Best Drugstore Beauty: St. Ives Hydrating Vitamin E Moisturizing Body Wash

St. Ives keeps capturing my attention at the drugstore. They have so many nice products. This fabulous, moisturizing cleanser for the body is one of them! When I saw "Vitamin E" on the front label, I knew it had to be good, and I was right. It is!

St. Ives Hydrating Vitamin E Moisturizing Body Wash (about $4 for 18 oz) rejuvenates while it cleans. It has a luscious tropical, fruity fragrance that makes a necessary bath or shower a pleasure. It's enriched with natural ingredients, such as vitamin E, oatmeal, vanilla, citrus, and soy milk, specially formulated to replenish moisture and leave your skin soft and hydrated. This cleanser starts the process of adding daily moisture. You can follow up with your favorite moisturizer or try another St. Ives favorite, St. Ives Intensive Healing Moisturizer, to seal in that moisture!

When you bathe, which can be drying, you want to start the process to re-hydrate your skin. St. Ives Hydrating Vitamin E Body Wash is full of nutrients, but not animal ingredients, parabens, or phthalates (good stuff in, bad stuff out). It's packed with the natural antioxidant, vitamin E, to infuse your skin with protective moisture as it cleanses.

This cleanser can by used with your hands or a sponge, washcloth, or pouf. Work it into a nice creamy lather and them rinse. It will have done its thing. A simple way to start the day! There are 10 body washes offered by St. Ives. Vitamin E was my choice, but you can also consider others like Soy Milk and Lotus Blossom, Cucumber Melon, and Oatmeal & Shea Butter. See all of them at the St. Ives Web site.

One really nice thing about this - beyond the "experience" - is the nice big container. You can use this body wash lavishly without worrying about waste. It has earned its "best drugstore beauty" label!

I bought mine at CVS. You can find St. Ives in large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Meijer, Walgreens, CVS, Albertsons, Savon Drugs, Kroger, Winn Dixie, HEB, Publix, and Ulta Cosmetics - all of which carry a selection, but not all, of the products. Some online stores have them too. Oh, and I forgot to tell you: St. Ives products are made with all natural ingredients!

Photo courtesy of St. Ives

Best Drugstore Beauty: St. Ives Facial Exfoliators

St. Ives, a drugstore staple, is famous for its Apricot Body Scrub. The company also makes facial exfoliators, and at least two are top-notch. Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion ($7.99 suggested retail) will exfoliate all but the most sensitive skin gently and effectively. Fresh Skin Moisturizing Olive Scrub ($7.99 suggested retail), is a bit more moisturizing.

St. Ives advertises that both products are gentle enough for daily use, and someone who suffers from oily or combo skin or frequent blemishes might want to try using one of these every day or every other day. If you have sensitive skin, once or twice a week should be just fine (and massage in gently!).

Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion is formulated with fine mineral crystals to scrub and lots of ingredients to soothe, including chamomile, vitamin E, glycerin, and jojoba esters. Olive oil sets The Fresh Skin Moisturizing Olive Scrub apart from its sister scrub. Otherwise, the ingredients are fairly similar.

To use either, just moisten your face with water and apply the product with your fingertips, massaging gently over your entire face. The mineral crystals can be rough if you massage too vigorously. Definitely keep it out of your eyes.

I think I bought mine at CVS, but you can find St. Ives products at many drugstores and supermarkets - also at Wal-Mart and Target. You can also buy St. Ives online at Drugstore.com and Amazon. I found the best price today at Drugstore.com.

The company's commitment to nature is serious, and I like that.

• No parabens or phthlates
• Natural ingredients: exfoliants, extracts, moisturizers, and vitamins
  
• Never tested products on animals and no animal ingredients
  
• Sourced from environmentally sustainable vendors
• Eco-friendly packaging
• Customers are encouraged to recycle empty containers

All this for less than $8!

Photos courtesy of St. Ives

St. Ives Olive Cleanser

Olive Oil is turning up everywhere! Yesterday, I spotted this Olive Cleanser by St. Ives on a special display at CVS. Because there are so many new high-end olive oil products, I had to try it. It even rang up on sale ($3.33). You can't beat that price!

St. Ives products are natural. Not only that, they encourage their customers to recycle the packaging. You can find St. Ives in large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Meijer, Walgreens, CVS, Albertsons, Savon Drugs, Kroger, Winn Dixie, HEB, Publix, and Ulta Cosmetics - all of which carry a selection, but not all, of the products. Some online stores, such as Drugstore.com have them too. I think we have the US covered with that list.

Here's what I liked about the product - even before I tried it.

• With all natural anti-oxidants
• Non-irritating
• Dermatologist-tested
• 100% natural extracts
• Formulated without parabens and phthalates
• Does not contain animal ingredients
• Not tested on animals

You can read about the company's natural commitment at this link.

Right before bedtime, I used the cleanser as directed by wetting my face with water and massaging the cleanser into my skin. The rinse off was fairly quick - you can feel when you have removed it. The scent was very pleasant, and it was gone when I had completely rinsed. My skin felt nice and soft - not at all stripped. The verdict? Thumbs up! I like it and now have to figure out how I can fit yet another nice cleanser into my bathroom. Perhaps this one will find its way to the shower, where I will use it in the morning.

St. Ives makes lots of skin care products. You may be familiar with their well-regarded Apricot Scrub or their Mineral Therapy In-shower Exfoliating Body Polish. If you are looking for great drugstore beauty products, check out their Web site.

Photo courtesy of St. Ives.