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What made it into my skincare stash in March? Not much, actually, which is why I decided to add in some body care that I purchased as well. It isn’t that my body care is a well kept secret, quite on the contrary, it is just usually so basic and boring I don’t bother talking about it on here. I did purchase some face stuff as well, a repurchase and a new addition from the Balea Beauty Expert Line. Quite niche as it isn’t widely available, but in my opinion a drugstore line with quite a few gems.
For body care I (for reasons I can’t really explain) decided I no longer wanted to use the body butter I had been using faithfully for the last, I don’t know, 15 years and that I wanted to try Garnier. Why Garnier? I absolutely can’t say, I can’t even remember seeing advertisements of the brand lately, but when I was standing in store and spotted them, I decided I wanted to give them a go.
How that worked out? I will give you my thoughts in a bit.
New in from Balea Beauty Expert
I have talked about the Balea Beauty Expert Liquid Peeling (125 ml for 6,45 €, full review here) when I first got it already and said back then that I still preferred the (much more expensive) Paula’s Choice Liquid Exfoliant for my face due to the nicer texture. That still is true, but the Balea version has become my go-to for those parts of my body that are prone to breakouts. The affordable price means I am willing to liberally use it on larger areas, something that really helps with reducing workout and sweat induced body acne (More info: Body acne – here is how to treat it and The best post workout skincare), so when I ran out, I had to repurchase.
The Balea Beauty Expert Calming Toner (100 ml for 3,95 €, full review coming soon) on the other hand is new to me. I have used the Calming Serum in the past (full review here) and tried several of their toners (Review of the Expert Glow Toner here and Review of the Hydration Toner here), so my expectations are high – both the serum as well as the toners were quite good! It contains Ceramide NP (More info: The benefits of Ceramides in skincare explained) and has a lovely light texture, so first impressions are promising.
New in from Garnier
Don’t ask me why I suddenly felt so drawn to exactly this brand, I don’t think I have used Garnier body care in the past (some of their hair care a while ago, but no body care) and I can’t remember seeing it online either. I vaguely remember that Caroline Hirons used to show the red version in her Empties videos, but that was years ago. Maybe that stuck with me over the years? Whatever the explanation, I spontaneously decided to stray from the Balea Body Butter I had been using for years and buy two different versions of Garnier. There are quite a few different versions, some in a pot, some in a bottle as shown above, and all with different claims. I got the Garnier Body Urea 24h Skin Smoothing Creme-Milk (400 ml for 3,65 €), mainly because my legs get really dry in the cold and I love Urea to counteract that. Urea is one of the Natural Moisturizing Factors and can, in high enough concentrations, act as an exfoliant, which is probably where the smoothing claim comes from (I don’t think the concentration is in the appropriate level though). The downside to Urea is the scent, but as the lotion is fragranced, this is not an issue here. It smells of lily of the valley in my opinion, but subtly, and I like that a lot. My body feels well hydrated, non sticky and that hydration survives a day in the cold air, so I can safely say I am a fan.
The second one is the Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Caring Lotion (400 ml for 3,65 €) with mango oil. I am not sure why it is called Intensive 7 Days as I personally find it less intense in terms of hydration as the one with Urea, but it has a lighter texture and a nice, fruity scent (I wouldn’t have guessed mango, but I am really bad with scents), which is why I have been reaching for it now that we have had some warmer days.
In summary I am impressed by both and can see myself sticking with them in the future (or at least until another mysterious urge to change grabs hold of me). As there are so many other options to try, let me know of you have a favorite you think I should get?
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