It stayed warm for a long time this year, but now it finally feels like winter, with its complement of dry skin from the alternating freezing air outdoors and harsh heaters indoors. I picked up a couple of new lotions recently from a small bath and body company from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Ginger and Waldo. I purchased my products in person, but they have an Etsy store where you can order online.
Packaging:
The packaging is clean, no-nonsense, and professional-looking--brown kraft paper labels with the name of the company, product type and scent, and information about the size and ingredients. The small lotion bar I purchased is molded in the shape of a simple starburst, while the large lotion bars have an intricate bee design molded into them. The hand and body lotion I purchased is in an amber glass bottle with a pump top that all works as expected. This was the deciding factor for my purchasing this lotion, in fact--most of my hand creams at home are in jars or squeeze tubes, and I wanted a lotion I could dispense more easily. The lotion bar was sealed and the lotion pump was the type you have to twist to unlock--it was nice knowing nobody had used the products in-store.
Selection:
Ginger and Waldo sell hand and body lotions, lip balms, natural cream deodorants, scrubs and bath salts, and solid lotion bars. I was most intrigued by their unusual savory lip balm flavors, such as dill pickle, pizza, bacon, and, appropriately for Wisconsin, grilled cheese. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very adventurous at the time and, while I smelled the lip balms, didn't end up springing for any of them. The pizza balm smelled very true-to-life, while the others didn't come across as very accurate out of the tube when I sniffed them--which is not to say they wouldn't taste more realistic after warming up on the skin.
Samples:
I don't think samples are available, but the solid lotion bars are available in a smaller 0.6 oz size, while the regular-sized lotion bars are 1.2 oz.
Quality:
I haven't tried all of their products, but of the two I purchased, I like the hand and body lotion a lot so far--it smells strong but not overwhelming, and is scented with a pleasant, fruity cherry almond scent that might be a bit on the Robotussin side for some, but it was just what I was looking for. The sweet orange scent of the solid lotion bar is fantastic, but I find the bar a bit harder and stickier than I prefer. It does linger on my hands longer than the hand and body lotion, so people who prefer heavier moisturization might prefer the lotion bar to the hand and body lotion. It might make a nice cuticle cream, as well.Cost:
The prices are very reasonable, in line with what I was expecting:
- Hand and body lotion is $8.99 for 8 oz
- Lip balms are $3.25 apiece
- Deodorants are $5.99 for 4.25 oz
- Scrubs are $12.99 for 8 oz
- Solid lotion bars are $6.29 for 1.2 oz or $3.75 for 0.6 oz
- You can also purchase gift sets for a slight discount.
Customer Service:
I haven't had to deal with Ginger and Waldo's customer service, but they have a good rating on Etsy.
TAT:
Again, since I purchased these products in person, I haven't had experience with their TAT, but they list 3-5 days handling time in their store policies (it's not mentioned whether this is business days or calendar days).
Shipping:
Shipping policies are listed here. Ginger and Waldo do ship internationally and both first class and priority mail within the US. When I created a test cart on Etsy, it cost $2.63 to ship a single lip balm within the US first class.Personal Thoughts:
While they don't have showy branding or marketing, from the lotions I've tried, I think Ginger and Waldo make nice, high-quality products that are nice as gifts or for personal use alike. If I get up my courage, maybe I'll try one of the savory lip balms one of these days. I had a nasty experience with some savory teas I bought on a whim a couple of years ago that are still sitting in my cabinet, so I'm a little wary of the unexpectedly savory these days, but one of these days I'm sure curiosity will win out!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ooooh, those lotion bars sounds really nice! I'm always on the hunt for some nice bars, especially for my hands. And wow, those savory teas sound awful!! Broccoli tea, brr. Pizza chapstick, however, sounds a little better, but I'm still sceptical :-)
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