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Denise samples some Cake
Cake Beauty was developed in 2001 by Heather Reier, a 26-year old Canadian self-proclaimed beauty junkie. Heather based her creation on the concept of using everyday indulgences to facilitate both physical and mental well-being. She built her line of products around decadent, nourishing ingredients that are as deliciously scented as they are effective. The ingredients that make up Cake Beauty products sound more like a recipe than a product label, like pure essential oils, whole milk, marshmallow, shea butter, coconut, and turbinado sugar. And I've gotta say, the product names and packaging are all absolutely cute as a button. All in all, the Cake Beauty concept is excellent, and the line is superbly marketed. I tried several Cake products, and here are my impressions of each.
First up is Creme de la Creme ($18). This luscious bath and shower cream smells so good that I really wanted to soak in it for hours on end. Unfortunately, Creme let me down as a bubble bath. It didn't make very many bubbles, and the few that were there didn't last long at all. I decided to give Creme another chance, this time as a body wash in the shower. I was way off base with my first try, because this product rocks as a body wash. Just apply a little dollop to a shower puff, and you've got enough delicious smelling suds to wash up from head to toe. Plus, Creme de la Creme is packed with virgin oil de coco creme to moisturize and pamper your skin.
One of my favorite bath products from Cake Beauty has to be their Citrus Squeeze Sinfully Smooth Brown Sugar Scrub ($28). I've tried quite a few sugar and salt scrubs, some of which have fallen painfully short of my expectations. My favorite to date has been the cult favorite by Fresh, but it's a bit on the pricey side. I'm happy to say that I've found a new favorite, with a much better price tag! Cake's Citrus Squeeze scrub contains fresh, natural turbinado brown sugar and natural citrus extracts and oils. The sugar grains are substantial enough that they don't dissolve immediately upon meeting water (I hate that!), but are still soft enough to gently polish away dead, dry skin, leaving you soft and smelling amazing. This stuff is great! My skin is renewed and wonderfully soft!
Once you're able to turn off the water and pull yourself away from the shower, Cake has several products designed to continue the indulgent experience a little bit longer. I tried Desserted Island Moisturizing Body Glaze ($22), which is a dry oil spray that smells like rich, sweet vanilla with a touch of coconut. This spray is best applied directly out of the shower, when your skin is slightly damp. My skin quickly absorbed the mixture of jojoba, sunflower and olive oils. I soon learned, however, not to use this product on my chest, as the oils caused itchy breakouts that still haven't quite gone away. For arms, legs, and other areas, though, this Moisturizing Body Glaze is a quick and easy way to leave your skin silky smooth and smelling yummy! I love the Desserted Island scent so much that I also regularly use Desserted Island Supreme Body Mousse ($22). This surprisingly light and non-greasy body lotion is filled with great ingredients like coconut oil, mango butter, and aloe vera. During the dry winter months, the Body Mousse alone isn't quite rich enough, but if I couple it with the Body Glaze on my arms and legs, my flaky, itchy "winter skin" is banished! Not to mention that the scent takes me away on a brief mental tropical vacation every time.
Our hands take a beating every day, and the people at Cake Beauty didn't forget about them! Milk Made Hand Buffer ($18) is a mini-manicure in a jar. The fine grains of sugar are suspended nicely in a concoction of milk protein, avocado and coconut oils. Just pour a little bit of this mixture in your hands and rub gently - it's a spa-like experience for sure. Rinse the solution off, and voila! Your hands are left soft, nourished, and your stress level might be a couple of notches lower as well.
Cake Beauty has also developed products for fresh, great smelling hair. Satin Sugar Refreshing Mist ($16) is a cool mist of freshness for your hair and your body. I haven't had much luck with spraying it on my hair, but it does make for a great body spray, as it contains vitamin B3 and aloe vera to soothe and comfort your skin. And the Satin Sugar scent is amazing - sweet, cake-like, with a touch of lemon. Yum!
My favorite Cake Beauty product by far is their Satin Sugar Hair and Body Refreshing Powder ($18). Seriously, I can absolutely see why this product is getting so much hype in magazines and online. This delicious-smelling talc-free powder comes in two colors, one for darker hues and one for lighter hues. It can be worked through the hair (at the follicles) to absorb any excess oil and add body and shine between washings, and/or sprinkled on the body to freshen and soften skin. I have fairly pale skin and brownish/reddish blonde hair. I tried the darker-hue powder first, and I really love the color that it deposited on my hair, but the down side was that it colored my scalp sort of a funky reddish color that, on me, was pretty noticeable. Then I tried the lighter-hue powder, and didn't have the scalp coloration problem, but the powder didn't liven up my hair like the darker did. As a result, I've developed sort of a system of applying the darker-hued powder to my hair strands only, avoiding the scalp (at least at my part), and then sprinkling my part with the lighter-hued powder if necessary. I am a wash-my-hair-every-other-day girl, as are many of my friends, and we all love Cake's Satin Sugar Powder. It's really a life-saver for girls on the go!
Cake Beauty's product line is still fairly young, and they continue to develop new and better products on a regular basis. I think that Cake's products are great because they contain high-quality, natural ingredients that nourish and pamper our bodies, hair, and ultimately, soothe our souls. We all need a little bit of indulgence in our lives, and Cake Beauty's sweet products deliver just that. You can check out their full line of products for yourself at cakebeauty.com.
- Denise
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Posted January 19, 2007
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