Product: BikiniZone Anti-Bumps Shave Gel

Okay, here's the story. I had run out my current shave gel and was going out of town. I went the drug store desperate for a shave gel; I wasn't about to get a can of flowery foam, I couldn't go back to that. I could not find anything at this store, even in the men's shelves. I was about to give up and just pack my big bottle of baby oil when I saw this gel on the shelf with the creme bleaches and chemical depilatories.

I've found BikiniZone's medicated cream to be useful for soothing bumps after shaving for some time. While I wouldn't recommend it for your face if it's irritated, it's helpful for those other sensitive spots that chafe. So when my eyes fell on this cute little bottle from the same company, I felt my curiosity pique.

BikiniZone Anti-Bumps Shave Gel - 120 mL

Ingredients:

• Water, sodium laureth sulfate, acrylates copolymer, cocamide mea, polysorbate 20, PEG-40 castor oil, fragrance, retinyl palmitate, glycerin, tocopheryl acetate, allantoin, aloe barbadensos leaf juice, chamomile recutita (matricaria) flower extract, calendula officinalis flower extract, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, lactose, cellulose, hydroxypropul methylcellulose, benzophenone-4, sodium chloride, citric acid, ultramarines, yellow 5, blue 1, DMDM hydantoin, disodium EDTA, sodium hydroxide.

Things I Liked:

• The smell. Fresh and sharp and vaguely medicinal. I'm weird.
• It's a gel, so you can see where you're shaving.
  
• Works well enough where it's intended.

Things I Didn't Like:

• It lathers up, so it's a little drying.
• It stings! You don't want to use it on anything that's irritated. Like your face.

Did it do what it promised?

The gel is meant to prevent bumps, soften coarse hair, and sooth skin with nourishing ingredients. Being a gel, I like it already, as I've been turned off foam forever.

Yeah it's not designed for a woman to use on her face, but really, what shave gel is? I had to give it a try, and it stung so much I could barely go the week using it. So ladies, this is not a multi-purpose medium. Ow.

I will say that it was fine in other areas. Nothing special on the legs--I normally use hair conditioner and didn't notice much improvement with this gel. But coupled with a brand new blade, BikiniZone's medicated cream, and ample exfoliation before and after, it was probably one of the best bikini shaves I've had. Usually I suffer through agonizing regrowth for the better part of a week. After using this, I had about a day of discomfort as the hair grew back. It was still a little harsh and drying to the skin in general, though. I've used gentler shaving gels. Bottom line, while I'd use it again, I'd rather have a shaving medium I can use everywhere.

See what other people thought of BikiniZone Anti-Bumps Shave Gel:

Reviews at Drugstore.com
Amazon.com
WalMart.com
...Or, y'know, Google. There's a wealth of opinions on this gel, too.