Final January 2013 Reviews

As promised here are my final reviews from products I've tried in January.

Jason Power Smile Antiplaque and Whitening Toothpaste - To quote my husband - "This tastes like paint, but in a good way." :) I have to agree. It doesn't taste sweet and it's a stretch to taste the mint. However, it isn't intolerable and it really feels like it cleans well. I have to say that this may be the cleanest my mouth has felt since the dentist. Is it really working as well as I think? Guess I won't know until my next dentist visit!

Alba Botanica Very Emollient Cream Shave in Mango Vanilla - I really, really wanted to like this product. I ordered as part of a Vitacost haul and it was affordable in a large tube. It smells good and was my first cruelty free shaving cream. Unfortunately I've used it twice now and just am not impressed. Part of it is I'm used to using an aerosolized shaving cream. The texture of this product is different than what I'm used to. I didn't find it worked any better and, even worse, it keeps getting gunked up in my razor making it difficult to shave. This product just feels like an epic fail to me but I'm going to keep finding a way to use it so it doesn't go to waste. Not recommended.

Suntegrity Moisturizing Face Sunscreen and Primer - I had to wait until a sunny day when I would be outside to justify using this sample I received. I can't give a great review because I wasn't in the sun a long time and didn't wear it all day. However I can tell you what the product is like initially. I really like the premise of a sunscreen/primer. The product itself is a thick almost opaque white out of the package kind of like a lotion. It does dissolve into your skin after you apply it. Had no problems applying makeup over it. It seemed to wear very well while I had it on.

Freeman Psssssst! Instant Dry Shampoo - I found a small sample bottle of this at Ulta and snatched it up. I hate to say it but there are weeks when I am too busy to wash my hair and I hate for it to be noticeable especially at work. This is a quick alternative to washing your hair. My second experience with dry shampoo, I have used this twice so far. It does not leave a white residue like the other I have tried. I thought it worked really well to reduce the shine and increase volume. Lasted all day. I am really impressed with this product and will probably re-purchase in a bigger size.

Surthrival Toothbrush - This was included in my first Conscious Box. It's a 100% biodegradeable and BPA free toothbrush made of bamboo and biodegradeable polymer. If you compost you can throw your worn out toothbrush into your compost bin eliminating waste. It's a great idea but in practice did not work that great for me. The toothbrush is very straight (no ergonomics or fancy angles here.) It felt awkward trying to brush with it and was constantly afraid I was going to get a splinter from the bamboo handle. I finally gave up and switched back to my old toothbrush. While I won't use for a toothbrush, I will definitely use this as a cleaning brush for detailed scrubbing around the house.