Before you read a review from me about shopping, you should know this: 1) I don’t really LIKE to shop-not for personal items or household items, not really at all. Mostly because it just takes too much time. 2) I have a difficultly making decisions about products, and thus am addicted to expert and consumer reviews to help me decide. I can often be found standing in a store aisle Googling product reviews (which is part of the reason shopping takes too much time for me. 3) I'm picky, and continually looking for products that will be safe and minimize toxins in our home, our bodies, and the environment.
Enter Modere, an on-line company featuring personal care, household care, and health & wellness products. I had never heard of this company before, but when they offered to provide me with some products to review, I agreed. Here's why: 1) Modere has an easy-to-use, cleanly designed website with such time-savers as one-click mobile ordering and Smart Ship, which ships your favorite products to you every month, if you so desire. 2) Customer reviews! Right there on the site, for every product. 3) Modere claims that their product formulas, which have been "proven for over 25 years" are non-toxic and not tested on animals. All ingredients are clearly listed on Modere's website for evaluation before ordering a product. So, in concept at least, Modere hit it out of the park for this reluctant shopper. But how did their products actually measure up?
Because I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe when it comes to shopping, I avoided going with one of Modere's collections and decided instead to sample something from each of their main product lines: Household Care. Personal Care. Health and Wellness.
Household Care-Red Pear with Magnolia Dishwasher Pods.
Modere has a variety of household products, including laundry care, dishwashing pods
and cleaning wipes. For me, the Dishwashing Pods were an easy choice. Tucson, as you know, has hard water. Very few dishwashing detergents seem to be able to deal with that. I’m not typically a “pod” person-it seems those things never really dissolve in my machine. However, when I read the reviews of the Modere Pods, two things stood out: a fellow desert-dweller mentioned the pods worked wonders on her hard water stains, and almost everyone mentioned how well they dissolved. I am happy to say that I concur with the majority of the reviews-these pods dissolved beautifully AND passed the hard water test leaving me with sparkling dishes. And? They smell GREAT (but come in unscented, too). I may just have to go the pod route for laundry next, and try one of Modere's laundry pods.
and cleaning wipes. For me, the Dishwashing Pods were an easy choice. Tucson, as you know, has hard water. Very few dishwashing detergents seem to be able to deal with that. I’m not typically a “pod” person-it seems those things never really dissolve in my machine. However, when I read the reviews of the Modere Pods, two things stood out: a fellow desert-dweller mentioned the pods worked wonders on her hard water stains, and almost everyone mentioned how well they dissolved. I am happy to say that I concur with the majority of the reviews-these pods dissolved beautifully AND passed the hard water test leaving me with sparkling dishes. And? They smell GREAT (but come in unscented, too). I may just have to go the pod route for laundry next, and try one of Modere's laundry pods. Personal Care-Exfoliant.
Let me give you a little background here: Once I got a professional facial and was
berated (or maybe it was “gently chided”) about my exfoliation routine. After turning down the $125 tube the aesthetician offered me, I’ve been on a search for the perfect exfoliant ever since. So, I bypassed Modere's many hair, body and mouth products and went straight for skincare. The reviews were quite good and happily, my own impression of Modere’s Exfoliant is also very good. It’s gentle, without harsh abrasives or chemicals. My skin feels fresh and soft after using it, not tight or tingly. It smooths easiely over my skin, so that not much is needed at one time, making the reasonable $12.99 price tag even more appealing. And it's fragrance free, which I think might make it appealing to men as well as women. I definitely think my (former) aesthetician would have a harder time finding fault with my skin after using this product.
Let me give you a little background here: Once I got a professional facial and was
berated (or maybe it was “gently chided”) about my exfoliation routine. After turning down the $125 tube the aesthetician offered me, I’ve been on a search for the perfect exfoliant ever since. So, I bypassed Modere's many hair, body and mouth products and went straight for skincare. The reviews were quite good and happily, my own impression of Modere’s Exfoliant is also very good. It’s gentle, without harsh abrasives or chemicals. My skin feels fresh and soft after using it, not tight or tingly. It smooths easiely over my skin, so that not much is needed at one time, making the reasonable $12.99 price tag even more appealing. And it's fragrance free, which I think might make it appealing to men as well as women. I definitely think my (former) aesthetician would have a harder time finding fault with my skin after using this product.Health & Wellness-Sleep Health.
This was certainly the most difficult product to settle upon trying. I already take multi-vitamins that I'm pretty committed to, and didn't necessarily have an interest in any of
the "active health" or "weight management" products Modere offers. Then, through my drowsy, insomniac eyes, I spied the the Sleep Health. I'd never tried anything for my sleep problems before. Perhaps these "minty, chewable" tablets (with melatonin as the active ingredient) would be just the thing. Not having anything to compare this with, I will say that (when I remember to take it) Sleep Health DOES seem to help me calm my brain a bit and drift off to sleep more easily. I simply don't feel like I've used these tablets enough, so the verdict is still out, but I'm eager to try them again during my next bout of real sleeplessness.Health & Wellness-BONUS! Satiety Chews.
Much to my surprise, my order arrived with a bonus sample of Modere's Satiety Chews.
Now, I'm a pretty mindful eater during the day, but at night I can become a ravenous sweet-seeking machine. These little berry-flavored chews have natural appetite suppressant (proteinase inhibitors) that "may provide a feeling of satiety" and help control hunger. So, I chewed two one night and found myself...satisfied. The next night, instead of raiding the cupboards for leftover Halloween candy, I chewed two more, and felt great. Although the sample package was used up in a matter of a couple of nights, my night-grazing during that time was drastically reduced. Well played, Modere, well-played. I think I will be ordering these. Now, if they only came in chocolate...
Overall impression? Shopping with Modere was a pleasant experience. An easy to navigate website that allows you to go into re-order pilot mode with your favorite products is a real time saver. The products I tried were all made with safe, quality ingredients that I truly enjoyed using. There are incentives such as free shipping, and shopping rewards that I'm interested in learning more about. I'm not converted into a shop-o-holic, by any means, but I will certainly shop with Modere again!
Visit www.modere.com to do some shopping for yourself!
I was provided with $50 worth of Modere products in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
