Posts Tagged cosmetics
Spongeable Shower Gel Travel Sponges
Here’s one inventive way to pack light and still get around the airport security restrictions on liquids: carry a sponge that’s already loaded up with bath gel. That’s the idea of the Shower Gel in a Sponge, which is good for at least three washings.
A company called Spongeables makes a whole line of these things, with the larger ones designed to hold enough for 20 showers. These little ones that fit in the palm of your hand are great for travel though, especially if you’re going to be in a cheap hotel with nasty soap. You can carry one of these lightweight packages along, a solid that is also well less than 3 ounces, and breeze through security without even taking it out. But then you can be nice to your skin when you shower, coming out radiant and smooth.
I’m not sure how they get all these ingredients in there and make it work—there are a bunch of patents involved—but I was pleasantly surprised at how long this little bath sponge lathered up. After six showers I probably could have used it another time or two. Each one has shea butter, olive oil, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and a few other ingredients, plus your choice of girly or manly scent. After using this Spongeable, you are clean, moisturized, exfoliated, and fragrant.
These shower sponges would make for a nice gift for the traveler of any kind and are inexpensive and small enough to qualify as a stocking stuffer. They list for just $3 each in the small size (a buck or less a bath) and the largest ones are $7. You can even get some heart-shaped ones come Valentine’s Day—in “spicy mango” or “peony passion.”
Buy the Spongeables online or see the company’s retail locator for where they are carried—common chain stores like Rite-Aid, Albertson’s, Fred Meyer, and CVS.
See more at spongeables.com
Posted by Tim L. in Travel Light on December 3rd, 2009
Nivea 3-in-1 Active3 Shower Goop
We love double-duty items here at the Practical Travel Gear blog. If something is triple-duty, that really catches our eye. So when some friendly rep from Nivea wanted to send me a sample of this combo shampoo, shower, gel, and shaving gel to try out, I couldn’t say no—even if the product did sound downright odd.
I’ve been using it off and on for two weeks though and have to say it does the job pretty well overall. This Nivea Active3 shower wash is like the goop that squirts of out the wall containers at your local gym but with one important addition: you can shave with it too. It’s mainly aimed at metrosexuals who are shaving their body hair on a regular basis (makes me itch just thinking about it), but of course as a traveler it’s a way to carry three cosmetics in one package—always a good thing.
I found it worked great as a body wash and shampoo, just so-so as shaving gel. I got a couple more nicks than usual. But then again, I was shaving my face, not chest hair. My wife tried it out on her legs when she found herself already in the shower and without shaving cream and said it worked really well for that task. So maybe they need a womens’ version.
I usually carry a trial size or squirt tube of shaving lotion anyway, sometimes even a pack of Travelon shaving sheets, so eliminating that part of my kit isn’t a big deal. I might take this product along on a weekend trip though if I wanted one less think to carry and was only going to shave once.
The regular size of this is over 16 ounces and is impractical for travel, but it comes in an 8.4-ounce size that is a bit better—for around $4. If you need to carry on a bag, you’ll need to squirt it into your own little bottles that are 3 ounces or under. You can get it at drugstores, Wal-mart, and other mass retail chains. Here’s a link to the product site, but be warned they’re going to hit you with a video with loud music whether you like it or not: Nivea Active3.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on September 10th, 2009
