AKT London All Over Scented Deodorant Balm

 

When was the last time your deodorant had a scent profile ? And you looked forward to applying it ? The new  AKT deodorant balms  do that.  Made in the UK with scents of violet or citrus ( the ones I have here, there are others) they smell that good . 

I haven't done much with the more natural  all over deodorants, I've tried a  couple here and there but none really worked that well for me. I admit I sweat,  and when it gets warm, a lot.  Not much is going to stop that sweat on me, I've used used clinical ones in the past as they worked . But most natural deodorants and many aluminum ones haven't completely stopped odor either. AKT does . 

AKT SC .05 Ext. Columbia Rd.  smells amazing like you've gone through a field of Violets on a rainy spring day while SC .01 Ext. Orange Grove is a crisp green citrus . Rind, fruit and a little of the tree itself.  They keep the odor at bay all day , all night and into the next morning., I had no breakthrough. I still had perspiration but again I'm not expecting anything to fully stop that. And hey we all sweat but we hopefully don't reek of it. 

The formula is a thick balm that comes in a very apothecary chic aluminum tube you apply wherever you need or want it . AKT also has a "key"  made from heavy brass that you can get to make turning the tube extra easy. You don't need that per se, but it does make it easier to use. It acts as a little bit of fragrance too, with that you might want to tailor your perfume, if you wear  it, to coordinate because these do not have  a strong scent but it's not a light either. You can smell it but you have to be close.  

 There are  five fragrances available along with a discovery set and a starter set. I believe there is a unscented option on the UK website.   Price wise these are  higher than many but not at luxury brand level. Each tube is 29$. For me,  it's something I will definitely want to keep on hand. Elevate the everyday is something I say  and this does just that. 

website AKT London

*gifted, no obligation

Lavanila Elements Vanilla + Earth Deodorant

Lavanila is known for their natural deodorants. Now they have a new line, The  Elements Collection with a blend of fragrances that are tuned into the elements of Earth, Water and Air .

I have Vanilla + Earth which adds patchouli, sandalwood to  the vanilla. Don't worry here  about a super fragranced deo though. The notes here are light  and use pure essential oils. You get the smallest hint of  the notes . It all blends into  a softly spiced herbal scent.

If you're not familiar with Lavanila ,  these are all natural ingredients , no aluminum, parabens or other harsh chemical and no animal testing. They leave under arms smelling nice and last pretty well .

Other scents are  Vanilla + Air - light floral of violet and rose , and Vanilla + Water with chamomile and jasmine.

These are LE and  will be available at Ulta for $ 14 each.

Secret Outlast Extend

With the temperatures hitting the high '90s and beyond across most of the country this Summer, Secret's new-ish deo has been a daily go to.

Outlast Extend is said to give you continuous 48-hour odor protection and while I haven't tried going 48 hours , it sure works over the course of a full day and evening. Better than I expected,  keeping me and my clothes smelling fresh and I hate to admit but I can sweat.  I really didn't think it would work anywhere near as well as their Clinical but it has.  

It comes in  Invisible Solid ( what I have )  and Clear Gel. Both dry fast and need just one to two swipes for full protection.  There are six scents including  new Clean Lavender.  


Secret Outlast Extend is sugg. retail  $4.29

Dove Advanced Care Deodorant - New Soothing Chamomile & Restore

If you love Dove's Advanced Care Deo then there are two new fragrances to try.

Advanced Care is one of my favorites , next to their Clinical. I've been using it all Winter and Spring.  They have a nice scent but are not too strong , are very gentle on skin ( Dove's Nutrium Moisture) plus they really work.

New are Soothing Chamomile with a slightly sweet floral fragrance like the tea you'd make of the herb along with lily of the valley and  Restore has fig and orange blossom for a fruity fragrance. Both smell great and give you new options for warm weather wear.

Dove Advanced Care- New Fragrances

I love Dove's Advanced Care deodorant. It's what I used all winter until temps rose and I switched to their also great Clinical Strength. Advanced Care is so soft on skin while really controlling odor and wetness.

If you're a fan too,  there are two new scents out- Original Clean and Powder Soft.

Look for them at all mass market outlets for a sugg. retail  of $ 4.99

Emily & Tony Down Under Comfort

Wondering what Emily & Tony " Down Under Comfort " is ? It's a new product to help keep sweat at bay.

Not a deodorant, but somewhat like one, this cream  can be applied anywhere you sweat, including more intimate areas , on your back, bottoms of feet.  It's lightweight and dries to a powder like feel with very little scent.

I wish I had this  beginning  in June, but it's still warm at times in September for me and this works pretty well.   I definitely noticed less sweaty stickiness when I tried this  and felt more comfortable.  It will also work for areas that might chafe to help control that as well . With no parabens, aluminum, silicone or talc and being vegan this is far better than applying  antiperspirant all over. That's kind of yuck . It can also be applied on areas that are already super sweaty to hep absorb some.  It uses tapioca to absorb sweat and witch hazel to close pores.

So whether you're in warm temps, hit the gym regularly or  run,  Down Under Comfort is a good accompaniment .

Emily & Tony Down Under Comfort is $18, and available online at EmilyandTony.com

Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths

I feel like I have been waiting for something like for well, ever.  Cloths that cool and refresh.  I like cool. I am usually warm, even in Winter . Come Summer I'm really warm. Far more than I'd like to be.

These new cloths from Ban actually feel cold on the skin when you use them. It's hard to believe but true. They also leave behind a  powder like feel ( not one you can see) to further make you feel less warm, sweaty etc. The formula used is a proprietary one from Japan that makes these cloths cool on contact.  I think I might need them by the case full .

Anytime you need a little refresh, hit pause and use one of these. They'll be great too at the gym , for day trips , beach visits and more.

The cloths come 10 to a pack and in three light scents. Retail is $ 3.29 per pack and you'll find them in the deodorant aisle at drugstores, Target etc.

Dove Advanced Care Anti-Antiperspirant - Deodorant

It's always seemed a little funny to me, all the fuss over taking care of your armpits that gets made at times.  But then I think about the times I've had razor burn or been irritated from the heat and well, it makes more sense.

Dove has had our 'pits in mind for some time, giving us Clear Tone, moisture and Clinical options. Now they've improved even more on the care front adding Nutrium Moisture and humectants to their antiperspirant/deodorant selection. After all they say that when we shave 36 % of what is removed is skin.  With these new formulas Dove says you'll have smoother underarms in just three days.

I admit I haven't paid attention to how many days etc, but I can say that these do feel smooth and more soothing going on .  It was an aha moment.  Plus it worked well all day against odor and wetness, the most important part and not all deos get the job done for me. These  all have a nice , light scent with the slightly floral/citrus of Nourishing Beauty  being my fav . The new formula comes in 11 fragrances/types overall.

Dove Advanced Care Anti-Antiperspirant/Deodorant is available now.

Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response

Stress, you don't have  stress , right ? No not us. Never stress. Right. We all know better, we stress and a lot.  Sometimes it seems a constant state.

Who knew you needed  a deodorant for it ?  But stress makes us sweat at least some of the time. According to Secret 70 % of women related that running late was their most  work related stressful scenario . Family matters was 55 %.


No matter what your stress(es) are , new Secret Clinical Strength is here to help, with the sweat . The rest you're  on your own. I can recommend chocolate and hugging your dog though.

This new Secret says it has proprietary technology to that fights all 3  causes of sweat- physical, heat and stress and is 4X more effective  at protecting againt stress induced sweat.

My  favorite part- the scent. It's all citrus and you know I love citrus. Serene Citrus Scent is the name and it smells really good. Lemony. I cannot stand powdery deo scents. Not  big on florals either.

You can find Clincal Strenght Stress Response in stores now and Secret has alos teamed with Oprah's LifeClass to offer stress management tips. Interested? hit up Oprah.com/Secret

P&G Beauty Gift Sets- Secret, Olay, Satin Care & More

Last year was the first time I noticed the gift sets from P&G brands like Secret, Venus and Olay. I thought then, and still do, that they were such a great value at $10 and  would make great gifts, especially for those on tight budgets, which  covers many shoppers these days.

Yes, they are basic in a way, but they are products everyone uses/can use and done up in a gift set.   My favorite  is Scent-Sational. You get a Secret Summer Berry  Deodorant ,  Satin Care Shave Gel  in the pretty scent Passionista Fruit and a Venus Embrace  razor . Buy these items individually and you'd pay more. The Razor alone is usually more than $10.

Another nice set is Shower Sensations with full size Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, a Venus Embrace and a Satin Care Dry Skin gel.

These can be gifted to so many people.  Nieces, babysitter, co-worker who you just want to get something small for ,or maybe your office Secret Santa has a low $ amount. Caregiver, hairdresser,  college students, overseas military.   You get the idea.

You can find quite a few varieties of these including a couple for men and all are $10. Plus most have bonuses included like a free magazine subscription or coupons. Check each box.

Also  if you spend $50 or more on P&G  products ( not just sets) there is a $ 15 rebate coupon  here

Find them at all mass market merchants.

Dove Clear Tone Deodorant

When I saw that Dove had come out with a deodorant to help fade dark spots in the underarm area,  I'll admit my first thought was " What ? Now they want us to worry about what our underarm skin looks like too ? It seemed a bit off. But because  I am beauty editor , I wanted to know more .

What I found is that there is a need for this. Apparently it's been available in Latin America  for some time and  a high percentage of women feel very self concious due to dark coloring under their arms.  According to Dove " Dark marks and irritation under the arms is something that more than 32 million women in the US experience "

When I went to Dove's web page to research, they had a thread there from their Facebook page. Many  of the women commenting were thrilled this was available and had issues with dark pigmentation. I had no idea.

 Clear Tone comes in 3 types including Clinical , which I have.  The others are Sheer Touch and Skin Renew.  One of the keys to keeping discoloration at bay is keeping that area well moisturized which this does, as most Dove deos do. Clear Tone  also uses calendula and sunflower seed extracts  to help brighten  skin and speed up the renewal process. No extra chemicals, nothing harsh.

 Available now at all mass market outlets.

Certain Dri 's Facebook Giveaway

Certain Dri is having a month long daily giveaway via their facebook page.

 I can tell you from personal experience that  Certain Dri works. It works far better than anything I've used over the counter. I first grabbed it when a best friend decided to get married in July in NJ. I've only found one anti-perspirant stronger and that's a prescription one.

Here's the details if you want to enter:


Certain Dri "100-Days of Summer" , an opportunity to win the leading, dermatologist-recommended product for controlling excessive underarm perspiration.

 For the 100 days from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Certain Dri is giving away one Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant every day. One random entrant will be chosen to receive a Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant (roll-on or solid) each day from May 27, 2011 to September 3, 2011. Every Friday at noon E.T., all seven winners from that week will be announced on the Certain Dri Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/certaindri


If you’re not familiar with Certain Dri, here is some information:

· The number one over-the-counter antiperspirant recommended by doctors for treating excessive perspiration; more than 40 millions adults and teens believe they have a problem with excessive perspiration

· The strongest available formula without a prescription
· Provides 72-hours of protection with each application
· Retail price of $5.50-$6, almost 30% less than the other clinical strength antiperspirant products

Secret New Scent Expressions and Fresh Effects Body Mists

In time for stocking stuffing, Secret Deodarant has brought  out new body sprays —Secret Scent Expressions Body Splash and Fresh Effects Body Mist. The fragrance choices also happen to coordinate with matching deodarants.

Scents choices are : Secret Scent Expressions Body Splash in in So Very Summerberry, Cocoa Butter Kiss, and Ooh la la Lavender, while Secret Fresh Effects Body Mist is available in Fresh Water Orchid and Cucumber Aloe scents.

I've had a chance to try 3 of the new scents, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the mass market body sprays I've tried have been, well frankly, awful. These were far from it . 

I particularly liked the Cocoa Butter Kiss Scent Expression. It has that summer coconutty suntan oil smell .

Fresh Water Orchid in the Fresh Effects line is a very soft floral  and a little aquatic. It has a bit of an almost peony smell to me.

All are available at all mass market outlets and would be especially nice for the  young teens and tweens who are interested in scent but who might not be ready ( or their parents aren't)  for the high end market.

More info here: http://www.secret.com/default.aspx