Today MBB reader Jane in Philly shares two great drugstore products for baby and mommy.
Hello, Beautiful Women! I’m really excited to be writing a guest post for this blog. I’ve only recently discovered MMB, so I’ve been doing lots of catching up on past posts and searching for how-to’s and tips. MMB is my guilty pleasure.
My husband thinks it’s silly how people can be so passionate about cosmetics enough to blog about them. Little does he know just HOW MUCH exists in cyberspace about a particular lipstick (e.g., MAC’s Lollipop Loving), let alone everything else that people buy, use, and review.
Anyway, here’s a look at two products I’d like to call “Good for Baby, good for Mommy.”
Pregnancy, labor and delivery, recovery, breastfeeding — those were probably the greatest physical challenges I’ve ever endured, even more than running a marathon! For all you moms out there, you know what I mean.
Now my daughter is almost a year old — how time flies! Over the past year, I’ve come across several “beauty gems” that I would not have discovered had it not been for my sweet baby girl. 🙂
Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion
I love this lotion! I should stock up on it in case Aveeno goes bust or something equally tragic happens.
FOR BABY: I use it to give my baby a massage after her bath. The lavender scent is subtle and pleasant and doesn’t scream “I’ll make you smell good!” like other baby products do. And there’s something about lavender that really does seem to calm her down for bedtime, especially when she’s feeling under the weather.
FOR MOMMY: I started using it myself when I accidentally squeezed too much from the tube. I rubbed the excess on my elbows and knees. After that night, I started squeezing A LOT more out of the tube, and not by accident anymore! 🙂
I love what it does to my dry skin, especially the skin on my legs and arms. The texture is just right — not too thick, not too slippery. It’s so much better than Johnson & Johnson’s baby lotion in lavender, which I used before getting Aveeno’s. J&J’s lotion is filmy and the scent is too much. The texture feels thin, slick, and doesn’t seem to absorb into my skin — it just sits there (ironically, Aveeno’s parent company is J&J).
I’m becoming more loyal to Aveeno (also check out their suncare products as well as their daily moisturizing lotion with SPF — perfect for year-round sun protection, which I need!).
Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment
This does it ALL. I found it at my pediatrician’s office. I picked up a handful of tiny sample tubes (no shame!), along with some coupons.
FOR BABY: I’ve been using it since my daughter was about a week old, primarily for her cute little baby bum, and for what it’s worth, she’s never had a diaper rash. I also use it when she scratches herself with her fingernails (I know… I’m terrible about not clipping her nails regularly, but if you’re a new mom, you know it’s not easy!). The scratches heal quickly and are very mild for her delicate skin. She’s never shown any adverse reactions to it.
FOR MOMMY: I’m not ashamed to admit that I made it a habit to pick up Aquaphor samples every time my little one has an appointment. I like to have samples with me everywhere — purse, diaper bag, office desk drawer, car console, jacket pocket, bedside table. They’re as ubiquitous in my household as lip balm and diaper wipes.
Aquaphor works wonders on my feet (especially the heels) after a shower, and it’s awesome on chapped, dry lips in winter.
My favorite use of all? — running. I need Aquaphor when I’m going beyond 10 miles because there’s a good chance I’ll chafe and get yucky blisters. Before I head out, I’ll put some wherever my skin rubs — underneath my sports bra, in the groin area, around the waist, even underneath my ipod armstrap.
It’s especially important when I’m running marathons, where my arms and legs make the same repetitive motions for about 3 hours and 55 minutes.
Now it’s time for all of you to chime in, especially you fabulous new moms! Which baby products have you found useful for your own beauty needs?
This post was written by Jane, lover of Revlon and MAC, high school teacher and mommy to a smiley 1-year-old daughter in love with green peas. Jane has been wearing makeup since high school but credits blogs with turning her into a full-on makeup addict.
Kate & Zena says
May 19th, 2009 at 8:50 pmA fellow Aveeno fan!!! I love the Daily Moisturizing with SPF 15 lotion. Doesn’t irritate my hyper-sensitive skin like some other brand-name lotions. I have tubes and bottles of the Aveeno everywhere. In fact, I actually am in need of a new big bottle for the bathroom. I think my mom’s been stealing my Holy Grail product.
Ugh, Aquaphor. That one lotion that made me break out into scaly, itchy, raised hives. Other lotions tend to make me just itchy or rashy, but that one caused hives. Never ever again will I use my dad’s Aquaphor! I must splurge on my $11 Aveeno.
When my cousin was really little and I was at my aunt’s house, I would steal a bit of the diaper rash cream that my aunt used and slather it on my rashes. I don’t use it anymore as now I have prescription strength hydrocortisone, aka the Holy Grail Rash Reliever.
NINA says
May 20th, 2009 at 6:20 amNot a mom yet but a HUGE fan of baby products. My favorite is the Johnsons Creamy Baby Oil. Its so yummy smelling and it really helps moisturize! Love love it.
I also use the Johnsons Baby Wash as well as the Baby Magic Baby Wash as a shower gel. It smells so sweet and clean.
Another baby product I buy is Johnsons Baby Shampoo – to clean my make up brushes.
Veronica says
May 20th, 2009 at 6:29 amGreat guest post! I’m also a new mom – my kiddo is a year and a half. I love Aquaphor – can’t believe I had to wait to become a mom to discover that stuff. We use it everywhere – it’s great in our dry climate. The other thing that I had never used was baby shampoo – great for makeup brushes.
Nicole15 says
May 20th, 2009 at 7:36 amI am a mom of two and I, too, LOVE the Aveeno Lavendar & Vanilla Calming Comfort lotion. It is just the best & i would’ve never stumbled upon it had it not been for my babies. J&J Baby Shampoo is also my standby for cleaning my makeup brushes. It is so gentle & makes my brushes sooo soft.
Ada says
May 20th, 2009 at 7:57 amI love Aveeno for my really dry skin, and I use the regular kind on my babies too (2 and 8 yrs old). It’s the only thing that stops my dermatitus from flaring up, short of steroid cream.
I saw the Aveeno sunscreen for sale so now I’m comtemplating it.
Also became a mu addict because of blogs.
TaLaisa says
May 20th, 2009 at 8:11 amI love aquaphor. We found out about it with our first baby it helped his dry skin so much. I love it on my feet with socks for bedtime, I wake up with super soft feet in the morning.
Another baby favorite is Burt’s Bees Buttermilk lotion, the smell is divine. I also love their Apricot baby oil. Heaven!
TaLaisa´s last blog post..Happy Valentines
Vonvon says
May 20th, 2009 at 8:16 amI would love to get the Aveeno for my little girl. She puts on her lotion quite meticulously even at her tender age of 2 and a half. If only I could get it for her over here….
Vonvon´s last blog post..‘Do You Ever Finish Anything’ Challenge
Marta says
May 20th, 2009 at 8:46 amI am a mom of a 20 months old boy and I LOVE aveeno lotion for him and for me too
Cristina says
May 20th, 2009 at 9:14 amI really enjoyed your post, I haven’t tried Aquaphor (which I intend to do since I needed a reason to go to Rite Aid on my lunch hour anyway) but I have been a fan of Aveeno Baby Lotion ever since I bought it at a grocery store out of moisture desperation.
Sheila says
May 20th, 2009 at 12:06 pmI discovered Aquaphor when I was taking Accutane. I put all around my eyes, on my lips (still do) and on any dry spots, including around my nose. The doctor actually asked me what I was using because I was the only patient he’d had that wasn’t dry and scaly.
I’ll have to try that Aveeno. Anything that can make me soft and help me sleep is awesome.
charlene says
May 20th, 2009 at 12:18 pmHey Karen, tell Jane that she can also try using this Aveeno Baby lotion as a makeup primer!! After all Dimethicone is the main ingredient in most primers! 🙂 I have tried using my regular Aveeno…and it has worked! 🙂 Great post!
Annmarie says
May 20th, 2009 at 2:13 pmI’m not a Mommy yet, but I have to make a comment about Aquaphor! Last year it was recommended to me on makeupalley for my dry lips and dry ears. Yes it’s weird but certain times of the year my ears get dry and flaky and nothing worked! I used this religiously and I still have the same tube and no flaky ears! This stuff is great and so multipurpose! I definitely agree with putting it on your feet!
Annmarie says
May 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pmCharlene…thanks for the info…Aveeno Baby Lotion as a makeup primer. You sound like you were impressed with the results…what other makeuup primers have you used? Does it compare with any of them?
Solé says
May 20th, 2009 at 4:01 pmI don’t have kids yet but I think I’m going to pick up a tube of that lavender lotion. I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion and I love it but I also love the clean smell of lavender so that might be nice to use before bed.
My family is from Chile and in South America it is very common practice to put cologne on babies. When my sisters and I were teenagers we used to stock up on baby colognes every time we’d go over there because the different scents were light and fresh (this was before splashes became all the rage here) and not heavy like perfume.
Jane says
May 20th, 2009 at 6:44 pmHi Charlene:
Wow! Aveeno’s lotion can be a primer! That’s amazing! I have to try that out – on a weekend when I can be experimental.
Ladies: Thanks for the tip about using Aquaphor for feet! That’s perfect for open-toe shoe season!
Jane