While I was on the East Coast, I had to resort to the generosity of the people I was staying with for bath supplies, since I couldn't bring my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and shaving cream on the plane with me (at least, not without paying to check my bag, and I wasn't about to do that!). The one really nice thing about it, though (besides how nice my housemates were), is that I got to try some products I wouldn't have otherwise. I'm just going to do all of them in this post, because I'm too lazy to do detailed reviews for each of them, but if you want more deets, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do!
Aussie Moist Shampoo and Conditioner
This is one of those products that is really well liked by huge volumes of people. It's lightly moisturizing but doesn't weigh hair down, which makes it a good choice for many types of hair. My hair, however, being fine and curly, goes crazy in humidity, and this shampoo-conditioner combo just didn't cut it. I found the shampoo didn't lather as much as I like, and I had to use a lot of the conditioner to detangle (that's pretty much always the case, though). I wish it had more heavy moisturizers, honestly, because my hair tended to grow 3 sizes whenever I stepped outside. On the upside, it was nice and soft, but still: '80s-style poodle puff isn't my best look. $3-$5 for 13.5 oz, from drugstores
Skintimate Shave Gel
My usual choice for shaving lubricant is Gilette for men, because a) it's cheap and b) it lasts forever, but I'd been hearing such good things about Skintimate for so long that I was really glad to get to try it. There's not a whole lot to say; it was nice for shaving, it didn't have irritating smells or make me tingly in more private areas, and I just love how shaving gels morph with the addition of water and friction. Wouldn't buy it myself without a coupon, but that's just my approach towards shaving gels in general. $1-$3 for 7 oz, from drugstores
Aveeno Positively Nourishing Calming Body Wash
Aveeno's a brand that I've always had good experiences with, but is just a bit too expensive for me most of the time. This body wash, though, is fantastic––it foamed up beautifully without a bath pouf or loofah or anything, and it smelled lovely and relaxing. I'll definitely pick it up the next time Aveeno goes on sale.
Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash
This stuff is thick. I think it would work better with a bath pouf, but using just my hands, it didn't lather up very well, and it took so much effort to get out of the bottle that I usually opted for the bar soap instead, even though it dried my skin out. I've used other Dove body washes to great effect (I loved their Ultra Rich Cream Oil Body Wash in Rosewood and Cocoa Butter; using it in the shower last winter completely precluded needing to put on lotion, even in the cold and dryness of Philly), but I would pass on this particular one. $5-$7 for 24 oz, from drugstores
Image from Temptalia
NARS Deep Throat Blush
Slightly less famous than its equally racy cousin, Orgasm, Deep Throat is recommended for paler skin as it's less pigmented, less sparkly, and has more pink (though it is still a peachy pink with gold shimmer). All I can say is, how on earth is Orgasm more pigmented?! This stuff packs a punch, let me tell you. You just need the barest tap of a blush brush (the one I borrowed was very dense, unlike the E.L.F. one I use usually, so I'm not sure how that would alter the application) for richly colored cheeks. I've used it before, so I knew, in theory, how to apply, but I still felt like I put on too much. It lasts all day and then some, and the fact that you don't need very much helps soften the blow of price. A lovely color, but I think I fare better with less pigmented products––more forgiving towards faulty application, as I'm wont to do! $27 for 0.16 oz, from Sephora and NARS, among others
Lancome Hypnose Mascara
Okay, a couple things: 1) Don't share mascara. Just don't. It's generally agreed to be unhygienic and extremely risky. Also, do as I say and not as I do. For what it's worth, I've known L since we were 7, which I took as a sign that it's totally okay to use her mascara for one day. Also also, I only brushed the tips of my lashes, so that should cut down on the risk of contamination (still, don't do it). 2) I'm not a mascara aficionado, and tend to avoid it. I made an exception this day because I didn't have my eyelash curler and wanted to minimize my cow lashes (point straight down, thanks for that analogy, N!) and because I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to try a new mascara! Hypnose is extremely popular, and gives dramatic lashes with minimal clumping, but you pay for the privilege! As noted above, I only used it on the tips of my lashes (no more than half-way down), so I can't really speak to its volumizing properties. What I can say is that it lasted all day on me without flaking or smearing, it didn't clump in the least (I only did one coat), and it gave my lashes a bt of curl, enough so that I looked somewhat awake. I wouldn't buy it myself just because I wear mascara so infrequently, but it seems to be a good option if you like dramatic lashes. $25 for 0.22 oz, at Sephora and department stores
And, a bonus product I brought with me:
Tresemme Extra Firm Control Mousse
I hoped this would be sufficient to control my hair but not make it crunchy; unfortunately, it failed in both regards. I ultimately decided that the poodle frizz look was preferable to the crunchy weirdness the mousse gave me (and, to his everlasting credit, the boy never made fun of my magical growing hair). $4-$6 for 10.5 oz, from drugstores
Have you tried any of these? What did you think? What products have you discovered through the generosity of others?
