bodycare

(From left: Principessa Cattiva Diva Silky Hand Cream
Bacio Me Lip balm,
and Dolce Dreams Whipped Body Lotion)

Principessa is a bodycare line with pink and feminine packaging, which is cute and not overly girlie, and some nice goodies to take care of your body.

Dolce Dream Whipped Body Lotion is my favorite among the three products that I’ve tried. Rich and creamy, it leaves the skin very smooth and moisturized. I also like the fact that, as with the other two products, the Body Lotion is very mildly scented. Unless I am using a body lotion from a fragrance range, I don’t particularly go for the ones with a strong scent. In this case, this one is a great all-rounder for me.

Cattiva Diva Silky Hand Cream has a lighter texture compared with some of my favorite hand creams. But it is pleasantly moisturizing and a little goes a long way. It doesn’t particularly leave the hands greasy so it is something nice to have at the desk.

Bacio Me Lip Balm works very well…on nails and cuticles. Used on the lips, it is greasy and does not absorb well. But I have found that it is a great cuticle moisturizer. I massage it into the nail and cuticle areas right before bedtime. It does leave a slightly greasy film, but I don’t mind it at all. Personally, for a night cuticle treatment, the more emollient the better. The next day, the cuticles look soft, moisturized, and pampered.

If you are looking for body products that moisturize well and look good on the shelves or if you are looking for products that don’t interfere with the fragrances you wear, these items are certainly worth a look.

Related Post:

Cake Beauty Plane Friendly Travel Kit

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(Green by Nature Starter Kit)

Judging by the name of the line, Green by Nature, it seems that it is a line that promotes all-natural ingredients. Indeed, this is one of their claims.

To be more specific, they claim that all their products are 91%- 99.9% natural and 100% paraben, sulfate, and DEA-free.

I have to say I am amazed that they are able to make this claim. It shows that no one is properly regulating the claims that cosmetics companies make.

All the six products in the Green by Nature Starter Kit have propylparaben in the ingredient lists, and five of them also have methylparaben. So none of these six products is paraben-free at all.

Personally, I am not adverse to parabens. Preservatives are essential in preventing bacterial and microbial contaminations in skincare products, especially for those that contain various extracts from natural ingredients. It is much more risky to use a contaminated product than to use one with parabens, which are considered to be less irritating than most other preservatives. Overall, parabens are a necessary evil.

Still, it is far from a precise claim that Green by Nature’s products are 100% paraben-free.

I understand why many people are specifically looking for paraben-free products. If you are one of them, products from Green by Nature are not what you want.

The Green by Nature Starter Kit includes:

Ginger Lemon Body Wash (30g)
Mint Green Tea Body Lotion (30g)
Almond Cocoa Body Butter (20g)
Banana Shea Hand Cream (10g)
Banana Shea Lip Butter (4.25g)
Peppermint Lip Shine (14g)

The ones I like are Mint Green Tea Body Lotion and Almond Cocoa Body Butter. Both leave the skin nicely moisturized. The butter-like texture of Almond Cocoa Body Butter is particularly good for dry patches.

Peppermint Lip Shine includes peppermint oil. While it can have antimicrobial properties, it is also considered to be a skin irritant (which did irritate my lips) and should be avoided in any skincare product.

If you are interested in knowing more about ingredients in cosmetics products, do have a look at these entries and article from Paula Begoun’s website, which quote and eloquently summarize unbiased independent scientific research:

parabens

DEA

preservatives

Updated on December 16, 2008:

After this review went up, I received the latest version of the Green by Nature Starter Kit along with two other tubes of Lip Glaze (formerly named Lip Shine), Cherry Mint and Strawberry Mint. The ingredient lists indicate that all the products are now paraben-free.

Like the Peppermint Lip Shine reviewed above, both Cherry Mint and Strawberry Mint Lip Glaze include peppermint oil, which, as mentioned above, should be avoided in skincare products.

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(Cake Beauty Plane Friendly Travel Kit)
(Photo: from Cake Beauty)

As packing for air travel is getting slightly trickier, many brands are coming up with ready-made solutions. Cake Beauty, specializing in hair and body products, has theirs.

Plane Friendly Travel Kit is ideal for a short weekend trip when you want to fit everything into the carry-on. It includes two bath/shower creams, two body lotions, and one hand lotion, specifically:

–Milk Made Velveteen Hand Cream
–Desserted Island Supremely Rich Bath and Shower Froth
–Desserted Island Supreme Body Mousse
–It’s a Slice Supremely Rich Bath and Shower Froth
–It’s a Slice Supreme Body Mousse
(All 66ml)
–Transparent toiletry bag (17cm x 12.5cm x 3cm, the paper fitting can be removed for total transparency)

Scent-wise:
Milk Made Velveteen Hand Cream: vanilla and milk
Desserted Island: vanilla and coconut
It’s a Slice: vanilla and orange

My favorites are the two bottles of Bath and Shower Froth. Drying shower products make my skin itch, and these certainly don’t. They both have a warm and comforting dessert-y smell. Also, the two body lotions leave the skin continuously moisturized, with long-lasting scents.

Apart from the Plane Friendly Travel Kit, Satin Sugar Hair & Body Refreshing Powder (50g) also joins the Cake Beauty line-up.

(Satin Sugar Hair & Body Refreshing Powder)

It is a talc-free (corn and silica based) powder with a vanilla scent. There are two versions: one for lighter and one for darker skin-tones (Refreshing Powder for Darker Hues).

The velvety powder is great for a quick freshen-up, especially in hot and humid weather. Used with a fluffy bronzing brush, the one for darker hues can also add a kiss of sun for lighter skin-tones.

They are actually quite handy when traveling as well!

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Other travel-friendly solutions:

Kirkland Signature by Borghese Skincare Travel Kit
Bobbi Brown Skincare to Go
Bobbi Brown Empties

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For me, handcare is almost as important as skincare. I am quite obsessed with keeping my hands clean, but, with all the washing, they can often feel dry and tight.

Gloves In A Bottle, as the name suggests, moisturizes and protects hands. According to their website, it is “a shielding lotion that rapidly absorbs into, and bonds with, the outer layer of skin creating a protective layer while retaining the natural moisture from within“.

One of the good aspects of this product is that the ingredient list is short and simple, which is great for people with sensitive skin or with skin conditions. There is no fragrance or skin irritants like certain types of essential oils. (Apart from what is listed on the website, the ingredient list on the bottle also lists M&F paraben (a preservative) as an ingredient.)

It is an effective moisturizer for the hands. Light and non-greasy, it is suitable for repeated uses during daytime (no slippery fingers). I actually use it more as a body moisturizer, as I personally prefer my hand cream to be slightly more emollient, especially for the last application before bed.

It can also be used on the face as a light-weight moisturizer.

If you have very sensitive skin (face or body), this straight-forward no-fuss lotion might be something you want to try.

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