Does a higher price tag really mean a better product?

This week, Daze checks out body wash and orange juice.

In the shower, I always like a rich, yummy-smelling body wash. (I never use bars of soap — too slippery — so I am only considering body wash here.) At just about any big box store in Ithaca, you can get a big bottle of St. Ives body wash. My favorite is their Energizing Citrus scent, which smells of orange and lime and always wakes me up in the morning. As a bonus, it is rich and moisturizing, and it never leaves my skin feeling dry. — $2.50

For Christmas, my mother put some Philosophy 3-in-1 body wash in my stocking. While I never tried it as a shampoo or conditioner (too weird), the yummy Cinnamon Bun-scented body wash worked well and the smell always made me smile. However, the body wash left my skin a bit dry, and the scent lingered a bit (and really, nobody wants to go to class smelling like cinnamon buns). At this price, I'd expect a bit more. — $16

THE VERDICT: St. Ives wins.

One of my more recent purchases is a citrus juicer. While originally intended for lime juicing (for margaritas), I have recently taken up making freshly squeezed orange juice. Oranges are cheap, but it takes a good 15 minutes or so to eek out one glass of juice (or two mimosas). While it goes particularly well with the champagne in mimosas, sometimes it is a bit pulpy for my taste, and my hands really hurt after juicing all of those oranges. — $1 a glass or so

On the other hand, I’ve been drinking Tropicana (without pulp) since I was pretty much in the womb. Always smooth, always delicious, this juice is great at any point in the day. Also, all you need is a quick splash of this stuff and even the lowest quality champagne tastes great in a mimosa. Not to mention the general ease of purchasing a giant container at Wegmans and pouring it into a glass. Fresh squeezed was a fun experiment, but I recommend sticking to the classic Tropicana. — $4

THE VERDICT: Tropicana wins.