Naturalla Beauty

CLEANSERS + SCRUBS

OIL CLEANSERS/MAKEUP REMOVERS


MOISTURIZERS/BALMS

I haven’t shared any empties since February of last year, so, needless to say, I’ve accumulated quite a pileup!  In the interest of finally clearing that out, I’m dedicating the rest of this week to empties posts.  Today will be hair care, followed by skincare, body care, and makeup.  Out of necessity, individual reviews will be brief, but I’m happy to expand on anything in the comments if you’d like more information.  


SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER

HENNA

That's it for hair! Stay tuned for lots more empties over the next few days...

Next up, hair empties!   I never go through a ton of hair stuff and it's a bit of a random batch this time as I've been making a concerted effort to use up all the nearly finished bottles of shampoo and conditioner lingering in my shower.  



Shampoos
I liked all three of these (and their matching conditioners too!)  The Griffin Remedy Volumizing Shampoo doesn't dramatically impact volume, but it's a great everyday shampoo and smells wonderful.  After the matching conditioner ran out, I used it to clean my makeup brushes a few times too.  Broo's Malted Mint Invigorating Shampoo uses craft beer in place of water and is incredibly gentle and hydrating.  I tried Broo's old formulas a few years ago -- when they came in bottles rather than tubes -- and had problems with the scents, but this one has a much milder fragrance.  It smells a little like mint and a little like beer, but neither scent lingers at all once hair dries.  The Andalou Naturals' Argan & Sweet Orange Shampoo is another good one, although like I mentioned in yesterday's skincare empties, Andalou has reformulated most of their products with what I consider to be inferior ingredients.  I managed to snag a couple backups of the old formula shampoo and conditioner, but after those, I won't be using Andalou's hair care any more.  

Conditioners
I can't quite wrap my head around Intelligent Nutrients' prices here in Canada, but if money was no object, I'd probably exclusively use their products on my hair.  That said, the Harmonic Conditioner is not one of the company's top standouts for me.  I adore the matching Harmonic Shampoo -- which I used up many months ago -- but the conditioner is just so-so.  It smells great and works well, but I'm not convinced it performs significantly better than less costly options.  The Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner is something of a cult favorite, in the green community and beyond, but I can't deal with its strong scent.  I couldn't even get through the entire mini.  I like some coconut scents, but the DE is verging on synthetic sunscreen coconut to my nose and I'm not a fan.  Beyond the fragrance, the actual conditioner works well, so I ended up replacing it with the Italian Lemon instead.  It has a much milder fragrance and is scented only with essential oils.   

Styling + Extras 
I've gone through countless bottles of the Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz Styling Serum over the last few years and I've got another one on the go right now.  I prefer lightweight products that defines my curls without any stickiness or crunchy feel, and that's exactly what the aloe-based Spiral Spritz does.  It's a great no-frills products for me.  Chorus Supernatural's Moor Clay Mask is technically a face mask, but I loved it even more as a clarifying shampoo mix-in.  (I have an entire post on how I use it HERE.)  I've since replaced the Moor Clay with a different clay, but it's not working nearly as well, so I may circle back to this one again in the near future.  

I bought Rainbow Henna's Persian Burgundy Henna over two years ago, but never quite worked up the courage to use it until this past December.  The color was not at all what I was originally going for, but I ended up liking it a lot nonetheless.  This was my first time dying my own hair, so it was a learning (and a bit of a PITA if I'm completely honest) but the results are great, so I think it's worth the hassle.  One pot of henna was enough for one full dye job and one root touch up on my medium-length hair.  I'm debating dedicating an entire post to my henna experience, so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in seeing!

I'm officially declaring the rest of this week empties week here on the blog!  My last empties post was way back in September, so there's a fair bunch of stuff to talk about -- thus, the decision to sort and split everything up into multiple posts.  Today's post is all about skincare and hair, body, and makeup will follow.  

Before I get into the specifics, here's a peek at the chaos that was my floor while sorting through 5+ months of empty products:


Face Wipes
I've said it before, but as ridiculous as it sounds, I'm a reluctant face wipes user, only regularly using them due to plumbing in an older house.  I much prefer oil cleansing to remove my makeup, but my bathroom sink is less of a fan, so I use a face wipe to remove the oil, and then follow up with a regular cleanser at the sink.

Since I use them in combination with an oil cleanser, I'm not overly picky, beyond looking for something with clean ingredients that's biodegradable, mildly scented and non-irritating.  Both the Boo Bamboo Makeup Remover Wipes and the Honest Co. Honest Baby Wipes fit the bill for me and are ones I'll continue to buy.  The Boo Bamboo Baby Wipes, on the other hand, are just okay.  The ingredients include Polysorbate 20, which I don't love, plus I'm not crazy about how they smell -- like an odd mix of baby powder and lavender.  They do the trick and don't bother my skin, but just aren't a favorite.  Lastly, I used up a pack of the Acure Unscented Argan Oil Cleansing Towelettes, which were a complete fail for me.  They irritated my face and quickly got relegated to cleaning up swatches and dusting duty.



Cleansers
I seriously love all three of these cleansers!  Holiskin's Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser made it into my 2016 favorites and is a phenomenal oil cleanser and makeup remover.  It's incredibly gentle and I love its delicate chamomile-lavender scent too.  Ursa Major's Fantastic Face Wash is another favorite and something I've bought more than once.  It's a great gel formula that produces a light lather and rinses away cleanly without leaving skin feeling dry or stripped.  The Batty's Bath Soothing Cleanser is a beautiful creamy cleanser laced with gentle jojoba beads.  I think I'd like it even more without the beads, as I don't feel like they do much, but the citrus/mint scent was a big hit with me and I also was impressed with how incredibly effective the cleanser is at calming the skin and reducing redness.



Moisturizers
The Mad Hippie Face Cream was a last minute iHerb grab, but one that I ended up really liking.  Mad Hippie's products are inexpensive and loaded with active ingredients -- in this case, peptides, niacinamide, sodium PCA, and antioxidants.  To me, it was a good basic lightweight moisturizer.  No crazy anti-aging results -- at least from the one tube -- but it moisturized well and I enjoyed using it.  

I also used up a bunch of Andalou Naturals minis, although I won't dwell on them too much, as Andalou has recently overhauled their entire line and almost everything has been reformulated.  The Probiotic + C Renewal Cream was super lightweight and quick to absorb into the skin, but did a great job hydrating nonetheless.  It almost felt like a cross between a gel moisturizer and a more traditional cream.  The Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream and Super Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream are both a little heavier, but also nice moisturizers.  All of these were the old formulas, I can't speak to any of them in their current formulations.



Masks
Blissoma's Lavish Loving Recovery Beta-Glucan Mask is a wonderful multi-purpose hydrating and soothing product.  I like using it both as a wash-off moisturizing mask and as a hydrating leave-on overnight treatment.  (And, if you saw Blissoma's latest newsletter, it apparently has even more applications as a hand cream, hair mask + more!)  I've used up a couple samples now and I'll definitely consider the full size as soon as my mask stash is a little more manageable.

Andalou Naturals's 1000 Roses Rosewater Face Mask, which somehow missed the photo, was a decent moisturizing mask too.  The scent was a very sweet rose and not too overpowering, even for me, who often doesn't get on with rose or heavy florals.  The mask moisturized well enough in the moment, but I didn't notice any long term hydrating benefits.  In a choice between this and Blissoma Lavish, I'd definitely pick the Blissoma.

Likewise, the Kombucha Enzyme Exfoliating Peel did very little for my skin.  The BioActive 8 Berry Fruit Enzyme Mask offered gentle exfoliation from fruit acids and enzymes and was nice, although again, nothing spectacular.  When spaced out, it seemed to do a good job cleaning out pores and left skin feeling very soft to the touch, but if I used it twice in close succession, it did nothing the second time.  Again, the three Andalou masks were all the company's old formulas.  I don't know how the new versions compare, in either performance or ingredients, and to be honest, all the reformulations have left me a little disillusioned with Andalou overall.    



Extras
Young Living Frankincense and Roman Chamomile Essential Oils are both great.  I regularly add Frankincense to DIY toners and masks, and also use it on pimples and blemishes.  The Roman Chamomile has been sitting lost and unloved in my essential oils for several years, but I finished it off in the DIY Oil Cleanser I've been making the last several months (recipe here).  Both oils are pricey, no doubt, but a little goes a long way.

Stay tuned for more empties over the next few days.  I've also got some fun new products to share next week!  

Andalou Naturals is one of my very favorite budget-friendly skincare brands.  The company is committed to complete label transparency and was the first personal care line to achieve 100% Non-GMO Project Verification in 2011.  I've dabbled with products from almost all of Andalou's skincare ranges and recently decided to give the anti-aging Age Defying line -- also recommended for dry and sensitive skin -- a more dedicated try with the Get Started Age Defying Kit.  The Age Defy line features fruit stem cells as well as Andalou's BioActive 8 Berry Complex, a blend of organic superfruit antioxidants, and the kit includes trial sizes of the core products in the range: a cleanser, toner, mask, and two moisturizers.  I'd already used two of the five products before and was happy to try them again, along with three new-to-me items.   


Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk
I used a full bottle of this cleanser a couple years ago and it's something I always planned to go back to.  More of a thick cream consistency than a true milk, it's a super gentle, soap-free cleanser that's boosted with probiotic microflora to calm irritation and stimulate cell turnover.  I also love how it smells -- like sweet and creamy peach/apricot yogurt.  This cleanser is as good as I remember and is something I'll definitely rebuy in the future.  

Blossom + Leaf Toning Refresher
The toner, on the other hand, is the one product in the kit that I didn't enjoy at all.  I've never used one of Andalou's toners before and I barely made it through a sixth of the small bottle before calling it quits on this one.  It felt quite harsh and drying on my skin and, more than anything, seemed very out of place in the Age Defying range which is otherwise such a gentle line.  I also wasn't a fan of the toner's strong herbal scent.

Bioactive 8 Berry Fruit Enzyme Mask
I don't generally think of Andalou skincare products as being super "active" or intense, so to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much from the Fruit Enzyme Mask, but it ended up surprising me.  The mask feels a little warm on the face initially and does an excellent job brightening and gently exfoliating the skin without ever feeling harsh or TOO strong.  It has the consistency of thin jelly (and smells kind of like one too!) and leaves skin feeling baby soft.  I'm not sure I'd commit to a full size immediately, simply because of how many masks I currently have, but, at a minimum, I'd pick it up in one of the Beauty2Go pods at some point.

Super Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream
The Goji Perfecting Cream is the second product in the kit that I'd previously used.  Made with goji glycopeptides, it's advertised to boost collagen and elastin production in the skin, thereby improving skin texture and minimizing fine lines and wrinkles.   I used a full jar of this some time last year and while I can't say I noticed any significant difference in my fine lines, it's a good everyday moisturizer.  The berry scent is sweet and fruity but not overpowering.  

Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream
The Peptide Cream's slightly heavier counterpart, the Resveratrol Q10 Cream is recommended for nighttime use.  The ingredients feature CoQ10, resveratrol and other antioxidants, and Andalou's product description again highlights anti-aging benefits including increased cell renewal, improved skin texture, and diminished fine lines and wrinkles.  Again, I found it to be a good basic moisturizer, but it didn't blow me away.    

The Bottom Line
Andalou's trial kits are a great way to get a feel for the company's skincare products without a big cost investment.  The sizes are great for travel and are also substantial enough to get a decent feel for each product.  I didn't love everything in the Age Defying Kit, but it sparked my love for the Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk again and reconfirmed my positive opinion of Andalou's moisturizers on the whole.  I'm very happy to have discovered the Fruit Enzyme Mask too!