The Good: Good lather quality, Decent cleaning ability.
The Bad: Expensive, Scent does not endure, Odd scent, Not anti-bacterial
The Basics: A pretty solid disappointment from Bath And Body Works, Charmed Life cleans well enough, but is not at all interesting or useful for the price.
Every now and then, when my wife and I are out shopping, she will fixate on a scent when shopping at Bath & Body Works that completely loses me. 90% of the scents in the store, I “get” and can see the appeal for. Charmed Life was not one of them. And yet, my wife eagerly picked up several of the products with the Charmed Life smell and I have made the mental journey from unimpressed to confused to absolutely loathing the vague scent that occasionally permeates our home. After some objective testing in the shower, I thought it was time to properly review the Charmed Life shower gel.
Charmed Life is sold in a 10 fl. oz. container by Bath and Body Works as part of their Signature Collection line and it is a shower gel. Shower Gel is essentially body wash and given that it was more than ten dollars for the 10 fl. oz. bottle (they had a 3 oz. that was $5.00!), I figured it had to be something incredible in the bottle to justify the price. It was not.
Charmed Life is an “adjective scent,” an aroma whose title tells you nothing about what to expect when you open the product. I seriously wish I could be more helpful with that. Charmed Life starts off with a vaguely citrus, lightly orange scent (think very sweet oranges, like Mandarin oranges) that turns into something slightly floral on the skin. Oddly, as I continue to smell my hands, it smells like a combination of seriously diluted rosewater and vanilla frosting. The scent may be vague, but it is a clean bouquet that is light enough to not be distracting, but also too light to be truly intriguing.
Charmed Life is a translucent light blue fluid that is thick like a decent shampoo. It has about the same consistency as a shampoo, maybe slightly more watery.
As a shower gel, a quarter-sized dollop of Charmed Life can clean most of a person, especially when it is applied to a loufa mitt or other cleaning device. Charmed Life is a smooth product, so it is not like it has exceptional cleaning powers on its own. As a body wash, Charmed Life cleans off the skin and eliminates any odors one might normally be blessed with, but if one gets rather dirty, they'll need something with friction to clean off with. Charmed Life is a decent cleaner and skin conditioner, but does not have granules or other components like a scrub would to exfoliate or deep clean the body. This shower gel foams right up and washes right off, as appropriate for a shower gel!
For those who are health conscious, the Charmed Life Shower Gel is primarily comprised of water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and TEA-Lauryl Sulfate. As one who is more accustomed to reviewing all natural teas, I'll say I know what water is and this product is not recommended for human consumption, so don't eat it! It does soften the skin some and the scent stays on the skin for about an hour and a half even after washing the lather off.
For the price, I would have wanted Charmed Life to have a more distinctive scent, anti-bacterial properties, and/or some exceptional cleaning ability. It struck out on all three fronts, making it impossible for me to recommend.
For other Bath And Body Works products, please visit my reviews of:
Sassy Strawberry Mint 3-in-1
Polar Bear Figural Soap Dispenser
Vanilla Bean Anti-Bacterial Soap
3.5/10
For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my index page, where you will find a complete listing of my reviews of that type by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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