It has been over a year since I first tried Lumē Deodorant, and I’ve been using it almost that entire year (minus a few weeks as an experiment). I’ve made 4 purchases from their company, usually of discounted bundles (the only thing junk email is good for is discounts), and I’ve spent $130.52 total. I have ALSO tried a couple different aluminum free deodorants in that time to see how they rank up against my Lumē. First, HERE is my most recent review of Lumē Deodorant.
Next, here are the other two aluminum free deodorants I tried against Lumē:
Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant in Cucumber and Green Tea
Native Deodorant in Cucumber & Mint
“I think, somehow, Target fills us with hope as we walk down their clean aisles, items curated to scream “TAKE ME HOME” to every basic mom, such as myself, so that when we get up to the register and they explain calmly that they are going to remove several hundred of our hard earned dollars from our bank account that we don’t blink an eye but smile vapidly and have instant buyer’s remorse.”
You had me at Dove
Dove has been my go-to for years. But will the aluminum free version work?
Dove 0% Aluminum Deodorant smells good… until I sweat right through it with my stinky pits within 30 minutes of applying it. Come on, Dove. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on your regular deodorants over the years, slowly poisoning myself with aluminum. The least you could do for me is give me a natural deodorant that WORKS. Well, to be honest, I didn’t expect much after using Lumē for so long. I used the Dove 0% only a few times (just to make SURE it wasn’t a fluke). It wasn’t a fluke. Unfortunately, this deodorant did not keep my stink away.
Going Native
I was really hopeful for Native deodorant. First of all, I found it at Target. And I think, somehow, Target fills us with hope as we walk down their clean aisles, items curated to scream “TAKE ME HOME” to every basic mom, such as myself, so that when we get up to the register and they explain calmly that they are going to remove several hundred of our hard earned dollars from our bank account that we don’t blink an eye but smile vapidly and have instant buyer’s remorse. So when I saw this $12 “paraben and aluminum free” deodorant on the shelf, I thought, “why the hell not?!”
This stuff smells amazing. But does it keep away the bad smells too?
The first thing I noticed about the Native Deodorant is that it smelled super yummy. It had a distinct essential oil or extract smell rather than other deodorants with laboratory created “parfum” smells like something you throw in your gym bag to keep it from smelling like the bacteria factory it most certainly is. Native’s sharp and clean scent was sure to blast my stanky pits to kingdom come with freshness. I applied it after a shower, just like I had with the Dove, to give it a fighting chance at combating my underarm bacteria.
“Do I have to chase my two gremlins? You betcha. Do I sweat because they raise my blood pressure? Oh, probably. But if these deodorants can’t DEODORIZE me in the most common activities of my life, I can’t make them a staple of my hygiene routine.”
Unfortunately, it also fell flat for me in terms of smell protection. Now, to test these, I wasn’t doing any strenuous exercise like I had done with the Lumē months ago when I was shoveling several cubic yards of river rock in 90-100 degree weather out in our yard. Both the Dove and the Native could hardly handle my day to day mom life. Do I have to chase my two gremlins? You betcha. Do I sweat because they raise my blood pressure? Oh, probably. But if these deodorants can’t DEODORIZE me in the most common activities of my life, I can’t make them a staple of my hygiene routine.
Hello, Lumē, My Old Friend…
So every time a new “deodorant” has failed me, I’ve found myself going back to Lumē. Just like running into the arms of an old friend who I know is going to wipe my sweat away and kill the smelly jerk bacteria that keep haunting my pits. Lumē has been there for me. And to top it off, I had a representative FROM Lumē contact me about my last review concerns and make suggestions on how I can test their product better. The best part is that their suggestions actually helped! In my last review, I stated that I wasn’t sure how long my body’s “detox” period was because my hormones and a few other factors were making that unclear. This meant that even though the Lumē was still working, it wasn’t lasting as long as it had previously and I was unsure of the cause.
Lumē has been working overtime for me for a year. But is it still number 1?
The Lumē representative that contacted me suggested that I try a clothes detergent that had enzyme technology to fight and kill the bacteria that can build up in clothes. Honestly, I don’t know why I hadn’t tried this sooner. I knew of these detergents but was unsure if they could really help me. So, per her suggestion, I tried Pursil Liquid Laundry Detergent in the Odor Fighter variety I found at my local grocery store. It specifically boasts “Odor Fighting Technology” and has seemed to work very well for me. It hasn’t made the problem go away 100%, but it’s drastically better than it has ever been.
Since changing to an odor fighting detergent, I feel like the Lumē has had a better chance to work to its fullest potential. The only time I’ve found the Lumē to fail at all anymore is when I work up a deep sweat in my mommy fitness class. Especially during the time of the month when my hormones are most haywire, I tend to go through days of excessive sweating that is hard to mask without showers twice a day. Sheesh. Isn’t motherhood beautiful?!
Conclusion
So, in short, here’s what I’ve learned. If a deodorant doesn’t boast an aluminum free alternative that actually KILLS the bad bacteria that makes you smell in the first place, its MUCH less likely to actually work. Now, I have heard good things from people through the mommy-sphere who have had positive experiences with many “natural” deodorants. But, for me, they don’t work if they’re not getting rid of the bacteria.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you purchase anything through my sponsored links, I receive commission at no additional cost to you. My views and opinions are not swayed because of this; I only recommend products and services I love.)*
Full disclosure: I DO NOT make any money or get any promotional kickbacks from Trusst Brand for my review. I am reviewing this product only as a consumer/customer.
I wore traditional underwire bras for almost 20 years of my life. Being larger chested made the underwire a necessity. It wasn’t until I got pregnant with my first baby that I considered a change. I wanted to do what was best for my baby and my body, so at that time I invested in some bras without underwire. Underwire-less bras took some getting used to because I instantly felt exposed and unsupported. Once my mind caught up to what my body had already realized, I found that I was actually way more comfortable. I nearly turned into a bra-burning mad woman when I noticed that I had developed bruising and muscle indentations under my breasts from the years of underwire digging in to support my ample chest. No wonder we women love taking our bras off at the end of the day!
After realizing my freedom, I ended up wearing wireless bras for about three years during my pregnancies and the postpartum breastfeeding journeys afterwards. I kept promising myself that when I finally finished breastfeeding, I’d buy some new, cute bras seeing as how I had just spent the last three years in the rotation of the same 4, milk-stained, incredibly unflattering stretchy bras. I started to venture back out into the retail fashion world that I had been absent from for an embarrassingly long time to find that I didn’t know where to start. Luckily, we live in a day and age where computers automatically read our minds and somehow know exactly how to advertise what we want. I began seeing more and more ads for bras and intimates. I checked some of them out but wasn’t willing to take the plunge on investing in bras that I couldn’t try on from companies that charged restocking fees.
The Trusst Brand’s Marjory The T-Shirt Bra is a huge upgrade from my worn-out stretchy-bras. The material is buttery soft and the lines you see on the cups do not show through most shirts.
Body After Babies
An unfortunate reality of carrying two babies and breastfeeding them for a combined 16 months was that I ended with completely different breasts than I started with. To make matters more complicated, we moved to a different city a year ago, and the availability and selection for what I lovingly refer to as “big girl bras” is next to nothing. I tried Target, but they didn’t keep my size in store, and what I bought online from them was not what I would consider an everyday bra due to its regular style underwire. Ouch! All other retail stores in our area were the same story. I even tried on what some would consider the “granny panties” of bras that offered full support and very little breathing room. Seriously! I felt like I was being suffocated. Plus, it wasn’t really the look I was going for; torpedo boobs and visible bra sticking out from under all my tank tops was not what I had in mind. I looked into bras from Cacique, intimates made by the Lane Bryant brand. I like the quality and selection of Lane Bryant clothes, so I figured I’d be safe. But what I couldn’t get past was their restocking fee. Since I wasn’t able to physically visit one of their stores to try on bras, and I knew that I’d inevitably need to return one or more trying to find the perfect fit for me, restocking fees were a deal breaker. Several more online retailers, including Adore Me, ThirdLove, and a couple others left me pretty discouraged for similar reasons.
I began planning a six hour round trip drive just to be able to visit a store where I MIGHT be able to find and try on bras that fit me. Thankfully, internet marketing had my back. I saw one more bra ad that sparked my interest. Trusst Brand bras first caught my interest because of their name. I thought using the word truss in their name was clever because, as Wikipedia states, “A truss is an assembly of beams or other elements that creates a rigid structure.” I thought, “well, at least I can expect these bras to have good support!” What I didn’t expect to find was a brand that not only had invented their own technology to help large chested women, but they also guaranteed their work AND did their best to make it affordable. Of course, most “big girl bras” are a financial investment, so price tags didn’t shock me much, but I still wanted to get the most out of my budget.
A unique feature of the Trusst Brand’s Naomi: Convertible Bra is the extended side panels that help smooth your figure by tucking in that troublesome armpit fat that loves to sneak out the sides. I love this feature!
Try Before You Buy
I found that not only was Trusst Brand willing to give me 40% off my first bra (by signing up with my email) but they also have a program to try before you buy. Trusst Brand’s try before you buy program sounded too good to be true, so I made sure to read ALL of the fine print before signing up. I found that their program was actually very simple, and there was little to no fine print. You take their online “quiz” to find out your size (which is important because Trusst doesn’t follow the same sizing as most bra manufacturers). This might sound like an annoying inconvenience but I’ll share what I learned from trying the Trusst sizing in the next section.
Trusst Brand’s “Try Before You Buy” system allows you to choose three bras to try on (any sizes or styles) at no initial cost and only pay for what you keep in the end. This means that you can have three bras sent to your house at no initial cost to try on in the comfort of your own home. If you choose to keep any of them you pay for what you keep, but not right away. If you decide to send any bras back and exchange them for different styles or sizes, they will not charge you until you have everything in-hand that you intend to keep. At the time that I made my purchase, I exceeded the minimum requirement for free shipping so even though I exchanged one bra for a different size and sent one back entirely, I didn’t pay any shipping. And no restocking fees! It was great.
Trusst Brand’s Sizing
It was hard for me to trust the fact that Trusst Brand had done their homework in creating a solid sizing chart that translated from traditional sizes to their own. So when I made my initial “Try Before You Buy” purchase, I chose one bra in the size they recommended and two in a size up from that because I was afraid that their sizing was too small. It turned out that I was way off. The size that they had measured me for was nearly perfect. The larger sizes I chose were much too big. Traditionally, I’m a DD but the Trusst Brand sizing chart measured me for (what they call) a D. See why it made me nervous to order their suggested size? Thanks to their super easy returns system, I was able to send back and exchange for the exact bras I wanted.
Special features that make these bras even more worth the cost: strong construction, generous hook closures, rose gold hardware, and a cross-back hook option.
The last thing I’d like to note about the size the Trusst Brand measured me for is that I still feel like it might be slightly too big for me but that might be because around the time that I was measuring myself and ordering the bras, my body was still adjusting to being done breastfeeding. I may have lost an inch or so of fat where the bra band sits, which means that even though I keep my bra on the tightest setting, the band is still a little loose on me. But it may be possible that they measure a little generously in the band size. I’ll have to do a follow-up on that if I buy another bra from them in the future.
Trusst Bra Quality
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to try many different bras from different sources and quality levels. When I was young and on a tighter budget, I got my bras from department stores. Department stores carry a pretty wide variety of bra qualities, but current prices seem to reflect an inflation of cost without much progress for quality. The materials and makeup of the department store bras may have improved slightly over the years but the prices seem to have gone up more than they’re worth, in my opinion. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find something good there, but it means you may have to work harder to find it.
Eventually, I “graduated” to what I thought at the time was higher quality bras from Victoria’s Secret. They’re definitely slightly better than what you can buy from a department store, but you pay a bit more for the name brand. It was always hard for me to find a style in VS that not only fit me but was practical AND flattering. Being larger chested narrowed down my choices to begin with, but finding a style I liked that worked under regular clothing and didn’t cause me to spill out in all the wrong places was difficult. I spent years wearing VS bras but was completely underwhelmed by the cost to comfort ratio. Why did I have to pay so much money for something that wasn’t completely comfortable for my body?
The interior lining material of both types of bra I tried from Trusst Brand was so soft and comfortable against my skin with the bonus of being moisture-wicking. Plus, the sewn parts seem very durable and do not irritate my skin. Most of the time I can easily forget I’m wearing anything!
Finally, after dealing with the changes my body has gone through after having kids and realizing that I’m willing to pay a little more for comfort over cuteness I found Trusst Brand bras. My first impression when I took the bras out of their packaging is that the material they use to make them is buttery soft. The material works really well under regular t-shirts and thin tank tops. Plus, it’s very soft on the skin. The cups are nicely shaped and give me way more lift than I’m used to! I was a little worried when I first put the bra on that I’d look like my boobs were going to knock satellites out of the sky, but once I put a shirt on over the bra my chest didn’t look odd at all. I guess I’m just so used to my new old boobs that I didn’t know what to expect from my new new boobs, haha!
Technology > Underwire
An image from the Trusst Brand website showing their patented support structure.
When I first started looking for new bras, I figured I’d have to make some sort of sacrifice and that I’d have to live with some level of discomfort. When I first found Trusst Brand, I chose them based on the fact that they had a wide range of sizes, plus they had a great exchange and return policy. What I didn’t count on was finding all of those things from a company that had ALSO developed a brand new technology to help large-chested ladies find a more comfortable alternative to underwire without compromising support. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, they did it. Here is a little bit more on the technology you find in every Trusst Brand bra.
The image to the right shows an illustration of the Trusst Brand’s patented support structure. It’s made of a hard plastic, which allows for it to be easily moldable while still being light so as not to add weight to an already heavy load. The plastic piece has some shapes that pop out three-dimensionally above the main curve, which gives the whole shape its strength. The nice thing is that those popped-out shapes are hollow. This means they use less plastic to make them, making them lighter and cheaper to make (less cost to pass on to the customer), while still providing a strong shape.
When I first started reading about this new technology, I was skeptical about its comfort. I thought for sure that the bottom of the bra cups would still push against my ribcage to provide support and leave my skin bruised and dented. That is always the struggle I came across with traditional underwire. Once I got the bras and tried them on, I found that this was not the case for Trusst Brand bras at all. Not only is the inside material soft and comfortable on skin, but the shape of the bottom of the cup (where the plastic support sits) does NOT push into the ribcage but sits perfectly spaced from the body while keeping a good form and not losing support or causing breast tissue to slip out the bottom. Trusst Brand has done an amazing job at padding the bra just right to prevent you from feeling the support structure while not over-padding the bra and making it feel bulky or fake. I can wear these bras all day without discomfort. I’ve only had them for a couple months, so I will do a follow-up review once I’ve put more miles on them and can truly attest to their lifespan through normal wear and tear.
In Conclusion
Trusst Brand seems to offer everything I’ve been looking for in a bra company. They have a great product, created with groundbreaking technology, backed by great policies, and the convenience of online purchasing. The only thing I hope they are able to change in the future is to expand their color and pattern availability. With proper care, I’m imagining getting a lot more life out of these bras than any I’ve purchased before. They’re built for comfort AND built to last. So far so good. I look forward to creating a positive follow-up review in the future. But for now, I give this product a 5 out of 5 bear tracks rating.
I give this product 5 out of 5 bear tracks. That’s my first product with that high of a rating!
Full disclosure: I DO NOT make any money or get any promotional kickbacks from Lumē for my review. I am reviewing this product only as a consumer/customer.
Well, here I am again. Back almost 8 months later to give you an update. I first tried Lumē deodorant back in January of this year (2019) and was pleasantly surprised by the results. But I knew, looking forward, that I wanted to conduct a little experiment to truly test the results. As I mentioned in my original Lumē review HERE, I’ve experienced sweating and odor since I hit puberty in middle school many, many moons ago. I’m not shy about it anymore, but you can be sure that I’ve put this product to the test.
Detox
I’ve read that when switching over to a more natural deodorant (without aluminum and some synthetic chemicals) your body tends to go through a bit of a detox period. Before trying Lumē, I had been using Dove deodorant for many years, believing that it was the gentlest non-natural deodorant I could find. That might have been true (it’s an unfounded theory), but I did experience clogged pores, ingrown hairs, and darkened skin under my arms consistently while using Dove deodorant. This leads me to believe that it wasn’t as gentle as I would have liked.
The first time I tried Lumē, I found that my detox period was surprisingly short, but I think that was due to the fact that it was still winter, so my sweat levels really didn’t test the limits of Lumē’s capabilities. During my first trial run with Lumē, I did notice an improvement in the health of my underarm skin. After my detox period, my underarm skin was smoother, lighter in color, and less prone to ingrown hairs after shaving.
Putting it to the Test
The weather this summer has been abnormally mild for us, but my armpits are still under a lot of stress, hormone level changes, and more temperature changes than they were the first time I used Lumē. We’ve shoveled literal tons of rocks in 90°+ weather this summer, plus I was finally able to finish my breastfeeding journey with my youngest, so my hormones have been up and down like a rollercoaster. It is possible that I’m still in the midst of my second detox period while using Lumē, but it’s been over a month since I started the new stick, so I’m hoping that’s not the case. To say I’ve been putting the product to the test is an understatement. I have noticed that I have been abnormally smelly…hooray. But I do feel like that has started to taper off.
This second time around, I don’t feel like I’m getting the same distance out of the Lumē formula that I was the first time. I’m definitely not getting more than 24 hours coverage out of the deodorant, plus I’m having to reapply occasionally, so I may be using up the stick faster. I’m hoping to be able to do a third review of the Lumē products later on this year, and I can update that review to reflect how fast I’m using the products based on the time of year or weather temperature.
What’s That Smell?
One thing I noted in my original Lumē review was that I didn’t like the smell of the original scent. In fact, I think that was the only thing I didn’t like aside from the cost. The original scent is called Lavender Sage. Usually I really like both of those scents, but for some reason I didn’t like the way Lumē had combined them. It smelled too much like chemicals to me (even though that’s not what I was smelling).
This second time around I was planning to order the unscented stick deodorant, but when I went to order, I noticed that they had added several new scents. Aside from the Lavender Sage and Unscented, they added Juniper Berry, Jasmine Rose, and Silver Spruce. (These sound like names of kids you see trending on Instagram…) I chose to get two–one Juniper Berry and one Jasmine Rose–just in case I didn’t like one of them. Once I got the sticks, I noticed that neither smell really stood out to me as especially appealing, but I liked the Juniper Berry more, so that is what I’ve been wearing. I can imagine a lot of people will like the Jasmine Rose, but I’ve never really liked the smell of rose other than straight from the flower. I have a feeling that the scent might grow on me when I start using it. I’m also interested to try the Silver Spruce eventually. Initially, I didn’t order that scent because I was afraid it would be too masculine of a scent for me, but I think I’m now willing to give it a try.
Overall
After giving Lumē deodorant another try, I can say I do still enjoy the product. I’m using more than I had back when I initially tried it due to harsher conditions, but I think I get enough coverage that I don’t clear a room with my stench. I still don’t feel as fresh as I’d like, though. I’m not crazy about the scents that they offer either. Maybe it’s more that the base scent is something I’m not fond of, and the additional smells added to it are not agreeing with me. In reality, though, I don’t smell the scent often after I apply it, which is probably for the best. Ideally, you shouldn’t smell like anything unless you want to be distracting.
I think the most valuable thing I’ve gained from using the Lumē product is cleared and improved skin in my underarm region. Since puberty, my armpits have been a point of reservation for me. I’ve always struggled with excessive sweating, sweat marks, odor, and generally unappealing underarm skin. For years, I’ve tended to cover up and hide the problem, ashamed to show my armpits or wear anything other than black. After using Lumē, I’ve noticed an almost instant improvement of my skin. My underarm skin has been smooth, less bumpy and dark, and less prone to ingrown hairs. That said, I feel that the novelty of the product has worn off, and I’m a little disappointed that I’m constantly worrying if people around me can smell me. I do hope that it’s possible that I’m not fully through my detox period and that my freshness will improve with time and usage.
Based on the differences from my original experience, I think I might have to downgrade my rating to give this product: 3 out of 5 Bear Tracks. Hopefully my impression of this product will improve by my next update!
There are thousands of ridiculous gadgets on the internet today. Kitchen gadgets is probably the genre with the greatest number of unnecessary items. I worked for 5 years at a retail job that focused largely on kitchen gadgets. I’ve seen it all- strawberry hullers, banana slicers, corn cob butterers. If there is some process that takes place in the kitchen, some hopeful inventor has devised a gadget to “make your life easier.”
Because I spent 5 years exploring what we called the gadget wall, I had the chance to try many gimmicky gizmos. Some of them withstood the test, and some of them became clearly unnecessary. One gadget that I never saw in the store but ran across during one of my late night online impulse buys was called Onion Goggles.
At first, I thought it was silly. Sure, cutting onions sucks…but does it really require eye protection? But, thinking back to all the times I’ve cut onions, I reconsidered my skepticism. It seems like every time I cut onions, my eyes pour tears in defense against the onion’s stinging particles released from the cut. It’s a job I dread. I spend a lot of time cooking. I’m the main cook in our house, and I genuinely enjoy cooking, so I come across this problem frequently. Many times, my husband offers to cut the onions for our dinner because he knows how seriously I react to them. Apparently, his eyeballs are a lot tougher than mine!
So, I purchased a pair of onion goggles and waited for my first opportunity to use them. Recently, we had a meal of pulled pork sandwiches, and I wanted to make caramelized onions to go with it. Caramelizing the onions brings out their natural sweetness and goes very well with the tangy zing of the barbeque sauce on the pork. So, I busted out my newest kitchen fashion accessory and gave them a try.
I wish you could smell pictures!
I was very skeptical. Over the years, I’ve tried many of the Old Wives’ Tales based around ways to keep onions from hurting your eyes and had yet to find one that works. I’ve tried leaving the roots on while cutting the onion. I’ve tried using a very sharp knife. I’ve tried coating my knife in several different substances before cutting into the onion. I’ve tried many others. None of them worked for me, so the onion goggles were really my last effort before giving up on fighting it.
I needed to cut up the entirety of my red onion, so I was able to give my goggles a fair first try. As I began to cut the onion, I noticed that the lenses started to get what looked like tiny water droplets on them. That must be what normally gets in my eyes. Yikes! To me, that was physical proof that the goggles worked. After getting through an onion cutting experience tear-free, I’d say that these onion goggles lived up to their purpose. I’ll be keeping them handy in my kitchen from now on.
With the onion goggles I didn’t have to worry about cutting myself because of impaired vision so I was able to get perfect slices!
If you’re looking to get a pair for yourself, I’m not here to recommend any specific brands, but I can recommend some criteria for your search. Make sure that the goggles you purchase come with some sort of particle blocking material around the frames where they sit against your face. This is the main protection against the onion’s sting. Additionally, it is useful to purchase a pair with a strap that goes around the back of your head to hold them on rather than them just sitting on your nose like a regular pair of glasses. Even with a foam barrier between the glasses and your face, if they’re not held against your face tight enough, there will be plenty of gaps for onion particles to sneak in and make your purchase pointless. The pair I purchased were like regular glasses but came with an optional band that attaches to the frame. This band worked perfectly and was quite stylish, if you ask me! They made me feel like a kitchen superhero!
Kept my eyes protected AND made me look cool! Haha!
Full disclosure: This review DOES NOT make me any money. I am reviewing this product only as a consumer and do not stand to profit from any promotion of the product. I do NOT sell this product.
Any woman who has been pregnant before has noticed changes with her body. It wasn’t until I had given birth to my first child that I began to notice many things about my body that had changed and were still changing. Of course, carrying a baby inside your body will change your shape and the way some things function, but there are other changes, sometimes subtle, that you don’t notice right away.
Months after I had given birth to my son, I started to notice my hair changing. I was in denial for weeks that it was falling out. I had heard other moms talk about losing their hair, so I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t believe it would happen to me. I thought having thick hair would save me from that. As I slowly started to lose my hair, I also noticed that my eyelashes had thinned out to a point that not even mascara could help. So, I started to look for options.
I had heard about eyelash extensions and other options similar to that, but I wasn’t willing to resort to that until I had exhausted all of the options I could do at home. I knew that eyelash extensions were only temporary and had to be done by a professional esthetician. This wasn’t a great option for me as a new mother. I didn’t have enough time in my days to leave the house for appointments like that. I wanted an option that I could do at home by myself.
“I wanted an option that I could do at home by myself.”
For months, I saw advertisements from a friend showing before and after pictures of women who had tried a product called Lash Boost from Rodan & Fields. This product was specially formulated to grow your lashes out as naturally as possible. Of course, I’m always skeptical of products coming from direct sales companies like Rodan & Fields. I, myself, have been a part of a couple MLM (multi-level marketing)/DS (direct sales) style companies in the past. Some companies sell really great, quality products and others do not. I had heard a lot of good things about R&F products, but I was still skeptical.
A friend of mine who is a consultant for R&F was running a deal on the Lash Boost so I figured it was a good time to try it. I had no idea how much it would cost, and when I found out the reality of the price tag, I almost backed out. It is expensive! That was my first impression. And because I had never purchased any other products from R&F, I had no basis for estimating the price to start with. But realistically, if growing my lashes out was important to me, Lash Boost still ended up being cheaper than going the route of eyelash extensions. The first tube I purchased was an experiment because I didn’t know if it would work or how long the tube of product would last me.
The Lash Boost product comes in a skinny, silver container, about the size of a mascara tube. When I first got it, I thought “this stuff better work for this price!” Initially, I felt kinda disappointed because I had paid so much for such a small tube. It turned out that that tube lasted me about 2 ½ months. So, once I did the math, it turned out that the value of the product wasn’t as bad as the initial sticker shock. Thankfully, R&F gives you control over when your next product shipment is purchased and shipped. This meant that I was able to push out the purchase of my next tube for a couple months. Not having to pay the full price every month was a bonus. You also save a bit on the product by signing up as a recurring customer. Of course, those types of “discounts” are always factored into the price of the product anyhow, but it was nice to have a discount as long as I could stay on top of the reorder date.
Now that I had my product, I was ready to try it. I had no idea how long I could expect to try it until I saw results. I also had no guarantee that it would work for me at all, but it was worth a try. I told myself that I would give it a month, and if I saw no results, I would stop using it.
“I told myself that I would give it a month, and if I saw no results, I would stop using it.”
After a month of trying Lash Boost, I did see results. I was surprised at how well it had already been working. Initially, the only issue I had with it was that it left the skin on my eyelids a little red where I placed the product at night. It looked like I was wearing a dark pink eyeliner. I was a little concerned at first, but after using the product for a month, the redness started to go away. This may sound concerning to some of you but there was no swelling, pain, or other signs of a bad reaction other than the skin redness, so I was willing to risk it.
Top image was before using Lash Boost. Bottom picture was after 3 months of daily use- mascara used to highlight lash length.
I continued using the product and continued to see results. My eyelashes grew in length and thickness. I finally started to feel less like a hot mess mom and more comfortable in my own skin. Lash Boost worked so well, in fact, that I rarely felt like I needed mascara to accentuate my eyes, but when I did use it, the mascara did a great job of highlighting my already long lashes. It was nice to finally feel like I didn’t need to wear false eyelashes when I wanted to dress up. It was nice to feel proud of my own lashes. It helped me feel pretty, and I’m not ashamed to admit that.
As I write this, I have been using this product for a little over a year now. I did notice that after about 6 months of using Lash Boost, my lashes had reached what I consider to be their max length and thickness. Anything after that has been just staying consistent with the product to keep the look intact. There was a period of time after I had given birth to my second baby when I was too tired to remember to apply the products during my bedtime routine like usual. I did begin to notice a decrease in length and thickness of my lashes during that time. Once I noticed that, I made sure to continue my evening applications, and it seemed that my lashes recovered quickly, and I was able to regain my max lash length and thickness.
My most current results. Mascara used to highlight lash length.
Overall, I have been happy with this product. I love my results and have had to exert minimal effort to attain them. Once I factored the cost into my beauty regimen budget, it wasn’t as shocking as it was at first. Thankfully, other things in my regimen became more affordable, so the tradeoff evened out in the long run. In a future post, I will review the skincare products I have been using from another company and how their value is the best I’ve come across in my many years of trying various products.
I give Lash Boost from Rodan & Fields 4 out of 5 Bear Tracks!
Full disclosure: I DO NOT make any money or get any promotional kickbacks from Lumē for my review. I am reviewing this product only as a consumer/customer. Click HERE for my current follow-up review of this product.
That being said, I feel there’s something else you should know. I’m stinky. Well, not right now but more often than I’d like to admit. I’m a mom, and unfortunately, I’m pretty low on my own priority list. So my showers usually happen at night before I go to bed and after the cubs are already sleeping. I’ll be real and admit that I don’t get the luxury of a daily shower. I sometimes have to go a few days without showering because sleep is more important to me than de-stinkifying myself. I’ve also been blessed with prodigious stink-making abilities, so deodorant has been my best friend since puberty.
All of this together means that my deodorant is usually working overtime to keep me socially acceptable. Years ago, when pit stains were the biggest of my insecurities, I depended on clinical-strength deodorants to keep me sweat and stink-free. Unfortunately, those are terrible for the endocrine system, affecting the body’s hormone production. In retrospect, it actually explains a lot about my hormone struggles through the years. In recent years, I’ve been using regular Dove deodorant because it has been the gentlest on my skin while also working well to keep me stink-free.
In the past, I’ve tried a couple different natural deodorant options, neither of which worked for me. I’ve heard some people say that natural deodorants work, but you have to be willing to let your body adjust to them. Sorry, I don’t have time for that. I don’t want to stink for what could be weeks or months just because I’m “working through a few things.” So I’ve been convinced for a while that I would never find a “natural” deodorant that works for stinky ol’ me.
Recently, an ad came through my Facebook feed (sometimes marketing works, people) that caught my eye. I’ll admit that it initially caught my eye because it was a video commercial with a lot of bright colors. But as I watched, I noticed their added humor about what is normally a fairly taboo topic. A silly ad for deodorant? I’m listening… The best part of the commercial, in my opinion, was that every time I came up with a question about the product, they answered it! By the end of it, I was sold. I jumped online and bought some. But I was still skeptical.
They claim that this deodorant, called Lumē, is an aluminum-free alternative to most others on the market. I have personal reasons for wanting to pursue an aluminum-free deodorant, but without getting preachy, HERE is a simple article giving some insight into aluminum-based deodorants and how they can affect our bodies.
The Lumē brand also claims it can be used anywhere externally on the body where odor occurs. It was developed by a gynecologist who wanted to find a better way to kill odor causing bacteria without using materials that could harm your body. They sell both a stick-style deodorant and a tube/cream-style to be applied with your hand. Both seem to be the same formula, just different applications.
The first thing I noticed when I tried this product was the smell. It was a little strong for me. It was citrus-y and almost chemical-y. (Yes, those are scientific adjectives.) I’m still not a huge fan of the scent, but I found out through further research that they also sell an unscented version, which I plan to try next. Yes, you read that right! I do plan to purchase this product again. Here’s why:
The Lumē brand claims that you can get 72 hours of protection out of their product. That is still up in the air for me. I chickened out after about 30 hours. Thankfully, the product did seem to continue working, but I could tell it had started to wear out its effectiveness around the 24 hour mark. It also could be that once my body adjusts to the bacteria balance, I may get longer use out of one application. But I’ll have to add an update at a later time when I’ve done some further testing.
The biggest positive I found in this product is that it worked. It kept me from getting stinky for at least 24 hours, even while chasing down toddler bear all day and juggling a breastfeeding baby bear. I actually felt like I sweated a little less than I normally would as well, but that could have been a fluke. Since I’ve been consistently taking my amazing multivitamin and probiotics for the last couple years, they have helped me balance my hormones, which, in turn, has helped regulate my body temperature and decrease my usual intense sweating. But I’ll go into that further in a future post.
The only negatives I found about the Lumē products are the price and the smell. It’s a pricey stick of deodorant at about $14 and $19 for the tube. Yikes! I know. But with the idea that it should last about three times as long as your daily-application, aluminum-filled deodorant, it evens out to be about the same cost over time. One great thing I noticed is that they offer free shipping, which probably means that the shipping cost is built into the price of the product. Something to keep in mind any time a product claims “free shipping.” But, hey, at least I didn’t have to see an additional cost in my checkout cart. As for the smell, I’m curious to see if their “unscented” scent is truly unscented and keeps me…unscented.
Overall, I would give Lumē deodorant a positive review. It is the first deodorant I’ve tried that has eliminated the need for aluminum but has worked immediately and for a realistic length of time. I normally expect to re-apply my deodorant daily. But with all other natural deodorants I have tried in the past, I had to re-apply them multiple times a day. That is wasteful and annoying. Lumē seems to have found a good recipe for healthy and effective. If it was just mediocre, I probably would not have wasted my time writing a review.
