Rough and Bumpy Chicken Skin

Some time ago I had read another beauty bloggers US drugstore haul where they had mentioned picking up a body lotion for the, cue sarcasm, wonderfully named 'chicken skin' affliction. Chicken skin or to give it its official name 'Keratisis Pilaris' is those red bumps you find often on your arms or legs which no amount of exfoliating of body lotion seem to remove.

Last year I discovered Ameliorate Skin Smooth Body Lotion which worked a treat for mine. With only small patches on one of my calves and my knees from sitting cross legged the tube lasted quite well which was handy as it's priced at £27.50 - quite a lot for a body lotion in normal terms.

I was keen to repurchase another tube of Ameliorate when prior to heading to Florida I remembered reading another beauty bloggers US Drugstore haul where they had found many body lotions to tackle KP. With a mental note in mind I scoured the shelves of Walmart and came across Gold Bond Ultimate, Rough & Bumpy Skin Daily Therapy Cream which was priced just under $10 for a large tub. What a bargain would this be if it worked.

With claims that 90% of users found their skin had been improved I hoped I was onto a winner and it seems that I am. As I'd come to the end of my tube of Ameliorate and was enjoying the luxury of my legs being hidden behind thick black tights there were some returning signs of KP although not as evident as before I discovered Ameliorate. Using Gold Bond has seen an improvement matching the expectations I had from it's higher priced counterpart.

Thankfully due to such small patches I only need to apply small amounts to the targeted areas so I can imagine this tub lasting until my next trip the States. I have so many other body lotions at my disposal that I use them for other areas of my body but Gold Bond is a cream which is far more luxurious than it's fairly clinical packaging leads you to believe, I could happily rely on this alone.

If you're struggling with 'chicken skin' and are either in the US or heading there soon, don't forget to take a look down the aisles of the local drugstores and try a tub of Gold Bond.

2014 Body Favourites & Goals

As 2015 is well underway my main goal for the body (ignoring any such 'have a figure to rival a Victoria Secrets model' fantasies) is to use body lotion on a more frequent basis. Slightly dull but I think many of us will admit it's the one product in our beauty rituals we are less than diligent with and for some reason I have an abundance of.

That said I was better in 2014 than any other. It may have taken me a year to finish a tub of Clinque Body Butter but I am getting better currently using Roger & Gallet's Bots D'Orange* and the favourite of 2014 Ameliorate both of which I initially spoke of in this post.

As I mentioned in my earlier  post Ameliorate is a pricey body lotion which is not a luxury item but one with a purpose and that is to treat 'chicken skin'. These two elements were what encouraged me to use the body lotion regularly because when I did I saw results. Admittedly as 2014 came to end so too did my use of Ameliorate whilst my legs were encased in thick tights for warmth and due to working my through the tube at a rapid rate. I am now rather than using as my standard body lotion applying it directly to the areas I need it's help to prolong it's use and enjoy other lotions in my stash. The results are evident and as such this will become a staple product for me.

Unlike body lotions, body scrubs are something I use regularly and my favourite has to be Soap & Glory's Breakfast Scrub, the second tub I repurchased recently. I have used other scrubs such as one from St Ives, another from The Body Shop seen in my December Empties but it's the Breakfast Scrub I return to. It balances the right consistency of being coarse enough to exfoliate yet smooth enough to be comfortable - and of course there's the scent which is perfect for Winter. As we move into Summer I'm looking forward to diving into my tub of Sugar Crush I received for Christmas and if I win the lottery I'd love to purchase the Jo Malone Vitamin E Body Treatment Scrub which is complete decadence should you have the budget.

The TheraPearl Heat Pad* featured in my Sick Day Saviours post and is used monthly to tackle the stomach pain and back ache that only fellow women can sympathise with. No longer am I suffering in silence or waking up with a cold 'hot' water bottle in the morning.

Radox as a budget brand is one I love. I have worked for them for many years before I knew or saw 'beauty blogging' as a 'thing'. There shower gels are always found in my bathroom and cannot be found fault with. Having recently tried other budget bubble bath brands by way of trying other things I will certainly be returning to Radox as the others fell short in comparison. Yes I love my higher end versions of both shower and bath products but for everyday these more than do the job without compromising on quality,

Finally the Gillette Venus & Olay razor I initially reviewed in this post has become a real favourite of mine. Since receiving the initial sample of this product I have gone on to repurchase more blades as I've really come to enjoy using it and other razors have been neglected in favour of this. It gives such a great shave and whilst additional shower gel isn't needed and depending on the shower gel in question things can get a tad gunky I love how smooth my legs feel and the ease in which shaving is done.

There is my list of body products that topped my list for 2014, what would be on yours?

*PR Sample

Clinque Deep Comfort Body Butter Review

I received Clinque Deep Comfort Body Butter as a Christmas gift last year and I'm ashamed to say it's sat hidden at the back of my bathroom shelf until now. Returning from holiday and ready to start a new body product I opted for the body butter thinking a heavier cream was needed for the colder weather.

My first impression was bemusement that this product, to me at least really does feel like butter, creamy butter but butter nonetheless - it even has the lemon shade we are familiar with. Thankfully there is not the greasy feeling you experience with butter of an edible kind.

Moving on from the food comparisons Clinque's Body Butter is a lovely product to use and makes my skin feel soft and hydrated after applying, especially in those dry spots such as the knees and elbows and sinks into the skin without leaving residue so I can easily pop clothes on after application.

The only negatives I can find and these are personal ones are firstly it's lack of fragrance. We all know Clinque are famous for leaving out the typical irritants from fragrancing their products but when applying body lotions in a luxurious manner I want a scent, especially when applying of an evening. Of course if you want to avoid fragrances this body butter is definitely for you and certainly not a deal breaker for me. The other is I find it can take some time for me to apply. Lotions which are thinner in consistency are easily distributed over the body but I find this butter needs constant dipping and applying to cover all the areas. For example I'll need to dip into the tub 4 times to do my calves alone, front and back of each leg and so on. Not that this should be a problem as this is a large 200ml tub so will certainly last some time.

Do you have any thoughts on body versus lotions?