Review: LAVANILA The Healthy Deodorant

Ahh! The feeling of finding a product that a favorite YouTuber has been raving about and is also under 10$ in Sephora :-) I don't know about you, but I feel victorious; more so when this happens during Sephora's once-in-a-blue-moon sales :-) I am talking about the LAVANILA The Healthy Deodorant.

I bought the travel size product of The Healthy Mini Deodorant in Pure Vanilla at $6 for 0.90 oz. (25 g) during Sephora's 15% spring sale. You can also find it in Lavanilla website. The regular size costs $14 for 1.7 oz. Right now they have a gift set which comes with 2 of these travel size Pure Vanilla deodorants at $14.

First of all, how elegant is the packaging! Simple, classy and quite sturdy! I love the colors of the bottle too! Plus it is a natural product, which is always good thing. As mentioned in their website there are "no Parabens, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Silicones, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oils, Synthetic Dyes, Sulfates, Chemical Sunscreens, or Aluminum". The scent is to die for! It's very relaxing, moderately sweet and peaceful. (Well, I am not particularly great in describing scent-notes :-) ). It's a white solid type of deodorant; glides on very smoothly, takes just a minute or two to dry and does not transform to the clothing. The longevity is not super impressive though! It gives me decent wear time during my normal work hours or when I am running just a few errands. Based on my experience, I don't think it will be 100 % effective for long time wear during heavy-duty tasks!!   

Lavanilla has different types of deodorent with vanilla as the base scent e.g. Vanilla-grapefruit and vanilla lavender. I think I am going to stick with vanilla original. It's mild, peaceful and very refreshing :-) And I like the size! I have been constantly travelling for my work for last two years and I have unknowingly started to choose travel-size products over regular sized ones. 

Overall, I am definitely happy with the performance when compared against my need and will happily repurchase.What are you all's favorite deodorant? Any suggestions for me? :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Neutrogena Body Oil : The Perfect Body Moisturizer for winter!!!

Come winter and all hell breaks loose for my skin! In general, I have very dry skin and during winter it gets specially dry, parched and flaky! I really need extra help as compared to my regular moisturizer. I discovered this product soon after I came here to USA and I have been religiously using it for last 3 years! In short it is one of my HOLY GRAIL skincare products.

It's a very light-weight moisturizing oil, it is yellow in appearance. I have used both the regular and light version. I find the scent very mild, even in the regular oil! Its very mild scent, I personally don't mind it. There is a fragrance free version too. The oil absorbs quickly, non-greasy and keeps my skin hydrated a few solid hours. I love to use it right when I am out of the shower. And sometimes I do use it for overnight moisturization. 

There are two sizes; 16 fl oz. for $15.99 and 8.5 fl oz. for $7.99. The price however varies with the store. It is available in Ulta, Target, Walgreens, Walmart etc. It surely is a well-valued product. I love the packaging, its simple and sturdy. However, while travelling you really need to seal it very very tight, otherwise it spills everywhere. 

I love LOVE product. I have gone through many many tubes of this and I am sure I will be needing many more of this.What moisturizer do you use for winter? I am always interested in suggestions :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Bought it, emptied it: Philosphy's "Hope in a Jar for Dry Skin"

This is the first skincare product in "Discovering Me" and I am going to keep it short :-) Philosophy's "Hope in a Jar" is a cult-favorite moisturizer. Like every beauty enthusiast, I also feel the curiosity to check out "insanely hyped" products like this one :-) My skin is VERY dry skin; and I don’t know about others, but I am already dreading the winter. Anyway, I moved to the harshly cold Chicago from the humid south-central just before the horrible polar vortex in the beginning of the year, and that sudden change in weather left my already dry skin extremely parched! As my regular moisturizer was not cutting it, I picked up a value set especially aimed for dry skin from Philosophy (which included "Hope in a Jar for Dry Skin") hoping that they will bring back some life to my skin. While I loved the moisturizer well enough to finish off the jar (I just emptied the jar today :-) ), I will not be repurchasing it, not for now at least! That's my experience in a nutshell.

The price for 2 oz. of product is a whopping $42. You can find it in  Sephora,  Ulta, Macy's, Nordstrom, among other places and also from Philosophy website. Because I got this in a value set, I spent much less than the regular price for this particular jar. 

It has a simple, classic and effective packaging with plastic white jar and black lid! It's minimalistic; which I really like. After using and travelling with it for 3-4 months, I did see a crack on the outer side of the jar that made me question about the sturdiness of the bottle. (I swear, I have never dropped it!). Also, whenever I travel with it, the moisturizer clings onto the lining (which is unavoidable), but because the lining is cardboard it seems to absorb some of the oil from the moisturizer. I feel it compromises the moisturizing quality over time.

Now on to the product itself! Even though it's for dry skin, it is a very light moisturizer. I did not find it greasy and it really sinks into my skin comfortably. I do use my favorite “Hope Is Not Enough Facial Firming Serum” every other day in conjunction with this. When I first started using it as a daytime moisturizer during the winter months, I really hoped it would take care of all the dry patches in my skin; it did not do anything magical though! It performed well, provided me decent moisturizing but not 100% up to my expectation. Some days, I needed to reapply twice or thrice during the day! It was, however, perfect for my dry skin once summer set in. I really liked to use it when I am having good-skin days, but whenever I deviate from my regular routine and my dryness goes out of control, this just is not enough! I have to use some kind of facial oil to tackle the dryness! That is the reason why I am not very keen on repurchasing it. This might be ideal for someone who has normal skin, but what’s the point when it is meant for dry skin right? ;-) I have seen some complaints about the scent in Sephora review, but I am very comfortable with it :-) I also love that it has never given me any issue while using under makeup. 

Pros:

1. Thin and not greasy.
2. Absorbs quickly.
3. Works well under makeup.
4. Great in summer.

Cons:

1. Very steep price.
2. I personally don't like the cardboard lining in the lid. 
3. Not good ENOUGH for me during EXTREME winter.
4. The packaging on the outside cracked a bit towards the end :-( 

42$ is a lot of money to be paying for a moisturizer; so I naturally have had high hopes! Like I said I did have a pleasant time using up the entire bottle, but it did not mesmerize me enough to repurchase.

This review is ENTIRELY based on how it has worked on me! I am a strong believer of the fact that the performance of a skincare product entirely depends on the nature of the user's skin. While it was nothing miraculous for me, it might work wonders for your skin! Have you used it? If you have, what's your experience? Please feel free to share; I always appreciate your feedback! 

Love,

~Arrru