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Wipes & Diapers

Ok...sorry if you don't have any kids but please allow...

Before I was a mom, I was insistent on finding "plain" diapers with no characters on them. I've come a long way, baby.

Wipes:

• Up and Up (Target brand): Verdict: Yes! They are my favorite wipes. Really big, with ridges (first wipes I've seen like this) that help with cleaning...well...stuff
• Especially for Baby (Babies R Us Brand): Verdict: No. Kind of dry. Thin. Useless.
• Pampers Wipes: Verdict: My second favorite choice, but more expensive than the Target brand.

Diapers (Please bear with me, I have tried everything on the market looking for the aforementioned "plain" diaper):

• Earth's Best: Verdit: Nah. Too stiff. Hard. Not flexible.
• Huggies: Verdict: Nah. Too much "all-over" print. Ridiculous advertisement. I don't want my 12-month-old to beg for Disney stuff just yet. More expensive than Pampers, I believe.
• Pampers: Verdict: Yes. My favorite brand for all sizes tried so far. Regrettably, not plain. But...less hoopla than the Huggies.
• 7th Generation: Verdict: Nah. I had such high hopes. They are a little shorter in back than other brands and you risk extra leakage during the exploding diaper phase. Love the look. Maybe for a photo where you want a nice, plain, earth-friendly, kinda-cute light-khaki diaper.
• Target Brand: Verdict: Maybe. Cuter, in terms of an all-over print. Kind of stiff and hard like the Earth's Best. They don't seem like they'd be comfortable. I did not try them on :)

skincare

a subject near and dear to my heart. who in the world wants terrible skin?

• Proactiv: Verdit: Yes (it's not terribly expensive anyway). This stuff actually works. Take it from a girl who has spent half of her post-puberty life in a dermatologist's office. It does bleach your towels if you are not very careful. I suggest using white towels only while using Proactiv.
  
• Fresh: Verdict: Mixed reviews (some of the line is awesome, other products are worth saving money on). I miss you, Fresh! I tried to save money this month and buy Neutrogena instead. Makes a big difference. Smells awesome and has very pretty packaging. Sugar Bath cubes are incredible. Moisturizing clay face lotion is incredible. The makeup remover doesn't remove makeup very well, I still need to use toner. As I recently read in a book on cosmetics, why use expensive face wash when it just goes down the drain? Save the money for skincare products that actually stay on your face, like lotions.
• Neutrogena: Verdict Mixed reviews (face wash ok, moisturizer doesn't work)
  

shampoo

• Aveeno Active Naturals Nourish and Volumize Shampoo: Verdict: No (Don't try to save money with this one). Worth buying the more expensive equivalents. Does not seem to work very well. Makes my face break out :(
• Aveda Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner: Verdict: Yes (Worth it!). Seems to make my color last longer. And you thought I was a natural three shades of blond.
  

how it works...

products will be divided into categories (skincare, cleaning products, haircare, etc.) and i will tell you which luxe and cheap products i've tried. read my rating of the product and tell me if you agree, or have feedback to share regarding additional products or brands (try to be very specific so we will know exactly what to buy/not buy and include a picture if you can)! i will try to include the price and purchase location, when i can remember to save my receipts!
any and all products and opinions are welcomed. i would love to know which of the "good stuff" products are really good stuff and where i can save some money, too! just don't make fun of me for starting a nerdy blog...

hi! (and why i made this blog...)

in a quest for discovering the perfect household products, i remembered a great article i read in Real Simple magazine a few years ago. this article acknowledged that, while some luxury products are worth paying for, other products could be bought "on the cheap" and still be really good! of course, i'd rather have everything Martha Stewart style (right down to my toothpaste), but that's just not realistic.
especially in today's economic climate, it makes sense to weed out worthy from worthless products...and save money wherever possible. although this can mean buying the store brand (or an inexpensive equivalent) for items like paper towels and dish soap, the money saved can be used to buy the stuff you really want! in other words, some cheaper items are really pretty good and they are worth using just to live...or get by! other, more expensive products, are sometimes worth their higher price tag. that's where the luxe comes in.
i will use this forum to rate products, both cheap and luxe, and tell you what i think is really "worth" your money! i would also appreciate your feedback and vote.