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10/26/2006 Entry: "Quality versus Pleasure"

Kai Jones writes about finding the sweet spot between quality and pleasure of use, specifically regarding body lotion. What does it benefit a person if a product is pretty to look at and smells great, if the lotion doesn't do the lotioning job that well?

I've been noticing a lot of contrast in my life between products that actually work very well, and products that are far more pleasurable to use than the first set but don't work nearly as well. One example that I think about almost daily is body lotion, which I use a lot of because I have very dry, flaky skin.

The cheap, national-brand lotion I get at the grocery store smells a bit off (not too bad, just neutral instead of good). The container is, again, a bit off: not attractive, although I like the colors chosen for the pump and part of the text: a nice strong blue, somewhere between turquoise and teal. The design of the bottle is good in that you really can get almost all the lotion out through the pump. And the lotion works wonderfully: one application lasts roughly 24 hours--that is, my skin doesn't feel dry or itchy, and I have a lot less flakiness. I don't feel a bit sticky or greasy after applying it, either, and it's never stained my clothes.

I've had a lot of other moisturizing experiences (not all were lotions) in the last couple of years, including: custom-scented lotion that Twoson gave me for my birthday (he picked jasmine, one of my favorites), orange-ginger lotion from a hotel stay (I grabbed each day's tiny bottle and brought them home), and then there are the LUSH products.

I like to buy fancy soaps, but only when they are cheap! That's why I like to visit the Soap Box booth at the University District Street Fair most years. Great bargains there!

(tags: KaiJones, Snippy, Quality)