Looking for Beauty Booty? We’ve Found A Bunch Of Fab Mass Market “Finds”
Price isn’t always the measure of effectiveness or even of pleasure when it comes to beauty products. Once you take home that sinfully expensive lotion or potion if it’s not right for you, if you don’t use it correctly, or if it doesn’t live up to the hype, it will just languish on your shelf. We’ve selected some budget-friendly beauty products that do a lot, just for less.The beauty booty you find at drugstores and mass market products are not just easy on your budget, they’re easily accessible. Check out these fab mass market beauty budget “finds.”
For Spa-Style Showers on a Beauty Budget: Softsoap has been providing budget beautistas with luxurious bath and body experiences for a long time, but the latest is Luminous Oils Body Wash, perfect to deal with sun-stressed and dry skin. It’s a nicely foaming scented body wash that includes a bit of moisturizing oil, so you get a non-greasy but soft feeling skin out of the shower. Macadamia Oil & Peony has a slightly floral/vanilla-ish scent. The Softsoap Luminous Oils Avocado Oil & Iris Body Wash is made with real avocado extract oils and essence of iris, with a fresh and slightly fruity floral scent. If you took hid the Softsoap labels, you’d think these were much higher end than the few dollars you’ll spend for the large, 15 fl. oz. bottles. These are a real find.
A Simple, Fun to Use Hand Soap for Purists: For those who don’t want a lot of chemicals in their hand wash, Softsoap has developed Pure Foaming Hand Wash 8 fl. oz. in a lovely clear plastic pump bottle with a wide pearlized pump, in a clear, simple formula that’s dye free, alcohol free, and features 100% natural fragrance. The gentle soap cleanses as you’d expect, no frills, but nicely. The “Fresh” formula hints of citrus. and the “Lemongrass” version has a hint of tart lemon. The foam is stellar. If you’re not seeking antibacterial soap and just want something natural and great for sensitive skin, it costs just a couple of dollars, looks pretty in your kitchen or bathroom shelf (clear goes with every decor) and is actually fun to use! Get Softsoap products in mass-market and drugstores nationwide, but for more information visit the Softsoap web site.
Favorite Hair Products/Fewer Chemicals: Just because a product is inexpensive doesn’t mean it’s not effective, or really good. When it comes to hair care, Alberto VO5 has been giving women salon-worthy hair for peanuts, for a long time.Now they’ve recently launched a shampoo and conditioner collection that solves four of the most common hair issues with prices ranges from $.99-$1.19. These new VO5 five-vitamin-formula, paraben-free, shampoos and conditioners (11 oz/) are infused with ingredients found in premium products and captivating fragrances. V05— 5 vitamins…duh! I didn’t realize it until now (Vitamin E – promotes scalp circulation and restores moisture; Vitamin C – protects hair from UV rays; Vitamin H (biotin) – promotes thicker, stronger hair; Vitamin B5 – a moisturizer and humectant that readily binds to hair and Vitamin B3 – moisturizes and promotes hair growth). We gave them a try, and found them to be not just effective but with rich, luxurious lather and a really pleasant fruity floral scent. The fab four are: Dry Scalp: plus Almond Oil helps soothe, relieve and moisturize the scalp; Volumizer: plus Biotin boost and amplify limp locks for fuller -looking hair; Split Ends: plus Panthenol helps reduce damage to delicate hair, adding moisturize and a smoother look and Anti-Frizz: plus Argan Oil helps tame and smooth unruly locks for sleek-looking hair. Following the trend towards fewer chemicals, more natural products, we applaud Alberto VO5 for keeping the “great” and taking out the parabens, because your hair really doesn’t need that, does it? Shampoo and Conditioners are now available at national and regional retailers. Visit www.vo5haircare.com to learn more about VO5 hair care products.
Multi Tasking Ointment You Never Knew Could Do So Much! A few months ago the Advice Sisters went to a unique editor’s event, where we learned all about Aquaphor, an ointment just about everyone has in their medicine chest. Aquaphor is used by doctors in prescription medications, and at home for all types of Irritated Skin (e.g.g Dry Hands & Cuticles, Cracked Heels and Feet, Chapped Lips, Minor Cuts and Scrapes, Friction & Minor Burns, Drool Rash and Diaper Rash). FYI: Ointments are 80% oil and 20% water. These products stick around on your skin and they trap moisture extremely well. If an ingredient is contained in an ointment, it is more potent than the exact same ingredient packaged in a cream or lotion. At the Aquaphor event, however, we learned how to make our own sugar scrubs and lip balms with Aquaphor. It’s a personal choice as to how gritty you want to make your scrub. We used regular table sugar and mixed it into the half-filled jar of Aquaphor ointment. A little goes a long way to gently exfoliate skin while adding soothing protection all day long. It’s amazing how well this works. For a lip balm, simply buy a small container (lip balm sized) or buy the small size Aquaphor in balm size, and finely grind a powder blush in a medium to deep color (you can use a bit of lipstick too, but powder blends better). We used a mortar and pestle, but you can carefully use a rolling pin or something else that is heavy. Carefully add as much color as you want and mix it in. The color will be natural, and even better, you can’t imagine how great your lips are going to feel after you’ve used this custom balm! This is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do with this ointment but we only have so much space here. The point is, it’s indispensable in every home for so many reasons, even as beauty booty! You can find Aquaphor in drugstores and mass market retailers everywhere, and for more information visit the Aquaphor web site
Scented Body Washes For the Eco-Conscious Consumer: You don’t have to pay a lot to get luxurious products at reasonable prices. Nature’s Gate for example, offers a large 18 fl. oz. bottle of Nature’s Gate Body Wash for just $8.59 in 7 different varieties, each offering something special. Each pump bottle has natural extracts, organic botanicals and lovely fragrances: Papaya, Hemp, Aloe Vera, Pomegranate, Acai, and two newbies — Lavender + Peony and for those who can’t get enough there’s also a Coconut. We tried the latter, with a blend of coconut, fig and lychee and also real coconut water. It’s kind of sweet, but not overly so (in other words, you won’t smell like sunscreen). The rich, milky scent is relaxing, the body wash is soothing and moisturizing. It is a real bargain no matter which one you choose. Two brothers from Venice Beach CA were inspired to create a shampoo with the purity of natural rainwater, and therefore used it as their primary ingredient; coupled with natural therapeutic herbs to create the very first Rainwater Herbal Shampoo. Nature’s Gate has been a partner with WaterAid since 2008 supporting their mission to help support the development of sustainable uses for rainwater and help communities, families and children in Africa, Asia, Central and South America to obtain long term access to safe, clean water. You can get these at places like Whole Foods and natural food stores in the US and Canada, and also visit the Natures Gate Web Site
From a Trusted Brand – New Products For Oily Skin: New and great from a brand we love is Garnier SkinActive formulated with anti-oxidants like Vitamin C, E and Wildberry that help fight early signs of aging while providing hydration and healthy looking skin. For the acne prone among us (and skin tends to break out even more in warmer weather) Garnier gives us two three Newbies. We love SkinActive Clean * Shine Control Cleansing Gel ($7.99 8 fl. oz.) that removes excess oils and mattifies skin with a nice pump bottle and charcoal that draws impurities out of skin while it whisks away dirt, excess oil, and even makeup. It’s got a nice clean scent, too. Clean + Pore Purifying 2-in-1 Clay Cleanser.Mask ($7.99 5 fl. oz. ) uses kaolin clay and charcoal to draw our deep impurities and remove surface dirt from oily skin You can wash with it as a regular cleanser, or leave it on your skin to dry for about five minutes, then wash it off, bringing with it all the “gunk” deep within your blocked pores that can cause breakouts. Don’t let the soft gray color fool you, it’s a “big gun” against oily and acne-prone skin. For those on the go, we like the new Clean + Purifying Oil Free Cleansing Towelettes ($5.99.25 towelettes). We’re fans of towelettes for travel, for your tote, and for when you’re just too lazy to even bother with water and soap. These no-rinse, lightly scented towelettes also have charcoal to get rid of sweat, dirt, oil and makeup. You’ll be amazed at how well they work. The re-sealable soft sided bag means these won’t dry out before you used them up.
From a Trusted Brand – Improved Formula That’s Good for Summer: Just $14.99 brings you a new & improved formula of a fabulous product also from Garnier: Clearly Brighter Anti-Sun Damage Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 is an oil-free multi-tasking sunscreen and moisturizer that has exfoliating Lipo-Hydroxyl Acid (LHA) plus Vitamin C & E to help you deal with dry skin and discoloration from dark spots, age spots and other signs of sun damage and aging. The actives are 3% avobenzone, 5% homosalate, 5% octinoxate, and 7% octocrylene. It packs a lot into a little green pump bottle that, with regular use, can make a difference in your skin. If you’re one of those people (and there are many of you out there) who aren’t going to use a separate sunscreen product, at least this daily moisturizer will protect you with a decent amount of SPF while it provides skin benefits — it makes sense. For the price, it’s a bargain. *for stubborn dark spots there’s also a new & improved formula of Garnier’s Clearly Brighter Dark Spot Corrector ($16.99) which we didn’t try, but it also has Lipo-Hydroxyl Acid (LHA) plus Vitamin C & E and also pine park essence (but no SPF 30). You can find all these great Garnier products and more, in drugstores and mass-market retailers nationwide, but for more information visit the Garnier Web Site
supplement facts gorgeous hair skin and nails by Vitafusion
“Chews” Your Beauty (From Within): No one likes to swallow huge horse pills! Gummy vitamins are fun to eat as well as full of good for your body bennies. Our very favorite is Vitafusion’s Gorgeous Hair, Skin & Nails with 2X the biotin, 4X the antioxidant vitamins C & E, and 12 essential nutrients to support luxurious hair, gorgeous skin and healthy nails (5000 mcg Biotin; 90 mg Vitamin C and 60 IU Vitamin E) plus a host of other vitamins you need to keep your body healthy. The square gummies have a natural raspberry flavor. Rather than type out the entire list of ingredients, we’ve included a snip of the supplement facts (see above). we’ve compared these to other leading adult women’s gummies, and Vitafusion really impressed us with a powerhouse of ingredients every woman needs to stay healthy and strong, as well as have strong hair and nails. Compare them to the ones you take currently, and see if you’re ready to make the switch to Vitafusion. There are plenty of other Vitafusion products. We also ike Vitafusion’s Sleep Well (with 3 mg of melatonin to support sleep and help jet lag recovery, as well as passion flower, chamomile and lemon balm and a natural white tea with passion fruit flavor) and when we’ve been feeling stressed lately, we’ve treated ourselves to a few Vitafusion Relaxed Mood chews (200 mg L-Theanine to help you keep a calm mood and 1.5 mg of Zinc. with a nice mango flavor,). All of these are gluten free!
You can find Vitafusion products in a variety of mass-market retailers and drugstores. The prices vary, but the suggested retail price for a bottle of 135 Gorgeous Hair, Skin & Nails Gummy Vitamins is $25.16,, but at Walmart for example, we found Vitafusion products with prices ranging from around $6.00 to $15.oo depending upon size and Vitamin type. For more information and to find retailers near you, visit the Vitafusion Web Site
