skoah skin juice body lotion

I received a 1oz bottle of this lotion as my "bed treat" from a facial last year at Skoah.  I finally got around to trying this out early in the new year (as I'm still slowly whittling down my collection of makeup and skincare products). 

According to Skoah's website, this is their most popular body lotion.  The formula contains sea kelp algae, mango, and shea butters, which all sounded pretty standard for a moisturizer.

I used this on my hands and arms before going to bed.  The lotion, being a lighter consistency, went on smoothly and absorbed quickly.  This is consistent to the other Skoah lotions I have tried out in the past.  However, what makes this lotion different (to me, at least) was the scent: it has a sweet honeydew scent to it (almost like Skoah's Hydradew mask), but there was an almost rancid smell to it.  Instead of a burst of freshness, it smelled like I had smeared some honeydew that was going bad on myself.  And the smell lingered.  I was still wrinkling my nose at it in the morning.

Verdict: I love most of the Skoah products that I've tried, but if you've read my reviews, you know that the scent of a product alone is enough to deter me from repurchasing or even finishing it off.  I will not be purchasing a full-sized version of this product.  ~8oz bottle, C$15.

*I did not take a photo of my sample-sized bottle, so this is the full-sized version off Skoah's website.

   

blistex lip vibrance

Ever the sucker for new lip products, I picked up this one on a recent trip to Walmart.  Blistex Lip Vibrance is a sunscreen (SPF 15) and lip protectant with a slight tint.  The manufacturers thoughtfully included a mirror on the cap (not shown in photo below, but I assure you it is there!), but I found the colour to be so subtle that I didn't need to the mirror to apply it. 

I really liked the consistency of this product.  It's less waxy than the "regular" Blistex offerings and it goes on smooth.  It has a faint cherry scent and no discernable flavour (thank goodness!).  What I really loved about this product, other than the SPF, was the colour: the rosy pink tint was great for pulling off that natural look.  Because the colour is subtle, I'm pretty sure it would look okay on just about anyone.  Like most lip balms, this one's staying power will go as far as your next snack/meal/drink, but because the application is so goof-proof, I will happily reapply as required.

Verdict: sun protection, moisturizer, and a little kick of colour all in one works for me!  I will definitely be repurchasing this item in the future.  ~3.69g stick, C$3.50

 

skiin soothing & smoothing eye cream

I received a 3ml sample of this product from an earlier Beauty Box 5 (please don't ask me which one - the past half year or so has been a blur).  I usually don't pay much attention to eye creams and other anti-aging products, but since I seem to have aged terribly over the past year (apparently, having kids can do that to you), I decided it's about time I jump on the anti-aging bandwagon.

When I first saw the sample, I was a tad disgruntled at how small it was.  However, since you only need a dab of eye cream everyday, this little tube lasted for 9 days for me (probably could have lasted longer if I cut open the tube and got at the last bits with a cotton swab).  I only applied this product on at night, although the website recommends that this be used twice a day.  The eye cream has a nice consistency - it's thick without being gunky, so it smoothes on easily.  This product is pretty much unscented.  I say "pretty much" because when I put the cream right up to my nose, I can detect a very faint medicinal smell (but very faint).

According to the product website, the following are the key benefits of this eye cream (not unlike the other eye creams available on the market):

• Helps reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles
• Peptides modulate muscle synapses for line and wrinkle reduction
• Helps stimulate collagen production
• Helps whitening for a uniform complexion

In terms of efficacy, I did not notice any significant changes to my eye area after using this product, but that is not uncommon for having only used it for less than a week and a half.  However, I always had this dry patch on the bridge of my nose and the eye cream seems to have taken care of it quite nicely.  I also like that this cream did not cause whiteheads/milia around my eye area, which other eye creams have done in the past.

Verdict: I would definitely consider purchasing the full-sized version of this product (once I get through my other beauty box samples).  ~15ml tube, US$49.95 (currently on sale for $29.95 through the skiin online store)

*I did not take a picture of the sample I received, so this image is of the full-sized version from skiin's website