Naturalla Beauty

It's that time again: empties!  I used up a decent number of samples this month, but only four full sized products.  Keep reading for my thoughts on everything...

FULL SIZED PRODUCTS

George's Always Active Aloe Spray Mister   [Review]
I was in love with this spray initially, but I'm no longer convinced it does anything more than water.  It does work well for setting your makeup, hydrating or cooling your face, and helping oils/serums rub into your skin better, but since this ran out, I've been using plain water in a spray bottle, and I haven't noticed any difference.  
Repurchase? Maybe.  

Acure Argan + Argan Stem Cell Conditioner   [Review]
Love this conditioner!  This is the first summer that I haven't struggled with frizzy hair in the humidity and I credit a lot of that to Acure's shampoo and conditioner.  
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

South of France Lemon Mint Liquid Soap   [Review]
Really great as either a hand soap or body wash.  Lathers up well, smells fresh and lovely - lemony with a touch of mint - and does not leave your skin feeling tight or dry.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

(Seed) Grape Seed Enriched Body Lotion   [Review]
(Seed)'s lotion is on the lighter side, which was great for the summer.  It rubs in super easily and still moisturizes well.  The pump is a nice added convenience too! 
Repurchase? Maybe.

SAMPLES

Consonant Ultra Firming Eye Cream
Consonant was kind enough to send me a few samples after a conversation on Twitter, and this was the first one I reached for.  They recommended it for both under eye circles and puffiness, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to do much for my dark circles.  It does, however, take down puffiness like no other eye cream I've used.  This plus my Pure + Simple eye cream - which is great for darkness but falls short with puffiness - makes the perfect combination, but I'm not sure it's feasible to layer two eye creams in the long run.  I have a sample of Consonant's Ultra Moisturizing Eye Cream to try next, so I'm hoping that one will end up being a better fit.
Repurchase? Probably not. 

Cheeky Cosmetics Honeycomb Eye Shadow   [Review]
I really like Cheeky Cosmetics' eye shadows, but Honeycomb wasn't a standout colour for me.  It's a pretty golden brown, don't get me wrong, but I have an abundance of eye shadow and it wasn't unique enough that I need to replace it immediately.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Face Naturals Peppermint & Tea Tree Deodorant
The mini deodorant is super cute and the perfect size for toting around, which I guess is good, since it's something that needs to be reapplied throughout the day!  Even on days when I do nothing, this deodorant doesn't get me through the day stink-free unless I use it more than once.  It's also the worst for getting deodorant marks on clothing.  It doesn't seem to matter how I put my shirt on, I always end up with an awkward white smear on it somewhere!  I've loved plenty of other Face Naturals products, but I really had to force myself to use this one up!  
Repurchase? No.

Dr. Bronner's Citrus Orange Pure Castile Soap
I'm pretty sure everyone knows Dr. Bronner's.  This castile soap is insanely multi-purpose and is a great product to have on hand.  Since it's so gentle, I used the sample to hand wash some delicates.  The citrus scent isn't my favorite, but it worked just as well as any of the other ones.
Repurchase? Yes, but not in this scent.

Himalaya Neem & Turmeric Face Wash
Himalaya is a new-to-me brand, but I was excited to try out this sample whilst hunting for a new cleanser.  I'm still curious to try more from the line, but this face wash just didn't work for me.  It's a gel cleanser that's difficult to wash off and it left my skin feeling tight and a little dry.  It's recommended for normal to oily skin, so it may work better for oilier skin types.
Repurchase? No.

Green Beaver Boreal Body Lotion
I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this, since I usually choose unscented lotions.  It has a subtle scent that dissipates pretty quickly and I was completely fine with it. It's a little richer than my usual Acure lotion, which I imagine will be fantastic come winter.  And, I love that, unlike the Acure, it's a lotion I can actually buy in stores here.  
Repurchase? It's very likely.  

Black Rose Minerals Skink Eye Shadow   [Review]
Skink is another shimmery tan/light brown/gold and really lovely.  These kinds of shades are my favorite for an everyday eye and I'm starting to running low!  Definitely considering ordering a full size.
Repurchase? Maybe.

That's all for August!  Have you tried any of these products?

I ordered some samples from Black Rose Minerals several months ago, but it's only recently that I've taken the time to really play with them.  Eye shadows were the first indie makeup I discovered and I initially might have gone a little overboard trying to test all the great companies out there!  Most of my eye shadows are sample sizes, so it's not completely beyond what I could feasibly use up, but it still got to a point where I was feeling overwhelmed by my collection.  And right around that time, my Black Rose Minerals order arrived and was basically set aside in a drawer and forgotten....until recently!

I rediscovered these lovelies while shopping my stash, and let me just say they were totally wasted sitting there all these months!  Like a lot of other samples, they come in small baggies.  The baggies cost $1 (less if you buy ten or more) and all came fully labelled with their ingredients.  Non-vegan shades are also clearly marked as such, and larger samples in jars are available too.




I chose mostly neutral shades, but Black Rose Minerals has a great selection of colours too.  And, even though these are neutrals, they're all sparkly, complex, and not boring in the least.  They're also pigmented, super smooth and blend like a dream. 

Check out the swatches for yourself!  I did these over Detrivore Cosmetics Eye Shadow Primer.  The shadows work best over some kind of primer or base, but I think that's true of almost all loose pigments.  

(L to R) Steele, Mochi, Mummy May I, Shrooms, Lioness, Skink, Confused, Titania, Dot, Dusty Trails, Zealous

(L to R) Steele, Mochi, Mummy May I, Shrooms, Lioness

Skink, Confused, Titania, Dot, Dusty Trails, Zealous

 
I know it's only been a week, but it feels like it's been a long time since my last blog post.  Either way, I'm happy to be back to posting.  I hope you all had a fantastic holiday.  As December's coming to a close, I've seen several "best of" posts pop up on different blogs and I decided to add mine to the mix.  I'm going to split it up into a few different posts, so you can expect a couple more of these before the new year.  Today's is going to highlight some of my favourite eye shadows.  

To warn you in advance, this year, I've either grown up or gotten terribly boring with my eye makeup.  I used to be a lot more adventurous with eye shadow colours, but these days I really prefer how I look with more neutral-toned shadows.  With that in mind, for your viewing pleasure, I've got my 10 favourite neutrals and my 5 favourite colours.  I made sure to pick shades that are still available, so you can easily get your hands on any of these!

(L to R) Darling Girl Cosmetics Smoking Gun, Darling Girl Cosmetics Chococat, Darling Girl Cosmetics Harvest Moon, Cheeky Cosmetics Sun Goddess, Cheeky Cosmetics Fairy Tale, Cheeky Cosmetics Silk, Chequered Lily Apothecary Neverwhere, Shiro Cosmetics Deku, Shiro Cosmetics Master Sword, Silk Naturals Splendid Perfecting Glow

Darling Girl Cosmetics
Darling Girl makes some of the smoothest eye shadows I've ever used and they have a ton of beautiful colours.  It was a struggle to pick just these three!  I use Smoking Gun a lot as eyeliner.  It's a beautiful dark, smokey taupe that ironically reminds me a lot of Honeybee Gardens' eyeliner by the same name, only in powder form.   Harvest Moon is a beautiful peach shade and Chococat is an almost metallic golden brown.  Both of them are great, mid-tone neutrals that come in handy for a lot of different looks.

(L to R) Darling Girl Cosmetics Smoking Gun, Darling Girl Cosmetics Chococat, Darling Girl Cosmetics Harvest Moon, Cheeky Cosmetics Sun Goddess, Cheeky Cosmetics Fairy Tale

 
Cheeky Cosmetics
Cheeky Cosmetics is a Canadian company that I don't see talked about very much.  They were one of my first introductions to mineral makeup and even though my collection's grown since, I still find myself reaching for these colours a lot.  Sun Goddess is a metallic gold that leans a little orange/bronze and reminds me a lot of swatches I've seen of Urban Decay's Half Baked.  Fairy Tale and Silk are my favourite shades for highlighting the inner corner.  I use Fairy Tale, which is pink-toned, the most, but Silk, which is more yellow-toned, is what I reach for when I want something more neutral/warm. 

Chequered Lily Apothecary
After how I went on about it in my review, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I've included Neverwhere in this list.  Probably top three material, if I were ever forced to narrow things down even more.  It's a great, more complex neutral - golden brown with pink sparkles.

(L to R) Cheeky Cosmetics Silk, Chequered Lily Apothecary Neverwhere, Shiro Cosmetics Deku, Shiro Cosmetics Master Sword, Silk Naturals Splendid Perfecting Glow

Shiro Cosmetics
Shiro is another of my favourite eye shadow companies.  Deku is a stunning reddish copper with green sparkles that makes blue eyes pop like no other.  Master Sword is a glittery pale taupe that somehow manages to be both gold and silver.  It's one of my favourite lid colours. 

Silk Naturals
Splendid is actually one of Silk Naturals' Perfecting Glow powders, not an eye shadow.  The Perfecting Glows are supposed to be similar to Bare Escentuals' Radiance powders in that they give you a slight glow, but they aren't over the top and can be dusted across your whole face.  Splendid made it into my eye shadow list because it makes a fantastic colour to blend out almost any other shadow.  It goes on as a pale gold, but it's quite sheer and as you blend, it basically rubs out to nothing.  At the same time, it's a lot easier to blend over Splendid than bare skin. 

(L to R) Shiro Cosmetics Twilight Realm, Black Rose Minerals Titania, Femme Fatale Cosmetics Divinity, Noella Beauty Works Mango Berry, Madd Style Cosmetics Lady Luck

Shiro Cosmetics
One more from Shiro.  Generally, I have the hardest time wearing blue eye shadows, but Twilight Realm is the exception.  It's a greyed blue that makes the most gorgeous blue smokey eye.  Love love love.

Black Rose Minerals
After neutrals, purples are probably my favourite colour to wear.  Titania is a plummy purple that works as either a shadow or a liner.  I love that while it's clearly purple, it isn't super bright or in your face.  It's a colour, but it's still completely work friendly.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics 
Femme Fatale is an Australian company that makes the best duochrome eye shadows of any indie brand I've found.  Divinity is a soft pink with a pretty gold duochrome. 

Noella Beauty Works
Mango Berry is a perfectly balanced coral.  It's a little more orange than it appears in my swatch.  I don't reach for it much in the winter, but it's a beautiful shade that just screams summer in the warmer months.

Madd Style Cosmetics
I think Lady Luck was released with last year's St. Patrick's Day collection, but it's still available as of now.  On first glance, it's a light yellow/gold, but it has the most amazing pale green duochrome that adds just the right amount of interest to any green look.  


I hope you enjoyed checking out my top eye shadows picks for 2012.  I'd love to hear what would make your list!