Video Review: Philosophy Cookies ‘n Creme Shower Gel
Who doesn’t love Cookies ‘n Creme? What, you don’t? Are you serious? Can you make me not like Cookies ‘n Creme, ’cause my waistline would appreciate it? I will probably do a regular review write-up for this, though I’ve reviewed so many shower gels before, and this one smells as the name describes, so there’s really nothing to report… but anyway, video! I can’t believe I spent five minutes talking about shower gel, sigh!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 27/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you like sweet scents, you might like Cookies ‘n Creme!
Shaun, aka The Tech Guy, aka my boyfriend, is here with another must-read “manly” review. He’s twenty-seven with normal-to-dry skin and suffers from no more acne (much to my envy!). Lately, he’s been smelling a lot like generic man. Which is that “man” scent I’ve come to identify with men’s body washes these days.
Shaun enjoys long walks on the beach, vegging out on the couch watching chick flicks, and cuddling with Mellan. Or maybe not! He handles all the behind-the-scenes action here at Temptalia, from tech support to server woes to being my shoulder to cry on.
So, this is going to be the most epic standoff in the history of epic standoffs. In one corner, we have the manly and slightly insecure Old Spice Swagger Body Wash ($4.49 for 12 oz.) And in the other corner, we have the pinkest of the pinks in Dial Cherry Seed Oil & Mint Body Wash ($5.49 for 16 oz.).
Names
Dial might have a history setting mark in this category. The total name of this product is as follows: Dial Nutriskin with Fruit Oil Ultra Hydrating Body Wash Cherry Seed Oil & Mint. About three of those words mean anything to me and one of them is “&.” Old Spice on the other hand is much more mundane: Old Spice Swagger Body Wash. Dial should cut down on the words, but maybe that appeals to the female crowd? Do you ladies like to read while you wash your body? I prefer to look forlornly at my stomach wondering why there isn’t a six pack of abs there.
Grade
Dial: A Bronze Star
Old Spice: A Silver Star
Packaging
Old Spice’s packaging once again employs the grips on the side where you’d never grip the bottle while in usage, and it also feature a gray dot in the middle of its otherwise mostly red packaging. I’ve been staring at this dot for an hour… WHY ARE YOU THERE DOT? WHAT’S THE POINT OF YOU?! YOU SHOULD NOT EXIST!!! On my bottle, the label is not smooth on the bottle. There’s a wrinkle on it, and it’s driving me nuts, so it gets -1 point already. Dial’s packaging shape is curvy and very feminine. I like the label with the liquid and the cherry. DON’T JUDGE ME! It has no grips on the bottle and gets very slippery when wet.
Grade
Dial: 4/5 Points
Old Spice: 3/5 Points
Lather and Smell
I’m tired of beating this dead horse about male body wash and general scents of male products, but it doesn’t smell like anything but generic man smell!@$ I wish I had a better way to describe it. Dial on the other hand smells pretty synthetic. Like someone in the lab doctored up what they think cherries smell like and threw it in a bottle. I got no mint scent from it. Both lather up nicely, but Old Spice’s bottle seems conducive to over usage due to its “manly” spout.
Grade
Dial: B-
Old Spice: B
Ingredients
These days you expect to find the declaration of independence on the back of every bottle of anything, but in this case Old Spice actually has a respectable amount of ingredients in its body wash. Dial, on the other hand, has an ingredient list that eclipses the length of the last Harry Potter book. What is also entertaining is that Dial has to use a very tiny font size to even fit the list on the bottle, while Old Spice actually uses one that is legible without a magnifying glass.
Grade
Dial: Two Thumbs Down
Old Spice: One Thumb Up, One Thumb Turned Sideways
Final Grade
Dial: 70%
Old Spice: 71%
Recommendation: I wouldn’t really recommend either of them, although, they are both serviceable, but I’m running back to my Celebrate Love Shower Gel.
I’m on Twitter (@shauntechguy), viewing of Shaun The Tech Guy’s Twitter can lead to nausea, heartburn, upset stomach, indigestion, and diarrhea. YAY, PEPTO-BISMOL! Also check out our cool Dog Blog at: Paws and Kisses.
Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Scrub ($36.00 for 12 oz.) is touted as both a body scrub and skin polish, though the two terms mean different things to me. A body scrub is a coarser product designed to help slough off dead skin cells on the skin that covers your body (which essentially excludes your face, possibly your neck), while a skin polish is a grainier, finer product that buffs and just tends to be gentler overall. Do they mean the same thing to you? I’m more curious than anything. We all have our own expectations/ideas depending on products and how they’re marketed!
The body scrub has a fresh lemony scent that’s light and not synthetic, and it’s really not a scent that will last and last post-shower. It has rather fine, grainy particles that will get the job done, but if you’re looking for a coarser scrub like your typical salt/sugar scrub, I don’t think this will be vigorous enough for you. However, if you prefer something smoother, finer, and altogether gentler (particularly if you have sensitive skin), the consistency of this product is more up your alley. Bliss calls the exfoliating piece “circular scrubbing grains,” which is good, because their spherical nature will avoid tearing the skin.
I like that my legs feel rejuvenated and more moisturized after using this product. Not all scrubs impart moisture, and I can always appreciate one that multi-tasks (though if you suffer from drier, scalier legs like me, you don’t get to skip the body butter). Depending on your budget and what you like to splurge on, Bliss’ body scrub isn’t for everyone–it can seem pricey. Personally, it takes me ten years (exaggeration!) to get through a jar of body scrub, so if it does the job I like, smells good, etc., I’m not overly concerned whether it’s $10 or $40, since I know I’m going to get plenty of use out of it. If, on the other hand, I was going through a jar a month, I’d be more wary.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
Product: 27/30
Value: 7/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you prefer gentler exfoliating products for your body, consider Bliss’ Lemon + Sage Body Scrub, which uses very fine, grain-like particles to get rid of dry skin.
Shaun, aka The Tech Guy, aka my boyfriend, is here with another must-read “manly” review. He’s twenty-seven with normal-to-dry skin and suffers from no more acne (much to my envy!). I told him to review this, and he said “Absolutely not!” in his girliest voice, and then, I was going to review it this morning… and here he comes along to steal my thunder and review it himself!
Shaun enjoys long walks on the beach, vegging out on the couch watching chick flicks, and cuddling with Mellan. Or maybe not! He handles all the behind-the-scenes action here at Temptalia, from tech support to server woes to being my shoulder to cry on.
Hello, yeah I just got out of the shower? What? Yes, I tried the new Philosophy Celebrate Love Shower Gel. How’d I like it….? Uh…. Okay, it’s the greatest fragrance I’ve ever smelt. Review it?!? Are you crazy? I’ll be tarred in feathered by the male community! What?! No! Don’t take that away! FINE, I’ll review it! What? Yeah, tacos… Okay, I love you too. No, don’t make me say that…… FINE! I love you too… snookums. Bye.
Ahem, sorry I was on the phone with Christine. This is a hard one for me, because I basically have to turn in my man pass, and never be allowed to do anything manly again. There goes spitting and scratching! Thanks a lot ladies!
Philosophy Celebrate Love is the greatest thing I’ve ever smelt. There, I said it. It smells like a sweet fruity berry, I can barely describe it. It’s flat out wonderful. If it was a food, I’d eat it everyday. I’ve reviewed the Philopsohy Shower Gel line before, and while most of their soaps make you want to eat them, this one makes you want to stand in the shower for hours frolicking in the wonderfulness that is Celebrate Love soap.
The lather is great, and the strength of the smell isn’t overwhelming, it’s just pleasantly there. Even if you fell off a ladder, stubbed your toe, broke up with your significant other, and lost your job, coming home to shower with this would brighten your spirits.
The one knock on the product is that the smell doesn’t linger for very long on your skin. Maybe my man funk cancels out the wonderfulness, but for me the smell doesn’t stay on nearly long enough.
Recommendation: Buy it in crates! Christine just informed me this is a Nordstrom exclusive… Wait, no don’t buy it! I’m going to buy it all, BWHAHAHAHA!
Yes, I’m on twitter @shauntechguy. No, I won’t call you snookums even if you follow me on there. What, that’s the only way you’ll follow me?! Fine, snookums!
Shaun, aka The Tech Guy, aka my boyfriend, is here with another must-read “manly” review. He’s twenty-seven with normal-to-dry skin and suffers from no more acne (much to my envy!).
Shaun enjoys long walks on the beach, vegging out on the couch watching chick flicks, and cuddling with Mellan. Or maybe not! He handles all the behind-the-scenes action here at Temptalia, from tech support to server woes to being my shoulder to cry on.
I haven’t used a straight razor in a long time. In fact, I tend to put off shaving as much possible. I tried Gillette’s ProGlide ($12.99) with a bit of reluctance because of the bad memories of shavings past. They came to me in the night much like the story of Scrooge. Each one was scarier than the last, but I persevered!
The main complaint I have with the straight edge is that it seemingly takes forever and is morbidly inconvenient. Maybe it was the razor, or maybe it was just the passage of time, but this was one of the quicker shaves I’ve had in a while. There’s no doubt about it, the straight edge does a far superior job than the electric razor does. This particular model came with a vibration feature, and I don’t know what it is about the term “vibration” but I feel… Dirty about it…
I used it reluctantly and induced Christine into a double blind test. How did I do this–no doubt you’re wondering–first, I did the two finger eye poke ala Ric Flair (ladies love wrestling references right?). After jabbing her eyes and doing the Ric Flair strut, I grabbed her hands and put them on either side of my face. She determined that the buzzed side was a bit smoother, and then she proceeded to point towards the ceiling. Upon observing what she was pointing at, I took a knee to the most sensitive area on a man’s body. The solar plexus.
This razor is very… Car-like (thanks reader, Proximity!): it’s chrome and has various gripping mechanisms all over its exterior. The problem with the chrome is upon getting it wet, it becomes slippery and could cause major or minor facial reconstruction upon slippage.
After three or four usages, the green strip at the top of the replaceable portion of the razor is already half white. This indicates that it is nearing the end of its lifetime. This is a bit quick for me, however, no one is forcing you to replace the cartridge, but getting only five or six shaves at full strength is a bit on the weak side.
Recommendation: It might be time to give the straight edged razor a try again electric fans. I think I’ll be sticking with it for the time being. This particular razor seems like a solid and reasonably price option. Give it a shot.
As has been said in the past, I am on twitter (@shauntechguy) and beside seldom updates, followers will receive a signed copy of my coming-of-age tale: The Tech Guy in You!*
Shaun, aka The Tech Guy, aka my boyfriend, is here with another must-read “manly” review. He’s twenty-seven with normal-to-dry skin and suffers from no more acne (much to my envy!). Can you tell he’s on an AXE kick? ‘Cause I think he maybe raided the entire shelf…
Shaun enjoys long walks on the beach, vegging out on the couch watching chick flicks, and cuddling with Mellan. Or maybe not! He handles all the behind-the-scenes action here at Temptalia, from tech support to server woes to being my shoulder to cry on.
Here marks the end of our tour of AXE products (hopefully). We’ll finish off with AXE Snake Peel Shower Scrub ($5.49). I guess what they were going for is some sort of body exfoliator, but they did not accomplish their goal. Instead of exfoliation, it feels like you’ve been to the beach and are trying to get the sand off. I assume that’s what they mean by “desert minerals,” because, once again, the ingredient list reads like Egyptian hieroglyphics. Three wavy lines means water!
AXE seems to continually mold things to be gripped in the most awkwardly way possible. Instead of the man grip of doom, they mold the bottle in a way that no mortal man could squeeze. I guess it should be called the Zeus grip, because only Zeus would be able to squeeze out any product based on the grip AXE wants you to use. Look at that, this review is turning into an Egyptian and Greek history lesson.
Smell-wise… Generic man-smell… I wonder where these smells are thought up, because every one of them smells practically identical. After heavy usage of this product, it made Christine have a sneezing fit, so I guess if you are partial to repelling women away from you, then this might be for you. This product should be used by the likes of Brad Pitt and that guy who plays the lead in Twilight–Edward Von Vampiro or whatever his name is.
Recommendation: Useful if you’ve never used a real body exfoliant. Not that I’d know anything about that… *whistles* …. *runs*
Just in case you haven’t heard, I’m on twitter (@shauntechguy) and apart from hilarious updates I go into detail about the sordid life of a Temptalia Tech Guy. Filled with adventures such as: Complaining about coding, complaining about the server, and complaining about making videos.
I will probably do a regular review write-up for this, though I’ve reviewed so many shower gels before, and this one smells as the name describes, so there’s really nothing to report… but anyway, video! I can’t believe I spent five minutes talking about shower gel, sigh!
