Product Reviews: Beauty and Kid Wash

Betting on this 'miracle cream.'

I'm practically bathing in this stuff nowadays. I wish I had done the research to determine if StriVectin-SD is really so much better than Mederma for the treatment of early stretch marks. The latter is way cheaper. Right now I've got three red lines near the dark disc that used to be my belly-button. I'm praying they will later invert, but for now I'm treating them. It's day two and I don't see any changes, but StriVectin doesn't promise anything noticeable for 4 weeks.

My Clinique dream team.

Every two years I restock my skin supplies. I've used Clinique for the longest time, but am thinking about Origins for my daily foundation. I will stand by my SuperDefense cream, though. It's amazing. It provides SPF protection without feeling greasy. I pounced on the mini-kit special and got all this other free stuff, too. -Laser repair, under-eye treatment, mascara, eye shadows, moisture surge and tinted lip moisturizer (not shown). I also purchased that little tub of black eye liner shown on the left. It too is a cream and comes with a tiny brush. I think if you have very fine features, you're better off with one of those micro-eyeliners, but for me this is perfect. It goes on easily and stay on all day.

Forget what you knew!

We were given a bunch of Johnson & Johnson supplies when our son was born and we finally spent the last drop. Knowing that the next head-to-toe wash I'd purchase would be used on my 3 year-old and newborn, I decided to give this one more thought. I didn't want to buy something very expensive or difficult to find, so I found myself at Target. This product, Shea Moisture, was definitely more costly by the ounce than the standard stuff, but it had the lowest toxin profile (note: California Baby recently changed their formula!). It's all natural, and has fancy ingredients like shea, frankincense, and myrrh.

The price difference still gave me pause (seriously, I think people thought the preggo lady had decided to build her nest in Aisle 3), but the label says it only takes a dime-sized amount to fully bathe a baby, so I eventually told myself it would all work out. The funny thing is, the scent also made me wonder if this was the right choice. You see, it smells good. Really good. Like something you'd get from L'Occitane. The problem was that we've been so conditioned to associate "that new baby smell" with Johnson and Johnson's yellow stuff that it's hard to wrap your brain (or nose) around anything else.

Well, I'm glad I took a chance on this one. It feels luxurious and cleans well. Plus, the no toxin thing is definitely a plus.