If there's one thing a beauty blogger is proud to be, it's an enabler. If we stumble across something amazing, we can't help but shout it from our internet rooftops. We get excited about beauty, and the energy can be pretty contagious. And this is why things like the "YouTube Made Me Buy It" tag exist. Word travels fast, and when the entire beauty community is buzzing about a specific product, its hard to resist giving in to the hype. Now, I personally haven't gotten around to sharing my take on this tag, but when I do you can rest assured that these two products will be a part of it.
The Sol de Janiero Brazillian Bum Bum Cream and its silly yet intriguing name piqued the curiosity of beauty gurus from near and far this past summer, and before long it felt like everyone and their mom was talking about it on their channel. Even though the purpose of this lotion is to make your bum (bum) appear more toned and firm, the biggest selling point seemed to be its intoxicating pistachio caramel scent.
15 videos later, all I knew was that I needed to go to Sephora, and I needed to smell this stuff for myself.
Now, you can probably infer from the fact that I'm writing this review that I too ended up shamelessly forking over my money to have this lotion in my life. In my defense, (and the defense of the entire online beauty community) THIS. LOTION. SMELLS. AMAZEBALLS. However, it's also stupidly expensive ($45 to be exact). Dropping that kind of change on a body lotion felt insane, which was enough to keep me at bay through the last couple of months. Fortunately, being the savvy shopper that I am, if there is a deal to be had, I will find it.
Enter, the Sol de Janiero Brazillian Body Boom. This holiday gift set contains a full-sized version of the Bum Bum Cream, as well as its partner in crime the Brazillian 4-Play Shower Cream. The retail price of this set is $55, but has a value of $70, giving you roughly a 20% discount. I, of course, tacked on an additional 20% off during the VIB sale, letting me purchase this set for a dollar less than the cost of the lotion by itself.
If that isn't winning, I don't know what is.
Still, $44 is no insignificant chunk of change (especially when we're talking body products). Before I tell you my final verdict as to whether or not this set is worth the splurge, let's delve a little deeper into each of the individual products.
So let's start out the star of the show - the beloved Bum Bum Cream. Inspired by the beautiful bodies of Brazilian women (and their fearless, flaunt-it attitudes), this rich cream is formulated to tone and smooth the look of skin. The cheeky (hah) name obviously suggests its intended to improve the look of your derrière when out sunning yourself on the beach, South American style. However, you can really use it from head to toe. The secret ingredient behind its firming action is Guaraná, a substance derived from a Brazilian seed that contains five times the amount of caffeine as the coffee bean. We all know a good cup of Joe can give us a much needed pick-me-up in the morning, and the theory is that when applied to the skin, caffeine will help to reduce puffiness and inflammation, giving it a smoother, more taught appearance. Whether or not these claims can actually be backed by science is still up for debate.
Each tub of Brazilian Bum Bum Cream contains 8.1 oz of product, and as I mentioned before, retails for $45. As a comparison, the Body Butters from The Body Shop contain 6.7 oz of product and retail for $21 a piece. I was actually pretty surprised to find that The Body Shop Body Butters had less product than Sol de Janeiro's, as the Bum Bum Cream container appears deceptively small. Still, when you look at the price per ounce comparison ($5.55 for Sol de Janiero versus $3.13 for The Body Shop) it does make you wonder whether or not the extra expense is really worth it.
I will say this much, though. When it comes to the product itself I honestly have nothing bad to say. The texture is super thick and creamy, and it absorbs fairly quickly into your skin without leaving a greasy residue behind. I feel like it does a fantastic job of locking in moisture, and the effect is incredibly long lasting. When I take my morning shower I definitely notice my skin still feels soft and hydrated from the previous day's application. And also, the pistachio caramel fragrance is to die for. Seriously, I know its hyped, but it 100% deserves it. It lingers for hours and basically makes you want to sit and smell yourself all day long. Now, do I feel like this cream is doing some kind of fancy skin firming magic? No, not really. Granted bathing suit season has long past us and I'm not really in the best place to judge. But I'm dubious as to whether it makes any actual visible difference compared to any other body lotion.
And then you have the Shower Cream. Again, this is a pretty solid product. It's got a rich, gel-cream formula that lathers up well and leaves you feeling clean and silky soft. It recommends trying this product out in lieu of shaving cream and I'm happy to report that does an excellent job. It's got just the right amount of slip and doesn't totally clog up my razor (a pet peeve of mine). It has the same intoxicating scent, which makes the whole process of showering in the morning that much more enjoyable (and trust, I can use all the encouragement I can get before 7 am).
However, with a retail price of $25 it's still more than twice the price I'd pay for some Dove body wash. And while I think the quality of this product is on point, I can't say that it does anything SO fantastically different from a budget-friendly brand that it's a little difficult to justify the price.
Final verdict? It's undeniable that both of these products are awesome. They work well, they smell incredible, and they definitely are enjoyable to use. If you're curious about trying out the Bum Bum Cream, I would say you might as well shell out the extra $10 to buy this set and at least get the benefit of the overall discount. However, as a whole, these products are by no means a bargain find nor is the price totally justified. If you've got a gift card on hand for the holidays or want to spoil someone in your life, it's a great option. But I would be lying if I told you there weren't other products that performed equally well for a fraction of the price.
Do I have buyers remorse?
Nope. I smell flippin' fantastic, and I'm loving every minute of it.
Have you tried the Bum Bum Cream? Do you think it's worth the splurge?
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