm, nail oil, foundation…the list goes on and on). The Skin Balancing Cleanser is great – it doesn’t hurt if you get it in your eyes, it breaks down eye makeup – even waterproof mascara and it doesn’t leave any kind of film on my skin that requires a toner to remove.
Pureology Hydrate Shampoo ~$30
I am wrapping up this bottle – I haven’t colored my hair in a while so I don’t really need it right now. But when you do pay big bucks to color your hair there is no sense in washing it all out with shampoo! This line is great for keeping your color in place!
Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Milk Scrub ~$55
This is a trial size of the Almond Coconut Milk Scrub – I bought something at Bloomingdales and this came in a free gift set. Oh how I love the smell! I already plan on buying the big jar when this runs out. And I am getting the lotion and the body wash! It is such a light pretty scent!
Kerastase Masquintense ~$40
I bought this conditioner in Las Vegas – it used to be hard to find in the Orlando area but finally a few salons are carrying it. I am not really sold on the line – it is very expensive and I haven’t seen a huge difference in the way the shampoos and conditioners look on my hair compared to other products. But I like using this mask on my hair once a month or so to really kick up the moisture. They also have a shine spray that I do love – it isn’t too greasy like some of those can be! I really want to try the overnight shine spray at some point.
Pumice stone ~$2
Keeps my feet soft – I try to scrub them at least once a week with the pumice. I even got Chris hooked on one!