Drugstore Discoveries: Gourmand Bath and Body Treats

In this episode, I not only show you some very nearly edible and inexpensive bath and body products, but also take you on a fascinating journey to my bathroom; well, it's more like you get a peek of the tub, really. But we have to start somewhere... because 'A journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.' (just when you were thinking I was going to go all Lao Tzu on you, you get John Steinbeck instead. I know).

Anyway, as much as I love my more luxurious (read: expensive) bath treats, I occasionally grow weary of shelling out big bucks for something that gets washed down the drain after a dozen minutes. Which is why I'm perpetually checking the drugstore for bath and body goodies that really perform, and I think this month I've found some things worth looking into.

One of the hardest bath things to find, I believe, is a nicely scented, non-drying, relatively inexpensive bubble bath. Something you might not know about me - I'm primarily a bath person, because I get quite cold and uncomfortable in the shower, so a good bubble bath is an absolute staple; and let's face it, while Lush Bubble Bars are a lot of fun, there's no way I could use them every night. Enter Deep Steep Bubble Bath in Brown Sugar Vanilla ($9.99-11.95 for 17.5 fl oz), a cruelty-free, vegan bubble magic formulated without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, artificial fragrances or preservatives. I really don't know HOW they do it without all the drying SLS, but two squirts under running water result in mounds of fluffy, fragrant bubbles. The Brown Sugar Vanilla scent isn't overly gourmand, actually; it's more of a sweet, comforting floral. I ordered mine through drugstore.com, but they also have a website or can be purchased in-store at Ricky's in NY.

After I'm submerged in bubbles up to my neck, I can begin the actual washing-up process with the aid of Dove Nutrium Moisture Shea Butter Body Wash in Warm Vanilla & Brown Sugar ($8.99 for 24 fl oz). Fun fact: Dove was probably the most used body wash brand in my parental home, Poland. Now, this unfortunately does have SLS and a bunch of scary sounding chemicals; but it also has the aforementioned shea butter as well as soybean and sunflower oils. Even with the evil sulfates, it still manages to feel very creamy and moisturizing on the skin, lather nicely and smells... sweet and clean, not really like a bakery. I thought the scent might be too much for the manly part of the household, but no complaints there.

Lastly, something I'm sure everyone has used at least at some point in their lives - well, except for me. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Concentrated Cream with Vitamin E ($3.37-4.49 for 3.75 oz/ 100g) is the last word in the cupcake-scented world of bodycare; the fragrance is quite strong and slightly artificial vanillin at first, but settles down nicely into vanilla sugar with some cocoa mixed in for good measure. We use it as a hand cream and it works great for that purpose - sinks in quickly with little to none greasy feel and hydrates effectively. And... it's just so, so inexpensive!

Now, tell me - do you like to splurge on your bath & body products or do you go cheap and cheerful? Have you discovered anything amazing at the drugstore recently?