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Sampling Queen: EcoTools, Philosophy
I've been hard at work bathing myself. Aren't you glad? Say we get seated together at a soccer match, and my fave team scores, sending me into wild, arms-up glee of GOOOOAAAALLL!! Since I've been bathing so much, I won't offend your nostrils!
Of more importance, though, are the products up for review. On the chopping block this week: EcoTools, a brand of Earth-friendly beauty stuff available at Walgreens in the $8-$15 range. Slogan: "Bring the green into your shower scene."
Ugh. The poor folks at EcoTools probably approached the wrong gal. I'm not what you'd call an environmental steward. The whole "go green" mantra actually bugs me. It's just too much. Like... OK, say you walk through a grassy field, and those little prickly spurs stick in the bottom of your jeans, and you spend 20 minutes plucking them, and you put your jeans through the wash, and then a week later you find MORE PRICKLY SPURS, and you realize they have taken over your life, and FRENCH TOAST, now they're also stuck in your carpet. That's how "go green" feels to me. Incessant. Annoying. We get it.
Still, I can't hate on something just because it has broad, overbearing intentions. So here are my honest thoughts on the products:
The "Blooming Planet" body mist, my fave, smells so pretty and clean. I've kept it in my car for last minute spritzes before work. The "Clean Skin, Cleaner World" (seriously?) body wash has a nice lather. The "Sustainable Softness" (kill me now) body lotion and "One Hand Helps the Other" (whhhyyy) hand cream smell more, uh, wood-ish, more lumberjacky. I want something more feminine. I don't want to smell like a cedar chest of drawers. The lotions are rich and smooth, but take a while to absorb. The "Love Heels All" (I just can't deal with this) heel cream is sort of brisk, thick and menthol-y. Nice.
All in all, it's a nice drug store brand, a good gift for the budding granola in your life -- that is, if you can stomach the preaching messages on the bottles:
"By timing your shower and keeping it under five minutes, you can save up to 1,000 gallons of water a month." Or... "If everyone viewed and paid their bills online, instead of printing, we could keep over 18.5 million trees growing each year."
PRICKLY SPUR.
I recently switched from EcoTools to a bottle of Philosophy's Mint Chocolate Chip body wash/shampoo/bubble bath, $16.99 at Target. It smells exactly like it sounds (delicious), and it also comes with a message on the bottle -- a recipe for ice cream!
That, I can appreciate.
~ Deal Diva Stephanie
Photo: EcoTools, Target
BONUS: Here's a video of ABBA singing Dancing Queen. If you replace the word "dancing" with the word "sampling," you'll have the same song that's been raging through my head all day! Enjoy!
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THE AUTHORS
Stephanie Hayes came out of the womb wearing high heels. While other kids were reciting multiplication tables, she was learning to calculate an extra third off the half-price discount during buy-one-get-one week. She loves animal prints, black mascara and anything that sparkles. She objects to visible panty lines, Crocs and anything that costs more than a car payment. And she doesn't drive a nice car. She can be reached at (727) 893-8857 or shayes@tampabay.com.
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Kameel Stanley has never encountered a thrift store she didn’t like. Her
mother taught her that the true value of clothes isn’t how much they cost,
but how many outfits one can create from them. Having grown up in Michigan,
she was delighted to learn upon moving to Florida that she almost never
needed to wear socks or boots again. There’s a lot of turnover in her
closet, and she’s obsessed with dresses, necklaces and wedge heels. She can
be reached at (727) 893-8643 or kstanley@tampabay.com.
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A disciple of the little black dress classics school, Letitia Stein stretches her budget by looking for styles with staying power. She lives for 80 percent off shoes at DSW, floral sundresses and bohemian chic tops. She confesses to being a bit of a snob when it comes to handbags and jewelry. She can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or lstein@tampabay.com.
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Coming from a long line of fashionable women, Kim Wilmath considers herself lucky to fit into their hand-me-downs. Her wardrobe staples include her grandma's vintage blouses and her mom's funky jewelry. When she's in the market for "new" items, Kim hits her favorite thrift stores -- a habit she also picked up from mom. But when circumstances require a visit to the shiny stores in the mall, you'll find Kim at the sale rack like a good little diva. She can be reached at (813) 661-2442 or kwilmath@tampabay.com.
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Kameel Stanley has never encountered a thrift store she didn’t like. Her
mother taught her that the true value of clothes isn’t how much they cost,
but how many outfits one can create from them. Having grown up in Michigan,
she was delighted to learn upon moving to Florida that she almost never
needed to wear socks or boots again. There’s a lot of turnover in her
closet, and she’s obsessed with dresses, necklaces and wedge heels. She can
be reached at (727) 893-8643 or
A disciple of the little black dress classics school, Letitia Stein stretches her budget by looking for styles with staying power. She lives for 80 percent off shoes at DSW, floral sundresses and bohemian chic tops. She confesses to being a bit of a snob when it comes to handbags and jewelry. She can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or
Coming from a long line of fashionable women, Kim Wilmath considers herself lucky to fit into their hand-me-downs. Her wardrobe staples include her grandma's vintage blouses and her mom's funky jewelry. When she's in the market for "new" items, Kim hits her favorite thrift stores -- a habit she also picked up from mom. But when circumstances require a visit to the shiny stores in the mall, you'll find Kim at the sale rack like a good little diva. She can be reached at (813) 661-2442 or