I hate giving bad reviews, I always feel like such a meanie, especially for trial products but needs must.
As you can probably tell I am not a fan. I did enjoy the packaging, it’s sleek and black and I like that it sits upside down so you won’t have to balance it upside down to get the last of it out, and it’s cool twist lock opening mechanism.
I also like that it worked. It’s been super summery (oh how I miss winter when it gets like this), and I’ve been doing some intense exercise. I haven’t noticed any embarrassing lapses in deodorant performance though which is really the most important thing at the end of the day. It’s not the kind of deodorant you can put on in the AM one day and then shower in the PM 36 hours later and place your full trust in though, you will need to re-apply.
What turns me off about the product is a couple of petty things, but hey, it’s a tough saturated market and I can afford to be fickle – I am the consumer afterall.
Firstly the smell. Somehow the same smell that I quite enjoyed in spray form comes across a little too masculine in roll-on form. It’s quite strong and musky or a female scent and I think it would clash a little with certain body lotions or perfumes.
The other dislike, and the most unforgivable in my eyes, is that it takes a looooong time to dry. An hour later one night I still had wet armpits and had to fan them and keep my arms up so they would dry. I’ve never had this problem with a deodorant before to this extent and it was really annoying.
The product claims not to leave marks. I’ve actually never had this problem with any product so I’m not sure if it is true to it’s word there but my impression of it was that it had a really opaque look when I applied it that seemed like it would stain clothes.
I’ve actually never tried Rexona before because it’s usually the most expensive deodorant. Even though it’s only by a few cents I had it in my mind that Rexona is a premium brand and this really hasn't lived up to that sadly.
Let me start off this review by saying that I normally stay away from roll-on deodorants. I personally hate the amount of time they take to dry, and I often find they go quite sticky if I do end up sweating (eww!) later on in the day. However, I tried to go into this trial with a non-biased attitude, so that I could give this a completely fair review.
I love the style of the packaging, but not the appearance. I find it really handy to have it sitting upside-down, on the lid, as it means the ball is always coated in product (it doesn’t leak at all, though). It’s a nice easy shape to hold, and the lid twists and clicks shut securely. Like I said, I’m not a huge fan of how it looks: the black and silver reminds me of a men’s deodorant (ooh gender stereotyping here), and overall I’d prefer something a bit more ‘pretty’. That’s just me, however, and overall it’s not hideous, so that’s all good.
It’s easy to apply, as the ball rolls smoothly and is coated evenly with the deodorant. I do find that it (like most roll-ons) takes at least a good 10-15 minutes to dry fully on me – not so much a problem in this hot, sleeveless-top kind of weather, but something that would quickly become annoying to me in winter when I needed to get dressed in a hurry. It dries completely clear, and I haven’t experienced any white marks (bearing in mind again that I’ve been mostly wearing sleeveless tops while testing this).
The scent is extremely fresh, and slightly floral. I do personally find it a little strong, especially initially, as it does clash a tiny bit with my perfumes. However, it mostly fades away after a couple of hours. It definitely masks odours: I’ve had a couple of long days outside in the heat, and even after those, my underarms have remained odour-free. Yay!
However, I’m not entirely convinced about its anti-perspirant claims. It’s definitely better than a deodorant without anti-perspirant, but I have found, especially in this hot weather, that I have got a bit sweaty despite it. That being said, I usually wear the cream clinical protection type deodorants, so it’s a tough comparison.
Its final claim is to prevent yellow stains. That’s not something I really have a problem with, so I don’t know that I’m the best person to provide judgement on that. However, I haven’t experienced any such stains while using it, so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Overall: this is definitely one of the better roll-ons that I’ve tried. I still find the drying time a bit too long for my liking, and I personally prefer a stronger anti-perspirant, but all in all, I’m fairly impressed, and would recommend to others.
Tips: Leave plenty of time for this to dry before getting dressed - it's a good opportunity to do your makeup/hair!