Body Lotion Battle!

I don't normally use body lotion.  It's not that my skin couldn't use a little extra moisture, I just usually don't have the time in the morning to deal with the extra step of lotioning up.  Recently I received two lotions to try out.

The first lotion was a new formula from St. Ives, their Naturally Smooth Natural Fruit AHA Complex.  It costs about $6 for a big 21 oz. bottle and is available at big box stores. It as been designed to moisturize and improve the appearance of skin.  It contains "all natural non-greasy moisturizers" that instantly absorb to protect skin from dryness while the multi-fruit blend with alpha hydroxides gently exfoliates to improve skin cell turnover and smooth the appearance of rough uneven skin. It promises that skin will be fresher, smoother and younger looking.

The next lotion was a mystery lotion.  I was asked to test out a new body lotion without knowing what brand it was.  After taking a survey about the lotion, I learned it was a redesigned version of Vaseline Intensive Care Total Moisture Conditioning Body Lotion with Vitamins E&A.  It is also available at big box stores for a bit more...less than $9 for a big bottle.

Round #1: Price
Both products are reasonable and I'm sure you could find coupons for either brand.  Since the St. Ives is a tad, cheaper, this round will go to St. Ives...by a few bucks.

Round #2: Scent
I'm super picky when it comes to how body lotion smells...and I have two viewpoints: I either like my lotion to be fragrance free or I like it to have an almondy or vanilla scent.  Neither St. Ives nor the Vaseline appealed to me for the scent.  The St. Ives was way too fruity for my taste.  The Vaseline was too perfumey.  The Vaseline odor didn't linger long and wasn't as objectionable to me as the St. Ives.  Winner for round 2: Vaseline.

Round #3: Feel/Absorption
Both creams are very lightweight.  You're not going to get a super heavy, oily feel from either...which is good.  On that respect, it's a draw.  However, the Vaseline seemed to absorb really quickly into my skin...much faster than the St. Ives.  And when you're like me and you're pressed for time, this matters.  The St. Ives lotion felt a little stickier, but it wasn't terrible.  Winner: Vaseline.

Round #4: Softness
I tried St. Ives on one leg, Vaseline on the other.  At the end of the day, I ran my hands over my skin and really examined my knees (which are a bit scalier than I'd like at the moment).  To be perfectly honest, I didn't notice much of a difference between the lotions.  My legs were smoother and softer than they would have been without the use of lotion, but neither stood out.  Round #4: Draw.

Overall: 
Both lotions are nice and effective.  I give a slight edge to Vaseline, but it really could go either way!

What's your favorite body cream?  What's the most important feature you look for when buying a new cream?