Although it may not seem like it, Winter is just around the corner which means that I begin my yearly hunt for something to help my skin survive the dry, cold months. You may be snickering right now if you know that I live in Southern California–the land of eternal summer. However, my skin is very sensitive and Winter is the absolute worst time for me because my skin gets dry, flaky and painful. When I start looking for moisturizers, I am looking for something that is gentle yet moisturizing. I absolutely hate products that make my skin feel greasy or that are super heavily scented, so that eliminates a lot of products. Recently, I got the opportunity to try two new moisturizing products: Apotheke: M and Scent Bar.
Both of these brands are completely new to me so I was really looking forward to using them. First up, is Apotheke: M. Target currently carries this brand which is comprised of bath/shower gels, nourishing body cleansers, after bath tonics, smoothing body polishes and enriched body cremes. I used their enriched body cremes:
Their product line comes in 3 scents: Coconut Jasmine, Mandarin Guava and Blackcurrant Fig. I was a little wary of the two scents I received because I am extremely sensitive when it comes to bath & body product scents. Mandarin Guava was the one I was most concerned about because, while I looooove to eat guavas, their scent is incredibly overwhelming. Have you ever had a ripe guava in your home and suddenly EVERYTHING smells like guava? Fortunately, the main scent I picked up was the mandarin. It has a sweet citrus scent that isn’t overbearing. The coconut jasmine scent has a stronger sweet coconut scent and I can’t really pick out the jasmine. Both of these body cremes are very thick and silky. I used them mostly on areas that need extra moisture like my elbows and knees. I also used them on my hands after swatching nail polish because that’s when my hands are at their worst after using acetone products. The cremes took a bit to soak into my skin so I found that applying them right after showering helped the products seep into my skin. After a week, I did notice softer, more moisturized skin!
Next up is Scent Bar’s Shea-Intense Body Butter. Scent Bar’s product line at Target is fairly new and have 4 fragrances: Cabana, Forbidden, Blush and Sunswept.
Cabana has notes of coconut, Tahitian vanilla and papaya so it is quite a summery and beachy scent. This body butter was also very thick and creamy; I also used it to smooth out and moisturize the skin on my knees, elbows and feet. I actually found that I loved this product on my feet. I slathered some on, put on some socks and went to bed. When I woke up, my feet were soooooo soft.
Overall, I quite enjoyed these products. They are obviously thicker than lotions which some people may not like, but I really liked how well they moisturized my skin. My only negative is that, although the scents are nice, they were a little too much for me. I must say that I am not the average scent/perfume wearer as most scents will make me ill if they are too sweet. I asked a few people what they thought of the fragrance in these products and most said that they were not overbearing or too strong. Apotheke: M products can be purchased at Target in store and online here. Their body cremes retail for $8.99 for an 8 oz tube. Scent Bar products can also be purchased at Target in store and online. Their shea-intense body butters can be purchased for $8.99 for 6.5 oz.
Have your spotted any of these products at your local Target? What are some of your go-to winter products? What are some of your favorite bath & body product scents? Thanks for catching up with me, and I’ll talk to you soon!
**These products were provided for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**
