**REVIEW** J.R. Watkins Daily Moisturizing Lotion

Don't you love it when you are having a rough day and something good and unexpected happens? That's why I'm in a better mood tonight than I was when I woke up this morning.

I won't go into why my day started out so crappy, but it got worse when I had to make an emergency run over to Walmart to get some clog buster for the bathroom. I am telling you, this week just started and it is trying to be a doozy.

Anyway, I get over to the store and have to search 3 shelves to find the correct product to clear the drain. So many choices! And I noticed a white bottle that looks out of place among all the Drano, Liquid Plumber, Mr. Plumr, etc., and decided to take a peek. It sure didn't belong on the cleaning aisle:

Man! Talk about flashing back to my younger years!

The last time I saw anything other than extract and some spices from the Watkins label was... well, never. I do remember one of my aunts or someone using a salve that might have been from Watkins but, mostly, I remember all the cakes and gravies that my mother and her friends made using a Watkins product. (I especially can recall the vanilla extract that I was taught to use with baby powder as a fragrance!)

Since some other shopper had obviously put this bottle of lotion down in the wrong part of the store, I had no idea how much it might cost. I put it aside in my basket, thinking that I would just do a price check later. I had some other items to pick up - you know how it is: since I was there - and was already thinking I was going to go over the daily budget.

Guess what good and unexpected thing happened next? When I was slipping my phone back into my purse, I found a twenty stuck in the side pocket. Found money! That almost never happens to me. First thing I did was get tickled and make some other shoppers give me the side eye. I was thinking about a joke a comedian told about Bill Gates: "For someone that rich to get excited about finding forgotten money in a coat pocket, they'd have to find something like four million dollars!" No doubt.

Well, found money or no, I should have tucked it back into the purse until another rainy day, but... There was that lotion.

Maybe it was nostalgia, but I just had to have that lotion. Of course, my sneaky behind was going to try to free the pump and sample it right then and there. You know, just in case I hated it or something. I couldn't be smooth enough about getting the pump turned open, so I just went ahead and bought the bottle. One thing about Walmart, they don't mind doing refunds. Trust me, I know.


Once I got the lotion open. I was so happy that I had splurged some of my found money. The smell alone took me right back to my mother's kitchen on the days she'd make one of her lemon meringue pies. I never even liked those pies that much, but the smell...!!! Heavenly. Come to think of it, that's probably why I like lemon-scented candles so much.

Of course, the thing with scents and fragrances in moisturizers is that they might be overwhelming or - even worse - they might irritate the skin. Lord knows, I don't need that. I already have a rash on my ankles that my doctor is going to be checking out at my next appointment.

I made sure to test this lotion on one arm first. The smell, lovely as it is, doesn't really linger as strongly as it applies. I'd say that it evens out to faint and almost vanilla-tinged odor after about five minutes. The lotion actually moisturizes like a heavier cream formula and left a subtle wax-softness that would make my touch feel pleasant to someone else.

The one thing that puzzles me is the label's statement about the lotion being "99% natural".

no parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol or dyes.

Looking at the label of ingredients, I can't really discern what isn't natural until I squint. I think it must be the acetate they are talking about. Or maybe one of the other ingredients mentioned near the end of the list?

What I do know is that this feels so good as an all-over moisturizer. You know that wonderful feeling you get after a shower when you jump into freshly laundered sheets? Well, that feeling ramps up a notch if you're all smoothed up and smelling good with this lotion.

Another nice thing about the lotion is that the moisture does last. I didn't pay much attention at first but, when I washed my hands about an hour or so after applying, I could feel the lotion coming off in the water. Later, I did try to pay attention to how long it lasted and I know that it lasted at least another three hours (maybe more), but then I had to wash my hands again. The lotion that I applied to the rest of my body was fine all day - meaning I wasn't dry that evening. I can tell by how dry my calves are. Usually, depending on the weather, I might have to re-apply some moisture (usually one of my oils) to my legs at least once or they will be a bit dry at bedtime. I think that's because my jeans rub against them.

Because this lotion brought back so many memories of J. R. Watkins products, I had to go take a peek at their website. I downloaded a catalog and for my niece's upcoming birthday, I'm going to get some of the extracts and laundry soap. That doesn't sound like an exciting birthday gift, but she also remembers my mother (her "Grammy") using Watkins stuff. I think she will be pleased with the gift basket.

When my niece gets to try some of the other products, I will be sure to come back and do a post on them.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Invivo Fractionated Coconut Oil

This is another fractionated coconut oil (FCO) that I got to try out. I love trying various brands of the same kind of product, just so I can compare them. I've lost count, but I think this is the fourth FCO I've used.

pretty plastic bottle

By now, you all know what I like about FCOs: that there's no fragrance, don't have to worry about staining clothing, and that it makes a great carrier for other essential oils. FCOs are so multi-use in skincare and beauty routines - not to mention that some people love what it does for their hair.

mfg/shelf dates

Basically, when picking an FCO, the only thing to worry about is quality and price. Of course, like with anything, you can expect to "get what you pay for", and there have been some poor quality oils out there. However, FCOs are not generally expensive anyway. This particular brand does have the qualities of a good oil: it's clear and pure of additives. By the way, InvivoEssential website offers a 100% money-back guarantee. (And, of course, via Amazon, customers get a standard warranty with anything unless otherwise noted.)

So then, the last thing I came down to with this one is the price. With my Amazon Prime membership, I would still be paying almost 3 times the price of a comparable oil (also with the Prime price).

Bottom line, this is a good quality oil, but there are other FCOs out there more in my personal price range.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Derma Roller System

This was one review that I was a little frightened of once I saw the actual product. The Derma Roller System is a skin care product device that is meant to

"naturally stimulate collagen and elastin in the skin to promote healthier skin cells"

Also, use of the Derma Roller is promoted as being able to "treat common problems such as wrinkles, skin hyperpigmentation, scars (including acne scars), uneven skin, stretch marks and even hair loss." Please remember all that for later in the review...

This is the device -

1.0mm needle length

Those little "teeth" on the rolling part at the top? Small as they are, those made me nervous - much the way toddlers can do. Those needles are tiny and the length you choose are based on how you plan to use the Derma Roller: 0.5 - 1.0mm for face; 1.0mm (and up) for body; 0.5mm for hair.

Thank goodness I chose the right size for either face or body! Once I saw the device, I decided a body treatment was the way to go. No way am I rolling those little needles on my face! I'm sure there are people with more guts, but I'm just a chicken about scratching, poking, or doing anything the slightest bit invasive to my facial skin.

Even the Roller is not huge

Since I decided to do a body treatment, I wanted to start with a "test" area. My legs could use some work. They look lots better now but, after losing weight, I could use a little help in the skin tone.

I prepared for my first treatment and immediately ran into issues with the directions and the other item included in the package. There are only 2 items in the packet - the Roller and this "Purederm" mask of mysterious uses.

A mask comes *with* it? Well, duh!

Let me say this: I can be excited about almost anything that is described as "Soothing. Relaxing. Moisturizing." The thing is, from what I can tell, that mask has not one thing to do with the Derma Roller Treatment.

Oh. Wait! I might be wrong...

 Item Number 2 of the instructions (for the face treatment) indicate placing "one sheet of Peptide Mask" on your face for 10 minutes.

Nope. Not wrong. The mask they included is not the mask they are referencing.

Oh boy.

As I continued reading the instructions, I realized that it wasn't just the Peptide Mask that wasn't included. Depending on which treatment you chose, you were going to be making a store run for something.

It was at this point that I started to wonder about the effectiveness of a treatment that:

1. Claims to help stimulate collagen and elasticity to my face, but instructs me to purchase collagen, peptide masks, etc.
2. Claims to help treat wrinkles, etc., but instructs me to purchase a "nutrient rich" lotion; and
3. Claims it can help treat hair loss, but instructs me to purchase Minoxidil at my pharmacy.

I didn't expect to have to go shopping

Why wouldn't I just purchase all those things in the first place and skip this Derma Roller treatment?

Could it be that the wording promoting the Derma Roller is just twisted around? Maybe they should inform potential customers that use of the Roller enhances the use of other skin and hair products? 

I don't know.

This all put me off a little. I didn't expect to have to round up a bunch of other products in order to use this one. You know?

At any rate, I went ahead and tested the Roller on a spot on my leg. I used my own "nutrient rich" lotion after and the results aren't in yet. I do know that I'm very glad I tested this NOT on my face. My leg tingled for about an hour after the treatment. I don't know if it was a cell-renewing tingle or not, but it's not a tingle I'd want on my face. Other than that tingle, which started about 10 minutes after treatment, I can't see any real difference. 

I even marked the treated area on my leg

Maybe I'm not supposed to see immediate results, but I don't think I will be using this device again. I'll just stick to my nutrient rich lotion.

If you want to know more - because I only tried the one treatment - this is the website for the Derma Roller System. You can try the product for 60 days, risk-free, with their guarantee.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW* Adovia Dead Sea Bath Salts (UPDATED)

Since I have tried (and mostly love) many Adovia products, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one:

INSERT PHOTO

Ta-da! Adovia's Dead Sea Bath Salts.

Nice, big, 1.75lb pouch. At least I could tell that was the weight when I weighed the bag for myself. You see, there was no label indicating the weight on the package. I also had to rely on the product page to get any information on how best to use the salts.

But.

Once I did get the information...

"The mineral rich salts of the Dead Sea are wonderful to use when attempting to naturally soothe aches and pains from dry skin disorders, joint pain disorders, and muscle pain disorders. They're also great to use when unwinding from a long stressful day or week and your body has been overexerted. Salts of the Dead Sea have been used for centuries to provide soothing relief and now you get to enjoy the benefits of the Dead Sea, too! Use them to sooth painfully dry skin due to Psoriasis, Dermatitis, or Eczema. Use them to relax after a long day at work. Use them to sooth overexerted muscles after a long workout at the gym. And you could even use them to sooth pains from Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. This natural muscle soother is even perfect to use when creating a spa like setting in the comfort of your own home. All you have to do is set the mood in the room where you plan on soaking in the Dead Sea salts, fill the tub, pour in the salts, soak and enjoy. Using Dead Sea salts to soothe dry skin, joint and muscle aches and pains is a fast, effective, and natural way to find relief. Did you know that you can soak in a tub full of these natural salts and warm water to find relief from stress and insomnia as well? Directions for Use of Dead Sea Bath Salts 1. To use these natural bath salts, simply pour 1 cup of salts into a bath tub that is filling with warm water or that has already been filled with warm water. 2. Allow the salts to dissolve before getting in to the bath tub. 3. Get into the bath tub, relax and soak for about 20 minutes. 4. Follow-up with a warm rinse. Dip your body into a Dead Sea salt enriched bath tub every evening before retiring to bed, or at the end of a very long week at work. Use them every day or as needed. The choice is yours. One thing's for sure, regardless of how often you use these naturally soothing bath salts you'll never regret their investment thanks to the many rewards you'll discover." (straight from the product page at Amazon)

...I was happy to see that the salts "Contain absolutely zero additives, colors, or scents. Higher Level of Minerals and Relief than Epsom Salts", but I was still curious about the "over 26 essential minerals the body needs for natural soothing and relaxation" and such. I want a list of the minerals.

If something has great ingredients and there are different ways to use a product, I want to know without having to do a lot of research. Basically, with this product, I wish that all the information had been printed on a cheap piece of paper and slipped inside the bag of salts. Or taped to the back. Or stapled to the bag. Something. You know? (I'm having issues lately with products not coming with adequate information included. Just a peeve of mine.)

Anyway, I don't suffer from any serious skin conditions and I don't (thank goodness) have problems such as Arthritis or Fibromyalgia. What I do have is (selfishly) a love of soft skin. And feet that are more high maintenance than a trophy wife.

Now, my feet are doing better (thanks to a nifty little item I found at a local store, but that's for another post), but I decided to treat them with a soak using these salts. (Okay, here's the deal: I already had a shower today and I'm too lazy to do the whole-body bath thing this late at night.)

So... I tested the salts on these troublesome dawgs of mine. Since I was just doing my feet (and using a foot tub), I went with a quarter cup of salts dissolved in very warm water. I soaked my feet for about 15 minutes. I would have gone the whole 20, but my phone battery was going low and I was expecting an important call. Whatever. 15 minutes or so was apparently good enough because, wow. My feet came out so soft. Actually, I got my feet and ankles, which is good because the backs of my ankles get so dry and irritated from my footwear that the skin is always flaky. (And now you know too much.)

I don't know and cannot tell you if these salts work for the more serious issues addressed in the product description but, baby, if you want something to soften your skin - well, these salts will do it. My feet are like the go-to part of my body for testing a product! If these can soften my feet, well...

Another benefit to these salts is that they actually softened the water. When I lived in Arizona (and some parts of Texas), the water was so hard that you could almost beat someone with it. Here in Alaska, we have some of the best water in the world, but these salts did give the water a soft and almost silken feel. That's going to be heavenly when I take a nice, long bath.

If I have one caution, it's this: I know that some people use Epsom salt to get rid of excess water (by ingesting or by soaking). If these salts do the same thing, just take precaution when using. Besides, I'm not sure what all 26 minerals are involved.

Adovia is great about standing behind their products, but I didn't see any kind of guarantee on the product page. However, this is set at a great price (about $12) for such a hefty bag of salts.

Enjoy!

Peace
--Free

P.S.: The temps here have been sticking at single digits here for the past several days. I have a nasty cold and the chills, so I took a nice, hot soak in the tub last night. Added about 1 cup of the bath salts and fell asleep for about 40 minutes. (Yes, 40 minutes. No kidding. When I woke up after the first 25 minutes, I just added more hot water.) The rest of my body love these salts as much as my feet do. One other thing I noticed: when I moisturized right afterwards -and promptly went to bed - my skin stayed better hydrated throughout the whole night. I don't bathe often in really warm water because it's not good for my skin and I have to double-down on the moisturizer. This bath was long and warm, but I made it to late morning before I had to re-moisturize. Last of all, I don't think I slept any better than usual, but the bath was relaxing.

**UPDATE** I forgot to add something. This tends to leave the skin ashy and dry. Make sure to rinse your body thoroughly and moisturize very well after using.

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Body Merry Cellulite Defense Cream (part 1 review)

I love my Tomoson.com! My latest product received is one that I hate to admit I need. It's a cellulite-fighting cream from Body Merry. Actually, it's their Cellulite Defense Gel-Cream. And, yes, I am in a little bit of a battle with cellulite. Not a huge battle, mind you, but... When I gained all that weight while on prednisone, I was careful to moisturize, moisturize and moisturize some more. More than I usually do. Still, now that I have lost a lot of the weight (10 pounds in three weeks, thanks to some stress), whenever I sit down, I notice a slight dimpling on my legs where that elusive "thigh gap" is supposed to be.

Because I have only been using this for couple of weeks, I can tell you that, while I haven't seen dramatic results yet,  my problem areas do look better (probably due to the extra moisturizing). I am going to need to use this product for a while longer before I can review any more definitive results, I will use this post to give you my initial impressions. In a few weeks, I will update with a "part 2" that will let you know what kind of effects I will have noticed. For now, let's take a look.

First off, you know how I am about smells, right? Well, I thought I was going to dislike the odor of this because of all the mention of "herbal" and "organic" in the product description. (I love most things herbal and organic, but the smell of such things can be tricky!)

Happily, I discovered that, while there is a slight odor, there is no stink. It reminds me of something slightly eucalyptus-y except not anywhere near as strong. Anyway, the odor dissipates by the time cream dries.

Oh, yes - it really is a "gel cream", as described on the label. It's a little bit gel-ly like. I found this out when I was careless while removing the safety seal. I almost dumped out some of it when I opened and tilted the jar! This product is extremely moist. What I like about such "runny" creams is that I can usually get away with making a little bit of it go a long way. (If I don't dump it all over the floor in a klutz move...)

Because I recently lost my glasses (long story), I was not able to read the complete list of ingredients on the jar, but I found this on Amazon:

Some of our KEY ingredients are: Caffeine + Retinol + Algae Extract + Kelp + Dulse + Organic Cayenne + Japanese Green Tea Leaf Extract + Organic Coconut Oil + MSM + Vitamin E + Organic Sweet Almond Oil + Organic Aloe + Apricot Kernel Oil

Have to say that I like all those.

If you have or or don't need glasses, this is for you:

I have heard and read lots of information on how good coffee is for treating cellulite. I've also heard that coffee/caffeine has no effect as a cellulite treatment. If coffee is not the solution, then regularly massaging the skin with a good cream is (and this cream is excellent for that). Then there is what I'm hearing about retinol for improving problem areas. I've actually tried homemade coffee scrubs (messy, sooo messy!) and, like I've mentioned, I'm diligent about moisturizing regularly. I'd rather drink my coffee for kicks and use a body product that makes less of a mess in the shower, so this cream could be just the thing.

I have used the cream almost every day so far, massaging it into my thigh area twice a day. At first, I was worried about whether or not there would be any tingling or stinging sensation because of the "horsetail" ingredient I'd be using for the first time. There was no unpleasant sensation and the texture of the cream really made for a nice massage.

Body Merry has a 100% money-back, "no questions asked" guarantee in case you aren't satisfied. You can find the Cellulite Defense on Amazon but, so far, the only product on the Body Merry site itself is their Age Defense Eye Cream. I like that they ensure the testing and quality of their products. It's my opinion that most people don't use a product long enough to see promised results. In this case, there's no excuse because Body Merry will let you keep the remains of your product.

By the way, when I checked, I saw a lot of very positive reviews for the product. As for myself, I will be letting you know what my results are in a few weeks. Hang tight!

Peace
--Free

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.