Product Review: Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm and Night Cream

Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm for Dry/Very Dry skin ($8.49 for 5oz) and Night Cream for Normal/Dry skin ($13.99 for 1.6oz) are relatively new additions to the Boots line, having just launched in August. I'm always looking for solutions to combat winter dryness, so when I got the chance to try them as part of Influenster's Beauty Blogger VoxBox, I was psyched.

The first thing I do when considering skin care is- you guessed it- look at the ingredient list. Proof is in the pudding, folks! Unfortunately, there was no ingredient listing included on the sample packaging or on the Influenster insert, so of course, I had to look them up!

Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm:
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetearyl alcohol, Myristyl myristate, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter, Tribehenin, Butylene glycol, Cetearyl olivate, Sorbitan olivate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl acetate, Methylparaben, Parfum (Fragrance), Ethylparaben, Sodium PCA, Sodium lauroyl lactylate, Acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ascorbyl glucoside, Potassium hydroxide, Dipropylene glycol, Magnesium PCA, Zinc PCA, Biosaccharide gum-1, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol, Ceramide 6 II, Phytosphingosine, Carbomer, Manganese PCA, Xanthan gum, Propylparaben, Potassium sorbate, Ceramide 1 

Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream Normal/Dry Skin:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Isostearyl isostearate, Sorbitan stearate, Cetearyl alcohol, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter, Dimethicone, Ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl acetate, Rosa moschata seed oil, Methylparaben, Sucrose cocoate, Parfum (Fragrance), Dimethiconol, Sodium PCA, Xanthan gum, Potassium cetyl phosphate, Ethylparaben, Ascorbyl glucoside, Tetrasodium EDTA, Magnesium PCA, T-butyl alcohol, Citric acid, Dipropylene glycol, Zinc PCA, Biosaccharide gum-1, Potassium hydroxide, Manganese PCA, Potassium sorbate, Ascorbyl palmitate 

So, now that we've got that out of the way, here's my analysis. Ingredient wise, these are pretty good, albeit basic, choices. The cleanser has a good amount of fragrance in it, which isn't great, but since it's not on skin for a long time, it doesn't concern me too much. On the other hand, the moisturizer also lists fragrance. While it seems much more lightly scented to me than the cleansing balm, I prefer to forgo fragrance completely in a leave-on product (fragrance is one of the most common irritants found in cosmetics).

After trying the products, I can say that both products seemed well-suited to my dry skin. The cleansing balm felt more like a lotion than a balm (the word makes me expect a greasier, more petroleum-like texture). It did a decent job removing makeup, though I do feel like it left my eyes a little "spotty" (a term, which to me, means I had to blink the residue out of my eyes a bit after rinsing). One surprise is how comfortable the cleansing balm left my skin. 99.9% of cleansers leave my skin feeling tight once I've dried, so it is truly saying something that I felt almost as if I could have skipped my moisturizer after rinsing the balm away.

The Night Cream was nice as well- rich, but not at all greasy. Though it did a good job of moistuzing, it's probably only something I'd turn to when my skin is irritated and only "basic" will do; otherwise I prefer moisturizers that boast more impressive antioxidant and wrinkle-fighting ingredients.

While Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin isn't the most technologically advanced line out there (it's not going to help to reduce fine lines, or even out skin tone) I will say I find it refreshing that Boots doesn't claim that it is. There are plenty of decent skin care lines out there that get a big fat FAIL in my book because the over-promise. Beautful Skin doesn't- it claims to treat dry skin by soothing and hydrating, and that it does.

The product featured in this review was submitted for promotional consideration by a representative of the company. What does this mean? I didn't pay for it. My commitment is to you- my readers- and to myself (it's called integrity, I like to have it). The opinions expressed on Outinapout.com are my own, based on my own research and experience; I am not paid in any way nor is the final outcome of the post influenced by any outside party.

Product Review: Bath and Body Works Mini Candlein Pumpkin Cupcake

Though it's almost a week past, I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween; sweet, spooky and everything in between! I also want to send my thoughts to everyone who was in the path of Sandy- I hope you're all safe, dry and...electrified (?) as you read this. For those of you that have the means to help, I hope you'll consider making a donation to the American Red Cross or another worthy organization. 

This review is a little different for me, but in my mind, it fits... I adore fragrance, in all forms. Though home fragrance isn't exactly beauty, it does go a long way toward creating a warm, peaceful environment- and to me, it's essential to creating a beautiful home. When I saw the Bath and Body Works mini candle in my Influenster Beauty Blogger VoxBox, I was psyched. I've been a fan of BBW candles (also sold under the White Barn and Slatkin labels) for a long time, and this box is giving me a good excuse to share my experience.

For those of you who haven't tried BBW candles, here are my general thoughts. I typically find the scents very vivid and realistic- you don't smell the wax burning, only a clear, realistic representation of the fragrance. The amount of fragrance is also very well balanced; it'll fill the room without giving me a headache. Now, on to the scent I received in my box: Pumpkin Cupcake. Smelling the cold wax, it smells pretty much as you'd expect: pumpkin-friendly spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice blended with a bit of a creamy accord. It's not the most unique scent, but it's well done.

I was, however, rather disappointed in the throw (how well the scent fills the room). I lit this in my kitchen, and even standing right next to it, could barely smell it. As I mentioned before, I have been buying candles from Bath and Body Works for years and have never had this issue. Though I was bummed, I decided that perhaps the candle would fare better in a small room, so I put it on my bathroom windowsill and lit it up. Sure enough, that did the trick. Within minutes, the smell had permeated my powder-room, and was even seeping out into the hall. Though the limited throw seems like a limitation, It's hard to complain when I consider the price point- these babies retail for only $3.50, though every time I've been in to the store they've been on a 2 for $5 special. I can imagine a few instances where minis would be a benefit: the smaller candles would be great for those that like to create custom scents by burning a few different fragrances in the same room, and they're also a good way to try new scents without committing to a larger version.

So, what's your favorite home fragrance type & scent? I adore the Coven scented wax tarts made by One Hand Washes the Other, but my new current favorite is another Bath & Body Works scent- French Baguette! It smells amazingly like the real thing and fills my kitchen with the scent of baking bread without all of the mixing and clean-up!

The product featured in this review was submitted for promotional consideration by a representative of the company. What does this mean? I didn't pay for it. My commitment is to you- my readers- and to myself (it's called integrity, I like to have it). The opinions expressed on Outinapout.com are my own, based on my own research and experience; I am not paid in any way nor is the final outcome of the post influenced by any outside party.