Review: Curel Itch Defense Skin Balancing Moisture Lotion

 First of all, I hope you like the new springtime theme of Nouveau Cheap! I wanted to bring some extra color and soft pastels to my blog for the spring and I'm thinking about changing things up every season just for fun. Hope you like it!

On to the review: I recently received the new Curel Itch Defense Skin Balancing Moisture Lotion for review, and it really couldn't have come at a better time. I've mentioned several times on this blog that when the weather changes (either from cold to hot or hot to cold) my skin itches like CRAZY. My arms, my legs, my torso...you name it.  The itches take over and I crave instant relief.  So I was really able to put this new Curel lotion to the test these last few weeks, and I'm pleased to say it passed with flying colors.

Curel Itch Defense Skin Balancing Moisture Lotion (retail: approx $6.50, 13 oz)

First I'd like to point out that Curel means business with this lotion. It's got the Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association and was created for people with eczema and sensitive skin. It's fragrance-free, allergist tested, pediatrician tested, and gentle enough for babies:

It also claims to rebalance four essential components of healthy skin: PH levels, moisture levels, cellular turnover and natural ceramide levels.

At first glance, this lotion seems like any standard formula. The lotion itself is white and the texture is good--not too thick and not too thin or watery.  But the magic happens when you apply it to your skin because the texture is anything but standard.  The fourth ingredient in this lotion is tapioca starch:

Do any of you remember the Bath & Body Works Purely Silk collection?  The lotions came in glass bottles and they were my favorite of any lotion I have ever used from BBW.  The reason I loved that lotion so much was because of the powdery finish of the formula--it left my skin so smooooth.  Well, I am thrilled to tell you that, because of the tapioca starch in Curel Itch Defense Skin Balancing Moisture Lotion, it delivers that same powdery finish to the skin! I can't believe that, after all these years, I finally have a lotion formula that shares the same wonderful, soft, powdery finish as the BBW Purely Silk lotion.  I honestly believe that the tapioca starch helps give my itchy skin such instant relief, because I've tried so many other lotions to relieve my itchy skin and this is the only one that stops the itch instantly for me. For more about the science behind this formula, click here.

Another great thing about this lotion is its staying power. I can apply it to my itchy legs and the next morning they're still quite soft and itch-free.  I'm telling you that, for me, this lotion is relief in a bottle.

I may not use this lotion daily (hey, I'm a bath and body junkie and love to change lotions like I change my lip colors), but I've got to tell you that I'm finding it very difficult to think of another lotion in my collection that combats itchiness so instantly and truly helps to relieve and heal my severely itchy skin for more than just an hour or so.  I know that some of you may be put off by the petrolatum and parabens in this formula, which I understand, but for the specific purpose of combating my severely itchy skin, this lotion is working better, and quicker, for me than any of my other lotions.

Do you own any products by Curel? I'd love to hear what your favorites are, and of course I'd love to know if you've tried Curel Itch Defense Skin Balancing Moisture Lotion. If you've got itchy skin, I really hope this brings you the same type of relief that it's been bringing me.

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.