Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

As someone who has suffered from dry, cracked hands every winter for the past, oh, as many years as I can remember, it seems I'm always on the look-out for great hand lotions. My most recent find is a good old-fashioned inexpensive drugstore find-- Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream! ($4.39 at drugstore.com)You only need a dab, and it immediately makes my hands feel soft and uber-moisturized (without feeling too greasy). And it's inexpensive enough that you can buy several tubes and keep them stocked anywhere you might need them. I unfortunately left mine in California, and I've been dying without it. I will definitely be hitting Target up tomorrow and grabbing some of this stuff.


There's also a new fast absorbing formula out, if the regular cream feels too greasy to you (it doesn't at all to me).

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers for Eyes

Several weeks ago I bought Neutrogena Mineral Sheers for Eyes in Shell ($7.99). I swear, I have used it almost every day since then! I LOVE the lighter color of the duo, I apply it to my lips and they instantly looks perked up, more awake, yet it's natural enough that it could potentially pass as no makeup at all. Last week I went ahead and bought another Mineral Sheers eyeshadow, in Stone (a purpleish duo) and have been very pleased with it, as well.

The colors are true to their name-- they are very sheer. But it's kinda nice that way, they just give a nice, light wash of color. And the staying power is pretty decent-- I put my makeup on at 8am and it's still there by mid-afternoon, and later.

I'm also partial to the packaging, with the slide-out cover. It's quite cute. ; )

Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub

There was a time when I had little faith in Neutrogena products. Since then, I have been proven wrong many times, and am now a Neutrogena convert. I love their sunscreen, their powder, their mascara, etc etc etc. So it was with high hopes that I bought their Body Clear Body Scrub($5.99 at drugstore.com).

I was pretty happy with this scrub at first. It smelled nice, it felt nice and thick, it gave a satisfyingly clean feeling. But aftr a few uses I noticed that it was harder and harder to get the scrub to squeeze out of the bottle.

Turns out that when they designed this bottle, they gave this thick scrub a teeny tiny little hole to come out of at the top! Which means that it gets easily plugged up, and is hard to squeeze out after a while. I had to unscrew the cap and rinse it out in water for a few minutes to clear it back out.

As a result, I find I don't use this scrub very often. It's a fine product, but someone really needs to re-engineer the cap so that the opening is a bit wider and the product doesn't become all gummed up (ya hear that, Neutrogena?).


BTW, Ellen over at Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint will be doing special posts all week long looking at what products different beauty bloggers have in their makeup bags. I am quite honored to be one such beauty blogger. =) So be sure to head on over to her site and check out what I and other beauty bloggers use as our favorite products!

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

If you use any sort of heat styling on your hair (or you simply have dry, delicate strands) it is imperative that you use a deep conditioner once a week. Ever since I've started using one, I've noticed that the number os split ends I get has been reduced to nearly zero, and my hair just feels softer and healthier overall.

My favorite deep conditioner is Neutrogena's Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask ($6 at drugstores). It's inexpensive, feels nice and rich going on, makes my hair feel unbelieveable soft and silky after rinsing it out, and just makes my hair feel so much nicer in general. I've briefly tried other deep conditioners to see what else is out there, but this one is by far my fave. Yet another success by Neutrogena.

I normally would have a really hard time trying to keep track of when I did x, y, or z for the week so I was initially unsure of how well I'd remember to use this conditioner once each week. What I've found really works is to use it on sunday night (or whenever night I wash my hair that's closest to the weekend/beginning of new week border). The switch from one week to the next is enough of an "event" at the end of each weekend that I can attach this little extra shower routine to it and can remember to do it a bit more easily. This is what works for me, y'all can certainly figure out what works best for you and your beauty routine. =)

Neutrogena Clean Lash Tint

My eyes can be kinda sensitive at times, and I've found that many mascara formulations will irritate them. Thus I don't wear mascara very often. But I still occasionally try to find products that will work for me, when I want that extra lash "oomph." One of my more recent tries has been Neutrogena's Clean Lash Tint mascara ($7.99 at drugstores). It promises to go on clean and clump-free, have vitamins and proteins to help keep lashes healthy, and be safe for contact lens wearers and those of us with sensitive eyes.

Upon using it I found it gave my lashes as bit of extra body, made them a bit more noticeable. It's not a huge difference, but that's kinda nice because it still looks natural (as opposed to other mascaras that leave that I'm-obviously-wearing-mascara look). And it doesn't seem to bother my eyes at all. Perhaps I'll get into the habit of using mascara more often.... ; )

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Translucent Oil Control Powder

I generally have trouble finding powder I like, and then finding something that actually matches my skin tone. That was part of the appeal when I decided to buy this Neutrogena Oil Control Powder-- The mozaic of different shades swirled together supposedly match most skin tones quite nicely. The other part of the appeal was that it was a 2-for-1 deal to buy the powder along with the Natural Radiance Bronzer. ; )

I have to say, I;ve been quite happy with this product. For someone with dry/normal skin, I seem to still have a decent amount of shine (perhaps it's just that I have a large forehead to project shine off) and this powder covers it up so well, almost completely eliminating any shine I have. I've been using it for months and been quite happy with it. In fact, even now that I;ve been using the BE Mineral Foundation as my primary foundation, I still sometimes use my Neutrogena powder on top of it because I find it controls shine better than either the mineral foundation or the mineral veil does.

I also really like the bronzer. It's easy to apply and looks natural. Both the powder and the bronzer are true to their claim of being fairly universal color matches. You may buy either product online at drugstore.com (go here for the bronzer), or at your local Target, Walgreens, or other drug store.

Sunscreen, Pt 2

Time and time again I read rave reviews in magazines, etc, about Neutrogena's suncare product lines. They are backed by most dermatologists as one of the top brands, both in the protection they provide and their feel. I've already written about my favorite Neutrogena find so far, their Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock Here's a few other gems I'm continuing to discover:

Ultra Soft Hydrating Sunblock

Photo courtesy of Ulta.com

I like that this lotion feels soft and non-greasy (which is what I love about their Dry-Touch lotion), and the fact that it comes with a pump makes it easier for me to remember to slather some on every morning as I'm getting dressed. It goes on easily and absorbs nicely, plus provides some moisture. Not to mention that you'll be protected from both UVA and UVB rays, keeping your skin healthy now and for years to come.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock

A friend of mine who has a 5 yr old girl came to visit us last summer, and she swore by this stuff-- for someone with kids, she said, it made it so easy to just spray her down quickly rather than having to spend time rubbing in a lotion sunscreen. As someone who's always been worried about my inability to reach (and put sunscreen on) my upper back, a spray is simply genius. I've only used this once, but I did notice that it sprayed nicely and dried quickly. Very cool.

Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer

Of course, we can't forget about a very important part of our body-- the face! Most moisturizers and even foundation make-ups have SPF 15 in them. I spend up to an hour outside in the sun right in the middle of the day every day, so I want something with a bit more than just SPF 15 in it. And now Neutrogena even has a facial moisturizer with SPF 30! Now I use this every morning (I use a different lotion at night, when I don't need the sun protection) and have the peace of mind of knowing that I'm helping protect myself from further sun damage.

Feel free to explore other Neutrogena products here. Neutrogena products are available at most drugstores, supermarkets, Wal-mart, Target, etc.

Remember: Even so-called "long wearing" sunscreens will only last for about 1-2 hours, so if you're going to be out in the sun for longer than that amount of time make sure you reapply every 1.5-2 hrs. This is especially true if you're going swimming! If you're spending an entire day out at the pool or the beach, you should go through one whole tube of sunscreen.

Except where noted, all photos used courtesy of Neutrogena.com

Sunless Tanners

So, now that we've established the importance of keeping clear of unprotected sun exposure and even found a wonderful sunscreen to use to achieve this goal, what are we to do about still being able to sport that lovely tan we all love to have? Because, let's face it, as much as we try to be proud of our healthy white skin, we all know a nice tan is incredibly flattering. Here's a few options for sunless tanners that I've tried over the years:

Neutrogena Build-A-Tan Gradual Sunless Tanning Lotion

I've always been a bit weary of sunless tanners, so the first one I tried last year as I began experimenting with these products was this gradual tanner, which gives you a subtle tan with each application that you can build up to being as dark as you wish. At first, I loved this stuff-- I used it after every shower and within a week had a nice glow. However I also started noticing wierd streaks.... It seemed I had a hard time putting it on my arms without getting odd lines. I couldn't figure it out. Also, it smelled kinda wierd. After a few weeks of using it I got tired of smelling like that all the time and was ready to try something new....

Neutrogena Instant Bronze Sunless Tanner and Bronzer In One Foam

The bronzer was nice because I could see exactly where I had put it, and if I'd missed any spots. Plus I had the instant gratification of a golden tan, without having to wait for the sunless tanner to "take." However, when I took a shower the next day the bronzer washed off.... and there was no residual tan left. I continued to try it a couple more times, to see if it needed to "build on itself" but still nothing.... As soon as the bronzer came off, I was back to my natural color. Quite dissappointing.

My latest attmept/discovery is this:

Dove Energy Glow Daily Moisturizer with Subtle Self Tanners Lotion

I've been totally loving Dove's new ad campaign and so have been supporting them more by buying their products more often. I was recently at Target and looking at the latest batch of body lotions with tanners mixed in and decided to go for this one. I didn't have very high expectations. I used it twice during the week after buying it, and then was pleasantly surprised to find that over the weekend I actually had quite a nice golden glow, that looked completely natural and streak-free! It also doesn't seem to have the same smell issues as Neutrogena's tanning lotion did. I like this stuff too b/c you basically use it as you would regular body lotion-- which means you can put it on anytime during the day (you do have to give it a couple minutes to dry) instead of having to wait till after you've showered and exfoliated. So far, I have been happy. We'll see how long it lasts... ; )

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock

Summer approaches. This means time spent out in the sun, time that could cost your skin sun damage that could eventually lead to wrinkles if you're lucky, skin cancer if you're not. We've all heard the stories, we all know we need to use sun protection.

I, for one, can become incredibly indecisive when trying to choose a product. Things like face wash, bath gels, and sunscreen come in so many different forms, from so many different brands, for different skin types, etc etc etc that it can be mind boggling.

Finally, last season, I found a sunscreen that I have since become intesely loyal to. I used to be weary of Neutrogena products (thanks to a bottle of Neutrogena body lotion I got years ago that actually made my skin more dry) but when I heard about their Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, and the claim that it doesn't even feel like you have sunscreen on, I had to try it.

And now, I won't use anything else. This stuff is AWESOME. It really does go on like lotion, gets absorbed and leaves none of the ickyness that sunscreen usually does. Plus, it's recommended by the American Cancer Society as being exemplary at being able to shield your skin of those nasty UVA and UVB rays. Who could ask for more?!?

My only gripe is that I have trouble spreading it on my back if I don't have anyone to help me, so I'm considering trying Neutrogena's new spray-on sunblock. I will, of course, report back when I do and let y'all know how I like it.