Origins Blade Runner--Why yes, I do like red, raw, razorburn.. why do you ask?
Written: Jul 05 '03 (Updated Jul 05 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Works better for men, smell
Cons: Works better for men, cut my skin to ribbons, no lather, doesn't last long
The Bottom Line: I will give this 2 stars, because my husband likes Blade Runner and I loathe it.. This "lightweight" formula means more razor burn, and a horrid shave.. STAY AWAY!
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| gatorgirlie's Full Review: Origins Blade Runner Energizing Shave Cream |
This review is brought to you by the First Official Three-Legged Write-Off, an event pairing two members of the Epinions Community running to side-by-side to offer tandem reviews because it's not only fun, it supports the spirit of working together toward a common goal: providing consumers and Epinions with a wealth of information that you can find nowhere else. To read the entries from the other competitors you may wish to visit http://home.earthlink.net/~epskids/team.html.
Please allow myself to introduce the poor, poor gal who is latched to my side permanently (or until the write off ends on July 6th) -- Shantel575. I encourage you to read her fabulous review
http://www.epinions.com/content_104977108612
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And now onto the review!
I have been cursed by someone up high, someone who likes to exploit my shopping addiction. How else could you explain my two all time favorite clothing stores -- Banana Republic and White House/Black Market located in one mall? And then add to that MAC, Origins, Sephora, Aveda and Body Shop all packaged neatly together, close enough to a Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom and a Coach store.. I'm lucky that L'Occitane and Bloomy's is in a different mall that I don't go to that much.
Then, of course, add in that I work part time there over the summer.. and you have a recipe that spells tons of Epinions reviews.
I have been dying to branch out in Origins, so I bought their Blade Runner ostensibly for my husband. I couldn't wait to go home and try it! My guide told me all sorts of great stuff about their shaving cream -- it gave you a closer shave, no razor burn, cool skin.. I felt guilty spending so much on a shaving cream for myself, so I bought it "for my husband."
Packaging and Ingredients
Origins' Blade Runner comes in two different sizes -- one a 5 fl oz. tube and the other is a 16.9 fl oz jar. I purchased the 5 oz tube. The container is an opaque white that feels a little like plastic mixed with paper mache. The tube has a flip top lid on the bottom, making it easy to get the last drops of product out. The 5 oz tube retails for $12.50 (comes to $2.50/oz) and the 16.9 oz jar retails for $27.50 (comes to $1.63/oz) -- so you can see the obvious better buy.. .
Ingredients --aqueous infusions, rosemary, mint, stearic acit, butylene blycol, dicaprylyl maleate, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, french peppermint, clary sage, lavandin, lemon rind, indian palmarosa, sandalwood, australian eucalyptus, egyptian geranium, and coriander essential oils, myristyl myristate, emulsifying wax nf, kelp extract, algin, sunflower seed oil, kukui nut oil, phytosterol, soybean phospholipid, bisabolol, phtosqualane, panthenol, caffeine, tocopheryl acetate, cetyl phosphate, tromethamine, dimethicone, hydroxyethylcellulose, trisodium edta, phenoxyethanol, methyl, propyl and butylparaben
This is marketed as an Energizing Shaving Cream. -- taken from the tube-- Just when you thought shaving was a drag, it becomes something worth waking up to. Feel blades sail with no resistance as skin conditioning Kukui, smoothing Soybean and other plant protectors run interference between skin and blade to give you a close, friction-free shave. But it's not just stubble that gets a lift from this lightweight cream. You'll wake up with a cooling, energizing boost as pores inhale refreshing Coriander, Australian Eucalyptus, French Peppermind plus many other natural revivers.
Directions: spread over warm, wet skin. Shave as usual, rinse thoroughly.
My Experience with this Product
Summertime is here, and that means that Florida is just now entering the sixth circle of hell. That means I rarely go outside with more than shorts and a tanktop on, and that means I shave often. I even shave my arms, so I've always been on the lookout for a nice shaving cream or gel that won't give me that horrible razor burn. My arms and legs are ok, but underneath my arms and other .. important.. places -- OUCH! The painful rash will get so bad that I can't shave for a few days until it subsides, and then I repeat the cycle. I have been using a pretty decent shaving gel that I honestly like (Edge Vitamin-Enriched ProGel with Aloe for Sensitive Skin), but I really REALLY wanted to try Origins' Blade Runner (call me a sucker for listening to my sales lady) ..
By now I should have learned my lesson, if something you're using isn't broke.. Don't fix it.
When I opened the tube, I immediately liked the smell -- it's a soft eucalyptus scent that just smells fresh and clean. It has a milky white color that has a bit of opalescance to it, and the consistency seems decently thick.
From a Woman's POV -- The first time I used it, I was shocked by the sheer amount of product that it took to cover my leg from knee to foot -- and I'm 5'4''. I swear I had to have used a full ounce to cover both legs -- and that's 1/5 of the bottle!!!! And even once I got the product to cover my leg, I fully appreciated what the term "lightweight" means on this bottle. Even though the consistency is thick, it is truly a lightweight cream meant to only slightly cover your leg. It almost feels like you are putting a small amount of oil scented with eucalyptus on your leg, and proceeding to shave with it. For $12.50, I sure as heck EXPECT this stuff to be concentrated and to have a little more weight to it than it does. It created a neat cooling sensation, that I guess is what Origins' is talking about with the "energizing" stuff. It gave me a decent shave on my legs, but my legs were never ones to bother me. The real test was my arms, underarms and bikini area. It did pretty well on my underarms -- there was less razor burn than normal, but I still had to use a decent amount of the product. And it failed miserably on my bikini line and arms. I haven't shaved my arms in a few months, so there was a decent amount of hair growth. Origin's Blade Runner was so lightweight and oily, my razor couldn't even pick up hairs. I had to rinse my arm off, and use my regular shaving gel.
Then for the bikini area. Ouch. Ow OW OW. F*()& $*()&$. My razor SHREDDED my bikini line thanks to Origins' Blade Runner. I, again, had to rinse it off and put my regular shave gel on.
So where is the extremely close shave that Origins is talking about? What about the no razor burn? My shaving experience was well below average, and I used a good 1/3 of the bottle just during one shave. The majority of Origins products are so concentrated they'll last you months, but not this stuff.
From a Man's POV-- My husband is pretty ambivalent about this kind of stuff. He considers pedicures and manicures "girly" and laughs about the majority of stuff that I bring home. He's using the rest of the Blade Runner, but I think it's because we both feel pretty bad about throwing away something that costs $12.50. He is on the fence about the smell (I don't think he really cares), but says it gives him a pretty good shave in the morning. He has actually experienced less razor burn than normal, and it does give him a closer shave overall. But, when he's asked if this product is worth $12.50, his answer is... eh. Eh? EH? I think he'd like to buy it again, but the money is holding him back...
Positives
*Great smell (woman's POV.. "ok smell" is a man's POV)
*Cooling sensation on the skin
*Seems to work better for men than women (ie: he received a closer shave with less razorburn)
Negatives
*Price is expensive, there are MUCH better products out there that are 1/4 the price
*Seems to work better for men than it does for women (ie: I received a horrid shave with tons of razorburn)
*Too lightweight, need to use a lot of the product to get even decent results
Final Verdict
Your honor, I recommend this product be sentenced to a life term on the "Beauty Bust" Row of Epinions.com.
Unless you are a glutton for punishment, really REALLY need to try every Origins product made, or you are a man.. I'd steer clear of this product. First off, the cost is outrageous when you think about it. I can get a three pack of the Economy sized versions (9.5 oz each) of Edge ProGel at Sams for $7.. meanwhile this product is $12.50 for 5 oz?! Origins, what were you thinking?
Secondly, the stuff is so lightweight that women need to use so much of the product just to shave.. So if you shave often (which I need to in Florida), this stuff will last you about two weeks (at the MOST) with you and your significant other using it. Two weeks for $12.50? You HAVE to be kidding me.
Thirdly, this stuff works better on men than women. My husband got a good shave with little razor burn, meanwhile Blade Runner worked well on my legs and underarms, but had poor marks in the bikini area and my arms. I had more razorburn than I normally do, and it tore up my bikini area. But is it even worth buying for your man? Hy husband continues to stay ambivalent, so I'll answer for him! No way, Jose! The improvement he saw was only marginal at best, and it costs SO MUCH MORE!
Normally, I like Origins' products.. and firmly believe that good stuff isn't cheap... and cheap stuff isn't good... but this product is that one small exception for women...
So, to all you fellow Epinioners.. I'd just stick with the moderately cheap shaving gels, and forget this stuff. Don't even look at it when you walk into an Origins' store, that's MY final verdict.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
gatorgirlie
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Location: Orlando, FL
Reviews written: 247
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