What would a beauty site be without a review of one of the most basic products used every day to keep aroma at bay? Over the years I've dabbled with natural perspirants, powders, sprays and gels, but after each try I keep turning back to the classic deoderant stick. That is, until I tried Secret's Outlast Clear Gel.
Personally, I'm not the most active person, at least not compared to some, but I AM active. I cycle to work, I go to the gym and I occasionally go for a run, but I'm hardly a person who seemingly REQURIES an intense product for sweat protection. Unfortunately I find that most anti-perspirants targeted at women assume we barely sweat at all and simply want some sort of vanilla-y aroma protruding from their armpits while we do housework and drink lattes at coffee shops.
So for the past few years I've relied on solid stick deoderants that provide ample coverage to keep my shirts from sweat damage, while also offering mild or non-scented protection. But the problem with those? They never last! I'm a girl who is always out and about. It's not uncommon for me to work two shifts in one day and then head for drinks afterwards. I need some protection that will last, not one that will need to be reapplied in 8-10 hours.
But within one week of using Secret Outlast Clear Gel I knew I'd found my new go-to product. I was dry, mostly scent-free (the Ooh-La-La Lavender is a VERY subtle scent) and my shirts were left in great, white-stain-free condition! But the best part? I no longer needed to carry a stick in my bag to reapply, I was free all day. The 48 hour claims are dubious, but it absolutely offers all-day protection, and despite the small amount of product in the package, it probably has at least two month's worth in each stick
I will caution against traveling with this stick however, as the gel doesn't react well to extreme cold and heat, it left a giant mess in my travel bag on a recent flight.
My only complaint about this product has to do less with Secret and more with the women's hygiene industry in general. I really dislike that women get a 45g product for the price that men get about 85g. It's just one of the many ways that women are sneakily charged more money than men for basic neccessities. It often makes me want to buy men's stuff to see if the difference is really THAT big. Are all of our products really that SUPERIOR? Or are they just priced that way? That's not to say that I'm about to go using Old Spice because that stuff smells STRONG but it's definitely got me considering finding a scent-free men's gel for comparison's sake.
Full disclosure: I received this product for review by BzzAgent. All opinions above are my own.